>I rather liked this chapter. A thought:
>> I often questioned his motivations during my instruction under him;
>eventually >his blows silenced all such interrogatives.
>
>Arguably, beating an apprentice is outside the Dharma of the sorcerer caste.
>Thus, strict God Forgotians use a servant to whip their apprentices.
>
>Keep it alien!
I must say that I think that this is a relevent point, but I don't think that I am revealing any secrets that ya'll can't figure out anyway when I tell you that Delan has already violated the restrictions on his class (caste). Martin's point is still relevent in that he does not want anyone to *know* that he has violated caste rules, and so would get a servent to do his beating for him. Still, I dunno, Martin, it seems somewhat intrusive to make a point about the "alieness" of these folks at that point in the text. Then again 'text flow' problems can always be rectified in revisioning. Your point is well taken, however, as it seems to me that the text as written could be used in Rokari Seshnela, just as easily as God Forget, indicating that the text in not alien enough.
Nick Brooke sez
>I'd have expected something more assertive: "We, unlike those others, are fully
>aware that this so-called 'Creator' is nothing more than ..." Unless, in later
>life, Arros comes to disagree with his people's perception of the Creator, it
>seems odd to me that he should almost *disparage* their (his) belief: "Creator
><who we all know is more important than this> is to my <backward> people little
>more than ..."
I think you're right, Nick, this is a little vague. Arros is trying to imply the first option you mention above. In my defense, I think Arros is a tentative sort of guy, and so probably comes across as vague to individuals, but he probably should not come across as such in his writings. In addition, the projected novel that this is a part of, is, in essense, a father quest, and so Arros's ideas about the Creator (the ultimate patriarchial Father-figure) do change over the course of it. (I think)
>(Do you suppose the inhabitants of the City of Ten Thousand Magicians, that EWF
>relict, would be known to outsiders as "Dracomancers"? Just a thought...)
I wonder about this city myself. I have not decided whether or not Arros actually gets *in* the city, or is just turned away at the gate. In addition, what is the Nature of the "sorcery" that they study? Is it EWF style Dragon Magic, or is it Sorcery (Western Magic) that the EWF used? The reference in the Glorantha book seems vague to me. Isn't there something in HotLE about it?
Finally I wonder about the nature of the Caste restrictions for Brithini. I had assumed, for my story, that if you violated Caste in some minor way, that you aged a little, then stopped if the behavior were changed. I had also assumed that only really big violations insured total surrender to aging. Out of curiousity, does anyone think that Caste restrictions and their effect on aging could be simulated with the personality traits system? Not that I am thinking about playing a Brithni anytime soon, but I was curious...
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