Well, that's hard to argue with! :) On the other hand, I would still like to know the logic behind it. Was it for the combat magic or what? It makes a difference in how the rune is expressed by the cult.
>> she is socially destructive
>> when she needs to be to balance Order/Harmony. It is interesting to me
>> that she only seems active when she is balancing something good.
>
> Because the Pelandans are a bunch of do-gooders, who need balancing with
> bad things?
:)
> Despite the asymmetry in Her actions, the Entekosiad does not portray
> Her has being an enemy or evil goddess.
I disagree. I think the Lunars recast her as good whereas before she was, if not actually evil, then certainly feared. Natha was an enemy in the Gartemirus and Natha myth. She contested with the High Gods over human sacrifice and became the High Goddess of Revenge to balance Daxdarius's War. She was the Mother of Murder - "In the dark place, where she hid, she gave birth to a repulsive monster who would forever haunt the palaces of gods and humans. It was a son, called Ratakar."
Natha's Well is a pretty nasty place (TotRM). The Tales article also says "The local cults of Natha and Gerra are regarded as precursors to the Red Goddess, and though they have small followings, their congregations and temples are generously supported by the Empire." So even in Lunar times she isn't widely worshiped in Pelanda. Greg's Enclosure article says that she was propitiated in Carmania for many centuries, which could also have been true prior to the Lunars.
Whew! That's all I've got.
> Daak has no morality at all. "personal morality" could be adhering to a
> personal code, rather than a socially imposed code. I like the idea of
> Natha being the Pelandan goddess of autonomy, including suicide.
It could be as you say. My interpretation of "personal morality" in the context of the myth was putting your own welfare above that of the group ("Thistle the tribe"). "Might makes Right" is a kind of morality, after all. Daak came from Outside and was therefore not bound by society's rules. Maybe in his own tribe he was a swell guy? ;)
>> While I am on page 60 of Entekosiad (curse you again, Benedict!) I see
>> we don't have Ekus, the Wild Man.
>
> I believe he's just a foil for Gartemirus.
Probably - we don't know enough of his myths to say for sure. I was about to say that he certainly isn't worthy of a cult but I have several players that might want to emulate the Wild Man. :)
-Kevin McD
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