Group heroes

From: Curtis Shenton <curtiss_at_netcom.com>
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 1995 21:48:22 -0700 (PDT)

> From: Peter Metcalfe <P.Metcalfe_at_student.canterbury.ac.nz>
> Date: Thu, 29 Jun 1995 17:30:01 +1300
> Subject: Runes and Egi Special
>
> Curtis Shenton:
> wrote:
> >The way i see it the Emperor "dies" and is reborn during a change over
> >in the mortal Egi.
> So how did Harrek amost others manage to effect a change in the mask of the
> Red Emperor?

Which change are you refering too?
>
> >I wonder if they have Dart Wars on the Moon?
>
> Probably do. The way I see it is that a clan pledges to make a HeroQuest
> to replace one of the Egi slain by Sheng Seleris. The proto-Egi confronts
> a terrible demon who was of the [insert enemy clan name here] born during
> the time of their craven submission to Sheng Seleris. After the successful
> defeat of the enemy demon, the questor becomes one of the Egi. The fact that
> an opposing clan has actually _lost_ an Egi is not a material fact...
>

>[interesting ideas deleted] 

> This presents a more lively Lunar Empire to my mind as the Emperor is
> constantly looking over his sholder for Byzantine intriuges rather
> than carrying out a coherent philosophy of World Domination instead of
> the group hero you suggest. Although the Egi and the Red Emperor can
> still communciate mentally/spiritually/whatever, The Egi cannot really
> directly influence the Emperor.

While I think this is an interesting alernative I still prefer the idea that the current Red Emperors are a combination of mortal and immortal Egi. The most important being the current mortal who acts as the body of the Red Emperor.
>
> Who 'made' Arkat? The Brithini? The Seshnegi? Why did Arkat betray the
> people who made him? 'Arkat is a group hero' tells us nothing.

I didn't mean Arkat was made up by a people, but by the group that is his companions. The people who act like Arkat are creating Arkat.
>
> >In fact as I
> >see it at least some of Arkat's companions went on the Lightbringer
> >Quest with Harmast in order to find/rescue/create Arkat.
>
> Which didn't happen until 425 ST whereas the Vampire Kings of Tanisor shat
> bricks every time they heard his name some twenty five years earlier.

History is written by the victors? Perhaps Arkat was in fact the leader of the group but in order to defeat Gbaji the group as a whole worked to make just one member as powerful as possible. We call this person Arkat.
>
> >Assuming you
> >buy the whole idea that group of Egi=Red Emperor, 7 mothers=Red Goddess.
>
> Look, I'm not saying the idea is dumb, in fact it exists in Glorantha to
> some extent, the Wyters of various units being a prime example. What I
> dislike is that the Red Emperor, Arkat et al. are made of the joint
> consciousness of the Egi/Lightbringers Ring etc. That makes them more
> likely to be boring (like the 'Judas' contributing the trait for betrayal
> in Arkat would be drowned out by his other supporters).

I'm not sure if I really beleive the Arkat theory myself. But for the Red Emperor at least it seems pretty clear that this is in fact the way things work officially.
- --
Curtis Shenton curtiss_at_netcom.com internet & 4@3091 WWIVnet "Remember the story of Burt and the Piano" -Stan Ridgway

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