From: David Dunham (ddunham@radiomail.net)
Date: Sun 26 Jun 1994 - 21:45:01 EEST
Devin and Joe ask about my
>"otherwise
>how could his seers identify horrible fates and wisely impose geases on
>newborn nobles?"
I've been writing about my Irish version of East Ralios for some time. In other words, I made it up, though I think for a variety of reasons Ralios is much like Celtic Ireland (all terrain is hilly, Orlanthi heroes have the same abilities as Cu Chulainn, Orlanthi are much like Celts anyway).
Here's the section on Geases from my East Ralios writeup. It borrows HEAVILY from John Carnahan's Pendragon supplement Pagan Shore.
Geases
A geas is a life-long religious taboo, or a transitory oath which is as
strong, but of a limited duration. A powerful Orlanthi carries many geases
of both types: vows which stay constant throughout his life, and short-term
geases imposed upon him by his associates and enemies.
Breaking any of these geases brings bad luck, dishonor, and eventual death. The geas does not alter a person's will, but it destroys his honor and destiny if he declines to follow its terms.
Permanent geases are laid upon someone at birth. They forbid performing certain actions or interacting with certain persons or places which the person is likely to die from.
A seer from the Lhankor Mhy cult examines every child born into a family of consequence. If the seer envisions the child drowing in the Doskior River at the Birthing Festival, he lays upon the child a geas "never to touch Doskior water during Sea Season." Because death may occur near Birthing Festival, the geas includes the whole season in which it occurs. The fatal water might be from, rather than in, the Doskior, hence the stricture against Doskior water in general. A geas must be as unambiguously phrased as a proviso in a contract, which, in a sense, it is.
Transitory geases are placed upon social losers by social winners. Having bested someone in war, in sport or professional competition, through a superior display of courtesy, or through sexual wiles, the winner has the right to take their life or alter it. Transitory geases require their subject to fulfill some limited goal ("elope with me") or obey a restriction for a fixed amount of time ("wear no armor for a year").
The only real advantage in having geases is that you know five or ten sure ways to kill yourself.
>How common are adventurers that live longer than two or three seasons
>in your worlds?
All of them have. That's the advantage of running Pendragon-style yearly adventures :-)
Barron Chugg asks
>Gods _have_
>come into being since the Compromise (Arkat, Yelmalio, the Seven Mothers,
>Dormal, Hero cults). But when the Broken Council tried to create a god all
>heck broke loose.
A difference: the former all earned godhood, but Nysalor was born to it. This might just be an aspect of Yelmic culture, or it may underly Glorantha. The God Learners apparently cheated, gaining power without really earning it, and they brought heck on themselves too.
Sandy says
>In the old RQ2 days, we at Chaosium were accused again and
>again by American players of making the Lunars out to be bad guys
Hmm, in the old RQ2 days I played two characters who joined Seven Mothers. Did you mostly talk to Californian players? I always found their style of play a little different.
>I suspect the pro-Orlanthi slant of modern RQ stuff may be
>similarly a fig newton of someone's imagination
No published scenario really allows you to play Lunars.
Paul picks on Alex's typo
>Did the shepherds with dugs try to lure the sheep on with the
>promise of breast-feeding? (Couldn't resist)
which reminds me of a story I heard. A farmer and his wife were trying to get some cows to move back into the barn, but they wouldn't budge -- apparently they didn't like milking machines. They pulled and yelled and pushed, but the cows remained obstinate. So the farmer told his wife, "Take off your shirt." "I'm not taking off my shirt!" "Come on, just take off your shirt." Finally, she did, and the cows took off for the barn. He explained, "They think they're two big eyes."
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