From: Joerg Baumgartner (joe@sartar.toppoint.de)
Date: Mon 08 Nov 1993 - 13:46:42 EET
Colin Watson in X-RQ-ID: 2210
>Inventing new sorcery spells
>I think sorcery needs more creation-type spells. At the moment the only
>spell of this type is Glow (ie. create light). If you can create light,
>you should, IMHO, be able to use magic to create other substances. Yes?
Any magical creation can be of temporal nature only. Light and darkness are easy, because they disappear when the source is switched off. How about the other substances, especially those which can be consumed? Will the substance consumed disappear? Tricky with water in the desert or air in a grotto bubble. Will the character which has drunk temporally created water become dried out after the duration expired?
Else we already have the Phantom (...) spells which create temporal reality.
Sandy Petersen in X-RQ-ID: 2211
>Paul Reilly asks what the Brithini believe about other humans.
>Your theory about the animal/human connection is too good to discard,
>especially in light of the fact that Hsunchen were the main type of
>humans they dealt with, yet from what I know about the Brithini, it's
>logical that they would blame the existence of other humans on the
>actions of sorcerers. I think that from now on I'm going to adhere to
>the belief that the Brithini believe that other humans were either
>formed of mud, or mutated from base animals by evil sorcerers. I like
>the idea of the Brithini treating party members differently if they
>came from (in the Brithini opinion) different backgrounds.
As a side effect of my Aeolian studies, Nick Brooke asked me about how I view the Brithini's relation to Malkionists, and:
>who do you : think were the population of the Kingdom of Logic?
The Brithini are not humans in the standard Gloranthan sense. That being lesser descendants of Gods (Kolati, goddesses of the land and sea, other unfortunate victims of the Vadrudi rape). Like for the mertribes, the act of rape resulted in less powerful entities (although the third and fourth generations of gods are less powerful, too - the Luatha fell under the blades of the Vingkotlings). It seems inherited power thins...
The inhabitants of the Kingdom of Logic (KoL) are manifestations of the Man Rune, created directly by the Creator in his playground, the Kingdom of Logic. They are _not_ descendants of Malkion, rather constructs similar to the Mostali. And they regard the relation between themselves and humans to be similar to that between Real Mostali and Clay Mostali aka Dwarfs, although they probably wouldn't know this parallel. Malkion was accepted among them, and from his children sprang the four classes, his children might even have been integrated in Brithini society. Their offspring were the later Seshnegi etc. as well as most of nowaday Brithini, they carry the seed of mortality which shows when the Brithini quit their unnatural way of living. The descendants had need of Solace, the original inhabitants of KoL didn't. This led to the split between Brithini and Seshnegi in the darkness. The Brithini in Genertela are descendants of Malkion, no doubt, but in Old Brithos there still are some of the original inhabitants of the KoL around.
All this IMO, and probably to be disputed.
Colin Watson in X-RQ-ID: 2212
>Subject: hoary old chestnut
>>A good scenario must be one I can not only admire, but use.
>[..plus several sensible points about making scenarios as general as possible.]
>I agree 100%. Background is all very nice, but it belongs in a sourcebook.
>Scenarios should have the bare minimum background required to run them, and
>otherwise should concentrate on plot and characters. The setting should be
>flexible (dare I say generic?). All my Humble Opinion, of course.
>Combined scenario/sourcebooks seem to be the trend. Are they cheaper to
>produce? Are they what the punters want to buy? There must be some reason,
>I guess.
>For me they make hassle: I have to re-work chunks of the scenarios
>to fit my campaign (or re-work chunks of my campaign); and when I *do* want
>to find some tidbit of background info it's a pain to have to thumb through
>scenarios. Organised, indexed, sourcebooks would be so much more useful.
>And one or two context-free scenarios wouldn't go amiss either.
>All we can do is voice our opinions and hope that someone upstairs takes note.
Thom Baguley in X-RQ-ID: 2213
>Subject: Cults and so forth ...
>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.
plus some basic divine magic. From what I heard of the cult of the Seven Mothers, they are a bunch of associates magic only. Their initiates, or those of Yelm the Youth or Aldrya's Wood Children, seem to be initiated to the pantheon only, but already receive quite a lot magical benefits.
So someone initiated into a pantheon only would automatically become an associate member to all the pantheon's main cults, and may claim lay membership to the less important ones when occasion arises.
>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.
I think that Humakt would be included, only: Humakt doesn't give any associate magic, does he? Thus noone not initiated into his cult would have access to his magics. Inrodar Greydog is member of the Humakt cult and is worshipped through it. If the Humakti allow non-Humakti to participate in their rites, the participant surely will include the recipients of the rites in their personal pantheon.
>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).
Sartarite city dwellers are still clan members. The main difference is that inside the city not one clan council, but a council of the clans and guilds of the city make the decisions. Why this would change their religious attitudes other than to the city's spirit, I cannot see.
>This leaves the problem ... why become initiated to a single god. My answer:
>another good argument for reusable divine magic (regained on the high holy
>day). In return the full/high initiate has to give 10% of his or her rime and
>money to the cult.
So ought the initiate into the pantheon. IMO the specific cult could charge less money and time of its initiates if these fulfil other religious duties for the Pantheon instead. The initiate to a specific deity takes the deity as a patron specifically chosen to watch over the initiate's man interest(s). If the initiate has several interests he or she deems worthy of divine guidance, he or she may well join the appropriate cults, too, as long as exiting cult restrictions aren't broken.
>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.
Brilliant summary. If I might insert that IMO all initiates into the Pantheon in general would be considered associates...
>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.
In fact he would be expected to be an associate of Barntar, e.g. through initiation into the pantheon.
Neil Robinson in X-RQ-ID: 2214
>Subject: Dwarven senses
>I have considered giving the dwarves a 'pressure' sense that is somehow
>linked to small disturbances in the air. Dwarves would rarely get lost
>in a cavern complex, as they could find the way out based on even minute
>air flow.
They'd need a sensory organ to perceive the differences in air pressure. Anyone ever wondered why dwarves wear beards? Shave them, and they'll go blind in darkness...
David Dunham in X-RQ-ID: 2216 on matrix tattoos
>Here's an unrelated question: magical tattoos. If you tattoo a matrix in
>your skin, is it usable by anyone else?
John Medway in X-RQ-ID: 2217
[Esrolite Egyptians]
>> Too easy? Me, I find it irresistable. You have a model for the hard-working
>> peasantry (clean-shaven men in kilts: "effeminate" by Barbarian standards),
>> ...
>> Importing the Red Emperor's cult as a new Husband God -- Caesar &
>> Cleopatra. No, this is all too good to pass up.
Too much differences to make the Egyptians the only parallel, agreed. Since we are told that they are similar to Orlanthi culture we don't have to guess about the other main influence...
>Whether egyptian-esque or not, how about square shields? (shaped like an
>earth rune)
[Esrolites]
>Sounds too much like Israelites, and I'd have to wonder if Yassir was a
>Troll. Like the -im for plurals, or "people of" forms, though. Maybe it
>should be Esrolim?
--
-- Joerg Baumgartner joe@sartar.toppoint.de
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