David Cake has problems with a Humakti who wants
to buy characteristic points from his god. I have two comments:
1)
You don't negotiate with god unless you're a superhero (to use
a thoroughly discredited, game-mechanicky term). Especially
if the god in question is a vicious b*****d like Humakt.
2)
Let's think about this from the point of view of the character
rather than the player. He has no referee with whom to discuss
the matter- although I suppose be can quiz his seniors on
matters of theology and the previously revealed geasa and
gifts. He is basically stuck with completing the rituals
needed to "apply for" the gift and accepting the geas his
god feels is appropriate. In the case of Humakt this would
presumably involve some kind of minor, hnourable
severing ritual - cutting off a knot of hair?
Thus our man, wanting to improve his strength for a coming
mission into the jaws of danger goes alone into the forest
to the place where Bjorn Stronginthearm, legendary local
war-leader, crushed three Broos to death with his bare hands.
There, stripped to the waist he fasts, prays to Humakt and
endlessly practices his sword strokes to the tune of whichever
Clannad track the producers have arranged to sell the
soundtrack album. Finally, trance-like as a dramatic sunset
falls behind him, he takes out a small, razor-sharp knife,
and severs one plait of his beard.
Next morning he awakes refreshed and stronger but having
dreamt that Humakt came to him and ordered him never
to wear any jewellery or decorated armour on his arms or
hands and that he should donate his gold rings and
jewelled arm-torcs to the temple....
I would say the geas list in any of
the cult write-ups is merely an expression of those most
commonly given in the past. As such almost by definition
it is a list of "Initiate geasa". The much rarer occaisions of
Rune-types asking for such attention (there being far fewer
of them) would presumably produce a different list with
different gift-geas pairs.
Richard Crawley
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