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, Fri, 09 Sep 1994, part 2
Sender: Henk.Langeveld@Holland.Sun.COM
Content-Return: Prohibited
Precedence: junk
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From: sandyp@idcube.idsoftware.com (Sandy Petersen)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Thu, 08 Sep 1994
Message-ID: <9409081825.AA00417@idcube.idsoftware.com>
Date: 8 Sep 94 06:25:53 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6121
Mike Dickenson makes a fine summary of the Pralori debate. While I'm
proud to end it, too, I have a final statement that may be useful to
players of these hsunchen.
>I was under the impression that moose _do_ use their antlers to
>fight each other in mating season.
Moose do a little fighting, but the female has the final say,
and it's the display of strength in the combat, not so much who won,
that determines the "winner". When wapiti fight, it is an actual
fight, and the winner conquers the female regardless of her wishes.
Hence, the Pralori are doubtless more male-dominated/female
subjugated than the Aleci. The Aleci, while larger and stronger, are
generally more mild-mannered (doesn't mean they aren't bad news in a
rage), and probably get along better with Orlanthi or other
non-Hsunchen folks.
Jerome
> Is it possible for a spirit to possess a Dream Dragon?
Hmm. I think lots of interesting things should happen to the
spirit doing so. Maybe the shaman would start manifesting draconic
powers/disabilities. Maybe the dragon would have a nightmare.
>make your players roll for INT and POW. They will begin life has
>spirits.Do not tell them!
What a great idea! You also get the added side benefit that
their "host" bodies will undoubtedly have built up a backlog of
enemies, friends, plots, etc., none of which the spirit will have any
inkling of.
In Billy Wilder's fine movie FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO, a British
soldier in North Africa is isolated by Rommel's lightning advance. He
sneaks into the town which is about to be overrun, and to avoid being
made prisoner, he takes on the persona of a waiter who was killed in
a recent air raid (with the connivance of the hotel's staff, who are
anti-German). When Rommel shows up, he takes over the hotel for his
headquarters, and the first night orders the "waiter" to come down to
him. The "waiter", actually the soldier, of course, is pretty damn
nervous, fearing that Rommel has seen through his disguise. But when
he shows up, Rommel and his staff look at him and say, "All right,
what have you learned?" Turns out the waiter that Our Hero
impersonated was an important spy for the Nazis! I won't go into the
rest of the movie, but what a situation! Easily adaptable for a
Gloranthan situation.
Mike Dickenson: dwarfism & gigantism & isolation
>We've just uncovered fossils in New Zealand of a dwarf carnosaur
There is also a dwarf ankylosaur which some folks think may
have been island-based. Nanotyrannus is a miniature tyrannosaur
(which is to say, plenty big enough to tear your average lion to
ribbons), but there's no telling if it was based on an island.
I would expect to find highly peculiar island-isolated
creatures in Jrustela (where some might have been wiped out by human
imports), Teleos, and the East Isles.
JRUSTELA: this is the home of the Timinits, which are plenty weird.
No doubt there's other strange derivative creatures here. The
presence of the Timinits probably means there's few vertebrates. In
my campaign, when we visited Jrustela, there were Sidehill Gougers on
the mountains. Since Jrustela today is largely mountains, it's
clearly to me that specially-modified mountain beasts must be common.
Sidehill Gougers are obvious. Another real possibility is the Polar
Dragon (from Flash Gordon), which is furred and attacked by skimming
down the mountainside using its beaver-like tail as a sled.
TELEOS: fair game for someone to figure out. The humans here are so
weird that the animals have got to be as peculiar at least as
monotremes.
EAST ISLES: I've been doing a lot of work on the East Isles with Nils
W. and Greg F. One conclusion worth sharing even at this early stage
is that the Keets, while many are ducks, represent a wide variety of
sentient flightless bird life. Mike's hoped-for dodos are clearly
present in the East Isles. The Keets also are native to no
particular island, but dwell amidst the humans. There are ducks,
plovers, avocets, etc. And of course my personal favorite, the
flamingo-men.
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From: raphael@research.canon.oz.au (Andrew Raphael)
Subject: Jrustela
Message-ID: <199409082016.AA10326@mama.research.canon.oz.au>
Date: 9 Sep 94 16:16:26 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6123
Mike.Dickison@vuw.ac.nz writes:
>But we should also give nature in Glorantha a chance to do stuff it never got
>around to doing on Earth. New Zealand bats are nearly flightless, preferring
>to run around on the forest floor. So why not (a la Dougal Dixon's book After
>Man) make an island of giant flightless bats? Bat predators (stats for which
>appeared in an old White Dwarf), bat browsers, aquatic bat penguin-analogues,
>and so on. Perhaps a bit of Jrustela?
I'll second the New Zealand - Jrustela connection. I suggested it myself a
while ago, because of the timinits in Jrustela & what I knew of NZ's insect
life. Wetas, Waitomo Cave, etc.
--
Andrew Raphael
"She's probably not what she seems, though she tries"
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From: igorlick@bnr.ca (ian i. gorlick)
Subject: Cult requests
Message-ID: <_19453_Thu_Sep__8_16:19:05_1994_@bnr.ca>
Date: 8 Sep 94 12:18:00 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6124
I will be away for the next 3 weeks.
Will anyone who has requested Vivamort/Thanatar cult writeups and has not
received them, please send me another request in October? I will respond then.
Sorry for any inconvenience.
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From: pheasant@cix.compulink.co.uk (Nick Eden)
Subject: Hikym? Where
Message-ID:
Date: 8 Sep 94 22:20:50 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6125
In-Reply-To: <9409080717.AA00431@glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM>
So that's what all this debates been about! An H&M write up. Pray tell
where can I get a copy?
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From: carlsonp@wdni.com (Carlson, Pam)
Subject: Praxians, Solar musings
Message-ID: <2E6F926A@emssmtp.msm.weyer.com>
Date: 8 Sep 94 22:04:00 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6126
I've been catching up, so I respond to some old stuff.
PRAXIANS & PENTANS
Well, EXCUSE ME for using the words "Trickster" and "respect" in the same
sentence. Maybe I should have used "regard". I got the point, though:
"Trickster, bad... hyenas, bad." But isn't Trickster *occasionally*
appreciated? Hyena ate Genert to keep him safe from chaos, Eurmal helps
Orlanth occasionally, and in Native American stories, Coyote is known for
being rather clever at times.
(BTW, I favor Hyena as the Praxian trickster, because Coyote is too similar
to the Real World).
I would think Praxians & Pentans (& Grazers?) would have a difficult time
selling their animals to anyone who doesn't use Peaceful Cut.
Sandy - I liked the Morokanth ecology - it made great good sense. Now to
steer my bison riders toward the marshes!
Thanks to all for the Hippogrif info. So, there are horses of non-solar
origin? My, this IS getting confusing...
BASMOL
Can Basmol be considered to be a part of the solar scene? Harald Smith has
him originally
wielding lightening bolts at Khelmal's side, frex. I've also been wondering
about the relationship
between lions and gryphons (Ha, Alex! Another spelling!) Are they related?
(My bison riders are going to meet some Basmoli, and I'm wondering whether
to give the lion hsuncheon fire & light spells.)
There are other similarities: lions are yellow, have halo-like manes, and
live in very patriarchal societies.
Coincedence?
Cats seem to be Orlanthi - is there a scandal in there somewhere?
Y(K)ELMAL(IO)
Thanks, Harald for your view - I liked it a lot. In short - "They have a
common origin, but they can
all be different due to heroquests."
I plan to use the following in my campaign:
Antirius: fragment of Yelm, advisor to rulers. (Analogous to O. Rex) Died
after HoG but retained firepowers, knows some obscure (as yet undetermined)
ruler spells. Reborn as a part of Yelm. Worshipped rather secretly by those
Dara Happan nobles who long to oust the Lunars (idea swiped from Nick).
Yelmalio: son of Yelm & Dendara, husband/ protector of Ernalda. Survived
HoG, lost fire. Specializes in light spells noted in Sun County.
Worshipped in Sartar & Prax.
Elmal: possibly a son of Yelm, (could be Yelmalio) possibly an independant
former firegod, like Kargzant. Helped Theyalans through the darkness,
became Orlanth's loyal thane and stead protector. Survived HoG due to help
from Orlanth (see David Gadbois' posting eons ago). Kept fire spells, but
lost associate help from rest of Solar pantheon due to defection to Storm
camp. Therefore, no Resurrections, Sunspear, or other special solar powers.
Still friendly to horses, though. Worshipped in Southern Pelorian
Orlanthi, areas of Sartar, Ralios, and possibly other places.
Khelmal: This one's all Harald's, so I won't presume anything for certain.
( Elmal who took over Orlanth's stead, supplanted him, and thus remained
friendly to the solars and unfriendly to Orlanth?) GREAT myths, though -
keep 'em coming!
DARA HAPPAN DEBATE
I vote to continue it - it's quite relevant to my Dorastor campaign. My
Riskland Orlanthi (one of whom is an Elmali) are becoming involved in Lunar
/ Dara Happan / Orlanthi politics. Heck, PC's can only thrash so many
broos. Incidentally, the players have made a scale model of the stead to
fit inside their 5' X 5' scale model of their fort. Maybe I'll buy some
plastic farm animals.
OFFLINE RAMBLINGS
After reading more pleas to argue Pelorian mythology elsewhere, maybe we
should.
But please include me in the "Raybrain Mailing List". Joerg - I liked the DH
vocabulary list.
carlsonp@wdni.com
Pam
<^==@
/\ /\
---------------------
From: bchugg@leland.stanford.edu (Barron Chugg)
Subject: Rumors of my death, etc, etc.
Message-ID: <199409082340.QAA08710@popserver.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 8 Sep 94 08:48:35 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6127
Jonas:
>It sounds a lot like Barron's "runepath" ideas to me, though I don't think
>he ever got that specific about _how_ the questing should be done. Hey,
>Chugg! You still out there, man?
Huh? What? No, I wasn't sleepin'...Just restin' my eyes!
Yep, I am still out here. I just didn't have much to contiibute to
questions of which god is _really_ which and whether or not elk are moose
are deer are lemmings. To be completely honest, I haven't been doing much
RuneThought lately, but I'll try to shake out the cobwebs and follow up as
best I can.
My basic ideas were posted about a month or two ago, and if anyone is
interested I could dig up copies and email them (just write me and ask).
Andyway, the premis was that runemagic comes from followers walking the
hero paths of the particular god they follow. The more they become like
unto the deity, the farther they could go. Runemagic from this view is the
exercise of a minor, ritualized heroic ability. From long practice and
ritual, you are able to take on some aspect of your god (CA healing power,
Orlanth's Storm nature, etc.).
The initial sacrifice of power was to "learn the path". If it was a path
your god was good at, once you learned, you can walk it again with much
less effort (i.e. the spell is reusable). If the path is not one of the
god's main aspects, then the cost may have to be payed _every_ time the
path is walked (i.e. the spell is not reusable). The concept of "walking"
the path is the one I never clearly figured out. My image is of a minor
heroquest, wrapped in ritual of the cult. But I'd have to do a good dose
of thinking to come up with some specifics (I'll do what I can as time
permits).
I'll review my own notes and see what I can do.
Barron
---------------------
From: gadbois@mcc.com (David Gadbois)
Subject: Reaching Moon MegaCorp North America Limited News
Message-ID: <19940909025457.2.GADBOIS@CLIO.MCC.COM>
Date: 8 Sep 94 16:54:00 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6128
Issue 12 is *still* at the printers'. I will bust some heads there and
try to get it out on Monday afternoon.
In X-RQ-ID 6101, Michael Morrison asks about Reaching Moon product
availability in the States. Mind you, as with any globe-spanning and
middle-manager laden relic of Cold War capitalism international
megacorporation, RMMC experiences periodic oversupplies and shortages in
its various operating units. Alas, we expect this sad state of affairs
to continue despite massive and periodic structural reorganizations,
proxy fights amongst the corporate officers, experiments with the
latest in scientific management techniques, and dabbling in the
derivatives markets.
In particular, the only products currently available in quantity for our
North America customers are copies of Tales issues 10, 11, and (well,
RSN) 12. These sell for US$4.00 each. (All prices include postage.)
Previous issues of Tales are sold out, though there are plans (not
unlike Chaosium's HeroQuest ones) to produce a "Best of Tales"
compendium. I also have a few copies left of O.T.P.K Dickinson's book,
"The Collected Griselda," at US$12.00 each.
I am also doing a couple of pre-order deals for special products.
Please get your orders in by October 1:
o Jar-Eel: Assassin T-Shirts. These are $20.00 each and will arrive in
mid-November.
o Hans' video tapes of RQ-Con 1 (two tapes) and Convulsion '94 (one
tape.) I am not sure what the pricing will be. Does anyone have
ballpark prices for PAL->NTSC conversion and tape duplication?
Note that you lumped in several non-RMMC products (which just happen to
be distributed in Old Soggy by RMMC.) "The Glorious ReAscent of Yelm"
is sold in the States by Wizards' Attic (+1 (510) 547-7681.) David
Cheng may have copies of the RQ-Con
Program Book and "The Rough Guide to Boldhome."
--David Gadbois
---------------------
From: garydj@ditard.dit.gov.au
Subject: This dwarfism thing
Message-ID: <9408097791.AA779144406@ditard.dit.gov.au>
Date: 9 Sep 94 12:00:06 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6129
Mike Dickison mentioned a dwarfed Allosaur had been found in New
Zealand recently.
A Cretaceous dwarf Allosaur has also been found in southern Australia.
It was about two meters long in life which would make it roughly human
sized. However, it probably didn't live on an island as Australia
hadn't separated from Antartica at the time. It was found in deposits
laid down in the rift valley which formed as the two continents began
to break apart. Actually lots of dinosaurs were about this size, its
just the really spectacular and well known dinosaurs are mostly
giants. The interesting thing about this particular Allosaur is that
the place where it was found was below 70 degrees south when it was
alive.
Sorry about the non Gloranthan post, but I couldn't resist adding to
Mike's discussion of dwarfism and giantism.
Gary James
---------------------
From: Argrath@aol.com
Subject: Giant electric penguins
Message-ID: <9409082038.tn576237@aol.com>
Date: 9 Sep 94 00:38:33 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6130
Re: Mike "Adzebill" Dickison's Giant Penguin
It needn't be a little penguin. It can be the biggest penguin you've
ever seen. An electric penguin, twenty feet high, with long green tentacles
that sting people, and you can stab it in the wings and the blood can go
spurting psssssshhhh in slow motion.
Re: What Have I got in my pocket?
Quite a variety of answers on the question of discerning magic items. I
liked the meditation suggestion, disliked the empirical model (what are we
playing, scientists?), and could live with the others. To expand on my
Ceremony roll model: an hour of meditation is about right.
Anything with a spirit in it is obviously a binding object if there is
no user restriction which excludes the person holding it. However, you can
only communicate with the spirit if a) you have a language in common and b)
the spirit wants to talk or you force it to talk. Until you do so, you can't
tell the power of the enchantment. Even then, a stupid or obstructionist
spirit might not inform you correctly.
Re: Why is truestone valuable?
Gerald asks a good question. My answer would be that it is only as
valuable as a divine magic matrix, if it's filled, and approximately 1000 L
per point you could put into it, if it's empty.
--Martin
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From: duncan.hedderley@afrc.ac.uk (HEDDERLE)
Subject: Request for Trade Notes
Message-ID: <0308010809091994_A07915_FRIR_118949F92E00*@MHS>
Date: 9 Sep 94 10:01:16 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6131
Nick Eden (Pheasant@Cix.Compulink.co.uk) writes:
> you're asking for trouble asking the Digest to send you trade notes -
> either everyone will or no-one will send you anything
Well, I've just got one five volume set, and it's printing off right now
(so I can study it at length after work) - THANKS, BUT NO MORE PLEASE!
Duncan Hedderley