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, Wed, 04 May 1994, part 2 Sender: Henk.Langeveld@Holland.Sun.COM Content-Return: Prohibited Precedence: junk --------------------- From: werewolf@VNET.IBM.COM (Charles Keith-Stanley) Subject: Eurmal Cult Description Message-ID: <9405040019.AA14561@Sun.COM> Date: 4 May 94 00:18:29 GMT X-RQ-ID: 3898 Some while ago, a request for the "official" Eurmal cult writeup was posted here on the digest. Since Phil Davis is my GM (and my character is not, NOT *NOT!!* a Eurmali, he's a Donandar initiate -- okay, maybe he is just a bit Eurmali -- okay, he's a Priest of Eurmal, all right?), I badgered Phil into giving me a softcopy of his handout. It doesn't have the distribution stats the original requester mentioned, but I believe it's the most accurate cult description you're going to get. By the way, I personally believe Phil is an avatar of Eurmal. Or else every character in our party has been touched in the head. Or both... -------------------------- Start Attached File ------------------------ THE CULT OF EURMAL By Philip Davis I. MYTHOS AND HISTORY A. Before Time This troublemaker is a jester and a fool, but armed with divine energy and strength. His tricks change the world, his pranks create or destroy. Sometimes his jokes are harmless, such as when he attended a banquet of the Celestial Court and caused their clothes to become invisible. Eurmal can be helpful, as illustrated when he distracted the gate guards of Hell so that the Lightbringers could slip by. Often he is malicious, as when he ate all the flying raccoon babies. Despite his cunning, he is just as often the butt of jokes as he is the jokester. Eurmal is a self-indulgent buffoon. Eating, drinking, and fornicating are his favored activities; thievery and callousness are his entertainments. Every sensible deity throws this bum out of his court if he can, and every sensible human throws his worshiper out of his house. Only Orlanth can (sometimes) control him. Eurmal is usually shown as an attractive being provocatively dressed and impishly grinning, often with sharpened teeth. With one hand he holds a bag of tricks while making an obscene gesture with the other. He was born on the edges of the Spike. His mother was Uleria, and his birth was a result of Uleria's seduction of the Boggle race. After the Sublime Goddess accepted the affections of this race born of the Disorder Rune a single birth resulted. Into this birth Uleria threw all the remnants of the Boggles lust and a portion of her own virtues. The result was a Being who was, at once, a fair and beguiling God and a strange unpredictable Boggle. Eurmal performed many pranks in his growth period and showed both compassion and cruelty as well as other opposed groups of virtues. While Eurmal roamed The Spike he found the Storm Gods being born in wild flailings and undisciplined violence. He liked this and decided that these Gods were closer to his type of being than either the Celestial Court or The Solar Gods. He took the form of a young God and played around on the sides of Kero Fin. There he encountered and made friends with the youngest of the Storm gods, the one known as Orlanth. Thus began a long and fruitful acquaintance. The best known trick done by Eurmal in the time before Time was the Tricking of Death from Humakt, and then his participation in the Lightbringer's Quest along with Orlanth. There is one other deed done by Eurmal that should be considered. This occurred when Eurmal persuaded the entire race of Boggles to face and fight against Chaos to defend his mother Uleria. In doing this he caused the death of his Father to save his Mother. B. Since Time Began Eurmal has found himself restricted in action by the Great Compact. He is featured now in stories of Orlanth's trials and does small jokes around the King's Court. Still sometimes the King's Fool gets free and roams the Hero Plane committing pranks and jokes to the dismay of the Gods. Most of the modern stories of Eurmal show him getting help, in some cases from a spider or other pest or perhaps a man, to get loose of the leash of Orlanth and how Orlanth and the other Gods and their helpers finally trick him back to his garret room. C. Life After Death Eurmal believes that death is the final responsibility and is, when he thinks about it, upset at it having been his fault. The idea of tricking death is one of his favorites. Therefore resurrection is available to his cult members. D. Runic Associations Eurmal is associated through his parentage with the runes of Disorder and Life and, through his reluctant fealty to Orlanth, the Storm Rune. II. NATURE OF THE CULT A. Reason for Continued Existence The cult of Eurmal provides a place for those who cannot find a place within a culture and whose lack of discipline or the ability to act in concert with others makes even the other outlaw cults too restrictive. B. Social/Political Position and Power Within Orlanthi lands Eurmal is given a position as Fool and advisor. These positions are not the normal interpretations of those terms as the Fool is considered mad and therefore may be touched by the God. As an advisor Eurmal is guardian of the Changes which the Orlanthi culture, as it matures, needs reinstated into its ways. There is always a Eurmal cultist at the side of an Orlanth Rex Thane or King to remind him of the changes in the world it was necessary for young Orlanth to go through to attain Kingship. Outside Orlanthi lands, Eurmal is treated as any of the other Trickster Gods and considered fair game. C. Particular Likes and Dislikes Eurmal enjoys a good joke. For that matter Eurmal enjoys a bad joke. He likes to break up the stolidity that he finds around him. He likes and yet is disdainful of those cults which strive to use Disorder to their own ends and will usually aid and abet Storm Bulls and such in causing violence and mischief. Eurmal likes the movement and confusion caused by impetuous acts and for this reason finds the Storm gods his aides. Eurmal dislikes Stasis and Law Rune cults, except for Lhankor Mhy who helped save him as he walked the Lightbringer Walk. Eurmal opposes Chaos because, should Chaos destroy the world there would be no one to play his jokes on. III. ORGANIZATION A. Inter-Cult Organization There is a Eurmal shrine attached to each Orlanth Temple in Orlanthi lands. If the Orlanth temple is dedicated to the Rex aspect then there will be a full temple there. B. Intra-Cult Organization The very rare full temple to Eurmal will consist of one Priest and a number of Acolytes. There may or may not be a Lord or Lords. C. Center of Power, Holy Place There are many Holy Places spread out over Glorantha to remind people of Eurmal's presence. The Tree that Bears Bears in Tarsh is one. In the Wastes is found the Spring Whose Sand is Water. The Gingerbread Loaf in Sartar is Holy to Eurmal as well as others. If there is a center of power for the Eurmal cult it is found in the city of Whitewall in Heortland. Within this city is found the largest Orlanth Rex Temple in Genertela and therefor the largest Eurmal Temple. Of course there is a rumor of a Great Temple to Eurmal being found in the refuse heap of the Old Wind Temple in Sartar, but this probably is only a rumor. D. Holy Days and High Holy Days Holy Days are held five times a year and are completely at the whim of the Priest presiding over the Temple/Shrine. The High Holy Day of the year is held the last day of the year before Sacred Time. IV. LAY MEMBERSHIP A. Requirements to Join Anyone who wishes to join this cult as a lay member who does not have visible Chaos taints may do so. B. Requirements to Belong Anyone who wishes to stay a member has to show his willingness to puncture the propriety of the culture he resides in. C. Mundane Benefits Sometimes a shrine or other member will help a laymember in the workings of a prank or otherwise aid him. D. Skills No special skills are presented to lay members. E. Spirit Magic No spirit magic is presented to laymembers at discounts. V. INITIATE MEMBERSHIP A. Requirements for Initiation Unlike less structured Trickster cults, Eurmal requires Initiates to show ability in any five skills. These skills must either be not useful in the normal matter or must be used in an abnormal and hopefully amusing way. B. Requirements to Remain Initiates Initiates must sacrifice one point of Power on each Holy Day and all Magic Points plus one point of Power on the High Holy Day of the cult. This must be done only if there is a shrine or Temple within five days travel of the initiates location. C. Mundane Benefits Eurmal temples and shrines will usually provide an initiate with a bolt hole or way out of trouble. D. Skills The skills of Sleight, Devise and Conceal are generally available for Initiates to learn in temples to Eurmal. E. Spells Spirit magic is available to initiates at shrines and temples. Generally the Spirit spells: Befuddle; Glamour; Glue and Mobility are available, as well as the special spirit spell Hotfoot. VI. RUNE LORD MEMBERSHIP A. General Statement The Lord of Eurmal is generally considered to be completely insane. Unlike the Storm Khan of Storm Bull there is generally no way for an outsider to predict what a Prankster will do. Or why. A Prankster of Eurmal has a special relationship with his god, this allows his god special rules regarding Divine Intervention. A Prankster must roll a Power * 5% or less. If successful then he rolls a D10 for Power cost, if unsuccessful then he must roll as an Initiate. B. Requirements A Prankster of Eurmal must know at least 5 skills at 90% or better. These skills must be divergent with no more than one of each type: Manipulation; Combat; Knowledge; Perception; Communication; Agility; Stealth. Common Divine Magic: Worship Eurmal. Special Divine Magic: Reusable: Reflection; Charisma; Clever Tongue; Conceal; Hide Fire; Group Laughter. VII. RUNE PRIESTHOOD A. General Statement Any member of the cult can act as a Priest of the cult. In Orlanthi lands once this is recognized by the Orlanthi the position is made permanent. B. Requirements Must be an Initiate. Must be recognized by an Orlanthi Priest. Once recognized all standard requirements are attached to the Priest. Common Divine Magic: Sanctify; Worship Eurmal. Special Divine Magic: Reflection; All Illusions spells; Charisma; Clever Tongue; Conceal; Group Laughter; Hide Fire; Lie. CULT SPECIAL SPIRIT SPELL Hotfoot: 1 point ranged, instant If the target's magic points are overcome, he receives a burning pain in one foot (chosen by the caster), and cannot stand on that foot for the rest of the melee round. If the target succeeds in a DEX * 5% roll, he can hop around on his other foot until the heat dies down. Otherwise, he falls down. CULT SPECIAL RUNE SPELLS Charisma 1 point ranged, temporal, nonstackable, reusable This spell doubles the APP of the target. No matter how high APP goes, the target remains recognizable. Clever Tongue 1 point ranged, temporal, nonstackable, reusable Doubles the target's skill percentiles in Orate and Fast Talk for the duration of the spell. ASSOCIATED CULTS Chalana Arroy: This goddess recognized the usefulness of Eurmal on the Lightbringers Quest and has made available to him the spell of Heal Wound. Issaries: His aid in finding a way around obstacles on the way to Hell prompts the God of Trade to gift the spell Lock on the Trickster. Lhankor Mhy: Even the trickster recognized Lhankor Mhy's value on the rigorous journey to restore the lost sun. This odd mutual respect ended up in the spell Clairvoyance. Orlanth: Eurmal the trickster proved his value many times on the quest, and was finally conquered, though not tamed, by Orlanth. As a result of this strange relationship Orlanth gifted Eurmal with the spell Command Sylph. SPECIAL NOTES CONCERNING ORLANTH Because of the special relationship between Orlanth and Eurmal certain abilities are gained by Orlanth Priests and Lords. These are: 1. The ability to sense the presence of Eurmal cultists on a roll of POW * 3%. 2. They always have at least a 50% chance to resist Eurmali magic. 3. The Command Worshipper Rune Spell of Orlanth Rex will work (50% chance to resist) on Eurmal cultists. ---------------------------- End Attached File -------------------------- Howlingly yours, Charles Keith-Stanley | Sister lovers, | Quote of the month: The Werewolf of London | Water brothers; | All good work is done in (Ah-rooooooooooooooo!) | And in time, | defiance of management. werewolf@vnet.ibm.com | Maybe others... | -- Bob Woodward