I was basing my theories on those very notes but added a twist based on a saying of Chuck Colson "If you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will soon follow".
>>As no eunuch may serve at court without a
>>sealed jar containing his missing organs, it is imperative that he
>>get them, and so must pay the price.
Eunuchs also need these jars so that they can invoke their own men's magic (which is hampered by their degree of emasculation - a false eunuch can cast normally while a full eunuch can not cast any of his magic unaided). But since the queen normally has their own jars, it follows that the jars they display are those of subservient eunuchs.
Since the Nochet collator does not know of this practice (or even better - he knows but thinks it blasphemeous to write it down), I think this is an Esrolian secret.
IMO the subservient eunuchs are not as loyal to their superior eunuchs as those eunuchs are to the Queen, mainly because their loyalty inducing magic is decidedly inferior and some simply don't bother. Hence they plot and conspire to show their superiors up and be promoted so that they serve the queen directly (why? see below).
>>There is a flourishing black
>>market in these organs: frantic eunuchs will pay any price to get their
>>parts back - indeed, anyone's parts - if theirs go missing or are stolen.
And some unsavoury types can be contacted to procure organs for a suitable price.
>Presumably, eunuchs can transfer from one Queen to another, but only they
>can bring their severed parts with them. This would either require the
>consent of the Queen, or more drastically, theft.
IMO Eunuchs are normally fanatically loyal because they receive a sublime pleasure whenever the loyalty-inducing magic is performed. This explains why they prefer to leave their jars in the hands of a Queen instead of keeping them for themselves. An advantage for the queen in all this is that she can become pregnant seemingly by herself without having to visit the dangerous "Old Times".
However I must admit that the Queen can refuse to use this magic to punish a Eunuch or simply because she doesn't like him anymore. She can still use his magic. In which case, the Eunuch starts looking elsewhere.
>Eunuchs who leave their queen's service without their parts, or who somehow
>lose them, often gravitate to the court of the great Demivierge of Rhigos,
>who is of course unable to use the same magical rites as the other Queens.
Hmm. I hadn't thought about this connection, but I like it. Presumably they receive some kind of kick from being there but I shudder to think of even the vaguest details of how the Demivierge accomplishes this...
End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #182
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