>actually this isn't exactly the kind of information I was looking for.
>I've read the Far Point stead calendar, the Storm Tribe's calendar
>and Thunder Rebels, which all feature all lot of useful information
>on hoertling daily life.
Ah, sorry. Your post following Garreth so closely caused me to mis-read you.
>but what about the influence of magic and [tiny] rituals on
>everything you do?
I believe very strongly. I believe that most Heortling magic involves prayers and sacrifices to the gods, and describe it so.
<snip number of examples of small magics>
This is, to my view, largely why it is pointless to describe such matters in any detail - people are capable of coming up with ideas that are far better! For starters, I'll be stealing the moaning tree for my own games. Perhaps this is something that could be made more of in scenarios - I'd like to have seen, for instance, the Blood Feud adventure to include comments like 'shouting prayers to Ernalda Peacemaker (insert correct name here!), the women throw rugs over weapons to break up the fight'. *
>what impact does it have on one's personality when observing the
>magnitude of the gods when regulary entering the godplane [scared
>time etc]. isn't there some kind of insight that in a way afterwards
>prevents going back to "normal" life?
Your first trip to the otherside (Initiation) changes everything. You go a boy, you return a man. You leave blind and return able to see. The hills are no longer dead earth, but the body of Ernalda, the air now moves with the breath of Orlanth. Clouds are clearly seen as Heler and his flock of rain sheep. And so on.
>how much magic and ritualised action does a normal heortling perceive
>during "a day in the life" in proportion to what we would call
>"normal activities"
I believe lots. You don't plough a field without Barntar's magic, and summoning that magic requires rituals and prayers, albeit short ones. I'd expect the average Heortling to perform maybe a dozen acts of magic or prayer during a normal day.
>okay, one could argue that most of the above could / should be ruled
>individually by a good narrator, but this would be a expression of
>personal style, not an implementation of "official" guidelines.
I don't know that guidelines as such help - but I would like to see this talked about more during scenarios.
>eventually: how alien is Glorantha and how does feel & look like?
Depends partly on your view of this world. If you believe that spirits, gods, saints, or whatever have a real place in this world, then Glorantha doesn't look that alien. To sceptical westerners, Glorantha may be more strange. It is a world where magic is real, the danger of being attacked or possessed by various nasties is real. As such, you HAVE to interact with these, especially if you live in the relative isolation of the average Heortling stead. Superstition is not a quaint custom, but a matter of life and death.
Many people have believed this to be the case though - for the Heortlings, the beliefs of the Celts, Angles, and Norse make good analogues. A world where you don't walk past certain pools without making an offering is alien to many of us, but to our ancestors was normal. The strength of Glorantha is that it (can) bring that to life very well, though I would still like to see more of an emphasis on the small gods, wyters, etc. in character rather than rule terms.
Cheers,
Graham
-- Graham Robinson graham_at_... Albion Software Engineering Ltd.
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