Ok, now I am starting to get really rather annoyed, as my attempt to get a simple answer to a simple question seems to have sparked out a large number of forcefully expressed views, almost all of which disagree and several of which are irrelevent.
So in an attempt to make some sense of it all, here is a summary, in gratuitous detail, of what I know about Basmol and what I think (and what I want to know).
Basmol is a lion god from Pamaltela, and some of his worshippers travelled to Genertela in God Time, with their god, who was slain by some god of the Wastelands.
Basmoli are classic Hsunchen. They believe themselves to be descended from beasts. Essentially they believe themselves to be two legged lions. However, Hsunchen are physically just humans.
Nomad Gods, the only source I have been able to find, says that Basmol was slain by Tada, and that Tada wore his skin after that (and that is why the Basmoli like to hire as nomad mercenaries, because they like to kill the nomads who are the descendent of Tada's people). Accordingly, that is probably the explanation that I will use. GoG says only that Basmol was slain 'by the natives of the Wastelands'. The Pamaltelan Basmoli do not actually know that Basmol is dead, only that he marched away to the North, and hasn't come back yet. As they are still awaiting Basmol's triumphant return, they will probably be rather upset when they find out.
>In message <199411300407.XAA09899_at_hops.wharton.upenn.edu> Loren Miller writes:
>
>_at_ I do not doubt that each small group of Basmoli believes a different
>_at_ one too.
>
>Definitely, this is the way to go. The lions still exist by the way, their
>extinction is not complete, in the Wastes prides of lions still hunt. (and
>Codex was wrong...) (or maybe right)
>
I certainly doubt that each small group of Basmoli has a different explanation. They are already one of the smallest groups. Do you really think that a small, clannish culture can not manage to agree on something as major as who killed their god? And it doesn't bother them that they can't?
I do not doubt that there is some confusion world wide about who killed the Lion God, and there are probably people who believe that it was Humakt, or that Basmal the god of lion and lightnings fought at the Hill of Gold. I was interested in who the Basmoli think killed their god. The Basmoli culture is not large enough or sophisticated enough to support significant religious diversity, IMHO. SO I want an answer, not a multiplicity of answers.
I also see no reason to assume that lions are still alive in the Wastes. In fact, it is more interesting if they aren't, I think. I particularly like all the rumours about how the Basmoli manage to breed the one or two lions that they do have...... Besides, the last thing the Wastes need is another large predator! I think lions probably do live on the Pamaltelan savannah, though.
I will make a couple of comments, though.
The first is that Tada does not seem to be a major figure in modern
day Praxian religion, so it is possible that the similar but more widely
worshipped figure of Waha is confused with him.
The second is that while Basmol is said to be slain, and Tada wearing his skin does tend to agree with this, the Basmoli do not seem to suffer much from this, as do other religions of wounded or dead gods. This is suspicious - either little of their magic actually comes from Basmol, or maybe Basmol is still alive and this is a cult secret. Maybe there is a story of the Resurrection of Basmol??? Or perhaps it is true that Basmola is still alive and Basmol was the one that died?
Lastly, the story of Basmols death may well be more complicated. I do suspect that Basmol fought others before fighting his final killer. This is another source of confusion.
>No No it's Basmola. Altho Basmol did fight in the Gods War bravely, and
>could well have been at the Hill of Gold.
Actually I think that Basmol and Basmola are probably different sides of the same deity, or at least they were originally. The Huschen deities are all descended from Hykin and Mikyh, who are often said to really be the one hermaphroditic being.
The Basmoli Berserkers do seem to be pretty male, though. They wear dreadlocks as fake manes, and there love of fighting corresponds to the male lions (who fight amongst themselves for dominance, whereas the females hunt to kill). I suspect they regard themselves as adherents of the way of Basmol, even if he is dead.
> Basmola was always loyal
>to the Emperor, but was that Yelm or Genert?
>
Actually, as the Bamoli came from Pamaltela, perhaps it was Pamalt or Artmal. I am not so convinced about any loyalty to any emperor, anyway. Though perhaps Basmal (from Imther) may have been.
>The Basmoli of Prax are lions. They have cats eyes, vestigial manes and
>pronounced incisors.
>
Nup. Sorry, I see no reason to assume this at all ( and dislike the idea of creating numerous half-human races that it implies). The Basmol are able to turn into lions because of magic. A non-Basmoli that manages to get into the cult can do it to, regardless of race. Making them semi-human is pretty pointless, to me. Even the Telmori appear human, and they are more animal than the Basmoli (the Cursed Ones at least).
>Many misconecptions of Basmoli exist,
You can say that again!
> not least due to the fact that
>most non-Basmoli only meet wandering bachelor males and never understand that
>real Basmoli society exists in the matriarchal prides on the Wastes.
>
I can agree with this. Most Basmoli are respectable primitive hunters (and perhaps they deign to do a little gathering as well). It is only the ones without a real tribe (the bachelor males) that become professional warriors.
>Basmoli are not nomads, they are not part of the Compromise and they hate
>the Riders and Waha.
>
All true.
Cheers
Dave
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