I've enjoyed catching up on most of the postings (I'm still a week or so behind). My deep thanks to Pam Carlson and her group for their sagas. How long ago did this occur? What has happened since?
Also to Michael Raaterova - yes, I do enjoy your postings on the Orlanthi ceremonies. Alas, our poor group is now exiled to Prax, but I'll keep them in mind. I've had at least one posting of mine on fascinating ceremonies that dropped into a black hole as far as reactions went. It happens!
In a contribution to the ongoing discussion of the origins and motives of the Seven Mothers, I offer this correspondence:
To Felicitus Harmonius, Archpriest and Holder of the Eye of Knowledge of Irrippi Ontor in the Holy City of Glamour, his humble servant Mirca Morsus, Head Priest of the New Pavis Temple, sends greetings.
My dear and honoured friend, I am afraid that I have grave news to impart. I am afraid that something has happened in this benighted place that I scarcely have words to describe. Having no other to whom to appeal for guidance, I have taken the liberty of prevailing upon the acquaintance of our old days in the novitiate together, and gathered the facts together as I could to put them in your benevolent hands. I pray that some officious underling does not intercept this missive, and gossip its contents about the halls. Perhaps you might check that your secretary is sufficiently discreet?
To continue, this problem (if it may be so lightly termed) came about due to a new novice by the name of Jorson Ingilli. The Ingillies, by the way, are a relatively important local family, due to their control of the human part of the river trade. Most of the other major worshippers are transient bachelor newtlings, and sentient fish. Jorson was studying to be a member of the attached Temple of Lhankor Mhy, that forebear of our own glorious god, whose worship is still allowed in these newly-conquered parts. Attracted by the greater knowledge of Irrippi Ontor, she transferred to our temple. A bright and talented scribe already, we rejoiced that such a worthy initiate had joined our ranks, and rapidly (after all due caution, I assure you!) initiated her.
However, while on a mission into the closed stacks that we shared with the aforementioned temple, she found a scroll lying next to the one which she had been instructed to bring to her mentor, and "borrowed" it. The first that I knew of this was certain disturbing questions that came from her during our next examination of her progress in the cult history. Next she produced an abominable scroll, of which I have included a fair copy in my own hand.
To say that I was flabbergasted at the contents is hardly to be wondered! However, my first act was to confiscate the scroll as not being suitable to the possession of a novice, and my second to conduct my own tests and investigations. The gist of these are that it is quite possible that the materials are genuine. The parchment is definitely pre-Zero Wane, and just barely so. My Date Parchment spell is quite reliable, though as you know quite difficult to do, and requiring expensive ingredients. The script looks right, an excellent late example of pre-Imperial minuscule bookhand (note the elision of the s-t combinations, for example). As far as I can determine through the full range of spells that I can cast, this is also the only writing ever used on this parchment. It is not a palimpsest.
Although it must be a forgery, it is one done with care and skill, by someone who knows their palaeography inside out. Beyond Jorson, that's certain. Also, I would swear, beyond any of the local LM priests, none of whom have the knowledge of scripts and letter forms of that stage of Peloria's history.
Jorson, curse her eyes and all that they have seen, abruptly left the temple shortly after to visit an ailing relative, according to the priestess of the initiates. She has not come back since. Indeed, she has since gone back to the LM temple, claiming that Irrippi Ontor and the Red Goddess herself are pawns of the Mostali. She took with her a copy of the scroll, (thankfully not the original, which I still have in my possession), and copies of this abortion have since started circulating in the LM temple, not to mention among some of the Pavisite population. We have followed the usual path of denouncing it as obviously fabricated anti-Lunar propaganda, but the mob is so delighted at the idea that we didn't even know that one of our gods is a goddess that it has been even less convincing than usual.
I have also started a search of the stacks, to find out if there are any other similar manuscripts. This one appears to have been a draft, judging by the number of phrases scratched out. I have deleted these in my copy, for the sake of clarity.
May the Light of the Red Goddess show all seekers the path of Truth!
Great and mighty are the ways of the World Machine. May It be Perfected before I Die! (1)
To the Diamond Dwarf of Dwarf Run, (2)
I have found the agent which you desire. There is a Priestess of Lhankor Mhy in the city of Nochet who should answer to your needs. Although she has the usual habit of this group of wearing a false beard when female (and actually insists that she was meant to be a man and to address her as such), she is otherwise fairly stable. She is extremely powerful, very well trained in the arts of ritual and summoning, and deeply interested in the history of the Godtime, Heroquesting and the Broken Council. Her knowledge of these is considered to be well beyond anyone else's now living. She is also vain, arrogant and cannot be bothered to interpret the motivations of others, so long as their objects accord with her own. In short, she is a typical priest of Lhankor Mhy.
In conversation with her, I suggested that the reason that the Broken Council failed was that they were not headed by a person of the detached and pure interest in the truth as a priest of Lhankor Mhy. This flattery she agreed with immediately. In an intellectual spirit of inquiry, I also asked that were an ancient deity to be brought back, what would be needed to perform this ritual? Although rather attached to the Lightbringer's Quest (unavoidable; she is Lhankor Mhy) as an example, her choice of potential collaborators was novel. It combines elements of the Lightbringers' Quest with others from sacrificial and shamanic rituals, and safety elements that protect some of the ritualists, while placing most of the risk on others. No guesses needed as to whom shall be protected.
Her interest is now piqued to the point that she is sincerely willing to undertake the rigours of the search for other participants (though I intend to exert as much influence as necessary in this), as well as the final framing of the ritual itself. She has accepted the ancient moon goddess (as she calls it) as a fitting recipient of her resurrection ceremony. This, she feels, will immortalise her reputation beyond any doubt, and leave a lasting memorial in the heavens to her abilities.
Do not worry that she suspects my motives in this. She is convinced that at best I merely sparked a latent project of her own into active planning. Her talk of gods and goddesses was tedious in the extreme. However, I am confident that her work, laden with peculiar symbolism though it may be, will reassemble one of the major destroyed components of the World Machine.
It is regrettable that our reduced state in the world today makes it impossible to consider this project in addition to the sorry load that we already have to bear. It goes hard to let a project of this magnitude stay in the hands of those who do not fully understand their place in the world. Nevertheless, they are also cogs in the World Machine, and should take their turn in its correct reassembly. The guidance of the Mostali should be sufficient to keep their work within tolerances. It is to be hoped that the characters of the summoners do not taint the purity of their actions.
I agree with you now wholeheartedly. It is obvious that it is time for the Moon to rise again, since the World Machine itself provides us with the tools to complete this necessary task.
I shall send further word when Irrippi Ontor has more to tell me concerning suitable collaborators. I do not intend to let her complete that without my aid and supervision.
Weran (3)
Notes:
1. A standard salutation between dwarves of some cults. 2. My best interpretation of this line. It is unfortunately rather smudged. 3. Although a dwarvish name, the author may also be human. Some humans haveaccepted the Mostali philosophy. Another point is favour of this interpretation is that the letter itself is written in New Pelorian, c. 1160-1185 S.T. Certainly a human agent would be much less obvious in most areas of Peloria and Esrolia.
End of Glorantha Digest V2 #74
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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