A less "in-character" commentary to the Basmol story.

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From: Bryan J. Maloney (jacobus@sonata.cc.purdue.edu)
Date: Fri 16 Sep 1994 - 17:39:26 EEST

The Basmoli women's story reveals many things about Basmoli culture.

  1. We already know from the Songs of the Basmoli (Pavis Knowledge Collectiana #17/BM/8-15) that the Basmoli maintain that they were all male in their beginnings on Prax. Furthermore, the Basmoli songs state that Basmol came to Genertela from "Pamalt's Land" as a war chieftain with a war party. Thus, it stands to reason to speculate that any woment they had probably were stolen from other Prax tribes.
  2. Basmoli practice religious segregation of the sexes. This is apparent from the enormous contradictions between the women's story and Basmoli men's songs. Basmoli men's songs do not mention deities such as Yelm or Mykih. Instead, they use Pamalt, Mfolusa, Bolongo, and other names that do no appear elsewhere in Prax. Evidently, over the generations the Basmoli women developed a new religious synthesis based upon both their own Prax-based religions and Basmol worship.

This religious synthesis may explain why the women's stories feel the need to explain Basmol's bloodthirsty and predatory nature. Men's songs simply state that Basmol feeds upon others without bothering to justify it in terms of "necessity" or "right". It is simply accepted as the way things are. It would prove most instructive to be able to interrogate both male and female Basmoli shamans to get more information on these differences. Anyone who is able to deliver one of each to the Pavis Knowledge Temple should ask for Attaphraxes the Hungry. A substantial reward will be tendered. (Price depends upon state and cooperativeness of the Basmoli so delivered.)

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