Re: Questions about Malkioni from Trotsky on 2002-10-31 (Glorantha Digest Vol 09)

From: Trotsky <TTrotsky_at_blueyonder.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 19:33:26 +0000

>
>
>1 How do grimoires look like? Are there any difference between that of
>Wizards belonging to church and that of Sorcerers who only care with Logic,
>Praxis and Doxis? (Maybe Efendi expects a sort of free symposium between
>wizards, like very enlightened area like God Learners or modern Sog
>City....)
>

It depends. Some will look just the same, but many Church grimoires will include moral lessons about the use of the spell and how it is really an analogy for whatever piece of doctrine they feel like promoting. Books of Blessings, of course, are like this all the way through, with copious examples and biographical details from the saint's life (usually - there are a few exceptions, St Kipperly being one such).

>2 What kind of materials are used in standard grimoires aside from Blue Book
>of Zzabur made from skins of enemies? Is it parchment or papyrus?
>(How about the saturation level of true "paper" books?)
>

It could be anything, really. But personally, I believe that the Malkioni mostly use parchment to make their books. Paper is primarily an oriental thing, IMO.

>3 How can characters use the same quotations from Abiding Book blessings /
>cursings as well as spells? (See HW 1st p.199)
>

HeroQuest will make this much clearer. Any Malkioni can use the blessings in the Abiding Book if he's been taught them. Being able to read might help as well (which most Malkioni can't, of course), but a lot of this is passed down orally. In practice most player characters will be able to use the Blessings of their favourite saint, too.

>How far ordinary clergies
>understand the sentences? Or they simply read without understanding of
>passages as many RW Feudal European catholic priests?
>

The clergy can all read, so I don't think they have a great problem in this area. Most people have to be taught it verbally.

>
>4 What is the Pure Form of Sorcery Spells in sounds and pronunciations? Is
>it pure sounds of Runes? (See HW 1st p.191)
>

I'd think so, yes. Or something very much like it. Although, as always, there are exceptions!

> Is it like a sort of Machine
>Language if I make comparison spell links to Sorcery Plane with downloading
>files in Internet Access?
>

Mostali sorcery might well be!

>6 How about the flexibility of each sorcery spells in comparison with
>theistic feats or animist fetches?
>

Sorcery spells are not flexible - they do what exactly what it says on the tin. Want to do something else, you either take a penalty, or you research a new spell. Personally, I'd make blessings as flexible as theist feats - does this sound like the sort of thing your saint might have done? If so, pray to him and see what happens.

>7 If I want concrete example like a sort of situation when sorcerers ravaged
>a church and stole their Grimoire. How can they download alien creed spell
>links from adept plane? Or should they try to go Saint Plane? (See
>Narrator's Book p.27)
>

Adept plane, I believe. That's where the sorcery spells 'are'. The Saint Plane is for saints and is (roughly speaking) where the blessings come from.

>8 What will it occur in future Illiteracy Era in Malkioni Areas? I know you
>don't know it, but if sorcerers cannot read anything....? (KOS)
>

This would clearly be a major bummer, yes. But, of course, KoS assumes that Argrath is going to win, whereas we all know its really going to be the Malkioni who come out on top and re-shape the universe in their own image, don't we? :-)

-- 
Trotsky
Gamer and Skeptic

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Trotsky's RPG website: http://www.ttrotsky.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/



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