Hrestoli & Rokari

From: richardc_at_sypte.co.uk
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 1995 12:00:16 +0100


Soren Petersen ponders the requirements to progress through the strata of Hrestoli society. I have two comments: 1)
For a model of how a Rokari and a Hrestoli might interact far from their home territory how about the Jesuits' attitude to Anjin-san in James Clavell's Shogun?
Not entirely an ideal model I know; Arlaten (as published) is not primarily motivated by a desire to convert all the heathens to his faith but there might be reasons why any immediate desire to beat eachother's brains out might be tempered by a need to act civilised in front of the locals. 2)
I've made a plea in the past for the "Westerners as medieval Christians" model as a good way of introducing newcomers to Glorantha. I now modify this as "Rokari as medieval...." It seems obvious that the traditional images Soren alludes to (Wizards studying in lonely isolation, noble lords on their milkwhite  steeds, chivalrous knights with faithful, coconut-equipped, squires) are not really suited to the Hrestoli. Let's face it: the Hrestoli culture as practiced in Loskalm isn't even feudal in any meaningful sense so why should it adhere to real world feudal style?
Perhaps Digesters would like to put foward some views on what life is really like in such a meritocracy? What factors maintain the status quo?
Or rather, what factors are there to stop the status quo developing along Rokari lines with the sons (probably sons if I read Western attitudes to women correctly) of Lords inheriting their power without all this faffing around learning how to farm, fight, and do wizard stuff? Final and irrelevant comment:
Tom Zunder doesn't believe Manticores and Satyrs exist in Glorantha? Well I'm afraid I don't believe Tom Zunder exists. He is surely the deranged Trickster figment of Greybeard's imagination....

Richard Crawley

End of Glorantha Digest V1 #300


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