Magic, technology, and the issue of imperfection

From: argrath_at_xsite.net
Date: Sun, 07 Feb 1999 03:46:41 -0600

The whole recent map debate spurred a thought in my mind. In Glorantha, Technolgy literally *is* magic. By this, I mean not just using spells where in our world we'd use tech (Flight spells, etc) but where the 'mundane' technology is of itself *inherently magical*. For example, in Dragon Pass, some ancient Heortling had a great idea and invented the wheel, right? No, he didn't,not at least the way we woudl understand it. This ancient Heortling's struggle to create the wheel would involve a quest to help move his people, who needed to escape a threat of somekind or another, and where the Hero quested to Mastakos to gain the secrets of the Mobility Rune! I think that in Glorantha, even what would we would consider 'mundane' is actually the result of actual mythic processes, much the way tribal peoples on earth today may explain childbirth, weather or other processes of their world. This, candles are not invented by some sod who stuck a length of twine into wax...candles are the result of Gustbran the crafter god giving a fire spirit a safe place to hide (a wick) as well as food to eat (the wax) during the Greater Darkness.

In order to learn how to make Maps, one wouldn't necessarily just climb to the top of the tallest mountain (although that would be a quest in and of itself),one might in Dragon Pass Quest to take the role of Issaries, patron of travelers, undertaking the Mapping Journey with Lhankor Mhy (a friendhip quest where the first two meet), representing the two's early journey's during Godtime. If you succeed, you come back from the Heroplane with an accurate map that contains the routes and data that you need! Certainly, not a commonplace or easy process, but very Gloranthan.

As no one has quite the same journey into Godtime, the Questor's map may well work just fine for *him*, but there may be marks or secrets only he or she can see, and those who are not initiated into the secrets of Issaries or the member of that particular hero cult may miss marks or otherwise read the map incorrectly. Thus, we can have maps that are not always 100 percent dead on accurate, but are as accurate or faulty as the GM needs to be, depending on the power and sagaciousness of the Issaries or Lhankor Mhy priest or hero that made said maps. The same can be said for Toguveri or any other mapper hero. Cultures that have better or deeper Map Quests will produce better maps. Thus, this approach also encouarges what I believe to be another key element of Glorantha - a culture's power and magic is determined by the depth and wisdom of their myths. And, IMO, in Glorantha, *everything* arises from myth.

This approach can also explain why there haven't been cottage industries developed around various magical effects. These are interventions of the Godplane onto every day life, these effects will not *always* be the same, depending on how well the caster performed the ritual, the support of the community, the local mythic landscape, the flow of magic that day, and how the gods were feeling that day. While most magic will be *fairly* predictable, magic is not mechanistic nor uniform (unless you're a Brithini or a Dwarf :) ) Thus, this can explain why map making magic (and magic in general) doesn't always produce uniform effects.

Some food for thought,

Chris Bell
argrath_at_xsite.net

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End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #429

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