Aldryami & Mostali Trickers from Shannon Appel on 1997-01-06 (Glorantha Digest Vol 04)

From: Shannon Appel <appel_at_erzo.org>
Date: Sun, 05 Jan 1997 16:00:05 -0800

Stephen Martin:
>Again, I have a hard time accepting a single trickster figure for the
>elves. And, like with the dwarves, I am not at all sure the elves even
>have a trickster. If an elf is not part of aldryami, if he is rootless,
>he will worship an acceptable cult, or he will wither and die. In the
>extreme case, he will become an enemy, like Saw-Tooth Korvan. I have a
>hard time believing that any intelligent plants would have any need or
>use for a trickster figure.

I think the honest answer is that not only do both Aldryami & Mostali need Tricksters, but that they truly need them more than just about any other people in Glorantha (exception for Brithini noted).

The Aldryami & the Mostali have to be some of the most utterly stagnant and immobile cultures in Glorantha. The facist Mostali prize conformity and strict obediance to such a level that anyone who deviates an inch from the norm is either "recycled" (killed) or cursed to die a slow, unnatural, mortal death. The socialist Aldryami sleep and dream as One. Nothing is personal, not even thoughts, dreams, or aspirations. It is all shared in a communal whole.

Because of these extreme societies, the Aldryami & Mostali tend not to advance. The world is passing them by, and they are standing solid, unchanging.

The Mostali are absolutely hopeless. When a trickster arises in their society a tick is marked on a sub-caste manager's aide's record sheet (form XLV 101101011011.1101011 C) next to the entry marked "Aberration type 10011101101 spotted and recycled". A changeless society. No tricksters, ever. No possibility for change. The Mostali are doomed to be buried beneath the sands of History. No one will remember their name, or even that they were.

Perhaps the Aldryami will survives the rigors of History, but it seems unlikely. Their society is largely changeless, but at least they don't destroy the few aberrant trickster that arise, though they are likely made to feel somewhat unwelcome in proper Aldryami society. Still, there's the chance that these scant tricksters may be able to influence Aldryami society enough that it will slowly change, and live on in an ever-diminishing form.

The Glorantha history books say that humanity is growing ever stronger because of the speed with which they breed. But, I don't think that's the whole story. Their short life spans lead them much more open to change, and that's likely part of what makes most human societies willing to accept a wide variety of tricksters.

Shannon