> A Storm Bull cultist was shape changed to an ogre. Now is an ogre chaotic
> naturally? What would be the Storm Bull cultist's reaction when he under-
> stands he has become an ogre (chaotic?).
Being shape-changed doesn't change your underlying nature. A human who is shape-changed to a dragon remains human, not Draconic: he doesn't gain the ability to breathe fire, fly, or whatever. (The Path of Immanent Mastery is different, natch). And ogres *look* human most of the time: they routinely disguise themselves well enough to pass unnoticed through human society, and the "mask" only slips near their unholy shrines, or in the presence of temptingly fresh corpses.
So being "shape-changed to an Ogre" needn't amount to much of a change at all. Perhaps he is now more attractive, or red-headed, or his teeth appear sharper, or his eyes appear more predatory... nothing too extraordinary. (OTOH, maybe he was shape-changed to a *different* Ogre, in which case he could look like just about anybody! Or the spell gave him the semblance of a Chaos Feature, which could be rather dodgy). He wouldn't register on other Storm Bulls' "Sense Chaos" skills, as he isn't in any way Chaotic.
But the spell "Shapechange Human to Ogre" could be interpreted as doing almost nothing. It's like casting "Shapechange Human to Human". How does this poor guy even know he's meant to look like an Ogre, now? He doesn't have an ogre's instincts (hungering for human flesh; instinctive worship of the Cacodemon), or powers (increased statistics; chaotic features), while most ogres pride themselves on looking nondescript.
OTOH, let's not underestimate the Storm Bullies' ability to lash out in random acts of senseless violence without provocation. If this dimwit *thinks* he's been turned into a Chaos Monstrosity, he may well end his life messily -- and do us all a favour!
Tax Demons are indeed supernatural entities at the beck and call of the tax collectors.
For Mike Cule: part of the problem with tax farming is that the contract is awarded to the highest bidder after a competitive auction. The winner's agents thereafter have an incentive to maximise their "take": in backward frontier regions (with few good tax lawyers or dedicated civic officials available) like Sartar or Prax, this would almost amount to carte blanche in abusing their revenue-gathering "rights". The tax-collectors would normally be backed by Lunar troops if their depradations were opposed: the troops might be told to "defend the Lunar Way and the Imperial revenues", or (alternatively, in more corrupt cases) bribed with a part of the tax revenues to assist in collecting the rest...
I can certainly believe that within the Empire the Lunars have taken pains to make citizens aware of what their rights and duties are in respect of paying tax. I sincerely doubt that anyone has carried the many, many reams of Imperial tax legislation out into the Province to inform the recently conquered barbarians of their statutory legal rights.
Saying "there should be no menstrual cramps in Glorantha 'cos it's FANTASY" is like saying there's no proof that the women in Shakespeare or Jane Austen or Homer suffer from them either. If the messiness or "unfairness" of this upsets you, ignore it: don't disinvent it and lose all the social and mythical chrome that can be derived from real world parallels. I tend to agree with Scott:
> While I personally feel that talking about this kind of detail gives all
> of us a better feel of Glorantha, I do not feel that we have to push it
> on players.
Wasting time frotting around with accidental deaths and pains and hangovers and stubbed toes does none of us any favours. Declaring that therefore none of these things exist in Glorantha does even less. IMHO.
> Another historically common alternative to both abortion and infanticide
> was fostering...
...and the doors of the Teelo Norri Orphanages are open to any Sartarite parents wanting to deposit their unwanted offspring.
Ian Gorlick mentions that
> the caecum of a sheep [was] the preferred condom.
Kiwis, Welshmen and their ilk still use this traditional method with 100% success in preventing conception, better than any modern form. The trick is to ensure the caecum is still inside a living sheep, before commencing intercourse...
> I also let players design their own stats rather than rolling for them:
> if you allow STR 3, why not short sight as well? Both are unplayable.
Eh? Both are very amusing to play, though perhaps non-viable for long term campaign games. Having played a short-sighted warbling wimp in freeforms, I feel moved to stand up for the physically disadvantaged...
> Just remember that _any_ document on Glorantha was written by someone who
> lived there; and whatever their pretensions to objective reporting, they
> will be both biased and misinformed to the extent that makes their facts
> fit your theories. Now explain _why_ they were biased that way, and
> you've got a whole new line of research!
Also, remember that *every* document is written for a reason. Nobody writes reams of rubbish without any purpose in view, not even our most egregious collaborators here on the Daily. It may just take time to work out *why* something was written down, whether it's Joerg's waffle on Shamanism or our unknown author's Composite History...
> Couldn't the Sun Dragon actually be the dream dragon of the Golden
> Dragon?
Why stop there? I've always assumed the Sun Dragon *was* the Golden Dragon (the EWF's Emperor of Dara Happa), at least as far as it matters to anyone. It seems unlikely a Dream Dragon would attract worship in its own right, to me at least...
> Is there something heretical (in the Yelmic scheme of things) in
> associating with Sun Dragon?
Almost certainly, YES! The settlers of Sun County came to Prax as sun- worshipping mercenaries of the EWF, IIRC, and would presumably be well- disposed towards the Golden Dragon Emperor, and isolated from the anti- draconic backlash in the Dara Happan Empire after its downfall. If the Sun Dome Temple has friendly relations with the Sun Dragon Cult, this could be a major sticking-point for "normalisation" of relations between the cults of Yelm and Yelmalio. (Sorry about the uncertainty: I'm working in Milan without access to any source material).
There is no reason whatsoever why the Sun Dome Yelmalions of Prax shouldn't be HERETICS in the eyes of orthodox Yelmic worshippers from Dara Happa. It needn't be blatant, or already publicly known (consider how little time has elapsed since direct contact reopened between Sun Dome and the world beyond Prax): indeed, it would be great fun to have this controversy erupt in the course of play, polarising Yelmic opinions and paralysing the Lunar efforts in Prax.
Anyone want to start the ball rolling? :-)
> I just can't see a boatman out fishing suddenly putting in to shore when
> he has to pee.
It might even be a sacrament to mingle his own bodily Waters with those that flow from the Sacred Source, making the River mightier yet... :-)
> The part about plundering cradles I don't understand is why the giants
> didn't start escorting the cradles when they discovered that they were
> being plundered.
True Giants are turning into Mountains, for the most part: they don't move very fast. And how long do you suppose it took them to discover their Cradles were being plundered? The news could have arrived long after the deeds were done...
_______ ___ _____ ______
I like Sandy's take on Orlanthi and Goats, and the Pam, Joerg, Martin view
on Shield Walls and Shargashi and sundry matters.
> Can anyone give me information concerning Tales of the Reaching Moon?
> i.e. subscription information, available back issues, etc.
> Any help most graciously appreciated.
Subscription info depends on where you live. Your best bet is to contact David Hall <100116.2616_at_compuserve.com> for information on your local rep. Or write to me saying where you're based and I'll get back to you. The most recent issues of Tales are #14 and #15, the two Praxian Specials.
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