Re: Three-world model

From: L C <lightcastle_at_QVI0TiF8Bsqee_TMR2_o3yi0H94zNY63ljbsdqdfMM7fo4V2AAQjEt-9BGGywTeS>
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:15:40 -0500

 I've got a question as long as we are talking about the Three-world model and mysticism and everything. Peter has a very nice post on Vithelan religion as expressed through HQ2 rules, and using the three worlds within that. Now I don't know if the Vithelans even think of the lower gods and spirits and things as "the three worlds" or would have to have at least one of each style. I only ever saw "gods' (with modifiers) mentioned from what I remember - but I'm not a Gloranthan scholar.

 But this discussion makes me wonder again - what defines the three worlds? Is it how your magic manifests? (Feats/Spirits/Spells) Is it some kind of "cosmic vibration frequency" thus making the three worlds different even though owners of runes exist in each. Is it a mode of worship (the infamous Sacrifice/Ecstatic/Veneration split that doesn't actually seem to apply in any way in the rules)? It seems many entities straddle the worlds. I remember being told on this forum that most people in Glorantha don't know of/think of the three world system as such, and I've also been told the opposite. Certainly the Mongoose stuff (some of it) has God Learners in-game voice not using the model.

 From an HQ2 rules view (which probably needs to be on the HQ2 list) it gets back down to this idea of does "Theism" have a rule set which applies to all Theism, or is Theism about a relationship to the gods and how this manifests in magic is more variable. One of the advantages of HQ2 is its immense flexibility, meaning that adopting a rule set for each world no longer becomes necessary unless it is to reflect something fundamental to the world, IMO.

LC