Re: Only Old One

From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_toppoint.de>
Date: Sat, 31 May 97 12:56 MET DST

Carolyn McKinney

>Does anyone know if there is an official time (S.T.) when the Only Old One
>took regency over the Holy Country?

There are a couple of ways to answer this question.

1. (the Nitpicker's non-reply:) "The Only Old One ruled the land called the Shadowlands which was redubbed Holy Country only by Belintar, after the OOO was killed in 1318, so he never ruled it."
2. (the relevationists wild theory on the spur of the moment:) "The OOO finally made it back from his Belintar-induced death and retook the Holy Country? Cool..."
3. (I hope the reply you wanted:) "The Only Old One became the regent of Kethaela and the Shadowlands already before Time. Read the Broken Council Guidebook for his role in forming the Dawn Council after the Unity Battle, in which he figured strongly as well."

>And...
>Was the Castle of Black Glass built in S.T, or did it rise out of the
>ground. . . Argan Argar's vehicle to the surface world?

Built by Caladril (God Learners said Lodril) in the Gods War, soon after the trolls had emerged to the surface world. I believe AA walked to the surface, leading his band of trolls.

>And...
>Is there a corrolation between the OOO's rulership of Esrolia and the Year
>Sons human sacrifice practise?

Some of the Esrolia theorizers claim that the entire idea of a matriarchy may have been taken over from the trolls, and in that case, yes, there is.

>Without knowing much about it, it seems to
>be a Summer Husband, fertility festival. Since Esrolia and Argan Argar's
>marriage was the first Esrolian Marriage (I imagine),

Not quite. She had Faralinthor before, and before that and through all the later events Caladril as well (the Argan Argar myths in Troll Gods have a situation where Lodril "does terrible burning things to Asrelia", which other people read "had hot sex with Esrolia", and where Argan Argar saves the land goddess). I don't know whether there was a storm husband between Faralinthor and Argan Argar, but that is most likely.

>maybe it is a reverse
>festival, similar to Summer Wives Rites among Hendriki.

I'm inclined to jump at this suggestion and make it a festival among the Hendriki of my campaign, even though I doubt that this was meant by the Vingkotling Summer and Winter Wife description (like in Wyrm's Footprints).

>Finally...
>Thinking that the OOO is a child between Esrolia and OOO, does he have any
>other siblings?

Choralinthor is his half-brother and ally. Caladra might be regarded as his half-sister. At least one local storm god would be a half-sibling, too - Bingista, the Good Wind mentioned in the Machine War episode in King of Sartar's Orlanthi Mythology? That leaves an earth spirit and a forgotten God Forgot sibling to round the number of Sixths in the Holy Country.

As for Argan Argar's other offspring, I'm fairly certain that there is a number of heroic trolls claiming AA as their father. Possibly even a darkness-worshipping human or two as well...

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