From: Thom Baguley (T.S.Baguley@open.ac.uk)
Date: Fri 05 Nov 1993 - 19:07:20 EET
Lots more interesting things to respond to:
SANDY on DEEZOLA
Your ideas on warding against disease upset one of my ideas for Chalana Arroy
ritual magic enchantments (sacrificing POW for wards against disease and poison
as per Humakti false CON). In the light of your comments this would be in the
realm of Deezola. Giving warding to Deezola has the virtue of preventing that
cult from being merely a CA copy. Does Deezola have Cult skill Prevent Disease
(characters get roll against the skill before being exposed to a disease)?
Presumably the Deezola ressurect involves a reenactment of the creation of the
Red Goddess ... maybe it has slightly different consequences on success or
failure (see below).
Thanks also for the information on Yanafal Tarnils - any information on Lunar religion is greatly appreciated ...
RESSURRECTION I've never actually had a ressurection in one of my games (the only healer with ressurrect habitually adventures with Humakti ...). The daily has spawned a great deal of thought on this issue. I guess I would keep the spell more or less as in the current rules but roleplay the ritual aspect more seriously. I would require a representative of each lightbringer cult (preferably an acolyte or rune level in most cases - though Ginna Jar and Flesh Man might be substituted for fairly easily). Flesh man would probably be a relative of the deceased (or should that be existentially challenged). Each participant would have to take part in the ritual by performing a symbolic act (typically but not necessarily casting cult rune magic). The CA healer would of course perform some or all the healing and cast Ressurect. Ressurrection would thus be a little trickier. For instance ressurecting Olaf Seventongue might be difficult because a) the Trickster initiate was run out of town last week b) the local Storm Voice is from a hostile clan and so on. The more substitutions and lacklustre ritual performances the less likely the spell will work.
As someone pointed out (provided ressurection is time-consuming and otherwise difficult) CA healers are likely to focus more effort on mundane and spirit magic healing (it saves many more lives). Ressurection would be saved for special cases (usually children) for whom the healer is willing to go to extra effort. Powerful people are likely to be ressurected only if they have lightbringer friends willing to take part in the ritual (and hence spare the healer a great deal of effort).
Organizing a ressurection for a PC (or even NPC) could well be an adventure in itself ...
PANTHEONS AND INITIATION The common feeling seems to be that most Gloranthan theists are worshippers of a pantheon. My personal feeling is that most PCs are `fanatics' of one cult or another. Originally I was against pantheonic initiation but after the discussion here I'm not so sure. Initiates of a pantheon are likely to be the equivalent of lay members of all the cults in that pantheon. Pantheons should vary from region to region (probably clan to clan) e.g. it sounds like the Lismelder clan include Humakt (and/or Indrogar Greydog) in their pantheon, but I'm not sure that all Sartarites would. Similiarly, sophisticated city Sartarites might just include the Lightbringers (plus Sartar and a city god) in their local pantheon. These initiates get to DI to all members of the pantheon, access to spirit magic at associate rates and one-use divine magic (I probably wouldn't give them access to associate magic outside the pantheon).
ASSOCIATE CULTS AND LAY MEMBERSHIP
I don't think associate membership and lay membership are identical. I think
they are subtly different. Associate cults are very strongly reflected in cult
worship in most cases (why else would persecuted Orlanthi turn up to Ernalda
ceremonies). Associate cult members actively take part in ritual worship
(unlike lay members). On the other hand worship of an associate cult always has
a different perspective. I think that an Ernalda priestess would be more likely
to take notice of an Orlanth initiate than an Ernalda lay member (all other
things being equal). Of course this means that the Ernalda priestess is also
more likely to ask Orlanth initiates to go on a dangerous mission than her own
lay members (or even initiates or acolytes).
.... on the subject of lay membership hardly anyone mentioned mundane benefits. e.g. it is the duty of all those other Barntar lay members to help out in your Barnraising. A farmer who wasn't at least a Barntar lay member would be looked on very oddly in Orlanthi society. An outsider who joined the cult as a lay member might just about be tolerated.
HUMAKTI
One of the things I like about the Humakt cult is that Humakt is not just
another warrior god. Recent debate (like the old debate on Humakti character
traits) over the number of Humakti, the severing of Humakti family ties and so
on has just made the cult more interesting. I suspect that while a significant
number of Humakti sever family ties (or had no family to start with) it is not
a strict cult requirement. For worshippers of Indrogar Greydog it is probably a
sensible thing though ... stalking through marshland seeking out and slaying
undead is probably not conducive to good family life. In all my games Humakt is
quite a common cult; many persecuted Orlanthi have turned to the more neutral
(but not necissarily any less anti-Lunar) Humakt, many foreign mercenary bands
are in Dragon Pass and Humakt is a relatively popular in local cities. Of
course this is purely my reading of the available Gloranthan lore and I
wouldn't contemplate twisting Glorantha to my world view simply because I'm
fond of the cult ...
Sorry I've rambled on a bit more than I intended,
Thom
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