me:
>> Well, more or less. In a more extreme version, cannibalism is
>>problematic for Heortlings -- Maran cultists can get away with it in
>>rituals (barely -- people think they are awful and strange and a lot
>>of people think they are nasty, if not quite evil). Even the Maran
>>holy cannibalism reinforces the Ogre Ancestor in some slight way.
>>That's pretty clear. But what about Uz?
>
>Their activities reinforces the Ogre Ancestor in some slight way.
>Likewise the activities of dark chaotic cults (Thanatar, Bagog
>etc) reinforces the Deities of Hell in some slight way, the activities
>of chaotic death cults reinforces other death gods in some slight
>way.
>
>That way we avoid chaos is relative.
No, we don't, although it's a clever "nickle and dime theory of divine balance" -- Orlanth doesn't get an advantage over Yelm for every Solar who takes a breath because Yelm gets collateral worship from Orlanthi fire-lighters.
We know that there are plenty of Gloranthan cultures with unsavory practices -- Aramites, Uz, the Carmanians, the Char-Un and their mother-culture in Pent to name a few -- and these cultures, as far as I know, are no more plagued by chaos than anyone else. If cannibalism, rape, violence, and treachery have to be carried to heroic depths to bring the taint of chaos to a person, then the occassional Alfred Packer among the Heortlings has nothing to fear -- the chance of becoming an ogre is vanishingly small. We must assume that various cultures either a) differ in how they relate to chaos ("chaos relativity") or b) have some sort of cultural protections in place (like a lesser or broader version of the ritual status of Marani cannibalism). Either way, some sins are "worse" for some cultures and people than others.
Then there is the social compact which, when broken, allows chaos into the community. In Heortling culture, secret murder and kinstrife are two acts that damage the compact. In Solar and Lunar lands, neither of these would do it (although I bet patricide calls chaos in Dara Happa), but they likely have other prohibitions. On top of that, Dara Happa seems to have never had as much trouble with chaos as some other cultures. Anyway, this is easily explained, because it is the breach of the social contract, not the exact crime, that calls chaos, so, while it is relative, it does not really touch on this discussion.
I guess I would try to get out of the relativety trap by suggesting that the "slippery slope of chaos" is invoked partly by the acts and partly by the person's feelings or guilt and perversion. The Marani eating human flesh knows that this is a holy act -- she feels no guilt and she is squarely within the embrace of her goddess -- so, even though she is also feeding the Ogre Ancestor, there is no "hook" or "weak spot" for chaos to enter her. Alternatively, a Heortling rapist is more likely to feel the touch of Thed than a similarly "experienced" Char-Un because Heortling society offers no approval at all for his actions -- his guilt (or, at the very least, disassociation from his clan and its protections) leaves the Heortling more open to chaotic influence, horn-growing, etc. The Char-Un has to develop a much higher Love Rape trait to move beyond the protection of his community. What's really important is the loss of the community's protection and approval more than the "act."
If this is true, I suppose that an entire culture could reach the point where it can't protect any of its members and the entire society slides into chaos. While I imagine that this happened to clans and tribes during the Great Darkness (Ogres came from somewhere and Broos weren't always chaotic), if it can happen during Time there must be a pretty high threshold based on the Char-Un, the Aramites, and (on a narrower basis the PargAddi).
Anyway, all evil is not chaos. Glorantha needs to have room for villainy that doesn't lead to mutation and tentacles. The worst people are not necessarily broos, ogres, or gibbering horrors. Normal people are capable of atrocities (and heroism), and there needs to be some room for cultural difference -- Glorantha has not been known for absolutism.
Peter Larsen
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End of Glorantha Digest
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