On 04/05/2012, at 9:09 PM, Richard Hayes wrote:
> Stasis also has some practical applications in combat, especially for a soldier in a shield wall (whether he is a Heortling or a Pelorian). But it is a very un-Orlanthi (and un-Helering) way to fight. Might be tolerable for an Elmali though. Or a Rigsdal worshipper? (I gather a rare few souls worship Rigsdal as a main god, rather than as a sub-cult of another god).
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> Whilst he wouldn't usually have the discipline (or place in a regimented military structure) to fight in a shield wall, I could sort-of imagine an unusual Uroxi having this affinity, to denote great resilience (and maybe a "bloodied but unbowed" or "no retreat, no surrender" ability to keep fighting when lesser men would have dropped, if necessary by drawing power from the Earth itself).
It would be a VERY unusual Uroxi. Besides the strong association between Movement and Air in Orlanthi culture, it would also be an Uroxi who effectively rejects the signature 'Berserk' power of the cult (strongly associated with the cults leadership). Sure, I can see where you are coming from with powers like Face Chaos, but it would still involve rejecting the cults main strengths.
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> Stasis also have some application in relation to certain crafts -- old RQ used to associate it with masonry, working with stone (stasis was almost a form rune for stone as well as a power rune)and alchemy -- so it might be okay for a Heortling working in these areas.
It is still associated with Masonry in HeroQuest - it is the Runic association for the Flintmail cult, who are stonemasons. Flintnail doesn't have a Rune Affinity, but the association is still there.
> Lhankor Mhy might work too -- until the Law rune caught on, his 'old' runes were Stasis and Truth. The change is an improvement, but it shows that it isn't too great a stretch. Would the Stasis/Magic combination suggest a Lhankor Mhy sage/alchemist who knew sorcery?
The Stasis/Magic combination would actually preclude a character from joining LM under the current HeroQuest rules - the third rune would be an elemental rune, and so lacking either Law or Truth, the character wouldn't be allowed to join LM.
FWIW, while Stasis was associated with Alchemy in RQ2 days, Law is probably in many ways more appropriate. Alchemical traditions in the real world emphasise natural processes of change a great deal, particularly the transformative nature of mercury. To make things change is in many ways the goal of most alchemical operations.
Cheers
David
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