From: Sandy Petersen (sandyp@idcube.idsoftware.com)
Date: Tue 07 Dec 1993 - 09:42:14 EET
Steven Barnes asks:
>What is the "Carmanian Heresey of Malkionism," which apparently
>everyone there practices?
It's complex, but basically boils down to a cynical acceptance of cult-worship alongside Invisible God worship. The cult-worshipers are classified into castes according to their cult. For instance. Humakti (the Carmanian war cult) are considered members of the Knight caste. Lodril and Dendara worshipers are considered Farmers.
>What is the Cult of the Invisible Orlanth, and what benefits are
>derived from its worship? (I assume it is some kind of sorcerorous
>worship of Orlanth)
It is the Aeolian Heresy in which Orlanth is confused with the Invisible God. Saint Chalana Arroy, Saint Issaries, Saint Flesh Man, Saint Ginna Jar, Saint Eurmal, and Saint Lhankor Mhy are part of the worship. Orlanth's cult is divided into four parts: Orlanth the Farmer (=Ernalda), Orlanth the Knight (=Adventurous), Orlanth the Wizard (=Thunderous), and Orlanth the King (=Rex). Orlanth's spells are crudely mimicked by wizardly equivalents.
>What benefits are derived from Invisible God worship? My assumption
>is that "miracles" occasionally happen for the faithful.
You get to go to Solace when you die instead of remaining as a lost soul, you get Divine Intervention, you (or at least someone in your culture) gets just about the full gamut of sorcery (except, of course, Tap, unless you belong to one of the less-acceptable Invisible God heresies). You also get to participate in Saint worship. In worshiping saints, you sacrifice permanent POW over the course of days or years. When you've sacrificed enough, the saint becomes your patron, and you can call on him for a miracle at will (the miracle costs 1 POW, gone forever, but is instant, and acts before any other type of magic). An example of a Saint would be Gerlant Flamesword, who costs 3 POW to obtain as a patron, and makes your sword flame for the next day and night when invoked. Another is Paslac, who costs 6 POW (I think) to become your patron, and (unless I misremember) increases your brilliance by (in game terms) making sure that you automatically succeed on all the next experience, Research or Training skill rolls you attempt over the next week.
>Western society has four castes: Farmer, Knight, Noble, and Wizard.
>Where do the priests of the Invisible God fit in? Is this one of
>the duties of a powerful sorceror, or is it a separate profession?
Wizards act as priests for most groups. The Hrestoli, however, permit Nobles to act as high priests in big ceremonies (after all, the Hrestoli Nobles are also Wizards).
Sam x. sez:
> I remembered that someone(s) connected to RQ had written one of the
>d6 games. I *thought* it was Star Wars... One of us do have a copy
>of Ghostbusters somewhere.I suppose they *could* have thought of it
>themselves - I did!
Except they'd already published Ghostbusters, using the same system.
I felt your job description for Orlanthi shamans was right on the button. Good show.
Graeme Willoughby gibbers:
>I was reading Dragon(TM) the other day and who did I see reviewing
>some games there but Sandy - come on Sandy, admit you;re a closet
>D&D(TM) freak ("OK - so I do a little Ranger now and then - so what,
>I can handle it")
Wait till you see the big D&D release for next summer, with my name
on part of it. Then you'll no doubt feel well and truly betrayed :}
(face with sheepish smile).
>Can anyone tell me the sories of Orlanth's weapons - all I know is
>what is in the RoC write up of Orlanth?
What is RoC? I can't give you a full version now but here's a brief:
Shield of Earth -- borrowed from Babeester Gor via Ernalda by "helping" the Earth (and proving himself ruled by his wife)
Cloak of Mist -- Orlanth seduced the female mist spirit (whose name I forget) to obtain this treasure. She's still friendly to him.
Lightning Spear -- the captive Lightning Boy (as per Nomad Gods) who was captured from the Sky Gods and adopted by the Storm Gods.
Boots of Darkness -- stolen from Kyger Litor in the Great Darkness.
>[how] about the Yelmalian Hill of Gold quest.
In the Godtime, Yelmalio (foremost of the "spark" gods left to light
the darkness during the Sun's absence) climbed the Hill of Gold to
greet the Sun. First he met Orlanth, who wounded him and stole his
armor and weapons. Then he met Zorak Zoran, who shattered his limbs
and crippled him (stole his Heat nature). Then he met Inora, who
froze his broken body solid under a mass of ice and left him there.
Yet he endured. Finally pulling himself out from under the ice, he
encountered a horde of chaos parasites that had nourished themselves
on his blood, growing strong and large. Battling off the chaos horde,
he at last made it to the top of the mountain, and there he greeted
the Sun on his return. Symbolically, Yelmalio endured the worst the
world could throw at him, yet he survived. Light can never be fully
extinguished by the forces of evil.
As a heroquest, the Yelmalion must go through five stations: Orlanth, Zorak Zoran, Inora, Chaos parasites, and finally Greeting the Sun (the last is actually just receiving the award). As you progress up the hill (you must make the journey in a single night, so as to meet the Sun when you get to the top), you are ambushed by an Orlanth heroquester first, who takes your golden armor and weapons (which you must be wearing to take this quest). Then, unarmed and unarmored, you battle a Zorak Zoran Death Lord (typically losing badly) who rips out your liver and eats it. Etc. It just gets worse and worse. If the chaos parasites win, you are destroyed forever.
Two benefits are available on this quest. First, you can search for the magic droplets of Yelmalio's blood laying around on the hill in crystal form (you get to search for them just before each station of the quest). Second, if you actually complete the entire quest, you become immortal. Nothing can kill you any more. Of course, they can reduce you to 0 HP, at which point you're unconscious. And if they chop off your head and carry it far away from your body the fact that you continue to survive is sort of a moot point.
Most Hill of Gold questers don't even attempt the whole quest, but instead just get a set of golden arms 'n armor and go to the hill to seek Yelmalio's blood. Eventually a Wind Lord ambushes 'em, defeats 'em, and takes their armor, whereupon the Light Son (or Light Priest) aborts the quest and goes home, having effectively exchanged a suit of gold armor for one or more magic crystals.
Slimestone questions:
>1) regarding thousands of spirits attacking it - how do you get
>thousands of spirits to do what you want?
By using hundreds of shamans?
>3) I'd like to agree with Geoff Gunnar - I'm not sure why it has
>80pt acid
To inflict the players with awe and terror.
> - I'm not sure why it's got CON in the hundereds either - what does
>such a huge CON mean - I'm sure it's never going to catch a cold!
It means it gets a buttload of hit points, is rendered effectively
invulnerable to CON-affecting attacks (it takes a lot more failed
Sever Spirits to kill it, frex), and it lets it regenerate from
damage much faster.
>What is an "acid" in Glorantha anyway?
It is a destructive nonflammable liquid. The two classic cases of
acid in Gloranthan mythology are the Baths of Nelat, which are a form
of purification (but if too much of you is impure, you're destroyed),
and the acid of chaos, which is a manifestation of how chaos
dissolves the universe's natural structure.
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