>Also, what is the name of the river flowing North throught Banamba to the
>Marithino (sp?) sea, and is there a written-up town at its mouth?
The town on the mouth of the river is actually a metropolis and it's known as Goan (the one Harrek defends from the Bat-Hsunchen). Currently Banamba is weak and disunited and the many cities on it's coast pay tribute to the United Republics of Golden Kareshtu. The people of the Banmaban coast are ethnic Fonritans. A writeup of Fonrit was shown in HEROES Vol 1 #6.
>Is there a cult write up for Vovisibor and Ompalam?
Nop and nope. I don't know much about Vovisibor ('Suprise from the North') but I have given some thought to Ompalam and how it fits in with Fonritan Society.
MY IMPRESSIONS OF OMPALAM: [no mechanics as yet, I'm afraid].
Ompalam is not a god but was the teacher of a magical discipline. The agimori ancestors of the Fonritans were suffering under the effects of a terrible famine. Ompalam showed them how to steel themselves to overcome the effects of hunger. Which is why Ompalam is depicted as fat. One could also use the discipline to withstand mighty blows that would fell a lesser man among other things. Some masters delved into estoretic matters and learned how to do more spectacular things like levitation (very useful for some plutocracts!) and imposing their will upon inanimate forces.
Most Fonritans practice this discipline because their theology says that after death, the souls of those who lack this discipline will become entrapped in the material world and eventually decompose into nothing. They increase their discipline by various ways, all of which include some deprivation (like fasting, maintaining a fixed pose and other forms of asceticism).
Garangordos made a major innovation when he discovered how to command others using _their_ discipline. He thus forged his suffetes and their warriors into disciplined fanatics on the battlefield and conquered the remants of the Artmali. One can try to disobey a Command, but this takes time and mental effort (and the chances of success are diminished by outside interference: like being struck by a whip, frex).
This discovery allowed the incorporation of slavery into the Cult. A slave is generally trained by sending them to the quarries (or galleys or other slave training centre) where they are disciplined involunterily. The slave's discipline is unformed, he cannot do anything with this discipline other than to be commanded. If a slave is found to have learnt techniques without his or her master's permission, hot lead is poured down his ears.
Now for the twist. Ever since the time of Garangordos, Fonrit has suffered intrusions by various people and movements: The Kalabarians, Errinoru, the God Learners, the Cult of Silence and the Vadeli. To drive them off, the Fonritans have been forced to adopt new techniques to adopt to the menace posed by the invaders. This has had the deleterious side-effect of concentrating power into the hands of the few.
The ruling plutocracts (save in Afadjann) probably all subscribe to the Clamouring School. This philosophy uses techniques from the Cult of Silence. Whereas the others have to issue a verbal command, the plutocracts can merely _think_ a command and it will be done. The plutocracts are a select group and restrict the secret to within their circles.
When the plutocracts desire a new member, they choose a suitable candidate (who is a close kin of at least one of the plutocracts and shares their political views naturally). In a full meeting, the plutocracts compel the secrets into the candidate who then becomes a member of the Clamouring School. A plutocract generally cannot initiate someone into the school by himself because he lacks the strength to do so. Nor do the plutocracts allow the secrets to be known by the masses because that will dilute their political power. Thus the oligarchical nature of Fonritan society is preserved.
hope this helps.
>or for the floating city?
The floating city is described in the Fonritan writeup.
>or any towns on Elamle?
>or for anything on Teleos?
Nope and nope. Using the search function on Loren's archive should yield a few posts/speculations on those places.
Powered by hypermail