More Humakti than Humakt?

From: Alex Ferguson <abf_at_interzone.ucc.ie>
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 20:35:00 +0100 (BST)


Paul Chapman is:
> not convinced that to be like Humakt you have to be _completely_ silent
> _all the time_ (thus not necessarily preventing spellcasting). Whilst geasa
> make the worshipper more like the god, it is possible for the geas to be
> _more_ exacting than necessary in order to emphasise one aspect of the god.

This is quite a good way of looking at it, I think. Humakt naturally knew when it was Necessary to speak, but what mere worshipper is so blessed? Better to shut up all day, just in case. So in some cases, a geas is an Instructive Principle in being like the God, not an exact emulation.

> Also, a Humakti who was pious enough to _never_ speak may find he gets
> better gifts than suggested in the RQ Cults book out of it.

Could be. I can imagine this happening in a couple of circumstances, in particular; firstly, your local temple may believe that Humakt actually never spoke, or a myth wherein he swore to speak never thereafter. How cares that those backsliding heretic Lismelder don't believe the same thing? Alternatively, they could have a myth of a hero/son/companion of Humakt who took such a vow, for <insert reason>. In either cases, the net effect is that in either case you perform an HQ to emulate the dude in question, and if successful, pick up the gift and geas. Discreet veil over the failures...

> Off the top of my head, I seem to remember one of them was a long the lines
> of: "Gift: Humakt will aid you in any one task; Geas:You are guaranteed to
> die in the attempt".

This was a list produced by Sandy, I think, which he posted here, and may also be available on one of the web/ftp sites.

Slainte,
Alex.


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