A number of things, that I have thought of in recent weeks and not got around to posting due to work pressures, and devoting too much effort to the Nephilim list.
First, the frivolous -
WACKING DAY
in our campaign, I have decided that Zorak Zoran holy days are
based on 'wacking day' from the Simpsons, and probably called that in
Darktongue. I thought I would share this on the off chance that anyone else
finds this as amusing as I do. You may add trollkin choirs and misguided
shopkeeper promotions depending on your campaigns level of silliness.
ARGRATH THEORY
yet another snippet of an Argrath theory - in some obscure source
it was mentioned that Argrath achieves the HeroQuest of the Drinking Giants
Cauldron, while in Pavis (in the Rubble? In the HeroPlane courtesy of the
Puzzle Canal?). There was a theory discussed here (by John Hughes and
myself, based on a surmise due to Stephen Martin) that Argrath used his
possession of this magical artifact to become Kallyrs 'food man', and it
was in this role he first became famous (Geo was Sartar's food man, so the
position is of some mythic importance).
I now have another theory - based on the myth of Orlanth and
Drolgard, where Orlanth meets Arangorf, the Inner Dragon, and learns some
draconic powers.
Here is the relevant passage
'When Arangorf came to Orlanth's Stead he smashed down the stockade, and he tore the roof off of the long house to join the feast. He drank all of the ale in the giant's cauldron, and he cruched upon the bones of the sacred cattle.'
So the Giants Cauldron might actualy be an important part of a HeroQuest involved in gaining draconic powers - it is one of the ways by which you satiate the dragons hunger before conversing with it. It may thus be an important first step in Argraths gaining of draconic powers - especially as the first recorded instance of Argrath using them is against the wyverns at Corflu, which not only would probably have occurred shortly afterwards, but if you have read or played in the Cradle scenario, you know to be probably not true - Argrath fights the Lunar wyverns at Corflu, but shows no particuolar magic ability in connection with them. Instead, it is more plausible that the Cradle scenario and the gaining of the Giants Cauldron are connected, both involving giant powers, and that it is sometime later that he gains draconic powers using the giants cauldron.
BOOK
Anyone interested in comparitive mythology (and if you are
interested in how HeroQuests work, you probably should be) might want to
check out a book called Parallel Myths, by J.F. Bierlein (Ballantine Books,
1994). It does not have that much about theories of myth (and quite a bit
of what it does have is hard to apply in a roleplaying context, though
interesting), but what it does have is a lot of interesting examples of
parallel myths, from a wide variety of cultures. Frex, it has more than a
dozen creation myths, including African, Finnish, Polynesian. Similarly, 9
flood myths, and 17 myths about journeys to the underworld. There are
several other categories as well. A very interesting book, good for
stimulating the creative juices for those of us interested in creating our
own myths.
Cheers
David
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