RE: Re: Initiation

From: Bruce Ferrie <bruce_at_...>
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 16:19:57 -0000

On Tuesday, March 18, 2003 2:10 PM, Wulf Corbett wrote:
> > The writeup in Storm Tribe says nothing of the sort. It does say
<snip>
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HeroWars/message/12573

Um, Wulf, it was you who wrote:

">Second question, if the first answer is everyone - what about those
>who are called to the 'unusual' deities, notably Chalana Arroy and
>Nandan (Vingans, we know, have a close association with Ernalda, but
>I can't remember a similar connection 'twixt Orlanth & Nandan)? A
>Chalana Arroy cultist must never have killed, I believe, surely
>taking part in a battle would involve a bit of killing, or do you
>just have to watch?"

And Greg wrote:

"The experience is individualized. Future Chalana Arroy cultists, for instance, heal the foe instead of killing it. Future Vingan women go through the Ernaldan experience but often have to fight something. "

There's nothing in Greg's words here to say that future Chalana Arroy cultists must never ever have killed anything. He's talking about initiation quests for a start, not about everday life. It *does* suggest that, in their initiation quest, they heal rather than killing. But this doesn't address:

1. Future AN Other Deity cultists who later change their worship (perhaps following a brush with the Relife Sickness. From ST p43: "Some few people return with an opposite effect to the Relife Sickness... They find themselves incapable of harming other beings, even if they were bloodthirsty warriors before. Such individuals usually dedicate themselves to Chalana Arroy.")
2. What the future Chalana Arroy cultist does outside the context of this initiation quest. Now I *am* sure that Chalana's priests will look askance at a bloody-handed killer who decides to join. But that's a different issue to what was Greg was talking about in that message.

Regards,

Bruce