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, Wed, 20 Jul 1994, part 2
Sender: Henk.Langeveld@Holland.Sun.COM
Content-Return: Prohibited
Precedence: junk
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From: henkl@aft-ms (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland)
Subject: Re: CONVULSION & DISEASES
Message-ID: <9407192133.AA22394@yelm.Holland.Sun.COM>
Date: 19 Jul 94 22:33:35 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5231
Lewis Jardine :
>Hi Everyone
> Not long to go before I see a fair number of you at Convulsion.
> I'll be running the meet the digest seminar where I can put some
>faces to all these names I keep seeing on my screen.
If someone is making photographs we could try and scan them...
--
Henk | Henk.Langeveld@Sun.COM - Disclaimer: I don't speak for Sun.
oK[] | Single Point of Change, Multiple Points of Reference
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From: b_kondalski@vssi.trw.com (Brian J. Kondalski)
Subject: Faltikus
Message-ID: <9407192313.AA11559@Sun.COM>
Date: 19 Jul 94 23:07:58 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5232
All this talk about Faltikus has driven me out from my roll as lurker as I
thought I would pass on how he has fit in my campaign.
Faltikus is illuminated (I really can't see how he couldn't be) and was put
in as a pawn by the lunar government. The part that I twisted about is that
Faltikus is also Gbaji (he is also a member of a cult that neither the lunars
nor the Orlanthi know about). He has his own agenda that differs very much
from what the Lunars and the Orlanthi expect of him. He is bidding his time
in Pavis, gaining personal power, and finding some allies to further his own
needs. This makes Faltikus a wonderful NPC for me to put at the base of many
interesting plots (especially since my PCs are mostly Lightbringers or very
anti-Lunar). The PCs are are just starting to get an idea that he isn't all
he is supposed to be (even beyond the thought that he is a Lunar sympathizer).
Any thoughts?
Brian
b_kondalski@vssi.trw.com
"Heroes' delusions with feet in the grave"
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From: 71163.1655@compuserve.com (Erich A. Schmidt)
Subject: The lurker is roused
Message-ID: <940720023212_71163.1655_DHQ55-1@CompuServe.COM>
Date: 20 Jul 94 02:32:12 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5233
Hello all.
After reading the great god debate I though that I would mention how I see
the gods, comprimise, etc. Most of my opinions are not based on items
before RQ3 as I started playing the game around '88 and the old material
is very difficult to find.
I see the Comprimise as an active activity that the gods are involved in.
The I Fought We Won battle enabled Existance to push the vast majority of
Chaos to the borders of Creation. Arachne Solara then cast the web of the
Comprimise over the world protecting it from the inroads of Chaos. Now it
seems that most people have the gods suspended in the web unable to do
much more than dream about the Godtime. For me, however, they are activly
fortfying and repairing the web that holds back Chaos. The reason that
they interact so rarely is not because they are prevented, but because
they are extremly busy maintaining the wall that keeps Chaos out.
Naturally there are some leaks caused through the worship of Chaos
entities, but they are realitivly small. Necesarily so, otherwise the
gods would notice it and plug the leak.
As far as the ability for gods to read their worshippers minds, if
*anyone*, worshipper or not, was standing in front of Orlanth he would be
an open book. As Orlanth and others are busy playing Little Dutch Boy
with the Comprimise they don't have the time to mind-ream who they choose.
During holy days when the god is invoked the spirit of the god enters the
priest and asks for a status report. The priest gives the rundown and
the god rubber stamps the process and then leaves. If there are problems
the god usually tells the priest to invoke the spirits of retribution or
otherwise deal with the problems himself.
The high holy day is the god's three day weekend. Due to the burst of
power that they get on this day they are more able to devote a portion of
their conciousness to the mundane plane. The priest is questioned more
closely and the minds of the throng are lightly scanned. As the god is
able to personally touch everyone, the initates are able to get a power
gain roll as well as the priest. While the priest usually still handles
the spirits of retribution, he is often ordered to do so by the god for
the minor transgressions that the god has picked up on his own.
"I have unleashed the Impests on Tom, Dick, and Harry my Lord. These are
my reasons..."
"Very good. Include Steve on your list, he has a guilty conscence about
something. His aura has the taste of wrongdoing."
"Oh.. As you say."
Again, Orlanth could grab Steve's mind and wring it like a sponge if he
wanted. But he won't because 1) It's really just a minor transgression
(seemingly), 2) The priest is his capable servant on Glorantha and can
handle it now that he has been informed, and 3) Now that he has some time
away from the wall he has this picnic planned with Ernalda...
Sacred Time is the annual two week vacation. As the planes draw / are
pulled closer together the initates and priests are able to reenact the
myths in a more Godplane-like environment. While this strokes the ego of
the god in question it also gives the gods a rest as there are now
millions of tiny little hands (the followers) holding up the wall.
Priests are given a close scrutiny at this time. The trust that the god
places in his servants is great as he does not have the personal time to
direct his initiates. If the priest is harboring thoughts of treachery or
betrayal they are usually ferrited out now. Initates still are given only
a light screening at this time. The reason is that there are just so many
of them the god doesn't want to spend the time. Again, that's what the
priests are for and another reason why the priests are so carefully
scrutinized at this time. As the gods do not have to devote their time to
maintaining the wall the great magics of the cult are performed now as
well, such as important enchantments, sanctifying temples, and the like.
Betrayals of the cult are difficult without great magic. With the
existance of an interactive deity it is a hard task. Initates are able to
succeede when they have enough concentration, guile, whatever to mask
their thoughts from the casual touch during the HHD and able to hide their
activities from the local priest. Many plotters are absent from Sacred
Time ceremonies due to the increased chance of discovery. This increased
chance in to so much from an invasive discovery by the god but an
observation of the initate's ability to perform during the rituals. A
tratorous initate will not be quite as able to "dance in step" with the
other members of the congregation. Even this, however, is accomplishable
through mundane means and sufficent willpower, etc. Subverting priests is
another matter altogether. Guile is enough to protect the priest from the
god's touch during the holy days but not the HHD. There some form of
countering ritual is required, and is possible. This usually takes the
part of asking another deity to mask the thoughts of the priest. There is
one instance in my campaign of a priest using sorcerous methods to do
this. Even so, the priest is screwed come Sacred Time. While the god
can't / won't scan his initates, he does on Sacred Time. And a priest
better have a damn good reason for missing (evading?) the god's touch
during this time. Thus a priest must be approached, wooed, taken, and
used all during the same year. Sometimes this process can be spread out
over a span of years, but once the priest crosses that line he is
commited. And, with each Sacred Time he becomes more firmly entrenched in
the god's camp and less likely to turn coat.
Illumanates are able to effectivly hold up a mirror to the god, and he
sees what he wants to see. As long as other priests aren't able to narc
on him, the illuminate priest can act without much fear of retribution.
Divinations are limited by the god's activity on the wall. Thus,
divinations performed during the HHD or SC are that much more effective.
I would explain the divination by the Yelmalio priest thusly:
"Hail my Lord, what gives?"
Smacking chaos right and left, "What is it? I'm busy."
"Wanted to know if there was anything you wanted me to take care of."
Sunbrights a chaos shade, "Well actually, there is a small chaos leak in
the Wall," taking a quick look around, "In Sun County in fact. Take care
of it, here is a description of my quick look...."
Heroquests allow the character to jump into the god's old neighborhood.
The various actions of gods and myth are still here, filled with the
divine shadows of the gods. It never changes from what happened at
Godtime because all of the gods are now at the Wall and the heroquesters
usually don't have the power to make a change.
Well, there it is. Tell me what you think.
"Merry Hrestmas", indeed.
Erich A. Schmidt
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