Re: bits and pieces

From: Sandy Petersen <sandyp_at_idgecko.idsoftware.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 96 11:13:16 -0600


Rob Stoll asks if magic is diminishing over time in Glorantha. Possibly, but I do not believe it to be a steady decrease. Instead, I point to four major events, after each of which all Glorantha (i.e., 85%) concurred that the magic had altered, and not for the better. These three events were:
  1. The Darkness. The nearest thing to a universally-recognized event in all Gloranthan cosmology is the myth of the first winter, when the sun descended to the underworld, the inhabitants therein were driven to the surface, the earth died, and everything went to hell. Especially when the Greater Darkness fell, a little later. Obviously, some huge alteration occurred in the world at this time, as almost everyone agrees that things were great before this event. Even those who believe it _was_ best just after the sun's demise concurred that things then eventually did get bad (in the Great Darkness).
  2. The Dawn. Something happened at the Dawn. Every culture seems certain of what it was, but they all disagree. Anyway, the magic changed a lot. Maybe more than at any other time in history. The gods seemed to go away, for one thing.
  3. The SunStop. Everything changed in all Glorantha yet again. Most folks agree that time altered, and that now people don't live as long as before (this may have something to do with the fact that, though the Gloranthan year is shorter than the terran year, Gloranthan's don't live any more _years_ than we do).
  4. The End of the Second Age. Once more the magic changed. Rituals that were certain to work went bad. Usually just the God-Learners are blamed for this, but it happened everywhere else, too. Errinoru's plants went away. Mokato's Undernet was snapped. The False Dragon Ring's ritual backfired and incinerated them. The Six Legger magic and imperial might mysteriously failed them in the face of naked spear-carriers -- everything went wrong at once for the Six Leggers. The EWF's huge ritual was betrayed just as it reached its apogee.

It's no wonder magic is so comparatively weak today, though major feats still can be done (as witness the Red Moon).

Rob Stoll
>Genert is dead, after all. But what about Pamaltela? I've never
been >there myself, but I'd think that Pamalt would add plenty of power to >Glorantha's "down under" continent

        Pamaltela does appear to have more magic, generally, than Genertela. Evidence for this abounds --

  1. The Elder Races here are far stronger than in Genertela - -- the dwarfs rule the _surface_ in Slon. The elves of Umathela alone control more forest than all the non-Pamaltelan world combined. The Tarmo is the largest troll stronghold in the world (and I am increasingly convinced they have no trollkin). The slarges expand their domains at human expense -- no non-human species in Genertela has done this in centuries.
  2. Really ancient races, even older than the Elder Races, can be found -- Promalti, Ancestors, Goblins, Jelmre, Armali...
  3. Powerful magic seems to be encountered more commonly, and in larger pockets -- Kimos, the Invisible Island, Hoolar, the Mother of Monsters...

Why is this? The existence of Pamalt, I believe, is not the answer, except indirectly. The reason that Pamaltela has so much more magic manifested is that Genertela was stomped all over during the Gods War. The result of so much godly interaction is, of course, the destruction of useful magic.

        Direct divine intervention in Gloranthan affairs can be demonstrated to, by and large, be less than worthwhile. The best god is doubtless Dayzatar, who doesn't mess with us.

Peter M.
Still doesn't say what he thinks "culture" is in any clear or understandable way. Whatever it happens to be, every time I post a counter-example it turns out that apparently my guys weren't really cultured after all, at least not in the way _Peter_ was using it. So to heck with the whole discussion.

But I have to respond to this lamebrained comment.
>We do have instances of Third Age technological progression.
>Loskalmi Plate Armor is one. The Lunars have settled the
>Astronomical Questions that have plagued generations. Dormal
>managed to Open the Oceans which had hitherto stumped every Second
>Age Empire. The Yggites invented the longship. The Cultivation of
>Maize. The Great Battle Barges of the Kralori. Moonboats.

	No ship today is as good as a Waertagi Dragonship.
	No armor today is as good as the adamant suits worn in the  
Second Age.
	The Closing was not a Second Age event, but the harbringer  
of the Third. The Opening is not a Third Age event, but the harbringer of the Fourth.

THE HERMIT AGE
        The Third Age is, of course, the age of stasis and decay. For most of this age, no progress took place anywhere but Peloria -- for that land has always been the place for which no future was set out by the Soul Arranger; the wild card of Glorantha. Future generations will look back on the Third Age (assuming we survive the Hero Wars) and see the Hero Wars as the bridge point between that Age and the Next. THe Third Age will be studied not for the brief decades after the break-up of the hermitical secrecy, but for the centuries of isolation.

THE CLOSING: the most obvious effect. Everyone knows about this, so I won't go into it.

THE CULT OF SILENCE: The Silent prophet spread a philosophy across Pamaltela. It became popular in Umathela, Fonrit, Jolar, and Kothar, among people of all sects. Animists, Pamalt worshipers, Malkioni, all saw the virtues of silence and followed them. Roads fell into disrepair. Public meetings and discussions ceased. Religious festivals were replaced by silent communion. The cult still exists, but not as strongly.

THE RENUNCIATORS: mainly an East Isles sect, at one time extremely strong, now diminishing with the Opening. This faith teaches that the practice of magic harms one's soul/psyche/whatever, and that only by refraining from magic can we realize our true worth. This refraining can be partial or whole, depending on the worshiper. The Renunciators are probably the strongest Hermetical effect left, because the practitioners _do_ get powers from their practice -- namely a near-immunity to magic.

THE SYNDIC'S BAN: Again, plenty is known about this.

THE SOCIETY OF ARKAT: Not really a cult, though often called one. This organization was set up two ages ago. Its purpose is to unite powerful heroquesters from around the globe to keep harmful or undesirable heroquests from being performed. The notorious Dark Warriors of the heroplane are all Arkat cultists, who are performing their assigned task by the cult -- keeping folk from doing the "wrong" thing while questing. The God Learners drove the Arkat Cult into obscurity, but it blossomed again in the Third Age. Now the Lunar Empire has beaten the cult back down, as they seek out unholy secrets.

THE SLUMBER OF TESHNOS: There is little evidence for this famous inertia before the Third Age.

ELAMLE AND ONLAKS: the strong elf presence in these two peninsulas has led to the various human city-states remaining as unified as a herd of cats. In Elamle, the elf presence is benign; in Onlaks, it is hostile; but the end effect is much the same.

THE MOTHER OF MONSTERS: An additional encouragement to the humans of Elamle, keeping them on their toes, and preventing them from any real organization. Note that if not for the oppression of the Mother, and the Onlaks Elves, the city-states here (which are all friendly to one another) would form a coalition and be the strongest naval power in Glorantha, no doubt soon spinning a trade web round the world. They can even boast Waertagi sailors.

SANDY P.  


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