Bell Digest v940809p7

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Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 09 Aug 1994, part 7
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From: DevinC@aol.com
Subject: Cult of Baroshi
Message-ID: <9408081840.tn804199@aol.com>
Date: 8 Aug 94 22:40:24 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5556

Devin Cutler here:

Remember Baroshi? The baby godling who was in Snake Pipe Hollow when Termain
Osboropo attacked with the Chaos Maggot? Well, my players listened to Nurse
and freed the godling, who then went to send the Maggot howling back into the
void and thence to reestablish his place in the godplane. 

Now, the cult of Baroshi is growing larger (he was freed about 4 years ago
Gloranthan time) abd establishing its unique niche in the Earth pantheon.

A preliminary draft of the cult writeup is hereinbelow. Suffice to say that
it is to the Earth pantheon what Vinga is to the Storm Pantheon and/or what
Yelorna is to the Solar Pantheon...in other words, it is a cult for male
earth warriors. The cult is only called upon to serve two functions:

1) Fight Chaos...for which it is recognized that Baroshi had great powers
2) To come to the aid of the Earth during crises so large that the female
warriors need more manpower (or person power).

The history of the godling is sparse, but that is to be expected for a
godling who performed a single act or two before becoming trapped within
Time. I will probably create more info on Veralz and Enori for inclusion in
the writeup.

Why am I presenting a writeup of Baroshi?

1) I think male warriors have a place within the Earth pantheon
2) Surely others must have freed Baroshi in their campaigns
3) Since there is no history on this guy, I can pretty much do what I please
without risk of being Gregged or someone-elsed.

THE CULT OF BAROSHI (envisioned after about 5-10 years after his release)

Mythic History:

Baroshi was a godling born of two gods of the Earth, King Verlaz and Queen
Enori. These gods dwelt in the land of the Snakepipe Dancers, in what is now
Snakepipe Hollow, and were worshipped by a variety of local inhabitants.

When Chaos invaded the world, the home of the King and Queen was attacked by
a Chaos Demon named Termain Osboropo, who brought with him a giant Chaos
maggot which chewed its corruption into the Earth.

At the time, Enori was pregnant with child, and when King Verlaz went to
combat the invasion and was slain, Enori gave birth to the godling Baroshi,
and then went to her doom fighting the Chaos fiends.

It was then that Baroshi himself lept up from his cradle, bade goodbye to his
Nurse, and went to fight the Chaos. 

Queen Enori had done well with Baroshi, for while he formed and grew within
her divine womb, she saw the approaching onslaught of Chaos and began to
reshape the embryonic Baroshi from a peaceful deity of Earth into a potent
fighter of Chaos. In this, she was aided by her companion and friend,
Babeester Gor, who saw that the fight against Chaos to protect the Earth
would be a desparate one and would even need the help of men. It is also
said, amongst the High Initiates of the cult, that Stormbull also lent his
aid to the godling, allowing Enori to imbue Baroshi with some of the essence
of the Bull. WHile it is certain that the Stormbull did give Enori some form
of his own powers and skill, many believe this transfer was carnal in nature,
a speculation not appreciated by adherents of the cult.

Thus imbued, Baroshi met and slew Termain. He then fought with the Maggot,
and drove it away from what remained of the palace of the King and Queen. 

Unfortunately for the godling, just as this task was completed, Time was
born, and he became trapped within TIme and was lost to the world.

Recent History:

Baroshi was found and rescued by [fill in the name(s) of whomever rescued
him], who had been enjoined to rescue the godling by the local Ernalda Temple
at Glasswall. With the aid of magic from the ghost of Baroshi's Nurse, the
godling was healed of his temporal stasis and was reborn. The godling
immediately lept to finish his attack upon the Chaos Maggot, which still
chewed through the Earth. After a struggle, the godling sent the Maggot
streaming back into the void, and the Snakepipe Hollow Temple was cleansed.

Once he had completed his deed, Baroshi fought his way outside of Time, so
that he might take his place amongst the gods and goddesses of the
Compromise. After his "re-apotheosis", a cult dedicated to his worship began
to develop amongst the males who worshipped or lived among the worshippers of
the Earth goddesses. The formation of the cult was encouraged by the local
Earth Priestesses, and the cult is very small but growing. Recently, Baroshi
worshipping missionaries have appeared in Esrolia, speaking to the men of
that land.

Holy Days and Runes:

The Runes of Baroshi are Earth, Law, and Mastery

Holy Days commemerate his birth and his release within Time. Of these, his
birth is the High Holy Day, being in Earth Season, Fertility Week, Godsday.

Holy sites to the Cult include the Earth Temple in Snakepipe Hollow.

Initiate Membership:

Initiates of Baroshi are expected to defend the Earth against Chaos. Most of
the Earth Cult hierarchy considers the followers of Baroshi to be fairly
useless in all other matters of Earthly import, but recognizes the importance
of this male-oriented cult in times of dire emergency and against Chaos, when
even men must be called to the fore.

The cult only accepts males. They must have exhibited a sincere love of the
Earth and a hatred of Chaos. In addition, they must pass three out of five
tests involving the following skills:

Ceremony, Weapon Attack, Shield Parry, Scan, Dodge

Spriti Magic:

Strength, Shimmer, Disrupt, Vigour, Protectiion, Detect Chaos

Special Spirit Magic:
DETECT CHAOS 3 point
Temporal, Active,  Instant, Ranged

This spell works like the Stormbull skill, except that the Chaos must be in
contact with the Earth in order to be detected. However, no amount of Earth
will block this spell. Due to the unpredictability of Chaos, this spell does
not always function accurately. The chance of the caster to successfully
detect Chaos is Pow x3%. If this roll is failed, no information is gained but
if it is fumbled, then false information is given. In any case, only a
general uneasiness will occur. The spell will not pin point the exact
location of the Chaos nor tell how many sources of Chaos are within its
range.

Earth Fighter Membership:

This is the pinnacle of the cult, being masters of fighting Chaos in defense
of the Earth. The position requires a 90% skill in Weapon Attack and Shield
Parry, and three of the following at 90%:

 Ceremony, Dodge, Scan, or Search

They must have a POW of 15 and know the spell of Detect Chaos.

Earth Fighters are required to always give aid to any Earth Cultist in
response to a call to fight Chaos. This is their overwhelming passion,
although they are not beserkers like the Stormbulls. Earth Fighters are
expected to obey all Priestesses of Ernalda, Grain Goddesses, and all
Runelevels of Babeester Gor, and to aid or protect them when the need arises.

Earth Fighters must devote 50% of their time and income to the cult, but htey
must always heed a call during emergencies. They may use cult spells
reusably, but only DI on a D00 roll.

Divine Magic:

Common - Heal Wounds, Worship Baroshi, Dismiss Magic, Spellteaching
Special - Shield, Enchant Amber, Earthburn, Defend Against Chaos

Enchant Amber  1POW
ritual Enchant, reusable, stackable

This spell must be cast upon a piece of Amber. Once performed, the piece of
Amber may be wielded properly only by the Enchanter. The amber sparks and
sputters continuously, and looks quite dangerous.

Anyone but the Enchanter who touches the Amber with bare skin will lose 1 Str
and 1 Con per MR. Such drain is temporary, regained at 1 point of each per
day.

When used as a weapon by the Enchanter, the amber is wielded at the user's
Fist attack skill. The piece of amber itself does D4 damage (like a rock)
plus strength bonus. If any amount of damage actually penetrates armour and
contacts the skin of the target, then 1 Strength and 1 Con are drained from
the victim. This characteristic drain is regained at a rate of 1 point for
each characteristic per day. Note that contact with skin is all that is
required in order to drain characteristics. Even if an opponent has armouring
enchantment upon his skin or scales (like a dragon), the characteristic drain
will still work. Only actual armour, or protective magics like Shield,
Protection, or Damage Reiststance will stop the draining effects.

If the Amber strikes a being of Chaos, however, it activates with a huge
flash of sparks and a smell of burnt earth. The amber will cause 2D4 damage
(plus strength bonus) and, if it contacts skin, it will drain D3 Strength and
D3 Constitution from that foe. If the wielder sends MP into the enchanted
amber, then for each MP placed into the amber, add D3 damage to the amount of
damage done, and, if characteristic drain occurs, ad +1 to the amount of
Strength and the amount of Constitution drained. Any MP placed into the amber
will be retained by the amber for 25MR before dissipating. When the amber
contacts a being of Chaos, the MP are dissipated anyways in the flash.

The maximum MP that can charge the amber is determined at the time of
enchantment (see below).

Opponents drained to 0 Str or 0 Con collapse and cannot move until Str or Con
reaches 1.

The enchantment used to create the amber is stackable. That is, for each POW
stacked into the casting at the time of creation, 1 MP may be placed into the
amber to charge it. The enchantment requires a piece of amber hand sized,
upon which the proper runes are engraved and over which the blood of a thing
of Chaos is smeared.

Earthburn  1POW
Temporal, Ranged, Reusable, Stackable

This spell causes the Earth to burn anything of Chaos which touches it. This
burning is not heat or fire, but a painful rejection by the Earth and a
lashing out of Earthpower. Each point of this spell causes a patch of Earth
(not worked stone) to burn things of Chaos which are in contact with it. This
contact need not be fleshy contact.

Each patch measures 3x3 meters. If another point is stacked with the spell,
this area may be cubed, and so on. Thus, a 3POW Earth burn would cover an
area 9x9 meters.

Earthburn does D3 damage to general hit points. The spell must overcome the
MP of the Chaos in order to affect it, but since the effect si being powerd
by the earth itself, the spell attacks with a POW of 30. For each additonal
point stacked in the spell which is not used to increase the area, the spell
will do an extra D3 of damage.

Thus, if Molokki the Earth Fighter casts a 6 point Earthburn, he could do 6D3
in a 3x3m area, or 3D3 over a 9x9m area.

Countermagic will protect against this damage if matched against the points
in the spell that apply to increased damage.

Associated Cults:

The following cults are associated and grant Divine Magics:

Ernalda provides Command Gnome (but not Summon or Bind Gnome), Command Snake,
and Earthpower

Babeester Gor provides Earthshield (i.e. Great Parry)

***

If anyone else has had any ideas on Baroshi, please post them or email them
to me. Also, I would like to see posted anyone's full writeup of Firshala.

Regards,

Devin Cutler
devinc@aol.com




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From: rowe@glorantha.berkeley.edu (Eric Rowe)
Subject: RuneQuest Con 2 Registration!
Message-ID: <2e389ec8.glorantha@glorantha.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 29 Jul 94 06:16:39 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5527

Here is the basic information needed to registrer for RQCon2, please read
it thoroughly. Registration will not be accepted through e-mail. You must
copy the form at the end of this mailing and send it in. The american
distribution of Tales will also have copies of this form. Please copy
this lots and invite your friends.


Runequest Con 2
January 13-16, 1995
San Francisco Clarion Hotel

Guests of honor: Greg Stafford, Sandy Peterson, Ken Rolston and the
original authors of RQ, Steve Perrin, Ray Turney, Steve Henderson and
Warren James

Live-Action Gloranthan Role-playing in The Broken Council and How the West
was One, as well as other special live-action role-playing events.

Role Playing Events: Runequest, Ars-Magica, Skyrealms of Jorune, Call of
Cthulhu, Pendragon, Elric!, Nephilim and more.

Boardgames and Miniatures: Dragon Pass, Nomad Gods, Pantheons and
Miniatures.

Special Events: Trollball, Orlanthi Storytelling, Eat at Geo's, Costumes,
Auction and lots of seminars by our guests on RQ, Glorantha and the other
fine game worlds.

Our Feature events are the following two live-action games...

How the West was One: The year is 1625 and it is time for the Seventh
Ecclesiastical Council of Malkion at the University of Sog City. The
prophet Notslor has called this council to try and unite the splintered
factions of Malkionism. You play the part of an member of the council
hoping to prove your version of Malkionism, avoid civil strife and further
your own career, all while the gathering clouds upon the horizon portend
the growing evil of the nearby Kingdom of War.  Will the West be One? (9
hours, 68 players)

The Broken Council: Participate in the most important event of the first
age of Glorantha, the creation of Osentalka, the perfect god who will
herald the return of the Golden Age.  From political infighting to
terrible battles, the fate of Glorantha rests in the hands of the
representatives to the Second Council in Dorastor.  Players will be the
great figures of Glorantha's past as they struggle to shape the future in
the image of their personal beliefs. This is your chance to help create a
god. (7 hours, 46 players)

Important Note:

It is very important to pre-register for this convention.  Space in the
two centerpiece live-actions is limited. Participation in the two LARPs
will be determined by a random drawing to be held on Sept. 15.  If there
are still more spaces available afterwards, they will be given on a first
come basis. Even if you do not want in one of the live-actions, after we
get your registration we will send you the Convention packet in two to
three weeks. It contains hotel information, events, gamemastering,
volunteering and a questionnaire. By pre-registering you will be able to
make sure we will be holding the events and seminars you want to attend.

For more information or questions please contact us at...

RuneQuest Con 2 		rqcon@erzo.berkeley.edu
2520 Hillegas Ave #101		(510) 649-8601 (Eric)
Berkeley, CA 94704		(510) 649-7467 (Shannon)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
RunQuest Con 2 membership form.

Make your check or money order payable to Eric Rowe. Do not send cash.

___ Full Membership $30

___ One Day (Sat. or Sun.) Membership $15

___  Featured LARP $15. List which one here ___________________. If I do
	not get into the LARP of my choice I would like to be in the
	other _______[yes or no].

___ Total enclosed. Volunteers, gamemasters and those not getting into a
	LARP will get refunds at the convention.

Mail this form to: RuneQuest Con 2, 2520 Hillegas Ave #101, Berkeley, CA 94704

Name:________________________________ Phone (_____) ______________
Address:______________________________ e-mail _____________________
City:___________________________State:______ Zip:__________________


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From: henkl@aft-ms (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland)
Subject: Runes and the Eye in the Pyramid...
Message-ID: <9408080822.AA11258@yelm.Holland.Sun.COM>
Date: 8 Aug 94 12:22:28 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5528


At convulsion we had some discussion about
Runes and there being hundreds of them, sometimes
different runes standing for the same thing,
sometimes the same rune representing different
things.

So for some people the Sun rune is the "eye" rune.

This prompted me to wonder what the "eye in the 
pyramid" stands for.

Ideas?


Only as I write this, I realise it is the same as

	"Sun in Law"


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From: jiml@falcon.teleride.on.ca (Jim Lai)
Subject: Belated response
Message-ID: 
Date: 8 Aug 94 00:23:00 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5529

joe@sartar.toppoint.de (Joerg Baumgartner) writes a few days back:
>The (very nice) story about the humming-bird and its cause (butterflies 
>being insects, being creatures of Darkness) made me think about Insects 
>in Glorantha. I came to the conclusion that insects have their origin 
>as creatures of the darkness, but they go through a life cycle which 
>brings (at least some of them) through the other elements.

>Gorakiki is a deity of many faces, and while (s)he stems from darkness, 
>(s)he learned to transform into other stages.

Would this mean that Gorakiki has a secret rune-level Rebirth spell
available?  And what's all this nonsense about a Humaktbird?

John Strauss :
>But note those sneaky lunar missionaries, over in the Teelo Noori
>soup kitchen. Free food for all lay members! But first, let's say
>grace, and thank Teelo Noori and all the Seven Mothers for the food
>that is set before us......

Here's a nasty rumor/thought: rune soup with noodles shaped like runes
in hopes that combinations will randomly form a fragment of a Nysalor Riddle.

Nils Weinander writes:
>I think this one pf the points where Kralorela is very different from RW
>China. Kralorelans in good standing do not remain in accessible spirit
>form after death. The spirit leaves for Vithela, and thence to worlds
>unknown when the emperor dies. Thus any human spirit encountered is
>really disreputable, perhaps even a deceased Hsunchen (ptoi!).

I was thinking about rescues of the Anguished Dead who spread into the
world between the reigns of the two true Emperors.  One would possibly
defeat them and then inform them that they could go home now and make
their way to Vithela.  GoG wasn't clear on the nature of the Tortured
Dead.  Did they find peace once Godunya ascended the throne, or are
they still wandering the world?

Also, how to City Gods fit in the Kralorian way of thinking?  Perhaps the
orthodox view is that these ancestors may have gone to Vithela, but they
still lend a helping hand to those left behind.  (Obligations tying one
to the world even after death.  It's a rather Dragonewt conception, which
is a bonus here.)

Now that I think about it, the sorcerer-martial artist could be the sorcerous
analogous to the rune lord (battle-priest).

As to the Eastern times of night: theft, murder, curse, cannibal, monster,
torture, and spark-in-the-sky... could these correspond to Godtime events
in the Lesser and Greater Darknesses?  Might the spark-in-the-sky be the
destruction of the Spire of Law?  Monster time could be tied with the influx
of chaos.  Cannibal time would be the result of starvation during the
sleep of Ernalda/the Grain Goddesses.  Torture time might have a connection
with the Tortured Dead: the spirits of those who were warped by chaos?

GrimJim

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From: mcarthur@fit.qut.edu.au (Robert McArthur)
Subject: Strangers in Prax... did I miss the announcement?
Message-ID: <199408080850.SAA26074@ocean.fit.qut.edu.au>
Date: 9 Aug 94 04:50:37 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5530

Having seen some people talking about having played with it, have I missed
the announcement and the inevitable (and awaited) comments on it?  Or has my
memory flipped its lid and SiP actually came out 3 years ago and is sitting
at the bottom of my closet under my tennis racquet?

Robert


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From: DevinC@aol.com
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Mon, 08 Aug 1994, part 2
Message-ID: <9408080530.tn776632@aol.com>
Date: 8 Aug 94 09:30:30 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5531

Devin Cutler here:

John Medway asks:

"How well are usenet newsgroups gatewayed (obviously not the correct form of
the infinitive "to gateway", but whatever) to CI$, AOL, and the other online
services?"

AOL has full access to all newsgroups.

Curtis wries:

" While I really liked the idea of the Evergone I'd like to
suggest a slight modification. I had a place in old campaign that acted
in a similar fashion. The memories of the person came to life. But the
simulacra thus created were crafted soley from the mind of the person
involved."

I thought about that approach, but really wanted to have the Evergone hooked
into the Gloranthan Collective memory. That makes it a bit more fantastical
(my word), jibes with its origin, and besides, I love the idea of collective
consciousness (on earth and in Glorantha).

Regards,

Devin Cutler
devinc@aol.com


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From: henkl@aft-ms (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland)
Subject: Prax, fire, fuel
Message-ID: <9408080945.AA11573@yelm.Holland.Sun.COM>
Date: 8 Aug 94 10:45:58 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5532


I'm thinking of starting a campaing in the Wastes/Prax,
starting characters out as a couple of beast riders.

First get them through a couple of 'mundane' adventures
(initiation, raiding, broo-bashing... should give me at
 least one scenario each) and was wondering about some
of the everyday aspects of living in the wastes...

Question:

Do the riders use fire?

	(chasing wild animals at night,
	 staying warm - alternative: cuddle up with the herd...
	 cooking ...)

If so, what would they burn, considering the scarcity of
wood?   Hmmm, dung of course...

This prompted me to discover:


Woodgrass - a native growth of the plains, which is too
hard to actually provide any nutrition to the herds.  A
common task of the tribes is to cut down the swaths of
grass and mix it with dung for fuel.  

Hmmm, think I've answered my own questions again...

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From: henkl@aft-ms (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland)
Subject: Re: yeast, microscopes...
Message-ID: <9408081014.AA11674@yelm.Holland.Sun.COM>
Date: 8 Aug 94 11:14:35 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5533

Martin Crim  writes:
>     Oh, and the reason that the Rheinheitsgebot doesn't mention
>yeast is that no one knew what it was when the law was written. 
>This foam just appeared on the wort.  Either it was airborne (as
>is still practiced with Belgium's Kriek) or it was transferred
>from the last batch through dosing it (as with yogurt or
>sourdough bread starter today) or through using tools covered
>with the stuff from the last batch.  Before microscopes, nobody
>really understood it.  Some brewers called it "God is Great."


Well, like disease in Glorantha is not transferred through
germs, but through spirits(?), there is no yeast in Glorantha,
only the 'ale spirit'.  It does have a physical manifestation
though, very much like yeast :-)

What's so special about things you can't see but exist nonetheless?  
We know there's something there.  You burn everything touched by a Broo,
and you invite the spirits into your brewing kettles...

IMO, people in olden times did not *need* microscopes.  Fun things
for scholars, though...  So now you know it consists of tiny
little bits, so what?  Want to discuss the number of angels that
will fit on the head of a nail?

-- 
Henk	|	Henk.Langeveld@Sun.COM - Disclaimer: I don't speak for Sun.
oK[]	|	Single Point of Change, Multiple Points of Reference