Humakti "retreats".

From: Alex Ferguson <alex_at_dcs.gla.ac.uk>
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 95 22:53:52 GMT


Alison Place reckons Zombies Ate My Comrade's Brains is not, in fact, Humakti's least favourite tabloid headline.

Summarising the situation:
> a) there were overwhelming odds against the fighters,
> b) the foe was undead,
> c) one Humakti chose to call for divine help from an associated cult

I wonder which of Humakt's many associates this could be? ;-) This is a not unimportant point, I believe. In order to perform this tactical withdrawal, the initiate in question felt it necessary to call up an entirely different, at best friendly, deity. If he thought his action was justified as a Humakti, why didn't he try a DI to the guy with the "H" on his forehead? (No, not Arnold Rimmer.) After all, a DI chance is a DI chance is a DI chance (in RQ2/3, which has admittedly no basis in logic or common sense). Guilt by guilty-seeming intent, I submit, m'lud.

> d) was answered by being teleported to safety.

I think it's fair to say that this was the outcome asked for, and not just how he happened to be be answered.

> If you must retreat (and even Humakti have to occasionally!), it is likely
> that you will have to leave behind fallen comrades who are not yet dead.
> [...] I believe Humakti to be normal in this way, not counting elite or
> extremist units.

I think "elite and extremist" tags the prototypical Humakti pretty well. And certainly when fighting undead, the uncontended bete noire of Humakt, Extremism is No Vice.

> Since this conduct is acceptable, then Alex's fellow player
> has the unfortunate fate to be the only survivor of such a situation.

Hang on, how did I crop up in here? ;-)

> (Another question might be, if they weren't trying to make such a
> retreat, why weren't they?)

Beats me. Extremism, heroism, or gross stupidity? Let your taste decide. It's obvious from the tone of the original post that they were not, and that the spirit of one of the non-survivors was manifesting in his player's Not Pleased At All attitude towards the guy who beetled off. Since his comrades _did_, apparently, expect him to stand and fight, his failure to do so can't really be regarded as a successful implementation of unit policy on tactical withdrawals.

> This discussion rotates on the runes of Humakt, Truth and Death.

Or rather Death, Truth, and more Death.

> Can a Humakti only remain True to his comrades by refusing to escape
> their imminent Death?

If the foe is Undead; if his comrades are still alive; if they still hope and expect him to fight alongside them; and especially if by his actions, he suggests his motivation is cowardice then, in a word, Yes.

If the confrontation was a less black-and-white one, if his comrades had already fallen, if they allows, nay, pleaded with him to save himself and go, or even if he acted in the clear expectation that he was doing the right thing, then other options could be justified.

> A Humakti should respond thoughtfully
> and logically, not emotionally, when a crisis occurs.

Hrm. Humakt, like Leonard Nimoy, is Not Spock. I don't believe Humakti attitudes to death, undead, and honour are reducable to the purely logical. And certainly, logic of the sort "Hey, if I don't leave, I'll, like, die!" won't stand up in (a Humakti) court(-martial). If there were some overriding reason why it was _necessary_ to do so, such as the success of a crucial mission, the ultimate destruction of the undead in question, then yes, that could provide an justification. In which case, you'd go for a Humakti DI, since you were doing God's Work, right?

> Sandy also says, "a really good Humakti would probably have stayed regardless
> of his Sword's orders in such a case."
> This should not be acceptable. This is direct disobedience of a superior
> officer. This should get you big penalties after death. What else can you be
> trusted to do, if you won't obey your own officer?

Humakt is a cult of Heroes, or at least of Warriors, not of (mere) Soldiers. A Yelmalion would certainly agree with Alison's professed views, though. But then, they don't tell key myths of their god where he severs himself from all his kin and allegiences rather than accept any personal dishonour.

Having banged on endlessly about what the Ideal Humakti attitude is, or should be, I should add that I don't think the mere fact of such a retreat would be likely to make one instantly apostate, unless it was entirely blatantly done. (If any of the others survive, and happen to have any clout in the cult, this is a prime instance of "blatant"...) Other Humakti would probably disapprove ("You showed up in the Duck Point temple of Orlanth, and all your comrades died, you say?), but I doubt much temporal or magical consequences would necessarily follow, unless the cultist was obvious derilict in making amends. A suitable "amend" would probably be joining in on the first zombie-slaughtering mission going out of town...

Terminus Est.
Alex.


End of Glorantha Digest V1 #200


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