Re: Carmania

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_...>
Date: Sun, 21 May 2000 13:34:13 +1200


Kevin wrote:

>I am in the process of starting a HW game set in Carmania (the Oronin Valley).
>Hopefully, SGU will cover much of this but I doubt I can stall the game for
>that long (August?).

Having seen the glorantha book delayed and again despite having pulled all the stops to have the basic text completed by last August, I have very strong doubts about the "soon" status of SGU.
> Loren Miller's wonderful website
>(http://www.ioxy.com/fabworlds/Carmania/index.html) has a little HW info
>scattered around (NPC writeups for House Zemeidy), but what I need is
>something to jumpstart the players with (keywords, abilities, ect).

I can't offer anything specific, but I can offer suggestions on how to go about the process.

You have the basis of a western culture for the Black Horse Troop plus the Orlanthi and Lunar Keywords. The Carmanians can be made from those with a little bit of work.

The chief game difference between the Carmanians and other western cultures is that most of them are theists and not sorcerous. They don't even muck around with the false demenses and other types of shit.

Thus they would worship gods like Humakt, Yanafal Tarnils, etc all of which are happily provided in the basic HW rulebook.

Although most Carmanian men are of the Hazar (knight) caste, only a small number of them are actual Hazars. Hence a Hazar keyword would be something like the Knight keyword for the Black Horse Troop in status. Although men can be still be warriors, they can also be overseers, torturers etc, basically the kind of important people you have running the estates.

One thing distinguishes theistic Carmanians from other types of Carmanians: a curious set of black-and-white ethics. This is necessary to help them maintain contact with the Truth and avoid contact with the Lie. I can only think of one effect that might impact on beginning PCs: if they have followed the truth then they might have an edge on followers of the Lie (see below).

Viziers and Magi are kinda complicated. There is Malakinus, a Carmanian order of sorcery given in the rulebook but it should be pointed out that this is a "Good Sorcery" school and the only sorcery that the Magi will learn. The Carmanians know that all other sorcery is corrupted by the Lie and the Magi forbid their study to most Carmanians, save the Viziers.

The Viziers are your average sorcerers/wizards (use the Wizard keyword in the Black Horse Troop). They have a heightened moral perception that allows them to resist temptations of the Lie. Thus they can practice Carmanian Sorcery without falling into error (allegedly).

Apart the basic Malakinus magic that every vizier has access to, the magic of their orders should be exotic, disturbing and potentially corrupting. Something like the Order of Black Iron or the Order of Damnation wouldn't go amiss, but I'd strongly advise against straight copies. I only know of one name for an order, Fronalako.

Magi are much more complicated. They follow the Good God, Idovanus, Creator of the World and the Truth. They have the basic Malakinus sorcery but that is about all the sorcery they know. Anything else besmirches their exalted status. They do have access to the Idovanic magics which are not sorcery and not theistic either. Perhaps Transcendent is the best label. They generally work this with a wand with a glowing tip.

The Magi go around regulating cults so they have the power to nullify theistic magics by simply issuing a fatwah (I think they write it in air with the glowing tip of their wand). This could be treated as a mystic refute.

Servants of the Lie. Although Idovanus is the Truth, all Carmanians know about the Lie and struggle to avoid it. Most serfs are forced to engage in rituals that confirm them as such so the Carmanians can have an easier time of oppressing them. There are a few orders and cults, such as the Spolite Witches, that serve the Lie.

--Peter Metcalfe

Powered by hypermail