Shargash, Arkati/Red Goddess magic from Raymond D Turney on 1995-09-02 (Glorantha Digest Vol 02)

From: Raymond D Turney <rturney_at_netcom.com>
Date: Fri, 1 Sep 1995 19:25:25 -0700

There are three reasons the Shargash cult is probably still in existence but not widespread:

Being strongly associated with the city of Alkoth, it is very hard to kill off in Alkoth, but also probably unpopular in rivals of Alkoth. It is probably hard for a Carmanian, or someone from Glamour, to get ahead in the cult.
The heart of the Empire, Peloria and Dara Happa, is relatively peaceful at the moment, so unless someone wants to join the Lunar army there is probably no real reason to become an initiate or higher in the cult of a war god. So most Shargash initiates are probably Shargash initiates from family tradition, not personal necessity.
There is nothing dynamic in the cult or its social position. There is no strong reason for the lunars to be against it, or to promote it. Thus it neither benefits from nor suffers from the major social conflict of the Third Age. Finally, nothing in the cult's history or mythology gives it a religious reason to desire converts. At times in the past, when the Dara Happan empire was strong, it probably got converts anyway.

It would still be interesting to see a writeup of it ... but what I am really interested in is the Heron Goddess.

On the off chance that it will annoy people, let me suggest that Arkati and Lunar sorcery may be essentially the same, and from a rules perspective should work the same.

My strongest argument is simply that it is widely accepted that there is no way of determining the true, final, final victor in the Arkat-Gbaji war. If there were significant, easily visible, differences between the magic wielded by the Nysalori/Gbajiite side and that of the Arkati, this fact would be remembered. Or if not remembered, at least potentially rediscovered ... providing a way to distinguish between Arkat and Gbaji ... which we know does not exist. Also, Arkat had to leave Glorantha because the war had transformed him so that he himself had become chaotic, suggesting that something in him, perhaps his magic, had made him chaotic. If Arkati and Gbaji magic were or became essentially the same, then when the Blessed Red Goddess conquered and purified the spirit of Nysalor/Gbaji and brought the joy of enlightenment back to the world, she got a magic very similar to that of Arkat. Unless she massively modified it, which might not even have been in her power, Lunar magic is what Arkati/Gbajiite magic used to be.

As supporting evidence, let me point out that Lunar magic and Arkati magic fulfill similar military needs: to bring the power of sorcery to people who lack the training and traditions of Western sorcery {in Arkat's case, presumably Orlanthi and Trolls} and the social role of wizard, but need wizardry to fight their enemies.

I would also point out that there is almost certainly more than one Arkati tradition, and possibly more than one Nysalori/Lunar as well.

Suggest the rules be modified to accomodate this {though neither Arkati nor Nysalori/Gbajiite magic probably followed the Lunar cycle ... my guess is that one big change the Goddess made was to have her magic draw on the power of the Moon, and be subject to the cycle}.

Raymond Turney

End of Glorantha Digest V2 #92

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