Treack Markhor, the God-learners, and "machina ex deus"

From: ANDOVER_at_delphi.com
Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 22:54:00 -0500 (EST)


Sandy Petersen replied to my question:
> What nationality is Treack Markhor? Atyar's skull is described as
>being left in a niche of a temple in the East Isles; Markhor as a
>traitorous priest of LHankor Mhy who then takes it to Kralorela.
>Isn't this a bit far afield for a LM priest?

        Treack Markhor is, of course, a God Learner -- LM is one of the most important GL cults. He found it in the East Isles as a spy (GL's weren't permitted openly there) -- the temple in which he found it was not, in fact, a LM temple.

        He took it to Kralorela because the False Dragon Ring were allies of the GL and could protect him more readily than the Middle Sea Empire, which, after all, was far to the West.

        The cult of Thanatar, like the cult of Caladra & Aurelion is, in essence, a successful God Learner experiment.

  Sandy, this seems to contradict one of our printed sources --"For centuries, Atyar was worshipped in Kralorela as a patron of occult thieves. The cult spread westward in the First Age, when it was united (or reunited) with the deity Than to form the cult of Thanatar." Lords of Terror, page 64.

  Now it is possible that this is another example of God-learner alteration of history, but I must say I am a bit happier with Metcalfe's explanation that he was a Riddler fleeing Arkat. Else we end up a bit too much with what I can't help suggesting is the "machina ex deus" explanation that every God was a creation of the God-learners!

Jim Chapin


End of Glorantha Digest V2 #568


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