From: Barron Chugg (bchugg@leland.stanford.edu)
Date: Thu 23 Jun 1994 - 19:36:57 EEST
Hello all,
In the June 24th Daily, Jonas Wrote (quoting me):
>
>>Imagine a person's progression in a cult as a heroquest of sorts.
>
>Other have suggested (or even ranted about) similar conceptions, but to me
>it devalues the whole idea of HQing. What you're saying does remind me a
>good deal of the introduction to the RQ2 rulebook. The kind of 'mundane
>HeroQuest' you want is what the term "RuneQuest" should cover.
I don't think it devalues the concept of HQing so much as it plays up the magic-realistic aspect of Glorantha. Reading various people on the mindset of historic cultures I get the impression that they viewed everyday life in a very mystical manner. Illnesses were spirits, great deeds were done on the very lands the tribes lived on, your ancestors watched over your daily life, etc. So I look at this idea as just an extension of peoples' beliefs. Now, I doubt that many (in fact, few) Gloranthans think of thinks in the cold, clinical terms I used in my initial posting. To them the Gods are more present and active.
Anyway, since I got this post at home I was able to reach behind me and read the RQ2 intro. I'm more than willing to accept the term "Runequest" for the "everyday" HQing I am talking about. (Perhaps the GLs RuneQuest Sight allowed them to see the casual connections to the Hero Plane...)
>
>>I like the idea that these are an
>>aspect of the internal guilt of the offender.
>
>Why, thank you. :-)
>
MOB:
>"Marm! Yes, Marm!"
>
>This is just like in the oft-times irritatingly politically correct Star
>Trek:TNG where all the admirals lately seem to be women, though there are
>damn female captains out there doing the Picard heroic stuff*
>
Wow, am I jealous of that analogy! Perfecto! Where's the tough, James Cameron women heroes?
>From: jiml@falcon.teleride.on.ca (Jim Lai)
>How about this: By becoming more like their god/dess in action, the initiate
>becomes more like them in capability. Paths laid down on the Hero Plane make
>for easy walking down the path. Of course, one can HQ to make one's own
>path, but unless one later becomes deified and worshipped, newly gained
>powers can vanish, right? The deity doesn't have to lift a finger, as the
>path has already been laid down. The reason that lawful god/desses can be
>fooled is that they cannot read minds yet they follow through on their
>(self-imposed) obligations. (Entanglements?)
Yes, this is exactly what I had in mind. This way the deity is passive (honoring the Compromise), but their aspects are active. That is to say, the god does not directly guide the follower, only that to succeed the follower must walk the "right" path (or be very sneaky/self-decieving).
As for the establishment of hero cults and diefication, I think the key would be laying down the followable (that is to say, non-ephemeral) path for others. Like Dormal's ritual, or the blessings of saints. An individual can seek power in the Hero Plane, but unless others can emulate them, they'll never have a cult.
>
>|This is the crux of my idea: that runemagic comes from within.
>
>Er, what consequences would this have for the sacred utuma ritual? :)
>
Uggh. Mongo no understand. What you mean? Ughh.
>|Since this is becoming rather long, I'll just hit a few more ideas. The
>|first is tha of spirits of reprisal. I like the idea that these are an
>|aspect of the internal guilt of the offender.
>
>They're also culturally-based spirits, as they take form from the beliefs of
>the group, not the individual. As we all know, spirits founded in a group
>are more capable than those of the individuals singly.
>
Oh, this opens a whole 'nother can of worms. Can belief create reality in Glorantha? Does the true power rest with the individual's beliefs, or the culture's mores? I kind of opt for the individual myself.
>The Hero Plane isn't really all that distant, now that I come to
>think of it...
Sums my ideas up to a tee.
Barron
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