Glorantha Web Page, Mist Wood and Baboon

From: Bernuetz, Oliver: WPG <Bernuetz.Oliver_at_cbsc.ic.gc.ca>
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 1997 10:26:09 -0400


>Glorantha Web Page

>There's stuff from Cults of Prax, the beginning of the history of
>the Lunar Empire, and more.

>Thanks once again to all the volunteers, and also to Steve Martin,
>who's been coordinating the project. With their help, we plan to
>continue expanding the Lhankor Mhy Library in the future.

>Shannon

All I can say are ditto to the thanks and way cool!

Kudos to Thomas for his Mist Wood as well, a neat idea.

Sandy Peterson on herd men

>>> Speaking of herd men it strikes me that the closest
>you'd get to herd > men
>>> in the RW are RW baboons.
>They're similar ecologically I suppose, but not
>in their herd structure.

In that case what is their herd structure? Small family groups of mated males and females with their children? Is the ratio one male to three or four females? Are the family groups in some herd structure? Who's in charge, the oldest, toughest male?

What's their intelligence level? Are they as smart as wild primates or cattle? Are there wild or feral herd men? Would they pick up weapons to use without training? If their intelligence level is that of cattle that seems unlikely. In that case they'd be pretty defenseless in the wild so I guess there are no wild herdmen.

An added question are herd men calves as helpless as RW human babies? Seems unlikely to me. A period of helplessness more like that of lesser primates would make more sense.

>>They couldn't possibly be monogamous because the >
>>morocanths don't allow all the male >calves(?) to grow up.
>The morocanth don't allow all the male cubs to
>grow up (I prefer "cub", not "calf" for herd men), but the ratio isn't
>as bad as it is with the ungulates of prax. Since the males are larger
>and more aggressive than the females, they're better for some combat
>purposes, and we know for a fact that the herd men are not an important
>part of the morocanth diet.

I'm going to stick with calf because it keeps that "herd" touch.

>>Herd men don't have > the natural weaponry a baboon has

>Herd men are larger, stronger, and more
>aggressive than baboons. Though they're probably not as aggressive as
>humans. The belief that baboons are extremely aggressive is a false
>impression created by the fact that they'll fight or threaten back if
>threatened instead of running away.

Few animals are as aggresive as they are portrayed to be. However if herd men aren't able to wield weapons without morokanth training they'd be meat (pun intended) to almost any predator.

>>> I don't agree with Sandy about them being long lived.
>>I know it's not > an > obvious >connection but my feeling is that along
>>with the curse of > fixed > intelligence you get a >reduced lifespan.
> Well, I'm holding out for a long lifespan for
>herd men. I don't see the problem here - bison, high llamas, and sables
>live 30-40 years. What's the big deal for a herd man surviving until
>50-60?

No big deal I suppose but I still think the distinctions between the Praxians
with free as opposed to fixed intelligence are greater than many people feel they are. (By Praxians I mean everyone who under went the Covenant of Survival). The myths of the Praxians themselves suggest that there weren't much in the way of distinctions between the various Praxians before the Covenant.

>>> I would imagine that freeing a bison's intelligence
>might increase > their > lifespan as well.

>30 years isn't long enough?

Well, considering that we'd both be dead if that was our lifespan, yes;->

I've really been enjoying the discussion about Teleos.

Oliver D. Bernuetz
bernuetz.oliver_at_cbsc.ic.gc.ca


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