From: Eric Rowe (rowe@soda.berkeley.edu)
Date: Thu 21 Apr 1994 - 20:50:28 EEST
DAVID CHENG
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I. MYTHOS AND HISTORY
Years of toil and struggle followed as some rallied to the RuneQuest cause, and as others fell away. Through the darkness David continued to attempt to provide the light of knowledge to those who followed other, perverse and wicked gods such as Awful Darn Dull, Diceions, and Warchisel. David would go to centers of power, where many gods were worshipped, and there he would spread the word of the goddess to the unthinking masses.
Unfortunately, the chaos grew and the forces of evil surged stronger. Then, David heroquested beyond the great sea, where he found the seed for his great plan. He created his own center of power, where those who worshipped the true goddess and sought to save the world machine could come and share knowledge, as well as find solace and companionship with other believers. This event was part of the dawning which brought light back into the world.
B. SINCE TIME BEGAN The goddess Glorantha smiled upon the work of David Cheng and said that it was good. But, the burden of creating a center of power is great, and so others have sprung up throughout the world to follow in David's ways to create new centers. David Cheng has not finished though, and in the world continues to be one of the great leaders of RuneQuest evangelicism.
C. LIFE AFTER DEATH Worshippers of David Cheng are assurred life after death. Not in the usual method, but in written and oral memories passed from worshipper to worshipper down through the rest of time.
D. RUNIC ASSOCIATIONS The cult is associated with the runes of man and communication.
II. NATURE OF THE CULT
B. SOCIAL/POLITICAL POSITION AND POWER The cult is not widespread, even among worshippers of Glorantha. Where the cult is strong though, members of the David Cheng cult are greatly respected and deferred to. It is they who usually brought the worshippers into the pantheon in the first place.
C. PARTICULAR LIKES AND DISLIKES The cult likes all those gods and systems that resemble and are allied with RuneQuest. All other sytems are considered evil and should be ignored or destroyed. Often, perfectly good gods are enslaved by evil systems and require liberation.
III. ORGANIZATION
B. INTRA-CULT ORGANIZATION Some god-learner research has created a new god, internet. The creation and growing worship of this god is slowly making possible a previously unobtainable level of intra-cult communication and organization.
C. CENTER OF POWER, HOLY PLACES The cult uses any center of power in its area to spread the word of RuneQuest. A main goal of the cult is to create its own center of power. The greatest holy place of the cult is the Chaosium, where the high priest of Glorantha holds court.
D. HOLY DAYS AND HIGH HOLY DAYS Holy days are any weekend where a center of power is created. This is especially important during extended weekends. High holy days are days when the center of power is one dedicated to Runequest and Glorantha.
IV. LAY MEMBERSHIP
B. REQUIREMENTS TO BELONG Lay members must find a local cult of RuneQuest and participate in its ceremonies.
C. MUNDANE BENEFITS Meet interesting people and creatures and kill them.
D. SKILLS All skills are available to members of this cult. Also available are the special skills of Gamemastering, Con-running and Publishing.
E. BATTLE MAGIC All battle magics are available to cult members at the usual costs.
V. INITIATE MEMBERSHIP
B. REQUIREMENTS TO REMAIN INITIATED Continued showing of good faith in spreading the knowledge of Glorantha and RuneQuest. This is most commonly done by practicing the Gamemastering skill, but those wishing to excel in the cult write and post to the internet often.
C. MUNDANE BENEFITS As for lay members.
D. SKILLS As for lay members.
E. SPELLS
Initiates may purchase the following spells: Reduced Cost (1/2X) - Control (Human), Fanaticism, Vigor Normal Cost - All others Raised Cost (2X normal) - Disruption, Demoralize Prohibited - Lightwall
Initiates may sacrifice for one-use rune magic as normal.
VI. RUNE LORD MEMBERSHIP
B. REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCEPTANCE Candidates must have 90% in 5 basic cult skills, one of which must be Gamemastering. They must also have run a ceremony at several centers of power. Finally, they must have been recognized for spreading the word in one of the official writings. This includes writings from the mystical lands of Avalon and the Reaching Moon.
C. RESTRICTIONS Storm Cons may worship no other gods except the associate ones. They may only explore other worlds if planning to convert the system to be like RuneQuest and convert the worshippers to the goddess Glorantha.
D. BENEFITS Storm Cons are much sought after for their wisdom and advice. It is they who travel the realms searching out centers of power from which to spread the gospel of the Goddess and RuneQuest. They are the arms and the legs of the cult. Storm Cons may request special knowledge and favors from underlings as well as associated cults.
VII. RUNE PRIESTHOOD
B. REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCEPTANCE To become a Sage a candidate must have 90% in 5 skills, two of which must be Publishing and Glorantha Lore. They must have spread the word in at least five holy publications.
C. RESTRICTIONS Same as for Rune Lords.
D. BENEFITS If Storm Cons are the arms and legs of the cult, Sages are the head and heart of the cult. It is they who create and analyze the holy writings. Followers of the cult must sacrifice to them when they request it. They are the keepers and obtainers of secret knowledge.
E. RUNE SPELL COMPATABILITY Priests may use any spell which they have sacrificed for.
F. CULT SPECIAL RUNE SPELLS One Point Spell
CREATE GAMING TABLE: Duration 6hrs, Range 8ft, Reusable, Stackable
This spell temporarily create a flat surface for a worship service. It acts as a Warding spell for immature worhippers and keeps them from disrupting the service. Each additional point of the spell can be used to add an additional 6hrs to the table or create another table.
Three Point Spell
CREATE GREAT CONVENTION: Duration Weekend, Range Hotel, One-Use
This spell creates a center of power where followers of the good gods can find sanctuary for their worship. It also creates a powerful warding to repel all false gods from the center of power. Only the high priest who used the spell has the power to decide what religions are allowed in the center of power. All with the radius of the spell are enlightened and filled with joy for the duration of the spell.
VIII. SUBSERVIENT CULTS
IX. ASSOCIATED CULTS
She provides the cult with the spells Knowledge and Increase Lore.
One Point Spell
INCREASE LORE: Duration 15min., Range Self, Reusable, Stackable
For the duration of the spell the recipient's Glorantha Lore is increased by 10% per point of the spell.
B. GREG STAFFORD The current high priest of Glorantha, this demi-god is worshipped as a hero-cult of the Goddess. He resides at the high holy ground of the Chaosium. Everything he says is wrong.
He provides the cult with the spell Lie.
C. RUNEQUEST RuneQuest is the World Machine. It is made up of the gears and wheels that make Glorantha function. It is so great it has the power to run other powerful worlds as well.
RuneQuest provides the cult the spells Summon and Control Dice.
One Point Spells
SUMMON DICE: Duration 6hrs, Range 2m, Reusable, Stackable
Like the other Summon Elemental spells, summon dice can create dice of various sizes. Fortunately, all are still small enough to be covered with one point of magic. Caster must state shape and size during the casting ceremony. Each point of summon dice creates 1d6 dice.
CONTROL DICE: Duration Concentration, Range Sight, Reusable
This spell can be used to control any dice in sight. If the magic points of the die in question are overcome it will roll whatever number the caster desires. Effectively adds 25% to gamemastering skill. Can also be used as an attack spell to disrupt the worship ceremonies of infidel unbelievers.
D. CTHULHU This malevolent abomination wreaks terror and fear everywhere it goes. In the great darkness, it was defeated by the followers of the Goddess and they have since learned to control its terrible powers. The current high priest, Sandy Petersen, is also a priest of the Goddess.
Cthulhu provides the cult Mindblast.
E. AVALON This mightly land beyond the sea is the source of the truest and most powerful of the holy writings. Only the greatest dare venture upon her golden shores.
Avalon provides the spells Sanctify and Worship Rune Czar.
F. REACHING MOON MEGACORP Several heros of the Goddess joined together in a tremendous ritual of power to create the Reaching Moon Megacorp. It is a great source of knowledge and Glorantha Lore for all its followers. Despite the fact that it is made up of several heroes, it is worshipped as one entity. The current high priest is David Hall.
The Reaching Moon provides the spell Publish.
Two Point Spell
PUBLISH: Duration Instantaneous, Range World, One-Use, Stackable
After a worshipper has studied deeply the lores and secrets of the Goddess or the World Machine, they must find a way to communicate it to the ignorant masses. Publish accomplishes this. A casting results in the information being tranferred to one of the sacred documents for general worship. One point of the spell is sufficient to locate the information in some of the more general sacred documents such as those produced by the Voracious White Wolf or the Mighty Vortex. Additional points are required to place the information in the more holy documents coming from the Reaching Moon Megacorp itself.
X. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
B. RUNEQUEST CON 2 RQ Con 2 is a heroquest in the tradition of David Cheng and those who aided him in the darkness. Ask me about RQ Con 2!
C. BAY AREA RUNEQUEST FEDERATION Another type of heroquest is one to broaden the contact between worshippers. BARF is such a heroquest. BARF will be an e-mail list for announcing new services or openings in current services. There will also be a list of addresses of worshippers stored on the soda shrine. There people can find others nearby to them who also wish to worship, but don't sacrifice power to the new internet god.
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