> Illumination seems to have been a prominent feature of Glorantha from
> the old (pre-Issaries) publications. (Or perhaps it's just a
> particularly interesting one, and so gets more attention, sort of like
> Vinga and her role in the Storm Tribe?)
Actually, it wasn't that important at all. Except for people that wanted to power-play and join all sorts of cults without spirits of reprisal breathing down their necks. Because it appeared in "Cults of Terror", the Chaotic cults book, it has generally been seen as "chaotic magic" when, in fact, it is entirely neutral magic/experience.
99.9% of the people in Glorantha are neither illuminated, nor know anyone who is (whether they know they are or not). That number may be a bit lower in the Lunar Empire. Most people who have undergone illumination are completey bug-nuts whacko. Only a very minor percentage of Illuminates are able to function in the world.
> However, I haven't gotten the sense that it's deeply important from the
> Issaries publications I've read (all but the most recent -- Dragon Pass
> and Hero's Book). Is that a misreading on my part, or is it being
> deemphasized in more recent publications?
It never was emphasized in the prior works.
Partly, the Capital-M Mystical implications of Illumination have relegated it to "finish later".
Like Resurrection, Illumination won't survive unscathed in the translation from RQ to HQ. In RQ, resurrection was a relatively common occurance, with no ill aftereffects. In HQ, resurrection is rare, and most resurrectees suffer from the Death illness - either going completely pro-Life or pro-Death. They are extremely rarely able to continue life as it was "before". This is mostly due to changes in Greg's thinking about these subjects in the intervening 20-odd years.
> And on that note, I don't have a clear idea of the sorts of themes that
> illumination can, er, shed light on. Orlanthi I get, Lunars and Dara
> Happans and Malkioni I all get to varying degrees, but I don't see how
> illumination fits into the Gloranthan cosmology and/or how to tell
> deeply interesting stories with it. Any help would be appreciated,
> especially help that doesn't refer to out-of-print books.
It's easiest to ignore it entirely.
RR
It is by my order and for the good of the state that the bearer of this has
done what he has done.
- Richelieu
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