mucho stuff.

From: peter metcalfe <metcalph_at_voyager.co.nz>
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 23:51:24 +1300 (NZDT)


David Cheng:

>* If there were a Battle of Castle Blue II, what would Humakt's stats be
> when he manifested on the field of battle?

I would use Onslaught's published statistics and give him the appearance of M. Laurie. The combination of the two on the battlefield would certainly throw opponents into fear and confusion...

Michael a pastorello:

>Imagine if a non_magical god sprang up in this
>world a la christianity, where miracles are attributed to him but the
>believers forsake their magic in order to put their trust and faith in this
>new god.

Firstly some semantics. I don't believe christianity was a rejection of magic as such. Charismatic healing, christian science, prophecy, (trans/con)substantiation of the eucharist, using a cross to scare a vampire, baptism, confession and exorcism are all examples of magic use within the christian worldview. They're not generally seen as magical by the christians themselves because the word is used to refer to magical practices that are not christian. So what you have is really a distinction between good magic and bad magic.

There are a number of parallels with this in glorantha:

  1. The Malkioni use of sorcery which they see as being superior to the barbarian use of spirit magic (the use of which is damnable). The Rokari at least pad their spells with prayers and chants about how great the Invisible God is to reinforce the message that it's good.
  2. The Orlanthi use of spirit and divine magic which they see as wholesome and fulfilling and not harmful to the soul like the Malkioni (and Lunar) sorceries. They rely on good magics that are given to them by Orlanth and Ernalda and rejoice as they feel the power of the gods flow through them.
  3. IMO the Fonritans use a highly developed naturalistic magic. In using this, they can feel the real presence of the gods in them. Occasionally the gods might influence their actions or even control them. This has led outsiders (both Orlanthi and Malkioni) to believe that the Fonritans are enslaved by their gods. Yet a Fonritan would prefer his magic because it gives him the constant reassurance that he walks with the gods. To join the 'freedom' offered by the Malkioni Liberation or the Orlanthi gods does not give him that reassurance and thus those cults are inferior.

But if you want a cult that does not use magic in the conventional sense but gains otherworldy power, then there are plenty in glorantha. The renunciators of the East Isles gave up magic because they believed it was bad for them. This of course also conferred an immunity to magic. The Cult of Silence in Pamaltela gave up speaking and in some cases the ability to comprehend what sound feels like. A deviant form of this cult caused a lot of trouble in Pamaltela four centuries ago. Similarly there are some ascetic cults in the Lunar Empire although they're not well described.

And finally if you are interested in the concept of a christian-type cult that challenges the ruling orthodoxy (and not the abjuration of all magic as such) and is persecuted for its pains then again there are plenty of examples in Glorantha: The White Moon Cult of Peloria is much persecuted by the Lunar Empire for its tactics of pacifistic anarchism to bring about the imminent coming of the White Moon and the end of earthly empires (including the Lunar Empire). The Perfecti of Loskalm similarly challenge the corrupt Ideals of the New Hrestoli Church. The Cult of Silence has had its share of persecutions in the past although most people pity its adherents these days rather than hate them or just plonk them in the oubliette.

That list is not exhaustive. For instance if you feel like playing in Ralios, you can quite easily have there a religious teacher who gains an insight into the Invisible God and renounces the old corrupt sorcery becauser it's God Learner in origin. The place is full of 'aberrant prophets' who die unnaturally every week so there's always room for more.

End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #297

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