> But yes, heroquests should be linear, in that you know that there
> is a sequence of stations, but unpredictable, in that just what you
> meet at each station can't be predicted with certainty.
>
Of course you may be surprised by the sequence of stations too. An episode that appears in the myth may turn out not to be important in the quest itself
"...And then Orlanth shared his lunch with Voirof, who was guarding his sheep in the field..."
And of course there was no Time before the Sun returned from Hell, so the sequence of events can't be guaranteed in any case
"... So did Issaries trade with the Trolls before the Elves, or the Elves before the Trolls?..." (And you can find myths that support both options, Indeed myths where the order has to have been one way, and others where it has to be the other...)
As you say, what you meet at each station can't be predicted with certainty, although you ought to be able to work out what station you are at (usually). Of course if you meet some one or something that could conceivably be more than one of the stations you are expecting you may have difficulty in determining the correct response.
...In the myth Orlanth traded with the Trading God, and stole from the Dark Man in order to defeat the devourer... You set out on the quest and encounter an Argan Argar worshiping Dark Troll - Which station are you at?
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