Neil, can you be clear as to whether you're objecting to the objective equation (which I maintain is Not So), or to the Orlanthi cultural belief? (Which is about as 'core' a Gloranthan fact as you're likely to come across.)
As to what published adventures do and should focus on, that's a second-order effect, further discussion of which I immediately see degenerating into a slagging match of the worse sort, in which unspeakable insults like "White Wolf" and "AD&D" will be ranged on either side. *shudder* Maybe later.
[non-Orlanthi concepts of 'chaos']
> Show me something other than Orlanthi, and I'll agree with you. As
> will the thousands of newcomers that will arrive through HW.
I'd sympathise more if I were personally less _gagging_ to see a decent slew of Orlanthi material. But next culture up is the Lunars
> Current Orlanthi position: "Lunars are evil because they are chaos
> and seek to destroy the universe." Everyone else: "You've got a
> point. Kill the Lunar chaotics!" Objective evil.
Ludicrous paraphrase. Why do so a sizable Sartarites end up as Lunar sympathisers if this were at _all_ a correct depiction? Why are so many of the 'Orlanthi' Tarshites _initiates_ of Lunar cults? Could it be that there's some actual plausibility in the Lunars' position re: chaos, such that we can allow the concept to remain unpurged from Orlanthi myth, as you proposed?
> So, remorseless killers that murder without a second thought
> (Humakti) are OK, but village elders that sacrifice themselves so
> their knowledge is not lost to the community (Thanatari) are evil?
Who says Humakti are 'OK'? Not I. Thanatari are objectionable because in Orlanthi belief, their actions destroy victims' souls. You can play around with the moral ramifications of this as much as you like (though I'd suggest that merely deleting them is a poor option), without in any way altering the Choatic basis of Thanatari magic.
> > Potted conclusion: ... examine more
> > closely [chaos's] assumed identity with 'evil'.
> Exactly. Let's do that. Let's make sure the published sources
> reflect that.
They do, if you read the right ones. Snakepipe Hollow isn't filled with too much moral relativism, but it accurately portrays the Orlanthi 'take' on Chaos, and the fact that it's by anyone's lights, a pretty festering place. Look at the fan-published Lunar material, or the assorted fragments on the Dara Happan, Eastern, and Illuminated perspectives. And if you want those latter, wrapped up into a nice coherent whole, complete with bells, whistles and the odd adventure -- joing the queue.
Slainte,
Alex.
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