From: alex (alex@dcs.gla.ac.uk)
Date: Mon 04 Jul 1994 - 13:44:36 EEST
The Storm Bull Himself writes:
> sometime I'll write up the saga of my Esrolian Babeester Gorii who had to
> play Voria on a HeroQuest
Now that's what I call an under-staffed earth temple.
David Cake succumbs to the "summarising" fad:
> [me explaining that in theory even restrictive cults like BG can be scammed
> by performing rituals, sacrificing POW, when not truly dedicated]
No, you saying they could ignore "cult restrictions" without effect.
> >I broadly agree, but I think we need to examine the concept of "cult
> >restriction" more closely. There are about three general sorts of such,
> >I think, (to falsely trichotomise):
> >Absolute geas-level prohibitions: a Humakti being resurrected, a Healer
> >killing someone, not turning up at a HHD ceremony. Major defined
> >consequences, whatever the particular manner of your local worship.
> Restrictions that the spirits of reprisal and the god can normally 'smell'
> straight away, and are attracted or repelled by respectively. I don't put
> missing the HHD in this category necessarily (but failing to observe it at
> all without a good reason might count).
Not necessarily something a spirit of reprisal will punish, but it's something the god can hardly fail to be "aware" of, since if a god is present anywhere in the material plane, it's at his own HHD ceremony. (Say rather, perhaps, that the worshippers are present in the godplane.)
> Probably making yourself into a traditional enemy of the cult
> (Humakti assassins, Babeestor Gor despoilers of the Earth) may count in
> this category, but it may not.
Not the former, at least. "Assassin" is such a vague concept, and subject to cultural, personal, and circumstantial interpretation, that it's not likely to be the kind of thing with direct GP consequences.
> >Culturally influencable restrictions and you-really-shoulds: Humakt codes of
> >honour and dueling conventions, CA healing protection, attendance at regular
> >worship, display of appropriate cultic virtues. Various secondary
> >consequences, such as decreased likelihood of DI, or regaining rune magic.
> I general say that these things are mostly problems with the cult,
> and are not tied to cult magic as strongly as the first category. They are
> restrictions, but most of the bad consequences can be avoided if the cult
> never finds out (they can usually cast divination to find out, though).
Clearly there will be _additional_ problems if the cult found out, but the ones I suggested are you-and-your-god thingies. The reason I think such things matter is that for a particular mode of worship, certain ideals of behaviour are emphasised, and will tend to be reflected in the form of the rituals and heropaths they favour.
For example: (re)gaining rune magic is a minor heroquest; during HQs, one has to pass not only magical and martial tests, but also "moral" ones. (Trait or passion rolls, in the de facto Chaosium proto-HQ rules.) This will tend to make such things more difficult for those who don't live up to cult ideals, even if they hide their "failings" from the cult itself. Indeed, I don't think even Illumination helps you here, as a rule.
Mind you, perhaps one of the effects of (some kinds of) Illumination is letting you have Valorous and Cowardly (et al.) _both_ at 20... Or both at 1, for you Left Hand Path fiends.
This is _not_ to be taken as suggesting that a _different_, or somewhat distinct cult couldn't worship the "same" god without such fripperies. Frinst, another cult may discover ways of circumventing certain "tests", or resolving them in a way more to their own liking...
> Only in cults with unusually hyper spirits of retribution (like Orlanth) do
This is a worryingly totalitarian-sounding picture. I agree that Orlanth
seems unusual in having SoR for very minor things, but it would be very
odd if they're the conspicuous exception in having an effective Thought
> the spirits necessarily detect such things (my conception of the Orlanthi
> is that the impests spend their days spying on everybody, tallying up wrong
> doing).
> >Local cult fripperies: Cult garb, paying the tithe, calling the high priest
> >Your Immense Booga-Woogawship twice per sentance. No inherent consequences,
> >though said cult will get on your case about it, and may even declare you
> >inactive, sic a spirit of reprisal on you, or even excommunicate you.
> Definately requires the intervention of the cult, without the priests
> hassling you, the deity is completely uncaring.
"Uncaring" is to anthropomorphise rather more than I would, but that's what I was suggesting, in effect. (Of cults, the cults anthropomorphise with gusto, but wouldn't admit the god doesn't care about such things.)
> >> Theoretically an oath breaker or despoiler of the earth could even do this.
> >I'm not exactly sure what you mean by these categories: I'm sure that an
> >initiate of Babs who defiles an earth temple, or holy site is heading
> >swiftly for the Ex-initiate category at a rate of knots.
> But not an illuminated initiate that keeps her evil deeds strictly secret.
> Possibly illumination might not be necessary always (particularly if she
> was unaware she had done it). But if the rest of the cult find out, better
> start running (and never stop).
I think the act of defiling the temple would itself make you inactive, and/or get a temple spirit of reprisal on your tail (if you're not illuminated), so this would be a big clue. A temple of one's own god, certainly, and in cases like Babs, I'd tend to think any Earth temple, since this is acting directly against the purpose of the cult.
But most bets off for Illuminates, though I suspect that they have to be somewhat ingenious in getting around the effects of doing Bad Things. (Such as Duke Yanafal, and his curved swords.)
Alex.
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