>Me>[The Uz's cannibal 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, [...]
> 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,
Already we're striking problems. Violence is not intrinsically chaotic neither are most forms of cannibalism (Praxians, Uz and Salilgori).
Secondly, what was said on the HeroWars list was that repeatedly performing a chaotic act improved the odds of a chaotic taint. Nothing about "heroic depths".
More importantly, merely because an entity is being strengthened by collateral worship does not mean that a manifestation of the entity appears in the immediate vicinity where the collateral worship took place. Hence Uz cannibalism does not mean that their neighborhoods are overrun by Ogres. It simply means that the Ogre Ancestor, wherever he may be, is made stronger in some slight way by the Uz ritual cannibalism. He can pass that strength onto where his worshippers are.
Hence your general objection does not arise.
>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.
How do secret murder and kinstrife let chaos into the community? Secret Murder isn't chaotic AFAIK and kinstrife is only weakly associated with chaos - the Orlanthi myth about it doesn't mention chaos for example.
>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."
Whereas if we can say all rape is bad no matter who does it, we can avoid having to wade through this... theorizing.
> 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.
How does a position of "chaos is not culturally relative" preclude this?
--Peter Metcalfe
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