Re: Heortling Literacy

From: Roland <rmv1_at_...>
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 16:40:14 -0000

Nick Brooke:
> Do we know that it's the *verbal* part of the greeting that people
> are getting right, all the way from here to Pralorela? Isn't it
> possible that the *custom* is the same (offering visitors the meat
> gift, blanket gift, etc., appropriate to their status), but that
> the words and even the language used could vary?

Of course it's possible. In Glorantha, it is always possible for the sun to stop moving in the sky. Anything it possible. I guess I just like to find some in-game reason for mechanical quirks. So, I want to prevent a "language barrier" as they suggest in the book, but I want to also make the different cultures different; ergo, my postulations about the regional differences.

> Just my $0.02 (striving for a less homogenous Glorantha),

I was in no way trying to reduce the different cultures' uniqueness. I liked the image of the confident Orlanthi walking a year into Pralorela and Greeting everyone he met, but had a hard time fitting that into what little I know about the history and development of those regions. The picture I use is one where the Greeting is easy (as has been said by others, ritual phrases rarely change), but actually carrying on the day-to-day communications is a hurdle - not an insurmountable one, but one that requires some time, improvisation, and maybe even Talking with Hands (love those Issaries feats).

Roland Volz