Carmanian stuff

From: Peter Metcalfe <P.Metcalfe_at_cantva.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 1995 22:21:33 +1300


Loren Miller:

Loren had written of Kaufin, Count of Bindle sitting upon the Pearl Throne. I pointed out that in the Fortunate Succession, the Red Emperor also sits on such a throne and whether this was the same throne. Thinking furiously at 1:30 in the morning, he had written:

>Clearly, the Red Emperor sits on a different Pearl
>Throne than does the Satrap of Bindle. The Red Emperor's throne was
>carved from a single huge pearl brought back from one of the Red
>Goddess' heroquests. The Pearl Throne of Bindle is formed of ivory,
>covered with a veneer of pearl, with decorations chased in brass and
>gold, and is a relic from Harangvat times.

Looking at the Fortunate Succession, the only mention of the Pearl Throne is really about Later Outlaw Emperors who are described as pretenders to the Pearl Throne. Since Sheng Seleris is listed as the only one (although there may be others) I'm really inclined to think that there is only one Pearl Throne, in Carmania.

This would give rise to the Lunars being able to claim that Sheng Seleris wasn't a real Emperor coz he never sat on the Pearl Throne (which is not surprising since it's always been in Carmania). After the Official Residence of the Emperor relocated to Glamour, the Throne was unable to be moved and so it was given over to the Governer. He too abandoned the throne in favour of a better palace leving it in the hands of the Count of Bindle. All IMO, as usual.

>> What is the Carmanian Title of the Governer of the Western Reaches?

>His Eminence Palamtales, Prince of the Alcazar, Governor of the
>Western Reaches, the Servant of Divine Moonson. Oh, you want a
>Carmanian word other than shah for "governor"?

The title 'Governer _of_the_Western_Reaches_' kind of catches in my throat as the Carmanian name for the Governer because it effectively acknowledges that the Carmania is some two-bit dumpsville in the wops-wops as opposed to being the centre of the Universe like Dara Happa. I would prefer another title which reinforces Carmanian superiority rather than lead them to believe they are off-centre. GotWR is to my mind a Dara Happan label.

Mr Happy:


>What exactly is the cult of Invisible Orlanth?

Nobody knows. Their God claims to have defeated the Creator and becomes enlightened. Given Nick's relevations about the fact that the Carmanian Magi speak with the Creator, I think it is a cult sprung out of some mythic event in which a storm god stumbles on the traditional Magi way to speak to the Creator and reverses it. So that where the Magi are polite to a guardian at some point, the Storm God is rude. Where the Magi speak to the Creator, the Storm God kicks the Crap out of him. But since the Creator contains all contradictions (cf Loren's briefing on what the Vizers are told), the Storm God gains power and enlightenment.

This would account for the description in the Lunar Empire Writeup of the Hierophant being pressured to ban it as a heresy. The followers of the Cult seek to practice the virtues of the Stormgod so they too can follow some small part of his footsteps and gain power thereby.

End of Glorantha Digest V1 #249


WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html

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