Re: Honourable Orlanthi vs Good Lunars
The most interesting fact about this discussion is the fervor with
which the debattants present their views. It seems to be not ONLY
done to present the in-game arguments. You guys really love the
Orlanthi or the Lunars, respectively. Fascinating. Most things that
can be said has already been said, but some notes:
Re: "If you do not fight the Lunars you don't go to "heaven"" There's a Barntar's Hall for non-fighting Orlanthi, mind you. And I frankly think most people rather would end up there than in Humakt's hall, where there is "more fighting than feasting". This aint one of the monotheistic religions of Earth, where there is TROUBLE getting into "heaven". Many people might be very interested in their POSITION in Orlanth's Hall, however. That might be very improved if you die fighting Shepelkirt, that foul wound to Orlanth. However, people going along bringing with them the death of their kin through foolishly slaying Lunars to the left and right are NOT going to be popular.
The effect of individual campaigns is great; I play in 1604, when the foremost trait the Lunars bring out in your average farmer (for whom Barntar is FAR more important than both Humakt end Storm Bull) is FEAR; this is the people who succeeded in taking OUR incredibly MIGHTY capital, who commands thousands of hordes of soldiers marching in STRAIGHT LINES (absolutely chaotic! - see more below), and who can use sorceries mighty enough to appearently slay the spirit of the kingdom (not to mention summon and control the Crimson Bat)! People who go around waving swords and vowing to destroy the Empire (like all my players' characters) are seen as more or less lunatics - their equivalent would perhaps be a serial killer who only killed criminals. People wouldn't morn his victims much, but they wouldn't want to be around him.
And yes, my players are playing the resistance - they have no real trouble gaining allies, but they are all borderline nutcases of various kind, just like themselves. (This means their army lists are much more fun, BTW, and if your character gets killed you have a lot of funky character ideas to choose among - just take one of the allies of the other player characters!)
And they DON'T fight the Lunars because they are Chaotic, but because they are THE GUYS WHO HAVE INVADED THEIR HOME COUNTRY WITH MUCH BLOODSHED AND DESTROYED THE ROYAL DYNASTY THEY SERVED, FOR CHRISSAKE!! Or as one character answered when asked about the chaoticness of Lunars in general (when asked by a Praxian ally, a young Storm Bull who was confused when the first Lunars he slew didn't have horns or tentacles, and didn't tick off his Sense Chaos): "The People of The Moon fears chaos greatly, but still their foul sorcerers called on it, for otherwise they couldn't hope to defeat us Sartarites, the best warriors in the world. You see, they feared us even more."
Re: Chaos
In our campaign, there is "chaos" and "Chaos". Everything bad ans
strange is called "chaotic" - including strange furrin customs (like
building houseboats, see "Keep Your Head Above The Water" in earlier
Digests).
Educated people and adventurers distinguish between this use of the word, which they admit is wrong, and REAL Chaos - which brings the deepest fears to all ordinary people. The Lunars aint Chaotic - but much of their war magic certainly is, and certainly everything of the Invading Evil Empire is chaotic. But not Chaotic.
As noticed, my players fight the Lunars because they are Lunars. Not because they are Chaotic. Really, only Storm Bulls and other holy madmen fights broos because they are Chaotic. Others fight them because they are raping, murderous, marauding, disease-spreading monsters.
Actually, most ordinary folk who encountered a Teelo Norri soup kitchen attendant wouldn't think of her as "Chaotic", or in some cases not even "chaotic". She doesn't LOOK chaotic. Wise people of course know that Chaos is most dangerous when it hides it face, but if all people were wise, the world would be a strange place. And if all Sartarite tribesmen where honourable, boy would it be boring to play them.
Erik Sieurin
End of Glorantha Digest V3 #11
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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