Issaries/Etyries and the Garzeen Geas

From: Ian Gorlick <ian_gorlick_at_sympatico.ca>
Date: Mon, 05 May 2003 17:49:07 -0500


(actually Alison)

        In the Garzeen Middleman myth (Cults of Prax), he fell head-over-heels in love with Fenela, daughter of King Froalar. She demanded he perform an unspecified task for her before marrying him. The task set was to bring all the parts of dead Genert's body together, which was deemed impossible. The Desert Trackers (members of the Goldentongue/Trader Prince subcult) are not themselves subject to the geas, but can relieve a Garzeen follower of it if one is willing to buy a portion of Genert off a Middleman merchant. Hyaena skins are well-known as potentially parts of Genert, but other (undescribed) forms of his corpse exist as well.

        Before deciding that Etyries wouldn't have the geas herself, it would be fun to look at the possibilities of this. There's no reason why there might not be some obscure myth that Etyries, a loving sister of Garzeen, promised to help him to fulfill his vow. Or if one is to read "daughter of Issaries" in the same way as "Daughter of Pavis", i.e. one of his priests (credit to Nick?), it may just be an inherited geas that fit with the Lunar Mythos. Their Goddess came back from the disintegrated dead, why not Genert?

        A reunited Genert would bring many benefits to the Lunar Empire. It would probably bring renewed fertility to much of Genertela, including Prax (not then a Lunar conquest) and the nomad steppes of Pent. They might be arable land now, or even capable of supporting forests if not cropped or burnt regularly. This latter feature would be a great boon to the Lunars, as the Pentans are dedicated enemies of theirs. It would also probably make winning the annual challenge against Valind easier, as greater Life and Fertility would be opposed to Valind's Cold and Death affiliations. Certainly once the Empire expanded as far as Prax, it would make the Wastes much less formidable, and weaken the Praxian nomads.

        So, I can see positive benefits to keeping the Genert Resurrection Project afloat as a minor, long-term scheme of the Empire (with its own budget and bureaucracy, of course!). Sorcerous projects dedicated to perfecting the Genert-detectors so that any well-equipped team could prospect for him
(merchants are just not motivated); scholars researching the likeliest sources
of bits of Genert; the subjugation of Prax secretly promoted by the department as a more direct route to the 'growing grounds'; in short a nice bureaucratic boondoggle.

        In fact, they might have (or claim to have) a small but dedicated cadre of their own Desert Trackers to officially carry out this aim. Once their merchants start moving into Prax, where the chances of finding geas-ridden bits of hyaena skin become more likely (and where they may be foisted upon an incautious merchant on purpose by fervent Lunar-haters), it would behoove the Empire to be able to reassure their merchants. "Don't worry, the Goddess will look after you - we have trained people to take care of this little problem!".  Of course, this High Priest was in Corflu, which is one of the armpits of the Empire, so he didn't have a hope of dumping his scrap of Genert within the allotted week. But maybe in Pavis...

        On another plane, Ian suggests that this is a perfect example of an initiation story/ritual for traders. Garzeen got hit by the first Bad Deal. He promised to do something sight unseen because of his desire for Fenela. A Lesson for Initiates: Always Examine the Goods Before You Buy!

        I've always liked the Genert Geas, myself. It's something that the GM can always use for a scenario hook, and I think that the MGF possibilities are greater if Etyries is also subject to it. YGMV, of course, but now that it's been brought up, I'm definitely keeping it in.

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