> >Is there a "Hidden King" quest that lets an Orlanthi shapeshift?
>I think this episode is code for folks reverting to hsunchenism.
For them to revert to Hsunchenism implies they had to have originally _been_ Hsunchen, no? I don't see any sign of that in Orlanthi myth and the myth goes on to say:
"When Heort returned to his people he taught this thing
to his fellows, who had been hiding from the last hunger
of the Hidden Kings."
KoS p90.
If the Hidden Kings was code for the Vingkotlings became Hsunchen, then what is the above code for?
Secondly there are a large number of shape-shifting magics that are not Hsunchen. Even avoiding the Gorakiki traditions of the Uz, one still has Durbadath, Yinkin, Argrath's Wolfskins, the Swan-maidens with their magical wrap and Kargzant, none of whom are remotely Hsunchen.
I think it more plausible that the Hidden King had obtained a magical shirt that allowed him to transform into a Raven, Wolf or somesuch so he could eat foods that no human could. Eventually the corpses ran out and he began preying on his own people. This has the advantage in that it rings true to the Orlanthi tradition while turning Hsunchen does not.
>This was the Great Darkness, and people had to do all sorts of
>stuff to survive.
But when one looks at the Hsunchen myths, one doesn't see any indication of stuff like "once we were civilized people, but we turned to worshipping Pralor to survive".
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