>I was keen on this being the Firebird mentioned in Genertela Book, something
>like a Phoenix that rises from the volcano and spreads blazing fires across
>the jungle when there's an eruption.
Where in the Genertela Book?
>I would still prefer to shred the RQ cult writeup [of C&A] and replace it
>with shaven-headed feather-cloaked jungle priests of the Volcano God, even
>"today". Just my tuppence.
I think the C&A cult is strong only in the regions of Porthomeka and the cleared bit of land surrounding the Low Temple (which looks as though it's the region of Vinavale mentioned on p23 of the RQC). I think they trade with the uncivilized volcano worshippers for pretty coloured rocks and bitumen rather than being a organized cartel.
>(And anyone thinking the Caladralanders are ruled by an elected
>President, serving a maximum of two terms, with supreme executive powers
>but reined in by an appointed Supreme Court whose members remain in place
>for life and control all judicial matters, with legislative functions...
>Gah! You see why I hate parts of the "quick'n'dirty" Holy Country article
>in the RQC?)
To be fair, the Dragons Pass #1 article written in the same year calls the Head Honcho of Caladraland a High King and notes the Pharaonic believers of the Rightarm Isles elects a president (who is not the same person as the Admiral). I strongly suspect a transposition occurred in the RQC article. As for the voting, IMO it's simply done by acclaimation rather than counting votes. Think Spartan rather than Athenian.
David Dunham:
Me>> The FLBQ ressurects those whose
>> bodies have thoroughly decomposed (Sheng Seleris, Arkat)
>I don't think either was killed -- Sheng was thrown in hell to be tormented
>while alive, and Arkat presumably got stuck in a heroquest.
I should have added 'or gone'. But I do think that the distinction between trapped in the Heroplane/Hell while alive and being dead is largely academic. People only say that they were alive when in Hell because they managed to escape...
Joerg Baumgartner:
>I'm afraid this is a nasty backslash to the sobjectivist stuff, but if we
>want heroquests which alter anything beyond the quester himself and maybe
>the object of his quest (a rescuee, the enemy), we need to define the scope
>of the quest. Who and what is to be affected by the quester? And does the
>quest really stop where the quester intends it to do?
I don't think this is quite so complicated as you make out. Most changes will simply be along the lines of the raccoon guardian taken from one place to another. All that needs to be detailed is what other cultures use that place and how the changes will affect them. I would use the infamous Hill of Gold example but I think the Histamine levels are so high to that, I won't.
I think the Heroplane is stable enough that we don't have to worry about the effects of what happens if a HeroQuester walks of the beaten path and treads on a butterfly while in the land of the Dinosaurs in most cases. For example, the Pharaoh's death caused his cult to disintegrate but left the mythological landscape of the Six Nations otherwise intact.
Me>>I meant in order to resurrect the King, the theory implies that
>>[Belintar] has to do the Full LBQ.
>I'm a bit unsure whether that's the Full LBQ or just "all stations, and his
>special mastery over Death" thingy.
The Full FBQ guys are the ones who are listed in KoS: Harmast, Argrath and Aringor Dastalson. All I was saying was that Belintar like Sartar and Kallyr performed a truncated version of this quest.
Me>>I think you've left out one person who could have had the motive
>>and the chutzpah: Belintar.
>Yes, deliberately. Because I have no idea how Belintar is positioned vs.
>Malkionism.
Well make it up then! It's what I always do.
>We know there are Malkioni in the Holy Country, but from what we
>know none of them claim Belintar as one of their own.
The God Forgotten are atheistic and don't worship Saints (most can't and others won't IMO). They are the only Malkioni to have been explicitly detailed. The Storm Worshipping Heortlanders are being heavily influenced by Malkioni Culture. Thus they *should* view Belintar as a Saint-King when he was still alive. Otherwise the humiliation of serving a pagan ruler would be too great. The lack of such references in their lore today (as of 1621) is an indication of the complete collapse of Pharaonic prestige IMO. We know next to nothing about the worldview of the Marcher Barons or the Nochet Malkioni.
I do believe that this trend of increasing Malkionisation should be observable in the other parts of the Holy Country. The God Learner origin of the Cult of Caladra and Aurelion is noteworthy and perhaps should be made stronger. His cult in Esrolia would bear some unconscious similarities with the ancient Serpent Kings. Perhaps even in the Shadow Plateau, there's a (halfhearted) attempt to equate him with the Good Arkat.
I do not believe that the Pharaoh ever intended his land to eventually turn into a carbon copy of the Monotheistic West. His religious actions alone disprove that. What I do believe is that he was evolving his state with the combination of Western Humanism and Central Theism into a unified polity much like the Carmanians, the Lunar Empire or even the decadant pre-closing God Learner Empire. He really bears more resemblence to Mughal Akbar than to Prester John.
>He may well have made
>this identification (Malkonwal) in order to gain their support, but that
>would mean that he did similar things to court other minorities, say like
>the newtlings of the Heortland shore.
There are 'several smaller [nations] of less significance' within the Holy Country. The Marcher Barons are the most prominent. Others might be the Land of the Longsi, the North Marches, the Mirrorsea Island dwellers, Thonble and maybe even the Troll Woods or Barbarian Town.
As an aside, Thonble IMO is probably the lands surrounding the Cities of Staton, Kithma and perhaps Solung (which may be Esrolian). The inhabitants are Ditali who consider themselves oppressed by the Pharaonic Army. They are in a constant state of unrest (prior to the Pharaoh's death) which is formented and encouraged by Lunar agents preaching liberation. The irony of this will not be lost of the Sartarite. After the Pharaoh dies, Thonble is liberated.
>>Because
>>Belintar is a Prester John personna ruling a Holy Country in a
>>region that otherwise succumbed to pagans and krjalki. I'm sure
>>the Seshnegi sent embassies to him for aid against Ralios.
>Nice one. Through Ralios, I suppose? There is a story in that.
Yes. Would have occured in the reign of King Ulianus III IMO.
>>I don't think Loon Island is the site of the City of Wonders but
>>that Belintar returned a sacred nesting site of one of the birds
>>that had been eaten by the Only Old One.
>So where do you think would it be found on the Holy Country map
>(physical or mythical)?
Perhaps the Large Island south of Seapolis.
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