A Personal View of Morokanth Culture
Copyright =A9 1992 Martin R. Crim
Morokanth follow the nomad gods, and would agree with most of "Tales of the Wastes: Wisdom from the Tribal Shaman" (in the "What the Priests Say" Booklet in Gods of Glorantha). They claim, however, that the humans cheated in the Survival Covenant, and that more four-footers should have won. =20
Morokanth and all other Praxians know that herdmen are not people. When the Morokanth won in the Survival Covenant, the humans paired with them became herdmen. They have no more intelligence than bison or impala. Herdmen eat grass and leaves. Praxians, both Morokanth and others, eat herdmen. It is cannibalism to eat people of any kind, however.
Morokanth do not follow Daka Fal, but pursue ancestor worship under Grandfather Morokanth.
Who Are You?
I am Yaka of the House of Waha, killer of sixteen lunars.
Who Are We?
We are the mighty morokanth nation of Prax. We follow our gods as we have
for many ages. We fear no one on the plains. Our clan is the great Tornado
Clan. You can recognize others of our clan by our storm-rune scar.
What Makes Us Great?
Herding and raiding make us great. We are large and fierce, and humans are
no match for us in one-on-one combat. Our shamans know powerful magics, and
our Khan can summon Grandfather Morokanth himself.
Where Do We Live?
We live on the plains of Prax, moving our herdmen around to prevent
overgrazing. Right now, our clan lives in the North Head Acres, near Bilos
gap, between the Eiritha hills and the Zola Fel.
How Do We Live?
We live by herding and raiding. We drink the milk and blood of our herdmen
and eat the flesh of captured beasts. For special occasions, we slaughter
herdmen. If a herdman dies a natural death, we eat him. We also hunt the
lean and wary wild animals that know not Eiritha's blessing.
We have human slaves, captured from other tribes, who do the fine hand work we cannot do. They cut and braid herdman hair for rope, make spears and mauls out of wood, make armor out of leather, and make other things. Slaves write knots for us, too, but all of us can read them.
A few Morokanth have magic thumbs, that let them do fine work like humans. They are leaders.
What Is Important in My Life?
Having many sons. Killing many foes. Amassing a large herd of herdmen and
captured beasts. Taking captives for slaves, especially ones that can make
metal armor. These are your goals.
Who Rules Us?
Our clan rani [queen] leads us. When several clans gather, they elect a
Maharani [Queen of Queens]. The elders of our clan are wise, and advise the
rani. If you join the cult of the Rage Bellower [Storm Bull], you will obey
your Storm Khan. Otherwise, you will be ruled by the law of Eiritha and
Waha, administered by me, by the elders and priestesses, and by the rani
when she is present. =20
When a rani dies, the elders and Eiritha priestesses pick a new one, who must trace her lineage to Eiritha. The rani chooses a new husband upon assuming the throne. The new husband must be a khan of Waha and he becomes the khan of males. He may be a husband of the old rani. The khan of males undertakes dangerous missions for his rani, and leads a great band of males.
What Makes a Morokanth Great?
Becoming a khan of Waha is the goal of every male of Waha's lineage. To
become a khan, one needs superior fighting skill, fame from fighting chaos,
wealth to support followers and kin, and potent magic. To get all these
things, we fight our enemies. When you become a khan, you can awaken a herd
man to be your ally. That gives you a slave with thumbs, one that no one
will come to take away from you.
To have a thumb of your own, that is a common dream. With a thumb, you can grip weapons better, write knots yourself, throw things, use human weapons, and do many other things. To get a thumb, you must take one from a dead owner or go on a heroquest.
What Is the Difference Between Males and Females? Males are the warriors and butchers. We know the secret of the Peaceful Cut, that lets us send an animal's soul back to its mother. We know how to open an animal's vein, so that it gives us its life-nourishing blood. We know the ways of warfare, so that we may take from our enemies and defend our kin.
Females are the preservers and rulers. They know when an animal is sick and how to make it get better. They know when it is time to move to new pasturage. They know which herdmen to breed, and which to geld or cull. They know how to milk herdmen and other beasts. They follow the rhythms of the herd mother, and it is wise to follow them. Among most human tribes, the males lead, and they do not know the paths of the herd mother.
What Is Evil?
Chaos is the first evil. It tries to corrupt all things, and has corrupted
the Sable ranis. Chaos ruined the world, and turned Prax from lush garden
into dusty chaparral.
Horses are taboo, because they are not of Eiritha. It is polluting to eat a horse. It is polluting to touch one unless you are trying to kill it. Mules are not horses, however, and neither are zebras.
What Is My Lot in Life?
Your lot is to be a herder and warrior. You will guard our herds, and join
with others to raid the herds of enemies. You will fight battles against
our enemies. If you are brave, you will fight against chaos.
How Do We Deal with Others?
With others of our clan, we feast and rejoice. With members of other clans,
we deal gladly and trade herdmen. =20
With humans, we deal guardedly. They will not sell us slaves, but will sometimes ransom back their captives, or trade captives. They will deal other things, but try to cheat us. Humans always want to cheat us again.
The humans at the Paps are better. They are more humble, and the law of the holy ground forbids them to fight us. We like to visit the Paps. Oasis people are their kin, and are also humble. They make fitting slaves.
With chaos, we fight or flee. The followers of the Rage Bellower always attack. With broos, it is better to use weapons than claws. You may avoid a disease that way.
The humans from beyond Prax are even more prejudiced toward us than the Praxian humans. They consider us monsters, and tell ignorant lies about us. They say we are cannibals, like the followers of the Hungry Ghosts.
Who Are Our Enemies?
All who are not morokanth are our enemies, except the Paps people.
Who Are Our Gods?
Eiritha the herd mother is the teat of all joy and life. Females learn her
secrets and follow her rules. Her priestesses rule our society with their
secret wisdom.
Waha is the founder of our way of life, and the role model for khans. Humans lie when they say he was a man. His father was the mighty Rage Bellower, and his mother was Eiritha. When your parents each have four legs, how many legs will you have?
Grandfather Morokanth is also popular. We go to him for wisdom from our ancestors. Each shaman leads a worship service for him at Sacred Time.
The Rage Bellower is our war god. He gives us the battle frenzy that lets us ignore pain and injury. He helps us find and fight chaos.
Many males of our clan worship Foundchild the hunter. This gives them aid in finding food beasts.
Some of the females of our clan worship Chalana Arroy, a foreign goddess of healing. The healers are very popular, for they can fix any wound, and know secrets about plants.
One shaman of our clan has gathered a group to worship Lightning Boy, one of the spirits of Prax. He has gained the power to shoot lightning bolts out of his spear.
What Is There to Do around Here?
When we have holy days, we gather for feasting and music. When you have
achieved adulthood, khans and would-be khans will take you with them when
they go raiding. There is always work to do. If you have done your work,
you can practice your weapon skills.
Skills note: Morokanth have a skill known as Beast Training, which substitutes for Ride. It enables them to train herdmen, distinguish people from beasts, and pick a good herdman.
BTW, Morokanth speak Praxian.
End of Glorantha Digest V2 #599
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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