Carl F.
>I believe this is what is technically known as "being wrong". I
took it from >the fact, as you attest in the same Digest, that the
Six-Leggers and False >Dragon Ring were no longer God Learners, thus
the God Learners proper ruled a >smaller area.
Ah I see. True enough, but the proportion of God Learners in the general population of the Middle Sea Empire was higher than it had ever been. And I suppose one could argue that the False Dragon Ring and Six Leggers, as descendants of the God Learners, were God Learners. I don't buy this latter argument, though.
Jeff
>>Ultimately, IMO, the GLers were a failure
Sandy
> In the same way that the Roman Empire was a failure? Or the dinosaurs?
Carl
>You and I are biologists, Sandy. Most people still do think of
the dinosaurs as >slow, stupid, doomed creatures.
Hmm. Of course you are right Carl. Those of you who don't comprehend my reference to dinosaurs insert the ancient Persians, Egyptians, Moguls, or Mongols instead.
Sandy
> Also, don't forget the Black Moon.
Carl
>I hate when you do that.
Sorry. Assuming that you want me to elucidate: The largest society that teaches of the Black Moon are theEast Islanders. Here is how it fits in:
AN EAST ISLES MYTH
In the ancient times was the Deep Dreaming. In this era,
the Moon was born, perfect circle of the cosmos and "preflecting"
the Light to come. Moon ruled the Deep Dreaming in the peaceful
embrace of Darkness with her own gentle Light. As she rose in the
Sky, the power of her Tide drew forth the Cosmic Mountain which had
pierced the shell of the Sky Below. The Mountain followed the Moon
upwards towards the Sky Above, and so Earth rose from the Water and
towered up to touch the apex of the cosmos on the other side from
whence it had entered. Thus the world was centered. On the eastern
slopes of Earth, Vithela had her domain.
The Deep Dreaming ended when a great, new Sun shone through the apex of the Sky. Soon Sunlight eclipsed Moonlight. This also created the Moon's Darkside appeared, glowering, facing away from the bright new orb. Vithela welcomed the Sun, and bore him a son, the Golden Emperor, who ruled over the Golden Empire in the lands of Vithela. All Vithela's children honored him; the keets were his emissaries, and humans served diligently as workers and wizards.
When the Sun was struck down, the Nightmare began. The Cosmic Mountain exploded, leaving a tremendous Void in the world's heart. The Moon, who could have light only so long as the Sun existed (or "prexisted"), vanished, leaving only her Darkside behind.
Tyram, the Sky Tyrant rose, the Sun's chaotic replacement. The Darkside -- the Black Moon - now was mistress of the Nightmare, as the Moon had been mistress of the Deep Dreaming. The Golden Emperor's wizards left his service en masse and joined with Tyram's evil anti-light (note -- NOT darkness).
In the confusion, Xamalk and Uralog, Beater and Eater, came to ruin the universe. Xamalk's First Blow had been the death of the Sun. Xamalk's Second Blow despatched the Golden Emperor, who joined his father in Hell.
Xamalk's Third blow shattered Vithela into ten thousand realities, and the Golden Empire was no more. The ten thousand realities became the Islands of Dawn, and those which found some inward strength, some principle of identity, managed to stay above thd waves. Then came Uralog, Mouth of the Deep, and he began to swallow down the fragments of Vithela one by one. No island could resist him.
Theya built the Gates of Dawn, and stationed herself at the east of the world as beacon, to summon back a Sun. She was tempted many times to abandon her post -- if she had, the Sun could never have returned. But though she was necessary to preserve Hope and to enable the Dawn, she was not sufficient in herself. Staying at her place, she wove a net from the threads of fate and the lingering strands of Vithela's voice. This net, given wings by the keets, who abandoned their power of flight in service to Vithela and the dead Emperor, spread throughout the ten thousand realities, and wove them together into a whole.
Uralog found that he could not devour the isles any more -- as a unified whole, they were too great for his heretofore insatiable maw. Xamalk came and delivered his final blow, but he could not shatter the Isles of Dawn again -- for they were already shattered. So Xamalk and Uralog were thwarted.
Meanwhile, the dead Sun and Moon down in hell wed and became parents to the new Sun, who rose to the surface, accompanied by all the dead deities of Hell. Theya's Beacon lit their way, and gave them a point of hope to hang onto as they rose.
At the Dawn, the new Sun rose, and the Nightmare was dispelled. The Black Moon vanished into the land of Dreams, and so the Sun rises every morning.
Now, the Black Moon (_and_ the White Moon, _and_ the dead Sun, _and_ the Golden Emperor) live in the land of dreams.
Today we dwell in the Nowtime. The Islanders believe that the Nowtime will continue along the threads of Fate until the cosmos is healed. Then, the prophets say, Sun and Moon will rise from Hell together, the Dreaming and Nowtime will be united, and all Oppositions will be reconciled.
Unless the Nightmare returns first.
Sandy P.
End of Glorantha Digest V2 #663
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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