>>I think the heroes who have long
>>careers are the exception rather than the rule.
>
> Oh, I agree. But I think heroes that drift off to the heroplane are
>the exception rather than the rule too. I think most heroes do a heroquest
>or two, and then decide that as they have now achieved their major aims,
>they would rather not risk their life anymore, thanks.
I've been pondering why I find the idea of a Hero being forced to leave his mundane life behind so attractive. And I think it is this:
That becoming a God is a trap. That in making yourself into a transfinite being you loose what is most valuable to yourself, that is you loose yourself.
>>If this isn't so then will someone explain to me why Pavis isn't still
>>the ruler of his city today.
>
> Hey, I didn't say it never happened, I said I didn't think it was
>inevitable. I'm sure various people (like Pavis) eventually decide that
>they would rather dwell on the heroplane.
And I'm saying (and will continue to say, damnit!) that it isn't a rational decision. That eventually the point comes when you are forced by the cosmos to face the fact that you aren't a thing that belongs in the Mundane World anymore. Otherwise people would never leave. We would (at this late date) be up to our arses in heroes left over from previous Ages. Instead of just being up to our arses in current Age heroes.
And damnit, if it happens we need a mechanism for how and why it happens. Just as we have a mechanism for people getting their legs chopped off. It doesn't happen to everyone but we need an understanding that if you do this (swinging a scythe too carelessly) or this (swinging a sword too carefully) then people end up monopedal.
>>And I'm not able to recall an example of a Hero who dies on the Mundane
>>Plane and still goes on being worshipped (well, outside of Malkioni
>>Saints that is).
>
>Well, one of the problems is that killing a true hero on the
>mundane plane really doesn't have a lot of effect. There are several
>examples of heroes who die on the mundane plane, and not only go on being
>worshipped, but return from the dead. Takenegi, Arkat.
I'm not sure who Takenegi.... Oh, the Red Emperor? Hmmm, but his divine part was passed on to a new combination of Mind, Body and Soul. And did Arkat die? If so who/what killed him?
I was re-reading the HeroQuest Seminar in the RQ-Con 2 Compendium and came across Greg talking about another of the perils of HeroQuesting, being forcibly dragged into the HeroPlane to take part in someone else's Quest because you once played the part of his enemy before. It seems to me that this is closely tied to the 'bouyancy' idea: that once you have 'broken the seal' on the barrier that seperates you from the HeroPlane you are no longer protected from it.
Perhaps we need to draw up a list of the perils of HeroQuesting: the reasons why it isn't something you do lightly.
By the way, could I repeat a request that may not have gotten through. In KoS Greg talks (in the bit on What Happens When You Die) about a 'HeroQuest Initiation'. Any one got any ideas about what it is he thinks he means?
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