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Date: Mon, 12 Jul 93 17:15:29 +0200
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From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Mon, 12 Jul 1993, part 2
Precedence: junk
Status: RO

The RuneQuest Daily and RuneQuest Digest deal with the subjects of
Avalon Hill's RPG and Greg Stafford's world of Glorantha.

Send submissions and followup to "RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM",
they will automatically be included in a next issue.  Try to change the
Subject: line from the default Re: RuneQuest Daily...  on replying.

Selected articles may also appear in a regular Digest.  If you 
want to submit articles to the Digest only,  contact the editor at
RuneQuest-Digest-Editor@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM.

Send enquiries and Subscription Requests to the editor:

RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Henk Langeveld)

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From: JLROGERS@utkvx.utk.edu (Jim Rogers)
Subject: Sacred Kingship, and Others
Message-ID: <01H0FI0KINBM8Y506V@utkvx.utk.edu>
Date: 11 Jul 93 17:40:23 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1261

Gang,

	As a first time writer, but long-time reader of the Daily, I want
to take time to schmooze a bit.  Congratulations to all for the generally high quality
of submissions to the Daily.  If the RQ Renaissance sticks, it'll be due to
your efforts in large part.

	Now to business.  Both Greg F. and Joerg B. wrote thoughtfully on
the concept of Gloranthan rulers, and their relationship to "sacred" duties
thereon.  I fully agree with the concept that there is little use in
Glorantha (or our own mythology) for a non-sacred ruler.  Kings, tribal
spokesmen, Emperors (Red or otherwise), and even Godunya, are political
representatives of their people, invested with political power by the
consent of their people.  Thus, they channel a lesser (tribal) or greater
(Godunya) amount of the magic of Glorantha, bound in myth and ceremony, as
the holders of that particular office.  Note that in different cultures,
different forms of "election" of ruler will determine legitmacy of rule. 
While most of Glorantha (unlike most of Terra) sanctions hereditary
succession of some kind, electoral succession (as sanctioned in Terra)
would also carry the same weight.

	Thus, when acting in their capacity as ruler, the capacities of the
rulers far exceed the bounds of normal folk, to Heroic levels, as seen in
Dragon Pass.  I think that there is some kind of calculus for determining
the stature for political rulers, based on number of subjects (or
citizens), but I think that I will leave that for the God Learners.

	"Ah, yes, but what about usurpers?"  Clearly, though they might
hold office, conduct ceremonies, and claim authority, they do _not_ benefit
from this channeling of power into their political office.  It is
illegitimate.  Their power is limited to their own, plus the support of
close followers.  They can, however, gain legitimacy.  Thus, Richard the
Tigerhearted's weak showing against the Lunars, and, possibly, Starbrow's
miserably failed revolt.

	In order to gain legitimacy, either beginning a new rule, such as
Sartar or Pavis, or claiming legitimacy, such as Argrath, takes Heroic
efforts.  That is, the claimant must invest a large amount of his being
into the mythic aspect of the culture that he would claim to rule over.  In
doing so, the populace would be "converted" to the new rule, and lend it
the necessary "magical" power that established rulers possess.

	Postscript:  I wondered after writing this, if the principle
involved in legitimate rulership and power claimed thereon, would also be
true down the scale, to temple heirarchies, local nobility or city
officials, even sheriffs.

	I welcome commentary, rebuttals (hot or not), or small pats on the
back.  Thanks for providing the forum.

	Jim Rogers 

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From: joe@sartar.toppoint.de (Joerg Baumgartner)
Subject: SotB-Thanatar Question
Message-ID: 
Date: 12 Jul 93 07:42:44 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1262

Hooray, SotB is available in my supplier's store, too. Finally...

I don't know if anybody mentioned this before, but in SotB's Thanatar 
cult write-up there is the RQ2-style minimal POW requirement (15 for 
Runelords, 18 for priests). Was this just a slip when reediting the 
write-up? Or does this requirement apply only for becoming Rune rank, 
not staying Rune rank?

How well does this fit with RQ3 (or for that matter RQ4)? It certainly 
reduces the value of a Thanatar head for priests more than for 
Runelords, if a Rune rank has to maintain the POW-requirement, since a 
Runelord can have up to 6 spells reusable per head, the priest only up 
to three. (Remember the increased POW-max from RQ2 is gone in RQ3.)

Quite a pity, too, that the minor heads have gone; I liked the idea of 
a couple of heads rotting on the Thanatari's belt.

A side note to knowledge thieves and assassins: were the (Aldryami) 
knowledge assassins who wiped out the special God Learners sect in 
Fonrit and Umathela related in any way to the Thanatar cult?
-- 
--  Joerg Baumgartner   joe@sartar.toppoint.de

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From: A.J.C.Blyth@newcastle.ac.uk
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Sat, 10 Jul 1993, part 1
Message-ID: 
Date: 12 Jul 93 07:53:03 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1263


>From: awr0@aberystwyth.ac.uk
>Subject: This may be of interest
>Message-ID: <9307091612.AA01619@deca>
>Date: 9 Jul 93 18:12:28 GMT
>X-RQ-ID: 1250
 
awr0@aberystwyth.ac.uk writes the following.
>The question really comes down to how legal is it? In a nice world,
>it would be great to be able to publish your own material as you see 
>fit stating that the material is un-official, and it would be nice 
>to send off the adventure to e.g. AH and have them say 'Sorry it's
>crap, or hey this is great, here have and official endorsement!'

Take a look at Game Master Publications - so long as you put a
disclaimer in saying that RuneQuest is a TradeMark of A.H. and that
this is *not* and official RuneQuest publication they they can not
do a thing about it.

If people are interested I will post the official disclaimer for them.

I myself am in the process of try to get some stuff published and again
if people want I will let them know how I progress.

Regards

Andrew.