Re: heroquesting questions

From: Andrew Larsen <aelarsen_at_facstaff.wisc.edu>
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2000 11:54:01 -0500


> From: simon_hibbs_at_lycosmail.com
> Subject: Heroquesting questions?
>> 2) What is the difference between a hero discovering a new mythic path
>> and the Godlearners constructing a new path?  From a game mechanics
>> standpoint, there doesn't seem to be much difference, ...

> When discussions of heroquesting come up, the debate often seems to focus
> on this kind of experimental heroquesting, but in fact this kind of thing
> is extremely rare in Glorantha. In a typical culture such as the Heortlings,
> this sort of think might get done once in every half a dozen generations,
> if that. It's dangerous not just to the questers, but also to the whole
> culture and is the kind of thing religious wars are fought over.

    I agree. The PCs are getting kind of desperate, because their clan healer hsa gone insane, and some of the locals have started going to a Deezola priestess because they don't have any other real options for treating disease and severe injuries. The local authorities agree they have a problem on their hand, but they've been discouraging the quest as simply too dangerous and against custom. The CA pc has been getting a lot of pressure to stay home and take over for the mad healer, but the PC is convinced that her destiny lies in opposing the Lunars elsewhere with the rest of her heroband, who would be otherwise incomplete. So they've started looking around for more desperate solutions.

>> Part of the reason I'm dwelling on this second question is that my CA is
>> going on a quest to learn how to heal someone's mind.  I told the player
>> that the cult had long suspected that there was a myth for this, but that
>> most of the details were unknown.  She's been trying to piece together
>> enough of the myth's probable events to be able to do the quest, but she
>> doesn't want to fall into God Learnerism and make a path that never existed.

>
> The big danger in doing this is that if she messes up the quest, she could
> very easily end up worshiping a goddess of insanity and mental torture.
> Beware! Most cults will only try things like this if they are truly desperate.

    Hey...I like that. I was thinking that failure meant the quester and her supporters go insane, which is another reason she's having trouble finding support. One of the stations in the quest involving being tortured by Ikadz and outlasting him, so she's going to have her hands full.

Andrew E. Larsen


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