(Simon Phipps to Joerg Baumgartner)
> Depends on who is invoked by the Umath shaman. IMO the invocation of a
> power of Orlanth by a Kolating shaman, a Praxian worshipper of Little
> Brother or a genuine Sartarite Heortling will amount to exactly the same
> thing, even though the method may be different.
I disagree., partially. Being an Objectivist at heart (yes, Viriginia, the Gods are real, and aren't just magical energy sources for people to tap into!), while I suspect that some gods may have different names and identities in different lands, and may give different powers to different people depending how they are worshipped, the powers will *not* be exactly the same thing... Orlanth's clear white Thunderbolts are different from Shargash's red lightning, for example.
>
> > I think the rituals they use to obtain that
> > magic are probably very different in character.
>
> No doubt about that.
Agreed.
>
> > The clearest case of RQ muddying the waters is in the rules
> > for hsunchen. In RQ the transformation spells are rune
> > spells. I think that's a good choice in terms of game
> > mechanics, but I don't think that this means their
> > shape shifting magic is in any way theistic.
I would treat it similary to the one use rune spells that can be derived from spirit cults. Are they big spirits, or tiny gods? Largely semantics and roolz, in my opinion, as long as in character the Hsunchen are able to take the shape of their totem animals as the world dictates.
BTW, are there any in-character explanations as to how the Hsunchen do their thing? Do they call the power of Telmor/Basmol/whoever into themselves, do they ritually bind wolf-spirits into charms or animal skins, or what?
> Date: Sat, 25 Dec 1999 23:25:17 +0000
> From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_toppoint.de>
> Subject: Aeolians and How Dragon Pass Orlanthi React to Them
>
> Chris Bell (an Argrath):
*Palms on face* So I'm part of the Argrath conspiracy, hm?
It was that white bull guy who had Harrek whack Kallyr, I swear on Humakt! :)
I imagine the Aeolians being especially targeted during the Lunar
> > invasion of Heortland/Esrolia.
>
> May I ask why? Lunar propaganda could (and IMG did) make good use of
> their being Malkioni, defining the "last bastion of Orlanth" in
> Whitewall because the southerners did not count. After all, the "last
> Orlanthi" were holed up in Whitewall already in 1619, whereas Heortland
> was conquered only in 1620 by Fazzur Wideread, before his dismission
> from field command of the Provincial Army in Sacred Time 1621/22. (Apart
> from the siege forces before Whitewall, which belonged to Tatius...)
According to Enclosure 1 (which I picked up at Gencon), in Dave Dunham's 'Pendragon Pass', Aeolians are a sect who view Orlanth as having created the logical laws of Sorcery upon remaking the world after succeeding at the Lightbringers quest. I know it isn't canon, but I trust Dave's stuff. No mention is made of Malkion or Hrestol. These folk are found amongst the Hendrieki who supposedly learned these ways when Arkat the liberator moved through Dragon Pass, with Aeol being one of Harmast Barefoot's companions. Aeol was probably a Sorcery student under Arkat himself.
The reason why I think the Lunars would target the Aeolians (unless they were too small to consider) is because the Aeolians are a native Orlanthi tradition of Sorcery that's aside from mythology and dogma not unlike their own Theistic Wizards. From my impression, the Aeolians worship Orlanth in all of his regular aspects, and can sacrifice for the magic of his four aspects as well as develop Sorcery skills. It would be surprising, to say the least, when a Lunar College of Magic graduate finds his spell stopped dead cold by a Nuetralise Magic (RQ3 terms) cast by that guy in the fur cloak and wearing the torc! It would even be more embarassing if such a magician were to defeat a trained Lunar magician.
>
> > Would Dragon Pass Orlanthi think of
> > them as Meldeks, somewhat-meldeks, or just people with weird magic?
>
> (I dislike the term "Meldek" - it doesn't appear to be used in Dragon
> Pass, judging from KoS.)
>
> Some of each. Die-hard Pharaoh-haters will regard every Kethaelan as a
> soulless sorcerers, but these would be a real minority (much like the
> Urox cult). Aeolians displaying manifestly wizardous magics to an
> unsuspecting public will be regarded as sorcerers, although a proper
> greeting and exchange of Orlanthi blessings, gifts etc. might mellow
> this.
I think Aeolian Wizards would keep the 'invisible' magic down, and really on the manifest blessings or Orlanth when amongst their benighted yet noble cousins (IE - rely on rune magic if possible and keep a lid on the Sorcery). Otherwise, it seems that Aeolians are good decent Orlanthi.
> And then there are modernist Orlanthi who aren't averse to innovations.
> All those who might entertain the idea of joining the Lunars might also
> have considered joining the Aeolians if they had been prominent in and
> around their territory. (IMO the development in Heortland during the
> last 300 years led to a situation where the best land fell to the most
> flexible clans who arranged themselves with the new powers, displacing
> the less flexible clans into less favourable places - to wit, the
> foothills and upper valleys.)
>
>
> If Orlanthi can tolerate troll-friends and duck-friends, weird
> shaman-chieftains and draconic magicians, and even Lunar turncoats, why
> not also Malkioni imitators?
Arkat imitators is more like it, but there you go. The Aeolians strike me distinctly as similar to the troll cult of Black Arkat in terms of development.
Chris Bell
argrath_at_xsite.net
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