wolf etc

From: David Cake <davidc_at_cyllene.uwa.edu.au>
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 11:46:39 +0800


Telmori on Telmori
>So I say on Wilddays they are
>mindless monsters and on every others day they can control the beast
>inside themselves.

        I think this is a bit strong - if they turned into invulnerable ravaging monsters that killed everything weekly, I suspect that there would have been more serious efforts to wipe them out. But I think they are both stupid and savage in wolf form - enough that to a visitor it would be very dangerous, as their reduced wolf intellect makes it difficult to convince random wolfbrothers of your friendship.

        But I don't think they are mindless ravaging monsters - rather, they are a little smarter than your average wolf, and feel wolf urges to do wolf things. Hunt, yes, but no more likely to savagely attack everything they meet than most wolves.

Steve still trying to make us disbelieve in Aldrya

>If you can intimately feel
><god> and all of <god's> worshipers, do you really need to worship <god>?

        Sure - its where the magic comes from, and how you prove yourself in your gods service. Elves are all able to feel Aldrya (well, except the rootless ones), and that is what makes them want to worship her. The Aldrya religion is not about attempting to contact a distant, transcendent, deity - - its about serving and praising an intimate, immanent, one.

        A related example (though not as strong) - in Alkoth, you can 'feel' the presence of Shargash. Some people are scared by it, some people get used to it, some are inspired by it to worship him and follow his path.

        A possible unifying alternative - perhaps the full elf ability to sense the song of the forest is developed fully through Aldrya initiation. We know that some things in religious ceremonies can only be perceived (generally visually) by initiates. I imagine that Aldrya initiation has similar effects on elf-sense - there are things that can be 'elf-sensed' during elf religious ceremonies that can only be perceived by initiates. I imagine this religious connection would be very moving. And then the elves that cannot initiate (rootless) are those that can not hear the Secret things no matter how they try - and most elves feel great sorrow for them, because they know what they are missing out on.

>Ew, I just thought of something....since Humakt gets Sever Spirit
>Reusably...does that mean that initiates can cast it once a year! Ick!

        A lot of people play it that Sever Spirit is not available to all Humakti, and that allowing an initiate to learn Sever Spirit would be a rare privelege.

>One question though. Spells which are defined as "One use", would those
>STAY one use? I.e., only Runelords can even bother learning them, and
>they don't ever come back?

        Yep. In contrast to Nicks wise and persuasive explanation of how making initiate one-use magic regainable adds to the a realistic Gloranthan feel, spells that are one-use to priests are supposed to be rare and powerful and important magics - so its one use nature agrees with the Gloranthan experience.

        Cheers

                David


End of Glorantha Digest V4 #367


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