Divergence

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From: Nick Brooke (100270.337@CompuServe.COM)
Date: Wed 22 Sep 1993 - 10:08:11 EEST


Lewis said:

> While I agree about cult divergence etc. it is worth noting that
> Glorantha has only had 1600 years to diverge in. Look at Christianity:
> it has split all over the place and different factions have even used
> this as an excuse to kill each other. BUT most Christians would admit
> that they worship the same god as the other guys, even though they are
> the only ones who are doing it correctly!

OK, take Christianity from the mediaeval point of view. At the Dawning, Year One, the Old Faith existed (Old Malkionism). Then some guy has a vision of the Prophet and sets up a new religion which differs greatly from the original caste-ridden, legalistic religion (Hrestolism). And several hundred years after that there's a new and extreme form of dogmatic monotheism on the world stage, which claims the same roots as the original (Islam).

Now, the mediaeval Popes considered Jews to be steeped in wilful ignorance of the Book, and Moslems to be vile heretics -- even if they do worship the same god as the other guys (and not Mahound, Apollyon and Termagant - cf. La Chanson de Roland, inter alia). But we tend to think of them as something other than "different factions".

Nick says: that's how I see Malkionism v. Hrestolism v. the Jrusteli Jihad's Monotheism (leaving aside the Arkati and Rokari for the moment). And by the year 1500 (picking one out of a hat), our world was in much the same place. You and I look rationally at the Religions of the Book and say, "they're just offshoots from the same religion, and they all worship the same god anyway". But I'm sure it'd feel different to be there.

Not that this is in any way a CREDO plug.

Evolution of cults: you seem to think a religion won't change much in "just" 1600 years. Go have a look at Robert Graves on the Greek Myths. Boggling shifts in emphasis over a much shorter period (esp. if you're a rationalist Velikovskyian like me and think the "Ancient Mediterranean Dark Age" is a non-starter).

Moreover, remember that there's an indistinct period of Godtime before the religious forms that existed at the Dawning came into existence. Religions were different before and after the Long Night (except, maybe, for the Brithini). You've got more than "only 1600 years" (indeterminately more, I agree) if you think (as I do) that (say) the Yggs' Islanders and Wenelians weren't *absolutely identical* after suffering their disparate Godtime traumas and formative events. If you disagree, and think both were "by the book" Orlanthi, I can bring the tar and feathers with me for this upcoming weekend of fun & frolics (gi's a mo to be sure I'm free). Wot no baboons?

BTW, anyone else spot the "Year -150" date for the LBQ on KoS p.270 ?


Greg F asked:

[Cult of Baroshi]
> What about his divine magic (assuming he gets enough worshipers)?
> I am thinking of Face Chaos, Earth Strength and Counter Chaos --
> a kind of Earthen Storm Bull.

Seems a heck of a lot for me, unless he gets *really* big. Start him off as a traditional spirit cult -- you'll need 2x7x7 initiates willing to chuck the baby a point of POW *just* to get the chance to sacrifice for one Rune spell from him. Remember you can do the same for Storm Bull with little chance of failing a worshippers x1% roll on D100 and losing your whole investment (inc. the initiation POW point) -- and S.B. gives you two of the three proposed Baroshi magics. Compare this newbie baby deity with some of the Praxian Spirit Cults that have existed since time immoral, are worshipped by loads of Praxians, and still provide just one Rune spell.

I think you'd do better off trying to get him adopted as a subcult of the local Earth (or Babeester Gor?) temple. He could provide one interesting new Rune spell to far more people that way, rather than operating as a shaky and derivative variant of the Storm Bull.

Have your players quest to find out who his relatives were, then approach their temples with this offer. It's less unbalancing that way.

I think you are right on GS and the Monomyth. In WF#5 Greg introduced the God Learners, saying that all of his notes were tremendously influenced by their work. Now, he hates them and wants them to suffer. Looking at what RuneQuest rules munchkins have inflicted on Glorantha's cults between then and now, I can't say I blame him. Certainly, I hope the Monomyth continues to get short shrift in future releases. It is an artificial way of looking at the world, which doesn't mean anything to the people who actually worship the gods the Jrusteli merely theorised about.


Nick

"I am not now, nor have I ever been, a God Learner"

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