I don't want to speak for myself, but MOB has to have injected more humour into Glorantha than almost anyone else alive, and is an extremely funny person otherwise as well. If he does have a 'level' of humour missing, I'm sure I wouldn't miss it.
>What are you actually saying here?
Actually, all I was originally saying was that your ideas on the Vadeli didn't work for me, and that I would go for much less detailed look at the mechanics, for a variety of reasons. Since then I've told that the reason they didn't work for me was that I'm squeamish, humourless, and it was implied that I should go and lock myself in a box.
>Please quit having a emotional reaction
Now why would I have done that?
>I wasn't trying to gross anybody out.
If you say so.
But it came across that way.
Neither of your original Vadeli ideas (the Blue or the Red) worked
for me, because the combination of nastiness, and an abundance of
mechanical detail with very little cultural/ mythical backup for it, gave
me the general impression that the creative process had worked somewhat
backwards. It just felt like Martin Laurie trying to create something nasty
- - which, regardless of how it offends anyones sensibilities, means it
didn't feel convincing.
Martin Laurie also said
>BTW is menstrual intercourse a taboo in Glorantha, I hadn't
>noticed it being a taboo in the real world so is there something that indicates
>it is?
It is an extremely common type of taboo in many real world societies, often to the extent that it is considered taboo to allow a menstruating woman to do almost anything at all, let alone have sex with them. In fact, taboos of this nature are unusually absent from Glorantha.
Red Vadeli Blood Magic
I do like the idea that Red Vadeli are heavily involved with blood magic. I prefer this idea to the idea that they like suffering and hate kindness, which just seems too much like its designed to create vicious bad guys. Whereas with blood magic they could choose not to use it - but they use it anyway.
But that doesn't mean they can't be every bit as vicious, and it does remove the 'hornless red broo' stigma (I also agree with Peter that they should be endogamous, not parasitic). I think the idea that Immortality and/or reproduction involves prodiguous quantities of blood is an excellent one. And there is ample precedent for blood magic in Glorantha, MOBs Lunar standard ritual being only one example. Its just the Red Vadeli have taken it further than anybody else (or perhaps where the original source of it).
Loren had some good ideas, but I'm not sure I like the Red Vadeli as the Big Red Cannibal Cult either.
>Blood taken from suffering people is probably the best for
>their magics.
I think its kind of neat if the Red Vadeli could choose to do it without suffering - but just don't choose to do so.
This isn't necessarily because they are evil though and through (though they may be IYG), but it could be partly because needing blood so often for their magic, they must often make do with their own (or borrow from their children), so are trained from a young age to endure the pain of cutting themselves (I don't think any Vadeli have nice childhoods....). So being able to endure the pain of cutting yourself could be a culturally encouraged trait. Thus they could almost be complimenting you by inflicting excruciating pain on you - its could be a sign of respect. Or maybe they do it because they like to laugh at your childlike screams, which they find funny in an adult. Or maybe for bizarre ritual reasons known only to themselves. I suspect you don't care much if they are doing it to you.
>There is also the RW example of a Hungarian? Countess
>who bathed in the blood of virgins to prolong her good looks.
Ah, Elisabeth Bathory, one of the special people of history.
I once wrote a scenario with her as the main villain, and a good
villain she was too. The scenario was actually called Blood Magic, and was
based around the idea that her bathing in blood etc had a magical motive. I
gave her an iron maiden, which I'm sure wouldn't go amiss in a Red Vadeli
blood magic toolkit either. The scenario also featured Gille de Rais, who
might be an alarming source of inspiration for other Vadeli practices,
bearing in mind his alleged interest in fatal sexual liasons with small
children (supposedly hundreds). Rest assured, all, that in neither case did
I feel the need to describe their acts in technicolour detail.
One good source for ideas about blood magic is the Tim Powers book 'On Stranger Tides', which is about voodoo and also has lots of good ideas involving blood and iron. I heartily recommend it anyway as a fun fantasy historic novel that is well written and largely free of fantasy cliches.
Basic ideas from that book include
a) iron is connected to magic - cold iron weakens it, warm iron strengthens
it, blood is full of warm iron and is a good magical power source.
b) using magic consumes blood - using your own blood makes you anaemic, so
its better to use someone elses.
c) you can do special things by connecting iron directly to blood. There is
a rather excruciating scene later in the book where the hero improvises a
magic cutlass by driving a compass needle through the handle and his hand.
Now, we have no evidence at all that blood contains iron on Glorantha, or is even connected (does Gloranthan iron rust? I'm sure it doesn't when enchanted) but no evidence against it, and the ideas can be easily adapted anway.
But I am sure someone could come up with a few magical rituals similarly to tap involving shedding blood and trading hit points for magic points of effect. Then they can use their blood sacrifices to power their enormous sorcery spells (according to Sandy, your average Red is enchanted to the gills). I also like the idea that the Red Vadeli blood magics are not particularly restricted to the Vadeli, they are just the only ones who use or study them often.
Cheers
David
PS Actually, I'm quite a fan of Joe Lansdale, though I did find his 'Blood and Shadows' series recently a bit much. The brain eating scene was particularly gratuitous.
PPS big thanks to both Peter Metcalfe and Nick for useful comments on the Pelorian Prosopaedia so far.
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