First, a brief aside - has anyone else noticed that on the 'Prax encounter table', in the handouts from Shadows on the Borderlands, you can encounter 'Ogres masquerading as merchants', but you never encounter merchants! This must make it easy to identify the Ogres!
It also offers a convenient explanation for why the Desert Tracker quest of the Goldentongues is so difficult! The nomads all assume that any merchant must really be an ogre, and probably attack on sight!
Re: Issaries as Skald
I do not particularly like this idea as an aspect of the Issaries cult. I like the idea that Orlanthi society includes skalds or bards, but the Issaries cult does not seem the place to put them. I think skalds are much more likely to be associated with Orlanth, perhaps the Orlanth Goodvoice aspect that Issaries has tended to displace.
Skalds are associated with music. Issaries has no recorded myth involving music. Orlanth has several.
Orlanth Rex is mentioned as being a god of poets, as well as chieftains (perhaps indicating some special social status for poets - like the status of skald). Issaries has no connection to poetry beyond being a good speaker.
The skalds position as lawspeaker and guardian of the traditions of
the tribe definately does not seem to me to be an Issaries function. The
modern Orlanthi would see it as a Lhankor Mhy function. It is also
traditionally an Orlanth function - Note Orlanths role as first Lawspeaker
(cf. Orlanth the Justice-Bringer, KOS pg.74), and King Heorts Lawstaff
quest (ibid pg.90). But I can think of no mention of Issaries as
Lawspeaker.
I think that the essence of Issaries is not as a speaking god, but a trade god. In various ways Orlanth, Eurmal, Lhankor Mhy, and Issaries are all speaking gods, and certainly Issaries should not have all the aspects of the speaking god. Issaries is the god who speaks to survive and prosper, Eurmal is the god who speaks to get his own way, LM is the god who speaks the truth, Orlanth is the god who speaks the morally correct right words.
So, I disagree quite strongly with the idea of Issaries as the god
of skalds. I think that skalds are primarily connected with Orlanth
(perhaps even in Orlanth Rex), and they also acknowledge many other gods
(as is correct, as skalds are more of an embodiment of Orlanth's way than a
worshipper), most especially Donandar, LM, Issaries, and Eurmal.
Cheers
David
PS thanks to all the people who replied about goblins, and thanks Sandy for the stuff on phoenixes and spectres. Any explanation as to what spectres are? Even if it not known, we can always make it up. Creatures of primal illusion, like Boggles are creatures of primal disorder?
End of Glorantha Digest V1 #89
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