Kralorela and Vormain

From: peter metcalfe <metcalph_at_voyager.co.nz>
Date: Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:13:08 +1300


Ian Gorlick:

>Vormain:
>Gods of Glorantha Prosopaedia mentioned a set of colour related magics that
>were the special provinces of assorted Vormain Gods. What are these?

Telask is blue and Zaktirra is green. These are the only ones that I know.

>Kralorela:
>What is the Kralorelan system of government? How closely does it resemble
>the Imperial Chinese system?

Fairly close. The basis of government is the Mandarin who is an omnipotent civil servant (he judges cases, orders civic works, collects taxes etc). He appoints officials as needed and requires the co-operation of most of the people he governs to operate effectively.

Above him are the Exarchs and above them is the Emperor. The Higher ranks of celestial bureacracy have little impact on most Kralori save for the Army and the auditors, both of whom are feared.

>What in Glorantha is "Kralorelan Mysticism"?

Draconic wisdom. In the old days*, there was a Great Sage by the name of NiangMao. He's of equal stature to the Great Sages in the Sages' Rivalry contest that was the myth of two months. NiangMao was not a draconist but more akin to a Jainist in that he achieved Liberation through fasting, not killing anything and going buttnaked.

However Daruda, a practitioner of NiangMao's wisdom, investigated the lore of the Beast-people and came to realize that the ultimate being of the Beast-people was the same higher reality that NiangMao had reached. Hence Draconic mysticism.

>Is there a Kralorelan equivalent to Confucianism?

Tricky question. They do not have a philosophy grounded on Confucian maxims but their society tends to value the same things.

*Kralori follow Mashunasan's scheme (cfof numbering ages rather than the God Learner scheme. Thus they use Cycle of Demigods etc instead of the Golden Age. These schemes overlap - the Cycle of Humanity is reckoned to be 2500 years old.

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