I have just been reading some of the stuff on Chalana Arroy and healing spirits. I must recommend (once again) the book "Way of the Wyrd" By Brian Bates, Published by arrow books. This has some wonderful stuff about english "Magic" herbs and the way they are gathered. The book is the story of Wat Brand, a Christian scribe who is sent on a mission into the pagan forests of Anglo-Saxon England. He becomes the unwitting apprentice to a sorcerer-mystic by the name of Wulf. It includes loads of stuff about trances, horse whispering, vision quests, encounters with the otherworld and especially the gathering of herbs;
"Almost immediatley I felt a hot tingling sensation on my left cheek, as if I were sitting too close to a fire. I turned my head to the left and was met by the piercing stare of numerous gleaming, yellow eyes. I tried to see some detail of the spearwort's appearance, but I could take in only the cold stare of the yellow eyes....."
The sorcerer then prepares Wat to do battle with the spirit of the healing plant, magic chants, iron knives, blood curdling screams. The spirit of the spearwort had previously tried to possess the apprentice, but through Wulf's magic he makes it his ally.
All good stuff for Kolatings, Orlanthi etc. I converted many ideas in the book into the process by which an Orlanthi shaman becomes initiated. It also has some really good Earth Goddess ideas, which I used as visions and portents for my Ernaldans. The stuff about Horse Whispering was excellent for Elmali.
Okay hard sell over (no I don't get any commision).
Re Oppressive campaign locals (Trotsky).
Fonrit oppressive, NEVER!
Just because the land has an eighty percent slave population, a five
percent military, a five percent "free" class and a ten percent wealthy
class, doesn't make us oppressive!
The Calari may be one of the most successful secret police forces in
Glorantha but it isn't oppressive!
And what is all this stuff about needing the backing of the
party/group/comitee to make decisions stuff, nobody can make a decision
without the consent of his master's master's master!
And don't think about "Freedom" (Spit!) fighters in Fonrit, because nobody
is free, not even the masters. "Freedom" is disorder, it is chaos, it is
death to the world!
Cheers Simon.
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