Monkey Business.......

From: Sven *Erik Sievrin <erisie_at_utu.fi>
Date: Fri, 2 Dec 1994 23:06:28 +0200 (EET)

Pam Anderson:
Yes, Balance Budget is kind of what I thought of - or Dispel Debt, or Cure Corruption, or Hasten Application, or Rewiev Accounts....:-) Although I figured them more like subtle effects, not like "spells"....

Monkeys in Glorantha: First, those who live in the vincinity of Prax may have met or heard of intelligent baboons, which would complicate the matter. Lunar party carrying on in the jungle:
"There is a Praxian fellow here beating his chest, unfortunately he does not seem to understand any Praxian languages I know."

Second, if not I am hallucinating again, the equipment gained by a Baboon shaman includes an (unintelligent) baboon pet, which I interpret as the one who wrote that part meant normal baboons to exist in Prax as well. (Then why would the stupid Lunars above confuse them with gorillas? Because the gorilla is man-sized.)

Third, a most obscure thing, I remember Greg Stafford mentioning in some Tales interview ....I think it was from one of his house campaigns, there was this Baboon that formed the Xenogang - no humans allowed! I'm paraphrasing: "We mostly played the Xenogang when I was not the GM, and often when we had been drinking. My character was Larry the Gorilla, who had an INT of 7, about equal to mine with too much beer inside me" So that gorilla confusing the Lunars may well be Greg Stafford...:-)

Kevin Rose:
Putting my answer on the list so all will know this is fixed: You are probably right. The first badly-formatted message was written from a Mac (?), th second from a nice computer with Windows installed - not like the one I use now. Will use it in the future.

Malkioni Folklore:
Know about "counting rhymes", or whatever they are called in English? Well, they are verses where you repeat certain facts, somewhat like "ten little indians", that are supposed to be good to use if you want to learn those facts. I'll give an example (trnaslated from something used in Swedish Sunday Schools in the beginning of the century):

• -What is One?
• -One is the One ruling Heaven and Earth.
• -What is Two?
• -Two tables of stone at Mount Sinai, One is the One ruling Heaven and Earth
• -What is Three?
• -Three Patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Two tables of stone at Mount Sinai, One is the One ruling Heaven and Earth
• -What is Four? Four Evangelists....and so on, you get the idea.

Now, would not this be a good way of teaching little Rokari farmer's children the basics of theology, as much as farmers need to know? There would probably be more rhymes, things to memorize etc, but it is a good start. I think it fits the fascination I think malkioni has with numbers.

I have a beginning, and would like to hear your comments and suggestions
- - there would of course be many different versions. So:

• -What is One?
• -One is the One True Invisible God, who was, who has been and will ever be.
• -What is Two?
• -Two True Prophets: Malkion and Hrestol, One is the One True Invisible God, who was, who has been and will ever be.
• -What is Three?
• -Three Corners of the Law: Loyalty, Piety, Reason, Two True etc
• -What is Four? Four Holy God-given Castes: Farmer and Knight, Wizard and Lord, Three corners etc.
• -What is Five? Five Seasons (Elements? Main Saints?)
• -What is Six? (yes, what is Six?)
• -What is Seven? Seven Days of the Week (VERY basic education, something better needed)

I had the idea of using this as a way of educating players new to the West; simply have them memorize that rhyme their character learnt as a child, being allowed to ask about anything in the rhyme they did not understand (ie most of it).

Cheers,
Erik
who will despair if THIS post is also garbled

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