Trick or Treat

From: Erik Sieurin <BV9521_at_utb.hb.se>
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 19:09:11 +0100


Peter Michaels regarding a duck (why a duck?):
> A self-centered stupid cowardly (sorry... "discrete") Orlanthi
> does not a Trickster make. Someone who is a "bad" member of
> a cult usually ends up being excommunicated from the cult. I
> think that for Orlanthi being excommunicated usually does NOT
> result in being declared Outlaw, but being declared Outlaw
> always includes being excommunicated.

Now, what place is there in Orlanthi society for someone who cannot participate in holy ceremonies of Orlanth? For me, the cult of Orlanth, Ernalda and their various hangers-on's is damn almost synonymous with Sartar culture. And being excommunicated from Orlanth probably mean you're in the bad books of almost every other goddamn priest who knows about, since they all have some kind of relation to Orlanth. One reason is that many of them are associated in some way, another is that the deeply ingrained cults of O and E are the EASIEST cults to belong in - they just demand that you act as any sane (by the local definition) adult would act. This fiddling is the background for my two statements: A, In due respect to Peter, I think that unless there is some special circumstances, anyone who is excommunicated from Orlanth is if not declared outlaw at least kicked out of his village, his relatives screaming "AND NEVER SHOW YOUR FACE HERE AGAIN!" B, And although Spiro looks like being very unpopular in the neighbourhood, I do not think he will be excommunicated. Heck, ORLANTH acted stupidly for most of his godling years. Coward? Yes, the guy will never become anything important within the cult, and can only dream of accquiring any Runespells, but what the heck?

> Lastly, Spiro's gonna have to do a lot of traveling to be
> tempted to learn Strike or Conceal, not to mention the
> problems he'll have in actually finding and gaining access to
> the shrines! The Murder aspect is found only in Zamokil and
> Peloria, while the Thief aspect incarnation which teaches
> Conceal is Raven, in Prax.

Hum! In a later letter Peter Michael has told his sources for this information, which I Bet Few are privy to. It was really good seeing the writeups of the various Ravens, but..... Me, and many other who plays the game as well as chats about it, has had no darn idea about which aspects are where, so many people, like my humble self, has made it up. I thought if not hard at least a great deal on what aspects fitted with Eurmal, and was confused. OK, so he is definitely a Firebringer, that is clear. And he is also a Seducer, since that was his main thing on the Lightbringer's Quest and that's the trick he taught Orlanth. The secrets about telling things so that people believe them (Clever Tongue) that he taught Issaries and Lhankor Mhy seem to be a crypto-aspect of the Rogue (BIG SP???? since certain snidy comments) and sorta related to Lie. Other stories told that he changed shape when stealing fire, so Shapechanger (with spells for Becoming things he became while running away from the theft) seems possible. And what's wrong with Murderer since he was the guy behind the whole Sword debacle - well, Arms Trader would perhaps be a better world, so I settled for the specialized Illusion spell Create Weapon. And what about the other aspects? Well, he's obviously a Fool and a Truant and an Imp and a Glutton...... does this never end?
Regarding the infamous Illusion powers, I have already written about the Bag of Tricks and the Balls of Tylenea (another cross-dresser!), but that was wholly my own invention.
Honestly, in the end I sort of thought that somewhere there is a legend of Eurmal doing something of any of the Trickster types is associated with somewhere, so that if you just look hard enough you will find any spell - see what I wrote earlier about living shrines etc. The spells Seducer, Clever Tongue, Hide Fire, Create Weapon, Group Laughter and Become (Hare? What else?) was fairly common, on the other hand. When my players got in trouble with Tricksters, I let them have spells which annoyed the players (that is one purpose of Tricksters, annoying people), which included Conceal and Lie. When once a player wanted to play a Trickster juggler, I gave him access to, among other things, Conceal and Lie, so that he could annoy the locals the better (and getting rolled in tar and feathers and beaten black and blue).
Even more fiddle; this time my idea is that I feel nothing stops whoever is the Invisible God (ie GM) in Spiro's Glorantha from deciding that Eurmali know damn well how to Cloud Men's Minds (well, mostly they do it by bumping them on the noggin' or getting them drunk - how would they else be able to steal their boots safely?).

Peter again to Rob:
> I must respectfully disagree with you. I don't think ANY
> Eurmali were ever first initiated into Orlanth and then
> 'switched' gods, as you imply might happen.
Hm. I am of the opposite mind. I think that very few males can or will avoid being initiated to Orlanth in Orlanthi society. I am one of the people who think it is part of the coming of age in society. Unless your parents or the local Storm Voice VERY strongly disapproves of a guy, he will be initiated. Thus, although my moronic elder brother may have escaped the fate (instead becoming the local pariah and Eurmal stand-in at Sacred Time), I may still become intiated, although I am a lazy, loud-mouthed scumbag, who three years after my initiation will be declared outlaw (and my poor parents! what sons they have been given!) and shortly thereafter team up with a sleazy conman who robs people at fairs and markets, and require that I join Eurmal as part of the deal.
(For a romantic version of the general process, go watch "Lion King". Hakuna matata indeed.)
In short, I think that it is quite possible for A, people who eventually will become SOME kind of Trickster not being horrible enough in their youth to bar them from the cult of Everyman and B, people joining Trickster for less desperate reasons than many seem to believe.

This post is getting fairly long, so I'll quit here.... Erik Sieurin

PS. Come on Peter, what ARE the official aspects that goes with Eurmal's Bag of Tricks? DS.


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