More instant torture

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_bigfoot.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2000 14:17:43 +1300


Martin Laurie

DC>>Oh, and don't forget
>>that like most such camps (certain real world examples notably), the forced
>>labour is exploited for economic benefit (according to Martins view of the
>>camps, anyway). Plus, in Martins story again, they gain magical power from
>>the souls of those who die there, AND its a handy source of zombies.

>Exactly. Much as the entire Verbande of the Death Camps used the slave
>labour at their disposal in WW2 to outfit the Waffen SS divisions with all
>sorts of equipment,

And yet the Waffen SS got most of their equipment from elsewhere and most of the literature I've read on the gulags, death camps & concentration camps and slave labour actually make the point that the usage of resources therein was manifestly inefficient.

Furthermore Kralorela simply does not have that number of imprisoned dissidents or criminals for the instant torture camps to be economically significant. The RW camps had a population in the millions whereas Kralorela does not have that many people.

>I think the pragmantic Kralori would use the labour,
>spirits AND the bodies as a resource.

From the Kralori regional activity table in the Glorantha book (p21), they are not too picky about where they get the corpses from their naval campaign.

>Think how efficient it is and how much
>more effective than simply executing them.

The Mandarins by nature are not bean counters and would not give a shit about such considerations as efficiency.

>Perhaps the greatest terror for a Kralori is to die "out of place", his
>soul, once in an Instant Torture Camp has nowhere to go other than hell.

Instant Torture is Hell and being enlightened is the only means of escape. I do not believe that people could commit suicide to escape the camps.

>He will not be with his ancestors! Total horror.

Most Kralori go to the underworld to be purified after death and for them the stay is temporary. Hence hell isn't that great a fear.

>>Why do you think they allowed him to volunteer [for the camps]? Because
>>they hated him, and it was the worst thing they could think of.

>Again, I agree with David here. From the Kralori POV, they were damn sure
>that this would break him.

He was already broken from the moment that he became a slave. If they wanted to break him further than there wouldn't be the niggling matter that Sheng actually volunteered for the camps.

>Much like the Danfive Xaroni, I think the IT camps care little for the
>enlightenment of the inmate.

I disagree for both cases in that the stated aim of such tribulations is the eventual reformation of the inmate. That in no way lessens its severity.

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