Cheese and Trolls

From: Paul Stolar <PSTOLAR_at_marlow.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 08:46:43 -0600


But we know the moon is made of cheese, thanks to the intrepid explorers Wallace and Gromit.

And it doesn't matter if it is not, the trolls can eat it anyways.

Sincerely,

Paul W. Stolar
Process Engineer
Marlow Industries, Inc.

214-342-4297 (direct line)
214-503-3398 (fax)
214-656-0176 (pager)
	
	Keith writes:

	<< (I do *not* believe that if you convinced four hundred thousand
Trollkin
	 that the Red Moon was a big lump of Edam it would somehow become
one) >>

        If you convinced that many trollkin then I don't believe there would be very

        much Moon left following the Miraculous Trollkin Moon Invasion (one small

        nibble for a Trollkin, one great feast for Trollkinkind' . The remaining

        'Apple Core Empire' would indeed be a sorry place to live. Whoever spread the

        Moon is Cheese story would have a lot to answer for.

        Keith N


	Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 15:14:51 -0500
	From: Martin Crim <MCrim_at_erols.com>
	Subject: Re: Sir Ethilrist

	Me:

>> Anything dealing with Sir Ethilrist -> gone
David Dunham:
>Huh? Sir Ethilrist very much still lives in Dragon Pass. You can
meet
>him in the computer game, and Greg had some pretty specific art
>direction for him.
Then he's back. I don't have the computer game, but noted his absence and the absence of his land (shown in the old Dragon Pass board game) in maps of the area in the RQ3 era. Also, he's supposedly from the West Jungle, which doesn't exist any more. I forget, was he in "King of Sartar"? - --Martin ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 21:27:25 +0100 From: Mikael Raaterova <ginijji_at_telia.com> Subject: Pan-heortling no-dog taboo. Again. Trotsky:
><< Despite the mythical link, however, Orlanthi have to keep dogs
for
>herding.>>
>
> Here I disagree; the Heortlings regard dogs as unclean, and in
fact,
>according to Greg, the primary use of the domesticated alynx is as
a herding
>animal.
We went through this long ago. Short summary: Greg is wrong, as usual. Some heortling clans use alynxes and/or dogs for herding and/or hunting. Some don't. There's at least one clan in Far Point that finds the notion of domesticated alynxes the vilest of blasphemies ("You would keep Yinkin, Orlanth's sacred kin, as a slave? Feed this blasphemer to my hunting dogs!"). Soon you'll claim that no heortling clans keep goats. - - Mikael Raaterova [.sig omitted on legal advice] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 14:52:59 -0600 (CST) From: Kevin Rose <vladt_at_interaccess.com> Subject: Re: Exploration Heroquests Andrew E. Larsen wrote:
> To give an example, one of the important NPC's in the game has
been severely traumatized emotionally and is slowly 'dying inside'. One of the PCs is a Chalanan, who is concerned to save her, but none of the Chalanan magic addresses the mind, only the body. Theoretically, he ought to be able to HQ to create a spell like 'Heal Mind' that would do the trick, but where does he start? Since there is no myth of Chalana Arroy healing someone's mind, how does he go about doing the quest, when he's got no story to serve as a template? If he somehow succeeds, does this create a myth about CA that follows the course of his HQ? < Well, there are a couple of answers. Some groups seem to basically take the position that there is (Nearly) always a myth out there you can steal. The GM just makes it up. This seems to be the Seattle theory, judging by the descriptions I have seen of their games. In this situation I would probably go with that approach, as it seems sensable. The problem is the GM gets to make it up. Have fun. Exactly what this creates is up to you. You could also go with the theory that as there is no existing myth in anyones books, so they lose. Considering that the amount of CA mytholgy that has been published by anyone is really minute that seems like a bad answer. On the other hand, if you are trying something completely off the wall, like a Humakti gaining the ability to resurect people by touch, then the player and GM are going to have nothing to work from at all. Given the current about of knowlage as to how the whole major heroquest process works I would suggest that something that wacky be impossible now. Or if they insist on trying it they get squashed like a bug. Kevin ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 11:32:32 +1300 From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_bigfoot.com> Subject: Linguistic changes Martin Crim:
>Sultanates -> Satrapies
Sultans are still in usage.
>Anything dealing with Sir Ethilrist -> gone
Apart from KoDP, he receives a tangential mention in Argrath's Saga on page 34 of KoS. - --Peter Metcalfe ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 16:54:04 -0500 From: Martin Crim <MCrim_at_erols.com> Subject: Ethilrist--oops Of course, Blackhorse County and Sir Ethilrist were in 1988's GCHW; I'd forgotten that. And a brief mention of the Blackhorse Company in KoS in '92. There was very little about him (just the piece in RQC) between DP and GCHW. But that's true about a lot of the minor pieces in the board games. Gad but this stuff is old. - --Martin ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 13:31:06 -0800 From: David Dunham <dunham_at_pensee.com> Subject: Re: Mahome; Exploration HQs Andrew E. Larsen
> Does one pronounce the 'e' in Mahome or not? Is it /'Ma
home'/ or
> /'Ma home ay'/? I favor the latter, but I'm curious to hear how
other
> people say it?
The Prosopaedia says "mah-HOE-may"
> How does one justify performing a heroquest for something that
hasn't been
> done before? Simon Phipp's excellent material on HQing describes
the
> Exploration HQ as going into new territory for the deity, but how
is it
> justified mythically? Most heroquests, as I understand them,
involve
> re-enacting a myth about the deity and trying to reproduce the
deity's
> actions. Of course, one can intentionally branch off at some
point, but
> how does this actually work? More problematically, how does one
initiate a
> HQ if one can't find a relevant myth?
Well, it's really hard. The Hero Plane is a place, and you can move about it. But it's very dangerous, and easy to get lost. The myths are known paths, so people reenact them. As Arkat discovered, some spots are the intersection of more than one myth-path, so you can jump from one to another. But if you don't know both myths, jumping off makes you lost. I don't remember what Simon wrote, but exploration HQ sounds like Arkat and the God Learners, and thus frowned on by most modern Gloranthan cultures (with the likely exception of the Lunars).
> To give an example, one of the important NPC's in the game
has been
> severely traumatized emotionally and is slowly 'dying inside'.
One of the
> PCs is a Chalanan, who is concerned to save her, but none of the
Chalanan
> magic addresses the mind, only the body. Theoretically, he ought
to be
> able to HQ to create a spell like 'Heal Mind' that would do the
trick, but
> where does he start? Since there is no myth of Chalana Arroy
healing
> someone's mind, how does he go about doing the quest, when he's
got no
> story to serve as a template? If he somehow succeeds, does this
create a
> myth about CA that follows the course of his HQ?
There probably is a myth for this. A full-blown cult isn't going to be able to exist based on the paltry number of myths known to us non-Gloranthans. There must be dozens of Chalana Arroy myths we don't know yet. So, make it up. Get your players to suggest ideas. Then you have to decide whether the Chalanan already knows the myth (which is quite likely), or whether he has to obtain it somehow (maybe the Chalana cult in East Ralios is known to have this myth). Performing this myth wouldn't create a spell, it would result in the effect. (Performing the Orlanth and Aroka heroquest doesn't give you the spell Stop Drought, it *does* stop the drought.) BTW, the myth Robin Laws wrote for King of Dragon Pass is summarized: "Chalana Arroy performs four great acts of mercy, curing Orlanth of his bloodlust, healing a disease suffered by Kolat, convincing Urox not to slay a chaos god, and bringing King Heort back to life over the protests of the death god, Humakt." Curing bloodlust probably does count as healing someone's mind. David Dunham <mailto:dunham_at_pensee.com> Glorantha/RQ page: <http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha.html> Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 11:57:41 +1300 From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_bigfoot.com> Subject: Uleria's consorts Andrew Larsen:
>So I'm wondering, does Uleria have a consort?
In Peloria, Uleria has a phallic lover, Vogmaradan, who is sundered from creation and rejoins it through Uleria. Not specifically vegetation related but close enough in Gregspace.
>But what about
>Flamal? He's a vegetation spirit, just like the consorts, and he
dies and
>comes back, just like the consorts.
He's connected with Ernalda or Aldrya rather than Flamal.
>What's the myth behind Flamal's resurrection?
It's the secret quest of the Lightbringers according to the Aldrya cult writeup. - --Peter Metcalfe ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 13:56:40 +1300 From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_bigfoot.com> Subject: Explorative myths Andrew Larsen:
>How does one justify performing a heroquest for something that
hasn't
>been done before?
The Lunars and the Arkati say "no problem" while everybody else has it thrust onto them.
>Of course, one can intentionally branch off at some point, but
>how does this actually work? More problematically, how does one
initiate a
>HQ if one can't find a relevant myth?
Apart from the obvious reply of "Play KoDP and screw up a myth", every Heroquest starts of with a ritual to enter the Heroplane. If you intentionally make the wrong decisions then you end up lost in the heroplanes and wander. Of course, I never really understood what Storm Bull was doing in the Aroka myth.
>To give an example, one of the important NPC's in the game has been
>severely traumatized emotionally and is slowly 'dying inside'. One
of the
>PCs is a Chalanan, who is concerned to save her, but none of the
Chalanan
>magic addresses the mind, only the body.
Chalana does heal the mind as one of her myths was to heal Orlanth's judgement when said god was threatening to chop her up for healing the Emperor's Men. There's also her (or rather Arroin's) stabilization of Flesh Man's problems. If there is no specific magic for Chalana Arroy, then the PC could attempt a sacrifice of goods. This may be much cheaper than a specific heroquest (he says ruefully after a chief was killed trying to do the Aroka Heroquest to relieve a drought that was later lifted by the sacrifice of seven cows to Heler). - --Peter Metcalfe ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 12:49:18 +1100 From: Ian Thomson <arkat_at_primus.com.au> Subject: Q for collectors Hi After scanning MIG II, I'd like to talk to anyone who owns (or has owned) the RQ scenarios from the set CDM1,2,3,4: Halls of the Dwarven Kings The Lost Shrine of Kasar-Khan The Watchers of the Sacred Flame The Feathered Priests as I'm planning to reconvert them from the Warhammer FRP conversion, and would welcome any Gloranthan details on the originals cheers - ------------------------------- Ian Thomson's Home E-mail (Computer clock has been corrupted by chaos and may be up to 2 days out!!!) Glorantha Site at: http://home.primus.com.au/arkat/runeq.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 18:07:20 -0800 (PST) From: Gary R Switzer <gswitzer_at_loop.com> Subject: You Always Hurt, the One You Love... Peter replies to Bob:
>>Since Fertility is the power rune opposing Death, it is extremely
logical
>>that all Fertility cults should have some aversion to violence.

>Somebody had better tell the Red Goddess then.
Not to mention Yelm and Triolina, who's followers are hardly known
for eschewing violence.

        Don't our French cousins refer to orgasm as "the little death"? I'm sure Ulerian poetry is filled with references to

        "dying" in the Shakespearian sense.

	Gary R Switzer
	Aero  Hobbies

	"When I am dying, lean over me tenderly, softly,
		Stoop, as the yellow roses droop in the wind from the
South."
	"So I may, when I wake, if there be an Awakening,
		Keep, what lulled me to sleep, the touch of your lips on my
mouth."
	Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 13:41:02 +0800
	From: GAZZA <gazza_at_wantree.com.au>
	Subject: Some random thoughts...

	Firstly, I got KoDP about a week ago (it was delivered VERY
	quickly - kudos!) and have played one short game to completion
	and just started on a long game. Given that I haven't got much
	experience in it just yet, I must say that my initial impression
	is that "Peace Doesn't Pay". The short game I played a peaceful
	clan and had CONSTANT troubles with feeding my people, keeping
	up the cattle, and so forth (though I did manage to win - partly
	by constantly asking my tribemates for cattle, and partly by
	engaging in frequent cattle raids towards the end). Disgruntled,
	I made the next clan a Uroxi War clan, and the results have been
	MUCH more impressive. I've got more cows than I know what to do
	with, LOTS more weaponthanes, and I don't seem to get raided as
	much as I did last game. (It's early days yet; it's possible that
	my military bearing will be my undoing when it comes to forming
	a tribe, I suppose). Is this bias real, and if so, is it
intentional?
	What are the benefits of a peace clan?

	I also recently got a copy of Troll Gods, and I've noticed at least
	two apparent errors. Firstly, Subere is listed as the source of
	the Darkness rune - but isn't that Nakala? Subere, surely, is just
	the current OWNER of the rune. Secondly - and this may not
	technically be an error - Himile is listed as the source of the
	Cold rune. While this appears reasonable, you have to wonder why
	Issaries isn't therefore the source of the Issaries rune (at least
	in the sense that he doesn't have the Infinity rune). I believe this
	should just say that he is the owner (and possibly sole user) of
	the Cold rune, which is probably just a variant on the Darkness rune
	anyway.

	Finally, one of the things about KoDP that I find entertaining is
	the cattle raids. I'd love to run my players through something like
	this; anyone got some decent mass combat rules for Runequest
	(other than YfB), or shall I just wing it?
	- -- 
	GAZZA
	"To know others is wisdom.
	To know one's self is enlightenment."

	------------------------------

	Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 01:42:31 -0800 (PST)
	From: Gary R Switzer <gswitzer_at_loop.com>
	Subject: One Man's Sheep is Another Man's Goat

	Orlanthi Taxonomy (over)simplified:  If *we* herd it, it's a
sheep...if those Orleving bastards keep it, it's a goat."

        Heler knows I don't want to reopen the Ob/Sub debate but, if All* Orlanthi agree that an Angora is a sheep and not a

        goat it's because Orlanth has let them know it's so. On the other hand, if All* Odaylan hunters decline to hunt the

        Bighorn Sheep around Larnste's Footprint because Ragnaglar cursed them and turned them into Bighorn Goats, they

        (and we) are on firm mythic ground.

        That being said, even the Orlanthi are likely incapable of deluding themselves that dogs are just funny-looking cats.

        Bad Dogs are wild, very nearly wolves. Those are the ones you hunt and make thongs for your greaves out of. Good

        Dogs watch your cattle and your stead and warn you when strangers approach. Some clans keep them, other clans

        don't. The lack of *stray* dogs is likely remarked on by visitors to many Orlanthi lands. Want to start a fight in Geo's?

        Call an Orlanthi "barking mad" to his or her face. Want to start a blood feud? Call Theya Two-Mothers a bitch. (No

        offense meant, Pam.) I bet Euglyptus the Fat likes dogs. Little annoying ones.

	Gary R Switzer
	Aero Hobbies

	------------------------------

	Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 11:33:50 -0000
	From: "Dom Twist" <thazar_at_globalnet.co.uk>
	Subject: Place Names

	Eric R>

>So, what you're really saying is that real world place names make
>sense. King of Prussia, PA, Lebanon, OR, Chevy Chase, MD, etc.>
>
>I find Glorathan names no more silly than RW ones. Please defend
your
>thesis now.
Hmmm If you're going to use real world place names then kindly ignore any in the US or anywhere else where a bunch of uneducated semi-literate colonists sat down with a blank sheet of paper and ignored Hell out of what the locals called the place. After all these arnt 'real' place names but ones that were chosen arbitarily only a few generations back. Of course if you have the Lunars or some other powerfull force running around re-naming places then go for it. You do get a lot of very weird place names where I live for example...because the English language was dumped on top of the existing Celtic/Cornish language fairly recently. My local village is called 'Blackwater' 'cos there used to be a large blackish pond..now a large reed bed 'cos the current owner (me) doesnt drain it.......whereas I live in Carnhot Carn from Cornish for Hill and Hot from a bastardisation of some Cornish word long forgotton. Dont ask me to explain Praze-an-Beeble (a nearby village) cos I cant.....(Prayer and Bibel? who knowes!) DomT ------------------------------ End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #219 *********************************** ------------------------------

End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #221


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