Re: [hw-rules] Re: Sacrifice (Cows to CA)

From: Andrew Dawson <asmpd_at_...>
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 00:56:16 -0500


At 11:36 AM 11/09/2000 +0000, Tim Ellis wrote:
>It may be possible to sacrifice future cattle to Chalana Arroy too -
> "If you save my wife from the creeping chills I will give you every
>third calf born this spring" - with all the fun possibilities this
>can bring (Your clan chief made such a promise and has now reneged -
>your clan is stricken with disease and you must appease the healers
>(or sacrifice to Malia?) - You promise the next thing born in your
>cowshed, and your wife goes into labour while milking the cows - The
>cattle you promise to the temple is stolen in a cattle raid, and the
>temple will not accept any substitute...

This was originally posted on hw-rules, but my question probably falls under Hero Wars.

Vaguely, where do the Mallia worshippers come from?

Specifically, the Orlanthi are a culture of Chaos-haters. During the good times, I can't see them letting a nest of Mallia worshippers live. I have some ideas as to why Mallia worshippers continue, but I wonder what I'm missing. Does anyone else have something to add? (BTW, though they're still valid, I am not personally interested in answers involving laxness and chaos due to the Lunar occupation. I am more interested in how such people survived that long in Dragon Pass.)

  1. Mallia worshippers are seen as a necessary evil and allowed to live. 1a. Maybe they're only allowed to live far away and approached cautiously, like mad hermits. 1b. How do you keep the Uroxi from killing them?
  2. Mallia worship is passed down secretly. 2a. However the keepers of the Mallia secret will reveal themselves when the need to call on Mallia arises. How do they sink back into obscurity?
  3. Mallia just forces herself on an unlucky shaman every so often. 3a. Is such a person tolerated or persecuted? 3b. Do this person keep this a secret (see #2)? 3c. Does this person run off and live like a mad hermit in the wilderness?
  4. Some Earth worshipper heroquests to gain Mallia's "rewards". Same type of questions as above.
  5. A martyr goes to a bad place and offers self to Mallia's service in return for the abilities that are needed.

Issues:

  1. If they're not living among you, how do you find out that they exist?
  2. If you can find them in bad times, why can't you find them and kill them in good times?
  3. If they're tolerated on some level, how does Orlanthi society excuse this?

I'm sure there are more things I could think of, but not off of the top of my head tonight. Anyone else?

Thanks,
Andy

Powered by hypermail