Bell Digest v940305p1

From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Sat, 05 Mar 1994, part 1
Sender: Henk.Langeveld@Holland.Sun.COM
Content-Return: Prohibited
Precedence: junk

X-RQ-ID: Intro

This is the RuneQuest Daily Bulletin, a mailing list on
the subjects of Avalon Hill's RPG and Greg Stafford's 
world of Glorantha.  It is sent out once per day in digest
format.

More details on the RuneQuest Daily and Digest can be found
after the last message in this digest.


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From: sandyp@idcube.idsoftware.com (Sandy Petersen)
Subject: re: RQ Daily
Message-ID: <9403041452.AA07766@idcube.idsoftware.com>
Date: 4 Mar 94 02:52:32 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 3239

Mike Dickison asks some questions that are right under my specialty:
>Here's something that's been bugging me for years. Why do the  
>Agimori of Pamaltela and the Agimori (men-and-a-half, Praxian  
>hunters) have the same name?

"Agimori" is a race-name, like "Caucasian". The Agimori of Pamaltela,  
and the Agimori of Prax (and the Agimori of Pithdaros, for that  
matter), all belong the same race. However, the Men-and-a-half, which  
are a particular tribe of Agimori, are more "primal" than most  
members of that race, with stronger connections to the Earth and  
Volcano gods that originally produced them. 

	There are men-and-a-half tribes in Pamaltela, too. It just  
happens that the ONLY Agimori in Prax are men-and-a-half. The Agimori  
of Pithdaros probably included a few men-and-a-half when they first  
arrived in Genertela, but I'm sure they have vanished through  
intermarriage and dilution. 

	There are also a few people left in Pamaltela that are even  
more primal than the men-and-a-half, more powerful, and weirder. They  
are they who chose not to become mortal and fertile by drinking  
water. Their numbers have diminished over the millenia, of course.  
They're not much more common now than true Mostali. Every once in a  
while, one of them succumbs to temptation and drinks water, thus  
becoming mortal. 


>And another nomenclatural problem. Who are the Hsunchen that live in
>Pralorela?
They include both Damali and Pralori. The Pralori, of course, gave  
their name to the region, but probably most of the inhabitants are  
the less-impressive Deer folk nowadays. There's also plenty of Rokari  
and other Malkioni living there. 


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From: rdgq005@lhmc.ac.uk (Christopher Jones)
Subject: mailing and how do I get it from you
Message-ID: <4694.9403041015@drs.lhmc.ac.uk>
Date: 4 Mar 94 10:15:38 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 3240

Hello stranger!

A friend of mine mailed me a piece of RQ text and I was impressed.
Therefore whats the chance of getting myself on a mailing list.
Any chance at all?

I've played the darn game since 2nd edition, accepted the massacre in 3rd
edition with distaste and trepidation, but still yern for a band of gloranthan
purists....Could you be they???

More info on the red goddess. What's in the volcano crater in the lunar empires 
capital city, is it a path to the moon or the god-plane, private apartments of 
the red goddess herself??

I don't know.

I wanted to run a Cerebus style (Ardvark-Vanaheim press character) scenario, 
based around the first thousand Lunar coins minted by the Red goddes herself.
And why after several complete wanes are these mysterious relics coming back
into circulation in the Lunar governed land.

Any Ideas please spill the beans.

reply: C.Jones@LHMC.ac.uk
	
Or try rdgq005@LHMC.ac.uk

May the compromise hold and Yelm continue to shine on us all.

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From: SMITHH@mr.mgh.harvard.edu (Harald Smith 617 726-2172)
Subject: Miscelleaneous Responses
Message-ID: <01H9KNIFXPCMPMRJ3R@mr.mgh.harvard.edu>
Date: 4 Mar 94 06:42:00 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 3241

          Paul Reilly--
          
          I think you raise a very good and very important point regarding 
          Runes.  I think people can view the world in that runic light, 
          but I think it's extremely important that there are not only 
          other views of how it works, but that the runic view is NOT used 
          as an underpinning to the world.  Having tried developing an 
          alternative fantasy world structure in the past, I am well aware 
          of how easy it is to punch holes through non-physics based 
          theories -- the runic view of the world being no exception.  I 
          would support the runic view as something coming out of the God 
          Learners or God Forgot or maybe some parts of the West, but it 
          should be stated that that is how those people look at the world.
          
          David Dunham--
          
          I like your Grazer view of Kargzant.  It should make for some 
          fine theological debates when the Dara Happans (or their Lunar 
          derivatives) come around and say "Kargzant?  He's just the steed 
          of Lightfore, you know."  And with many regrets, the Grazers 
          inform the Lunar ambassador that Lord so-and-so was accidently 
          struck by a passing arrow.
          



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From: SLAINE@antioc.antioch.edu
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Fri, 04 Mar 1994, part 2
Message-ID: <01H9KTXK5GOI000F27@antioc.antioch.edu>
Date: 4 Mar 94 11:02:09 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 3242

unsubscribe Slaine@chaos.antioch.edu


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From: sandyp@idcube.idsoftware.com (Sandy Petersen)
Subject: re: RQ Daily
Message-ID: <9403042052.AA08628@idcube.idsoftware.com>
Date: 4 Mar 94 08:52:24 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 3243

MOB sez:
>Sandy then takes his bat and goes home.

See here, pal. I stopped writing about the Crusades in the RQ Daily  
because they (A) have little to do with Glorantha and (B) like most  
historical subjects, multiple interpretations of the same data can be  
achieved. If you want to keep talking about the crusades, do it  
directly to me, rather than in the RQ Daily. 


Joerg says:
>The Rokari imitate the Brithini, don't they? 

The Rokari don't think so. Just because they don't shift social  
classes doesn't make them "imitators" of the Brithini, any more than  
the Kralori or Doraddi imitate them, though both have  
heredity-determined jobs. 


>The Brithini, when they are forced to produce offspring, go to it  
>like other cultures about breeding cattle or horses. They optimize  
>the breed by having the wizards and Talars wisely choose the  
>candidates for reproduction.
Says who? I think the wizards and Talars pick the candidates as much  
for punishment as for "optimizing" the breed. 


I said ...
> They're as  likely to believe that once a lineage has produced a  
>magician its  "magic power" is used up for a few generations as that  
>magic arts are  carried from father to son. 


This was just an example of a logically defensible hereditary concept  
which is just as reasonable for Glorantha as the heredity followed in  
our own world. Another, even more logical view of heredity would be  
that genes continually weaken over time. The First Men, descended  
from the gods, were god-like themselves. The later men are degenerate  
remnants. Each generation gets a little weaker, a little more venal,  
a little less impressive. This latter view can easily be supported by  
Gloranthan myths and occurrences.

Joerg replies:
>Highly unlikely, otherwise they would not adher to an immobile caste 

>system. 


Why not? This would explain why the Adepts aren't used for breeding,  
because they're used up so far as offspring go anyway. Thus, the  
non-magical Wizardlings are more valued, and this keeps the stock in  
a constant state of mixing and turmoil, which is better genetically  
anyway -- "pure" breeding generally resulting in disasters like the  
1970s Collies (after years of Lassie movies).
	If the late Medieval Church was able to ban breeding among  
its most-educated adherents, I don't see why the Rokari can't do the  
exact same thing. Especially since the Rokari at least accept  
apprentices for training to pass on the teachings.

Wow. Looking over my messages today, I'm struck by how grumpy I've  
been becoming. No offense anyone. Perhaps I should stop writing for a  
while until my injuries improve (which I won't bore you with, but  
I've been putting up with them for almost a month, which may help  
explain my ill temper). 

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From: marc@netcom.com (Marc Willner)
Subject: Handra reply and other things
Message-ID: <199403042330.PAA15907@mail.netcom.com>
Date: 4 Mar 94 07:30:42 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 3244

Sorry to have taken so long to reply to this, but here goes.
Earlier Joerg wrote:
Marc Willner in X-RQ-ID: 3111

>>SInce Joerg asked. The Handran "Guilds" are open only to citizens, and
>>all citizens belong to a "guild". (Note, the term guild is highly
>>inaccurate, as they don't resemble the Terran variety in any way except
>>they tend to revolve around a single type of work or product.)

>Do I become citizen by joining a guild? Do I join a guild by practising
>a certain craft, or am I precluded from exercising my craft because I'm
>no guild member?

No, with few exceptions, the only way to become a citizen is to be born
one. As long as a transient (anyone not a citizen, even if they plan to
stay forever) doesn't interfere with the success of the city business,
there is no restriction on following a trade. The only exceptions to
this are trading in grains (because this might interfere with the 
city's food supply), trade in wool (as this might interfere with the 
city's main source of income), and trade in slaves (which the city sees
as an abomination to be stamped out with all force).

>>It is
>>not likely that a Trader Prince from the surrounding area would be a
>>member. They would be likely to have embassies or agents in the city, 
>>as
>>do a lot of other groups (the Ralian citys, Ramailia, the Lunars, the
>>Sartarites, the former Holy Country, to name a few).

>Aren't there various guilds of traders? Spice, cloth, wine, grain
>merchants?

No, there is only the Merchants Guild. There are other guilds that 
manufacture these items, but the Merchant Guild is responsible for
representing the city to trade them.

>>After all Handran
>>ships stole a considerable portion of the overland trade that used to 
>>go
>>between Ralios and Nochet. Travel by ship is faster and cheaper, and it
>>is
>>easier to get goods down the Noshain River than overland to Bastis.

> The Issarians would move in at once and seize whatever they can from
>any new trade.

While Issarians might move in (and in fact have been in the city for a 
while, as there has been trade up the river even before the Seas openned)
they ahve to deal with the city's Merchant's guild. (One of the factors to
this confusing exchange is when you talk about Trader Princes I think of
the secular rulers who ran the overland trade routes between Ralios and 
Nochet, not necessarily Issaries cultists. I just don't think mystically
enough.)

>>While we are on the subject of trade, what is being traded? I know what
>>Handra trades in, selling cloth, both a local linen equivalent and
>>imported wool, metal goods, rope and 'naval stores', and dyed goods, 
>> using
>>dyes found no where else in Glorantha. (It worked for the Phoenicians.)
>>They are importing raw wool, grain, and raw metal. What are other 
>> places
>> producing.

> Mournsea snail purple?

Among other colors from plants in the Fens and some of the MournSea isles.

> Iron will come from the Castle Coast, via Nolos or Ralios; wool from
> Dragon Pass; grain from Esrolia; pumice from Caladraland; glass from
> Syran; furs and ivory from Ygg's Isles; timber from Pralorela, slaves
> from Prax; silk, spice, dyes (other than purple) from Kralorela; dyes
 >from Teshnos (indigo); wines from all around, etc.

> Handran purple would be extremely popular in the Lunar Empire...

Thanks. Except for slaves, this is a good list. And yes. It is very popular
in the Lunar Empire. This is one of the reasons the Lunars have sent a Seven
Mothers priestess to serve as an ambassidor to the city, to try to convert
them to the Lunar Way. (The other involves a loan the City made to the 
local Enclave of Sartarite Refugees in support of StarBrow's revolt. They
want to prevent it from happening again.)

I thought I would have time to ask the musical question: Who are the 
Sun Dome Templars and where do they come from, but I don't. Maybe 
later.
Marc

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From: carlf@panix.com (Carl Fink)
Subject: archaeology 'r us
Message-ID: <199403050546.AA23956@panix.com>
Date: 4 Mar 94 19:46:05 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 3245

Quoting I can't remember who, Nick writes:

R>> And pertaining to the Indus/Harappan observation that started this all
 >> off, who else has noticed that the ogre in MOB's Melisande's Hand
 >> scenario in Sun County is called Mohenjo Daro?

R>Probably nobody else . That character was called "Jarst Daro" in Sun
 >County. "Mohenjo Daro" was only for his original appearance in Tales #4.
 >I imagine this is the discerning editorial hand of Ken at work...

  Sorta.  It was the discerning berserkergang recognition of yours truly
in our playtest of the scenario.  I, along with former playtester Scott
Baron, was also responsible for the change from "Prometheus" to
"Promidius", although Ken in fact came up with the alternate names.  I
don't mind subtle references like Swenstown, but actual Earth
mythological figures seemed out of place.
                                                                                                                 

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