Mostali

From: Cheiron <cheiron_at_ix.netcom.com>
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 14:33:46 -0700


Lewis Jardine wrote about Mostali:

>I totally agree with the sentiments expressed recently on the
>wierdness of Mostali & Dwarfs and that there should be NO mostali PCs.
>I allow apostate heratic dwarfs as PCs but these are very broken so
>one would expect severe behavioural disorders...

And I agree one hundred percent. I've watched time and time again as players in my own campaign tried to run true Mostali. Inevitably one of two things happened. Either they failed to run the dwarf correctly, or the player became incredibly bored with the rigid and predetermined actions of the PC and lost interest after one or two adventures (or the dwarf died, which makes three things I guess.)

I myself have a dwarf PC that I've played for years, but he is broken, broken, broken (after a traumatic incident in which he was seperated from his fellow Mostali in a Krasht complex). Included in his severe behavioral disorders... paranoia, schizophrenia, neurosis, a host of phobias, and an addictive dependence on a highly intoxicating Rune spell (Hallucinate). Add onto that a disturbing tendency to yell things like "The sky is falling, the sky is falling," or "The World Machine has fallen and it can't get up" and his favorite "The legs... the legs... so many legs" and you have a character that is a lot of fun to play but would be shot on sight by real Mostali.

More from Lewis:

>In my version of Glorantha Mostali are even wierder than most
>humans think. [Borg -like societal discriptions snipped]

My personal favorite portrayal of Mostali society was in a senario I played at RQ Con I. I think it was called "Seven Heroes" or something. Basically the Mostali were modelled after the Alpha Complex societies in the game Paranoia. "The Decamony is your friend."


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