Large scale canals

From: D. Pearton <pearton_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 12:25:13 -0800 (PST)

>
> Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 07:50:49 GMT
> From: "Gian Gero" <giangero_at_hotmail.com>
> Subject: question
>
> Just a simple question...
>
> Who in the hell ARE THE BUSERI???

I'm sure you'll get a much better answer from Martin on this one, but here's my take.

Worshipers of the god Buserian - he showed people in Dara Hapa how to survive during the Darkness by helping them contact the sparks (stars), such as the porrige star who were the final remanents of the Sky gods after the departure of Yelm. He is best known for Buserian's frame - a method of observing and categorising the stars and constellations. This is based on the structure of a tent without canvas and the star story towers are based on them. The Buseri are the people with the best knowledge of the stars in Glorantha and a great deal of their magic has to do with observing the stars and casting horoscopes and predictions. More info is in GRoY. Also, as highly literate, very dull people they tended to dominate the dara happan civil service

One of my favourite characters was a borderline psycho Buserian from Alkoth - the stars are different there as Alkoth is partially in the underworld...

I have an idea for a campaign that would pit the heroic Buseri against the nefarious plots of the Star Permutator cult of Bliss in Ignorance...

> Subject: Gnomes
>
> I have a logistical question for you.
>
> In Prax, my Etyries character wants to establish a new Lunar/Lokarnos market
> near SunTown in Sun County.
>
> He is ambitious and he wants to dig a canal from the river (not the ZolaFel,
> but the serpent which flows close to SunDomeTemple) up to SunTown.
> I told him it's a Pharaonic plan which requires millions of Lunars
> (guilders), slaves, political and religious agreements and the like.
> I was optimistic: I told him that in three years he could have the canal dug
> out.
> Since we play about 1 G-year every two real years, he sensibly doesn't like
> to wait till he will be next to retirement age himself to see the first
> profits from his enterprise.
> I think that gnomes/undines could speed up the opera.
>
> Where could he find heavy elemental aid?
> At the Paps? At Pavis? Farther?
> How might he persuade the priests and priestess to lend him a dozen or so of
> huge elementals? How could he control the elementals themselves during the
> 2/3-seasons-long work?
>
> Help me

I would personally think that he's going about it the wrong way - for such a landscape-changing project he should be thinking mythically. I would think that a ritual/heroquest would be in order. A number of potential myths/rituals might do the trick. Here are a few of my ideas, I'm sure that there are many more out there.

1. The simplest idea would probably be to defeat the river serpent and bind it to a new course - there are a number of Pelorian myths involving the Oslir.
2. There is a god of canals and large-scale irrigation in the Dara Happan pantheon - he's on the Gods wall I believe though I can't remember his name. Importing his cult into Sun County might help although the mythic landscape of the river of Cradles might be too different.
3. Somehow seduce the river (modification of the Sun Domer river ritual?) with the purpose of producing a child that would be the new river/canal.
4. Hon-Eel, the Conquering Daughter has myths and powers invoving river serpents (most notably the Black Eel, but they could be adapted).

I'm sure others can suggest more.

Yours,
Yak
- --
Dave Pearton
pearton_at_u.washington.edu

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      "Its habit of getting up late you'll agree
         That it carries too far, when I say
       That it frequently breakfasts at five-o'clock tea,
         And dines on the following day.

The Hunting of the Snark, Lewis Carroll

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