agreement

From: Carlson, Pam <carlsonp_at_wdni.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 10:19:00 -0800

Stephen - Thanks for posting Greg's old notes about the calendar year. I found it very helpful. (Actually, it didn't solve my calendar delemnas, but it gave me more possibilities to work with.)

Sun Lords: I agree with much of what David and Peter posted. There are two other possible ways SL's could gain more magic:

1. be rune lords of associated cults, like Hastatus, and initiates of Yelm. This would, ineffect, mean that Yelm _has_ no true rune lords, just that RL's of associated cults/initiates of Yelm may go on to become priests or imperaturs in the Yelm cult. Both of these statements could be backed up by statements in GoG, ie. - Sunlords gain no apparent RL bennies, and that high clergy in assoc. cults may join Yelm. The meeting of Yelmic "rune lords" could simply be a Theyalan misinterpretation.
2. Extensive use of geasa. Geasa are listed for Yelmalio, and there is no reason to assume that Yelmic lords do not also live by several severe guidelines. Following these geasa to the letter may confer extra powers or abilites on the sunlord. Frex:

Never sleep on the ground - renew one use of "Sunspear" /year Never eat rabbit - "Heal Wound" spell becomes reuseable Never lie - "Detect Truth" spell becomes reuseable Remain celibate one week before combat - Fireblade does extra damage

And so on. Given the range of Yelm cults throughout Pent and the Lunar/Old Dara Happan empire, I imagine that any of these proceedures could be used somewhere.

> Thus Antirius is IMO the god of the third station and not a seperate cult
now.

Agreed - he seems to be the patron of the Emperor and Imperaturs. I was thinking of him largely as the source of Sunspear and the truth stuff.

>But what of the Six Parts of Yelm? My guess is that Plentonius
identified one of the major cults in each of the six regions (Darjiin, Naveria, Oslir River Valley, Zarkos, Rinliddi and Darsen) as being a part of Yelm to justify his benefactor's right to rule.

Not a bad idea, and one I've encountered before, The only problem, is who gets attributed with the unsavory or unglamourous parts of Yelm, (like Bijiif and Kazkurtem)?

Bern Eel Arashgern - Darsen
Vrimak - Rhliniddi
Antirius - Oslir Valley?
Everinus - Naveria ?
Bijiif - ?
Kazkurtem - ???

> Some of these were part of the local sun cult, others were not.

Could well be - especially the draconic/fertility part. like Bern Eel Arashgern. But I think the whole construct was a blend of the philosophical and the geographic. Adding Vrimak seems to be an obvious attempt to blend in the ruling deity of a semi-subject people, (whose fierce augners had only recently been exterminated), and perhaps Bern Eel reflects an attempt to win over the Pelandans. But the others, Everinus, Bijiif, Antirius, and most definately Kaz, seem to be an attempt to describe various facets of a central deity. (Much like Orlanth has several aspects: storm, ruler, warrior, etc.)

Pam

---