Seshnela and Vadeli

From: Peter Metcalfe <P.Metcalfe_at_student.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996 01:50:51 +1200


Andrew O. Mellinger:

>- -Couldn't figure out from the articles how feudal Seshnela is.

The rural sector has a manorial economy which is run by knightly families. In this sense, Seshnela is feudal. Traditionally these families hold their lands from the local Lords who are subjects of the Crown. However Guilmarn has been changing this (by accumulating titles) so that most of the knights swear allegiance to him and take orders from Royal Officials. In this sense, Seshnela is not feudal (which is why nobody uses the term anymore).

>Is there constant battling of knights from neighboring counties
>(over whatever), or do they only fight against the east?

The Lords of Nolos and Pasos to the South refuse to acknowlege the rightful authority of the King of Seshnela. Attempts to bring the vagabonds to justice have resulted in several battles in recent years. The Knaves of the Castle Coast, fops one and all, also deny Guilmarn as their Rightful King. But their lands are poor and their military is hopeless, so they pose little threat. The Talars of Arolanit refuse to acknowlege Guilmarn as their King. However they are so frightened of death, that they hide in their forts rather than come out and fight.                        

>- -How strict is the general population towards Rokarism.

As strict as Sartarites to Orlanth. Rokarism is their religion, they believe in it and accept its tenets. It's not an oppressive ideology which they are required to partake in by wizard-commisars. In the minds of some wizards, the general population is doing Something Wrong which should be Stopped Immediately. They are somewhat mental.

Loskalmi Mailshirts will probably now trot out the hoary myths about the Inquisition and how the poplace follows the Rokari Faith out of Fear. They are oblivious to the fact that the Inquisition does not operate in Nolos and large parts of Safelster. These places nevertheless follow the Faith as established by Rokar the Third Prophet.

>Are there closet Orlanthi? Are there closet anything else?

There are no closet Orlanthi or Pagans in Seshnela. The average Seshnegi would recognize ancient pagan seshnegi themes and symbols just as much as the average medieval englishmen would have heard of the Lady of the Lake.

Many peasants might carry out customary rites which have their roots in the religions of pagan Seshnela but they would consider still themselves to be Rokari. The Wizards view this as backward supersition as the faeries the peasants claim to talk to, don't really exist.

The nearest thing to closet theism would be Arkatism. This is a masonic cult which worships the Prince of Darkness. The loopy Ralians worship pagan gods and demons which they claim to be saints but they are not venerated in Seshnela.

>In TotRM it describes sins and taboos but culturally what happens
>if they are broken. Do people just say "You're going to burn in
>hell," or do they burn them at the stake? Are most sins overlooked?

Many sins have criminal punishments attached. To kill or to commit adultery is a sin as well as a crime. To be able to read while not a wizard, or to use a knife and fork while not a Knight is probably sinful but carries little if any criminal sanction.

The Wizards could order penance to be done in the case of a sin which has no criminal punishment attached. One could thumb one's nose at the wizards and not perform the penance but this is rarely done as it harms the ability to enter Solace after death.

>- -How do the Rokari feel about spirits and trapping them? Is it
>common for Rokari wizards to have a selection of bound spirits like
>characters from Pavis?

Trafficking in unclean spirits (ie disease spirits, wraiths, spell spirits etc) is Demonology and subject to both criminal and clerical punishments. A Wizard summoning angelic forces (ie intellect spirits, power spirits) is acting lawfully. If a non-wizard does the summoning, then he has sinned against his caste.

MOB:


> * The idea that Vadeli immortality spells can only be effective
> if the caster has no living parents or children.

It will require some modification as I quite like the idea of Vadeli sleeping with their parents and children.

> * Blue Vadeli are animated lichs.

I prefer to have some whiff of repulsiveness and say that they are not merely animated lichs but to maintain their status, they indulge in mortification of the flesh, harvest maggots (which is probably why they are so adept in handling tinimits - the maggots in feasting on the Blue have acquired some of its nature and is thus bound to it when it matures) and eat only decayed things. I think they can quicken zombies from corpses by sleeping with it (it's interesting that there is a Blue-like-a-corpse Woman in Argrath's Saga which hurls decayed Vilgars and she attacks him after he leaves Ygg's Isles...).

>A question: are the Vadeli colours just like castes? Are, perhaps, all
>Vadeli born brown (in that disgusting way I recently alluded to), and it
>only through application of their immortality magic that they turn the
>other shades? Browns begat browns, reds begat browns (blues don't begat
>at all).

I think at birth, Vadeli are pinkish in colour like most other warerans and acquire their hue after exposure to their elements (ie shit et al). A Vadeli looks generally paler the longer he goes without his elemental rituals. I believe people generally wash their hands after shaking hands with a Brown as a matter of course (whereas the Sedalpists and the Fonritans shake using their left hands...)

I suppose they could acquire some of their mother's hue when they are born (depending on the manner in which they are concieved) which should tide them over into adulthood. A vadeli could change hues or he could combine them (most probably to keep his immortality up while he masters the new magics - like a Brown becoming a Red would be a brownish-red colour for a while. S/he would eventually quit the Brown Rituals).

>The Brown magic is the easiest to do, but confers the least benefits.

Also anyone can do brown magic, but most outsiders would pass up the opportunity if offered IMHO.

End of Glorantha Digest V3 #109


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