>Andrew Joelson
>> Perhaps he bested the King's Champion (and a bunch of regional
>> champs) in a ritualized series of single combats; thereby demonstrating
>> his prowess as superior to that of the entire area... could be the pre-
>> cursor to the Tournement of MoL&D.
A bit too tedious and un-elegant for my taste. And the Tournament is quite different from a Safelstran or Seshnegi tournament, i.e. no jousting involved, but people "randomly chosen" just being themselves in a magical version of the Holy Country. At least IMO, which I tried to start with my Freca Tale(s, if I get a good idea for how a lay member of Humakt in good standing is "initiated").
Though this proposal might work fine with a proposal David Dunham sent me in private, in that he may have formed a new Ring out of his Silver Age heroes he summoned (setting an example for Sartar - nice retro-engineering, David!). Now, how about his sending one of his champions (actually Silver Age Heroes) against every champion sent by the High King?
Erik:
>That's excellent.
>"The Pharao has the strength of ten uzuz."
>Old Kethaelan saying.
Not Uzdo? After all he is The Master of Luck and Death, and the Uzdo are induced by conversion with the spirits of dead Zorani heroes, if I recall correctly.
>P. Metcalfe:
>> Belintar revolts against the King of Heortland as the Evil Emperor
>> and kills him. The land falls into anarchy. Belintar repents of his
>> rash actions and brings him back to life and acknowleges his right to
>> rule. The King then recognizes Belintar as the High King of Heortland.
(minor quibble: High King of Kethaela and Heortland - IMO the Heortland conversion came quite lately, certainly after Caladraland and Esrolia, possibly around or after Islands or Casino Town, though before slaying Dark Eater's beasty creating the lead hills, pulverizing Obsidian Castle, and nailing the OOO.)
Erik:
>Brilliant!
Seconded. What usual local event did he disrupt, though?
This might tie in with the weapons contest stuff based on Andrew's suggestion, above...
Peter went on:
>> This does imply that Belintar has to do the Full Lightbringers Quest
Not really. He might have to do the Three Challenges...
>> but I don't think this is necessary. The FLBQ ressurects those whose
>> bodies have thoroughly decomposed (Sheng Seleris, Arkat) whereas I
>> envisiage Belintar's ritual as a shorter one which revives the King
>> after a week or so in the otherworld.
For what it's worth, Belintar was a master of the old "generic Super-RQ hero ability" to find a backdoor out of hell. That's what "Master of ... Death" is about, to some extent. And what makes him so popular with the Humakti of Kethaela, who have a chance to not-quite die because they used proper criteria to enter and leave Hell - to apply the old cliche that Truth-Rune Cults often are hypocrites.
>> (Normal ressurections didn't
>> work because of Belintar's magic).
Nice one, especially with regard to a similar situation in 1616...
>Which served to capture the King in the Underworld - perhaps
>something he learnt by being the Year Son in Esrolia and having a
>close encounter of the third kind with Tykkoratekk.
Which he also used to return after being eaten (i.e. fully destroyed).
>>> [...] Holy Country (another name which gives totally wrong associations
>>> for me [...]
>> I usually say "Kethaela" when I want to avoid the Outremer connotations, but
>> I think that these are correct for the Westerners (Trader Princes) who
>> settled there.
>Why do the Trader Princes think of the place as "holy", BTW?
First of Erik's "Good Questions".
I think there is sufficient evidence that they do, though very few clues why. I mean, it takes some extraordinary chuzpah to call a kingdom erected by Westerners "Malkonwal" and using the religious and crusading connotations without there being a somewhat serious belief that there is some truth to this.
I have a couple of conflicting and co-existing theories, though.
The "Plato's Atlantis found in Troy" theory: The original City of Malkonwal was located somewhere east of the Seshnegi coast. Old traditions, collected by a later scholar from ancient priesthoods using different measurements and kennings, made that something like "80 miles east of the city coast", originally meaning 80 imperial miles inland of the pre-sinking Castle Coast coastline following _the_ road, but now applied to the Slontoli coast and using the Swedish "mil" (10 km) or the geographic mile (6.5 km or so), and bird's flight, which calculates as a location somewhere in Heortland. (I used real earth units to illustrate how easy such locations can be misplaced. Like "west of the pillars of Hercules" meaning just west of the Bosporus in a recent Atlantis Found! theory, and "5000 years ago" meaning 5000 months ago.) A God Learner error which may have wormed itself into the apocrypha of the Book of Malkion.
The Aeolian theory:
Of course the birthland of Malkion's father Aerlit Kolati must have been
here, below Kolat's peaks! (Using much heterodox influence from
pre-Rightness Malkionism, Stygianism and Waertagi traditions)
The Hidden Castle theory:
Upon Malkions bodily entrance to Solace his holy city of Malkonwal
disappeared, but reappeared occasionally elsewhere. Southern Heortland (on
the border between Prax, Heortland and God Forgot) sported a sighting,
possibly during Arkat's short stay in Kethaela. This could link the
Neo-Stygians of Jorstland as well as orthodox Old Hrestoli and their
successors the Rokari to the place, and be a key event for the Aeolians as well.
The Fake Artifacts theory:
When Richard the Tigerhearted was about to conquer civil-war-torn, kingless
Heortland bishop Vancelain du Tumerine of Nochet provided proof - textual
and objects - from the Great Library of Nochet that Malkonwal was there,
based on half-understood LM scribblings (relating to some other Jorstland
connotation with Arkat, which would have made it holy to the Neo-Stygians of
Jorstland) and real fakes.
>> [Belintar's tricks gaining control:]
>> I've been desperately wondering about this myself, and in discussions.
>> According to Stephen Martin (who co-originated this idea with Nick on
>> Convulsion '94, IIRC) in Caladraland he was thrown into the Vent but married
>> the Volcano goddess instead. A bit too similar to Esrolia for my taste.
>Hm. What goddess is that? Caladra?
Or a daughter of hers. Yes.
>Wait, I know! He used his
>time-travel-powers to quickly teleporting back and forth in time,
>becoming his own twin and thus the closest related twins in history.
>Then they had to make him High Priest! (No, I'm not serious).
Not? Could have been the other Vent (Kilimanjaro)...
>> The
>> Islands event might have been his raising of Loon Island (presumably the
>> basis for the City of Wonders).
>I can see the Rightarm Islanders would gain respect for anyone who
>could raise an island, but... What's the special significance of Loon
>Island?
Evidently some old prophecy placed there just to be fulfilled by Belintar, just as the Genertela Book is full of old prophecies just to be fulfilled by the mighty characters of the Hero Wars. Loon is found as a significant figure in the Ralian Old Beast Society as Help From the North. If Loon Island is the place which later was the site of the City of Wonders, this could be true for the Islands as well, though it beats my why they should have this "Hsunchen" myth. (I tend to believe, though, that sea-birds, including the loon, are sacred to Brastalos, who in turn is of some importance to the Islanders.)
>>: Belintar revealed that he had come to depose the Only Old One and liberate
>>: the land from darkness. He did this through the process of mustering ancient
>>: allies on Heroquest and opposing the magical forces which aided the Only
>>: Old One.
>Trollish guys? Who are the right 'ancient allies' to beat up trolls?
>Light beings?
I'd start with Martaler of the Blazing Forge, get in King Heort, Tessele the True and Vogarth Strongman just for firepower. Light Beings of course - Theyalan (i.e. Dawn Council) founders.
>> Belintar called forth many of the Silver Age heroes, plus others
>> : of more recent or a different origin [possibly including the Volcano twins,
>> : and likely (St.) Aeol].
>Suddenly my capacity for odd and weird associations made me think of
>Marvel Comic's Secret Wars...
Not bad. Yes, Belintar's fyrd is full of anachronisms...
>"When the Pharao moves, Mastakos stands still."
>Old Kethaelan saying.
Usually applied to the bureaucracy of the EU (enthusiastic union of Sixths)-commissaries beneath the Atomium in the City of Wonders?
End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #47
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