A cursory examination of the Yelmalio (in particular) geas table will reveal that they're not simply religious ideals, or even over-zealous extrapolation thereof. Some of them are bordering on the contradictory (eat no bird meat, eat no meat but bird), and some of them are just _silly_ (wear no left leg armour???) when looked at as "ideals".
Clearly, I suggest, a geas is at least in part a Magical Effect (TM), too. Well, either that or one of the authors of the table did a lot of drugs back in the sixties. Or as the Illuminates amongst you might say "Both are equally correct".
I think it's Valid to regard a geas in a number of different ways, depending on the cult, the setting, and one's own personal "take". Such as: geas as Unfortunate side-effect of small-scale heroquest performed during Initiation (or otherwise); Geas as "the flip side of" a corresponding gift; geas as a prophetic/divinatory "recommendation" for how the character should behave; d) other.
I'm sure each of these have been drawn out at greater length on previous occassions, so I won't bother, right now. But none are merely identical to what the cult thinks all their members ought to be doing anyhow, you'll note.
Slan libh,
Alex.
Powered by hypermail