I like the picture and position of Esrolian Humakti - bodyguards and hired assassins in an urban environment.
> Especially since no good Esrolian Humakti would leave home without putting
on
death's head-make-up, wear his black studded leather-lace-and-silver
armor and lots of "Alchemy"-style jewelry, and carrying the correct,
cool weapons - rapier, main gauche and spiked gloves (Shields and
broadswords are for sissies).
Nice description! Still, the cult of Humakt can be found in many forms throughout Esrolia. Rural Humakti might be more recognizable to Heortlings and Sartarites.
>-The Grazers Until the reopening of Dragon Pass, they did not
raid to keep their existence secret. After the reopening, they began to
raid.
I imagine that when the Grazers first arrived in Dragon Pass after their tragic defeat in Prax (in which most of the warriors and lots of everyone else died), they felt they had finally been delivered into the Pastures of Heaven by Kargzant. Perfect green pastures abounded, with no other people. The local beastmen were friendly to them as past warriors of the EWF. Myths of kinship with centaurs were either developed or reinforced. This has got to be a highpoint in Grazer history. I think they didn't raid Esrolia because the had no need to. When the diggers began to wander in, Kargzant's people took them as slaves, as was proper. It wasn't until the diggers came in such overwhelming numbers, hemming them in, that the really began to raid. The first raids were likely for ritual reasons, trying to please Kargzant so he'd stop sending them diggerslaves...
Jean thinks about husband protectors in Esrolia -
>In the rule book, two earth cults are described,
the cult of Ernalda and the cult of Dendara.
Thought you might like to know - Dendara is now a sky goddess. (She was gregged in Australia). She is an aspect of the Pelorian Entekos, the goddess of the Atmosphere/Air/Weather. Dendara is specifically the Dara Happan Empress/Wife of Yelm sky goddess. I doubt she's recognized outside of Peloria. The great earth goddess of Peloria is now Oria. (Who in many nythologies, is a sister of Dendara and Gorgorma.)
I doubt Yelm is a husband protector in Esrolia, but one could come up with
some wild reasons for him to be:
1) his worship is left over from the pre-Nysalorian invasion by Palangio,
among a few men who can trace ancestry back to those Pelorians.
2) Some Esrolians, learning from the Godlearners, heroquested to add Yelmic
aspects to Yelmalio, or to outright add Yelm. Perhaps in the Esrolian mind,
having a toasty defeated Emperor as a husband is more exciting than having
the cold sun (Elmal/Yelmalio).
>Orlanth, Storm Bull, Argan Agar, Magasta, and
Yelmalio are husband protectors for Ernalda.
Yelmalio - or Elaml - certainly. Though I think this was the point Jean was making.
>The Earthshaker, is feared by the masses, and everyone wishes to please
her. If she is angered, many will die, crops
will suffer, and a few people will be knocking on your door requesting
compensation.
Wild idea - perhaps the earthshaker is more feared by the rulers than the peasants. After all, a collapsing mud hut with a thatched roof likely won't kill you, but a great stone house will. And a wheat field can easily tolerate shaking - but cities and great earthworks have more trouble. Perhaps MG has a peasant/defender aspect?
>Well, it mentions in the Maran Gor cult write-up (in TOTRM), that the High
Priestess is accompanied by cannibal acolytes. Do they eat the flesh of
others? What is there to gain from such actions?
Lots of things. Eating others can transfer aspects of the person (or animal) to yourself. Or it could be a way to prevent that person's spirit from achieving important goals after death. (What happens to a dead enemy without a heart? Brain? Gonads?)
>We are not talking about new borns, as they have not learnt to walk yet and
cannot thus be blessed by Ernalda.
No - I see Maran Gor as interested in destruction for vengeance or renewal. Babies are the beginning of the cycle. MG is more interested in the other end of the spectrum - the powerful, the old, or the enemies.
>With Maran Gor, virginal would be a desired virtue.
What is your reasoning behind this? I think MaranGor are prohibited from sex because they are the antithesis of fertility and potential. Virginity represents potential and purity. Why should she care?
> So, would they then hold an equally important ritual and sacrifice a
virgin male?
Likely a male (or female) they didn't like - having him represent an enemy. The Maran Gor ritually sacrifice enemy prisoners in rituals intended to reduce enemy effectiveness, morale, or to gain their powers. MG represents the violent, absorbing, and remorseless aspects of Earth.
Seems to me the only reason they'd sacrifice one of their own is to send a particularly important message to the goddess. All IMO.
>Though it may seem off center to the discussion, I have oftened wondered
whether Tolat is really the one who sleeps with all the women of Trowjang. A
more interesting explanation seem to me that Tolat may be a spirit that
allows two women to have a child together...
In the Entekosiad (probably the most feminist Gloranthan document), the early goddesses all had children by themselves. The children were all female. Finally, one was born who was Different - Vogmaran, who was male. This was the source of all his problems, and his deviant behavior all stemmed from his desperate attempt to rejoin Ma Elsor (the original Goddess
So, Gloranthans in their society could just as easily assume that women have babies by themselves. But Tolat does have both powerful war and fertility aspects, so he fits Trowjang well.
Naverian Pam
(We used to sacrifice people in Naveria, you know...)
End of Glorantha Digest V2 #509
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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