The Seven Mothers

From: Domonic Escott <100537.3032_at_compuserve.com>
Date: 29 Jul 95 10:36:18 EDT


Thanks for your comments so far esp. Peter & Robert, thought I'd add my bolg to the discussion (seeing I asked for comments!):

Re From: Peter Metcalfe 22, July Vol. 2 No. 023

>Cult reprisals? I don't see any cult prohibiting the manufacture of a new god.
>And even if it were prohibited, people go apostate for less. As for their
>possible motives, let see:

Robert McArthur in #024 replied:

>[cut]...Irripi Ontor: if two peoples are searching for knowledge in the world,
>there's less for one people to find (first) so I don't think Llankhor Mhy love
>IO.

I believe Robert is correct here. If you look in Cults of Prax, you'll find that Irrippi gives the spell 'Mind Blast' to the Seven mothers Cult. I'm not so certain that any Lhankhor Mhy Sages are going to even entertain the idea of a cult utilising a spell the can permanently destroy memories! You only have to look at the cult write-up in SotB for Aytar (of Thanatar) - he was an exiled Sage and hunted continually by his previous religion! He suffered reprisals, so why wouldn't IO?

CoP also states that the majority Seven Mothers are renegades from their cults. This is what lead me to feel that either these guys were a) extremely powerful tough priests, or b) they were free from Cult reprisals (a.k.a. illuminated).

I feel it was a bit of both; below I'll try to outline my ideas/beliefs about the 7M's:

>Yanafal Tarnils: was an exiled noble from Yuthuppa. Given that Loren has
>said that he was a Carmanian, I've a feeling that he was kin to Endarkus
>Bullslayer, a Carmanian Satrap of Raibanth who >revoted against the Bull.
Shah's oppression of his kin. Obviously he wants to overthrow the corrupt
>Bull Shahs from Dara Happa, so more enlightened people (ie him) can restore
>all Peloria to a more enlightened way of life.I don't see anything for Humakt
>to be upset about (yet).

It states in the True/False rumours section of TotRM #3 that Yanafal Tarnils only defeated Humakt by using ressurection. Now if that ain't against Humakt's beliefs, I don't know what is!

Once again, I believe that these guys must have been illuminated before setting out on a hero-quest to regain parts of this broken goddess. This would give the entire 7M's an insight into their actions and purposes.What I don't understand, is everyone is supposed to remember the tales of the creation of Osenchalka [i.e. Nysalor the Bright] and his corruption in history. This leads another question why these seven people thought they could achieve what the bright council failed to do in Dorastor 800 years previous. I personally see the Yanafal Tarnils sub-cult as being a cult for the general soldier/army of the Lunar Empire, all the way up to Officers Ranks [i.e. Rune Lords as generals, etc.)... The write-up should be flexible, however, to allow heroes and individuals to also rise up to Rune level, otherwise you wouldn'y be able to move from the 7M into YT if you weren't a soldier - a bit stiffling for players as well. I'm hesitant at this stage to put anything down in email/paper about YT as he's supposed to be written up officially in 'Soldiers of the Red Moon' - perhaps this is linked to your reference:

>To be detailed in the Lunar Book (coming real soon now, we hope).

I would really like to hear from the author(s) about this, as it's important to agree upon whether a) I'm wasting my time as all seven are going to be written up, or b) the inter-cult organisation and relationships between the 7M's has been discussed in this write-up - I believe, going by admittedly obscure references in CoP that the general 7M's cult has to be joined before movement into the sub-cults. I've also drawn up a wild chart (if anyones interested) into sub-cult movement between the 17 major cults of the Lunar pantheon.

>Jalakeel: [cut] ...She would appear to be a Spolite Witch who had some beef
>with the Carmanians.

I don't know what a 'Spolite' witch is, could you let me know. Also I've heard rumours that Jakaleel may have been an Uz! This would make sense of the Blue Moon/Annilla links (it's written in the cult write-up in Troll Gods that Jakaleel gives the divine spell Binding Enchantment), so they are very closely intertwined. I see Jakaleel's sub-cult being an arm of the Red Emperor's who is there to check that every other cult is running accordingly - yeap that right! Jakaleel the Auditor!

Danfive Xaron: I generally agree with your comments, although I'd like to feel he, of all the 7M's were looking for *real* power, and Deezola's forgiveness to settle his battered concience...

>Deezola: Is said to be Queen of lands along the Arcos river. So presumably
>she was a native of Rinliddi who had suffered a sudden change of social status
>(ie downwards). Obvious reasons for wanting the Carmanians out of her land.
>Her cult is so wimpy, it hardly puts up a fight. So she seeks a more effective
diety >to worship.

In CoP & the Prosopaedia that came with GoG she is stated as being a priestess of Arachne Solara. To quote from the Pros.: **Few beings actively Worship AS, for he spells are beyond mortal ken, and she does not respond to prayers and appeals.** And here we find ourselves with Deezola being a AS priestess! I belive Deezola is actually one of two master-minds/organisors behind the actual creation of the RG, and not wimpy at all. I'll touch on this slightly more in a bit...

Teelo Norri: Yeap street waife, and ideal sacrifice for the RG's host body, hence she is always portrayed as being beautiful and pubescent. I also think like Bryan Maloney's cult write-up on the Web that DX was the actual killer of this innocense and hence the channel or 'Bridge' between the death of TN, and the emergence of the RG.

"She Who Waits:" I agree with your comments about unknown motives, but if I've even got a chance of these write-ups becoming official, I can't hide behind ambiguous references! My personal belief is that she, along with Queen Deezola, was the master-mind behind the whole creation thing. CoP merely states that she probably was a priestess of the Blue Moon." Which would give her the knowledge to instruct Jakaleel on the creation of the Lunes as well. More radically, my personal belief is that she who waits used Deezola to form the 'coven' or 'Council' as the Pros. calls it, and instructed them on in ways and means to re-create the Red Goddess. It states in CoP that no-one could remember the RG from before the Dawn or who she was. I believe that SHW must have known, for one of the 7Ms must have found the knowledge (another link to Mr Irrippi there...) and used it to save the beseiged Dara Happans. Queen Deezola would have been the natural person to chose, after all it was her queendom that was being hammered form both sides. I also think SHW's was a major factor in the RG's rise into the heavens, hence the obscure title (in Heroes magazine, History Lunar Empire, wane zero, she's also given another title 'Unknown Servant'). I also believe that SHW has/had knowledge of all three moons, i.e. Blue, Red and the heretical White Moon. Her cult must be extremely close the the Red Empresses own, but I'll leave that subject for another email tome...

>Irrippi Ontor: Stated to be a friend of Yanafal and an outlawed Priest of
>Lhankor Mhy. Motives really unknown. I think he was outlawed for his
>association with Yanafal rather than blasphemising against Lhankor Mhy. I
>have the impression of Irrippi as one of those faithful retainers following
 >his master out into the wilderness, seeking to return him to power.

IO being a friend of YT brings him into the conspiracy, agreed. But theres some thing more sinister about IO than let on... As already mentioned above, IO gives the cult Mind Blast, that's one hell of spell for a 'faithful retainer'. No. He must have been as powerful as the others to even have been considered.

Sorry about the length of this article, but having looked back at by original abigious note, [not to mention the appauling spelling / typos!] I thought I better give you guys the opportunity to see my angle on the Seven Mothers. After all, thats what the digests are about...


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