re: More thoughts on Pendragon Pass Virtues... from David Dunham on 1999-12-20 (Glorantha Digest Vol 07)

From: David Dunham <dunham_at_pensee.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 10:16:51 -0800

Gazza wrote

> I think Pious/Worldly is
> inappropriate to Glorantha. It SEEMS to make sense at first -
> certainly some characters are more pious than others - but if
> you consider that (one of) the major points to the Traits is to
> demonstrate faith in a deity (perhaps to the extent of getting
> some sort of reward for virtue), then it's clear (to me, at least)
> that NO deity would reward impiety.

Pious/Worldy may not be the best named pair, but it's worth having:

One can be Pious without following the prescriptions of a religion. I'm sure all the Cathars thought they were being very pious (and indeed, according to the transcriptions of their inquisitions, everyday folk were fairly knowledgeable about theological matters). But the church thought otherwise.
The Pious trait reflects a tendency to ascribe *everything* to supernatural forces. This can manifest as superstition, or as belief in gods. Worldly is the opposite, a tendency to try to find the laws behind the forces of nature. It seems plausible that an Orlanthi rubbing a cat and making static electricity might try to connect this with lightning bolts (and yes, in Glorantha the real reason might have to do with Orlanth sharing with his half-brother).

> And besides, one god's pious
> is another god's worldly; the Uroxi, for example, drink and wench
> heavily, but for them piety is solely "how much Chaos have you
> killed LATELY?" - of course, though, their actions would not be
> appropriate for a Yelmalion.

Yes, this is exactly why Urox and Yelmalio have different virtues.

And you'll note that I give Pious as a virtue to almost no god (and I could probably be talked out it). Pious is in generally a lousy virtue (in game terms), but it's a great personality trait.

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

End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #241