While I don't know the answers, I notice that if you do *not* provide the opposition, opposition will be "sucked in" to fill the gap, as it were. And that magical skills and things do result. So some part of the non-mundane world is having an effect on the quest, in some way. The feel I have for it is that you're sort of calling the Other Side to you, rather than going to it. You become a weak spot between the planes, for the duration of the quest. Or something like that.
"Saddled with the nightmare" is a scenario where the questors provide their own opposition, which shows that the quest involved is a practice quest.
http://www.glorantha.com/hw/fan/saddled_with_the_night_1.html
There's a long description of the ritual http://www.glorantha.com/hw/fan/saddled_with_the_night_2.html
Among other things: "Note: The hallucinogenic mash and the magic of the Shamans has altered the perceptions of the clan, they can now see the Spirit World around them with much greater clarity. The ritual has also empowered the Warriors weapons to harm the Darkness Spirits and so Combat Skills can be used to augment Spirit Combat."
and later:
"If the players reach the centre of the battle they
find that the partitions surrounding the ritual have
become transparent. The ritual has left the mortal
plane and is now taking place in the Spirit world."
It seems to me that a practice quest takes place on the boundary in some way, able to affect and be affected by both mundane and (in this case) spirit planes. But this is only my deductions from what the rules seem to imply and from one scenario. I'd be interested in more informed knowledge, especially as practice quests still look like by far the most interesting for game purposes.
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