More Humakti with honor.

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_bigfoot.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 00:45:58 +1200


Joerg Baumgartner

Me>> [An elderly huscarl devoted to honorable combat rather than death-
>> wish] Doesn't exist in Orlanthi society. Humakt is a death god, not
>> a god of honor.

>A sizeable minority (if not majority) of the Humakti traveling Dragon
>Pass are from Esrolia and adjacent parts, and have brought their own
>traditions, which do stress the honour aspect.

They are strangers then and not part of Orlanthi society. And I certainly wouldn't expect them to be a huscarl of a clan chief or tribal king, given their desire to be paid in specie (which is at odds with the gift-giving ethos of the Orlanthi).

>> Air gods have honorable intentions and beliefs?

>Yes. Starting with Umath, whose words on KoS p.57 start with "Am I to
>have no honor?"

That is the Orlanthi viewpoint and I've admitted from the beginning that Orlanth is honorable. I do not believe that the Vadrudi would recall the same event as Umath acting with honor.

>> Thinking of such storm gods like Storm Bull (who let down Genert
>> by not appearing at an important battle),

>Aiding Tada in Prax instead?

Tada fell shortly before the Siege of the Castle of Lead which is after Genert was killed. Storm Bull is not noted as being at Tada's side then. So where was Storm Bull?

>> Valind, Vadrus and Ragnaglar,
>> only an Eurmali would describe their conduct as honorable.

>Vadrus and his kin (presuming Ragnaglar is identical to Vadrus) are the
>Bad Wind.

I doubt Vadrus is Ragnaglar since Greg was seemed to think that Uz Lore was committing a slur against Vadrus when it showed Ragnaglar's Land in Fronela/Bija during the Storm Age. Vadrus is obsessed with Violence and Destruction while Ragnaglar is obsessed with Sex and Destruction. So that's two gods, not one.

>> Orlanth is honorable but he is not typical of air gods.

>Neither is Humakt, so I fail to see why this couldn't be true. Any son
>of Umath is atypical in a certain way - that's their raison d'etre.

But to describe all the air gods as being honorable when only one can reasonably be described as such, is stretching matters.

>> A much better definition of Humakt in Orlanthi
>> society, according to KoS p51, is that he is the God of "War and
>> Death, and of all Endings. He even severed his family connections
>> with the Storm Tribe to maintain his purity of purpose".

>That puts him into the same position in Orlanth's entourage as Chalana
>Arroy, Issaries, or Lhankor Mhy.

But Humakt does not have an independant existance outside Orlanth's entourage in Orlanthi society.

>Humakt is the god of oaths in Orlanthi society (short of swearing on the
>Styx). This is neither death nor endings.

*snort*. Have your next PC break an Oath stacked with 32 mp (or whatever the Hero Wars equivalent is) before repeating that remark.

End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #42


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