[START REPOST BLOCK]
Pete Metcalfe and Argrath's secrets:
>>What was the nature of the Dragon Magic which was practiced in that
>>period, that it would make the people turn away from the Old Gods,
>>like the Lightbringers? Did in making his Draconic Pacts Argrath
>>learn or partake of this magic?
>
>The Draconic way did not make people turn from the Old Gods. If
>the Old Gods were the Right Hand, then the EWF purported to reveal
>to the Orlanthi the existance of the Left Hand and showed them that
>both hands could and should be practiced at the same time. Argrath
>rediscovered this but nobody knows how he did it.
Actually, I have a theory which sounds very good to me but I'm sure will
get shot down in flames. :-)
- - My players, this is another big secret, don't read the next few
paragraphs (difficult, I know)!
Here goes:
HeroQuesting is about interacting with myth, and in a sense creating your
own myth. A typical HeroQuest draws power from myth by reaffirming and
reenacting a part of myth with oneself as one of the protagonists, thus
drawing the power and lesson of that myth into yourself and becoming one
with the aspect of your deity portrayed there. 'All' (a gross
generalisation) HweroQuests of this type are from key moments in a deity's
myth... when Humakt broke the well, when Xiola Umbar saw Yelm, Yelmalio on
the Hill of Gold, that sort of thing. In performing the mythical act
oneself, one truly understands (spiritually) what the deity learned at that
moment... this grants great power on a personal level, both in the realm of
tossing giant lightning bolts around (!) and more importantly one's
personal spiritual understanding and growth.
So, to gain power over something, a potential HeroQuester would seek to enter the Hero Plane at a point in his/her deity's myth where the deity gained that power/understanding. An Orlanthi HeroQuester who wanted to learn about dragons (Let's call him 'Argrath', shall we?) would explore the Orlanthi myths to see how Orlanth interacted with dragons....
[I'll note at this point that I don't know yet whether Argrath's Dragon
HeroQuest was an accident or not]
Looking in King of Sartar ("The Bible" ;-) ) we find on page 190 a nice
little story about Orlanth an Arangorf, the Inner Dragon. In this myth
(paraphrasing, please buy KoS and read it yourself if you don't have it
already) Orlanth learns the secret of talking with Dragons and goes from
not liking them to understanding their secrets/power (Pete Metcalfe's
left/right hand thing). this is just what we are looking for. If an
Orlanthi HeroQuester was seeking a foot in the door of Dragon understanding
and power, this is just where he/she would go on the HeroPlane to get it!
I note:- (a short quotation from the above myth, emphasis mine)
"When Arangorf came to Orlanth's Stead he smashed down the stockade, and
tore the roof off of the long house to join the feast. _He drank all of the
ale in the giant's cauldron_, and he crunched upon the bones of the sacred
cattle.
But Orlanth had given his word, and so no trouble came from this."
{they then go on to make friends, swp understanding, etc.)
A good concept, yes? So how do we know Argrath found this?
RQ Genertela book (an excellent and much overlooked tome), page 90, the box
entitled "The Heroes: Argrath":
"After many years of successful plundering of the Big Rubble, the warrior
entered the Hero Plane during Orlanth's High Holy Day and achieved the
quest of the Drinking Giant's Cauldron...."
I rest my case. The big assumption is that the Drinking Giant's Cauldron HeroQuest is the myth from KoS... I think it's fair. Sounds good to me at least! Flame On, everybody! My Skin is of asbestos, my Heart is as ice....
BTW, Orlanth Victorious? (p.90 Genertela book) A subcult I'd not heard of... sounds cool.... does anybody know anything about it? _Please_ don't start talking about 'different Orlanths' or special Rune Magic!!!!
[END REPOST BLOCK] Well, there we go. Does anybody make anything of that? Can we change subject from Ob/Sub which was cool but is real tired now? Please?
My best wishes to Nick Brooke and his blushing bride-to-be. Long life and happiness to you both. Where're you going on honeymoon, Nick? When're you getting married? Can we come to the piss-up reception? :-)
Best regards everyone,
Paul.
To Live is to Suffer, but to Suffer is not to Live....
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