Re: Zorak Zoran & Amastan

From: russ_cole2003 <russ_cole_at_...>
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2003 07:12:30 -0000

• In HeroQuest-RPG_at_yahoogroups.com, "Andrew Solovay" <asolovay_at_r...> wrote:
  > Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_q...> wrote:
  > > At 04:43 PM 8/21/03 +0000, you wrote:
  > >> Thanks Simon - your suggestion makes sense to me. Any thoughts
  on
  > >> relative numbers within each sub-cult?
  > >
  > > What's wrong with making it up? There's no official list that has
  > > the names
  > > of the Zorak Zorani Temples and the number of members in each
  subcult
  > > nor is there ever likely to be.
  >
  > It's also going to be a slippery thing. What counts as being an
  Amastani?
  > Having *any* spirits from the tradition? (In some temples, I bet
  every
  > warrior has at least an "endure light/heat" spirit or the like.
  Trolls don't
  > pay misapplied-worship costs in situations like this--the lines are
  blurry
  > in the underworld.) Being a shaman? (Even in the most Amastanicentric
  

> areas, there are probably very few shamans.) Regularly using fire
magic in
> combat?
>
> These are the sorts of things that could change wildly from year to
year, or
> even from season to season. (e.g. For mythic reasons, a particular
temple
> might go very heavy on the Amastan stuff during fire season or
death week,
> and not emphasize it as much at other times.)
>
> Making it game-relevant--if your players are Zoraki (poor you),
let 'em
> choose how they want to go. The whole point of being a Zoraki is
being able
> to say "eff you" to all the local traditions.
>
> If the Zoraki are NPCs, I'd play up the unpredictability of them.
One day
> they might react in horror to any open flames. (Zorak Zoran is lord
of the
> holy darkness!) Another time they might cheerfully throw a barbeque
and
> smoke cigars. (Zorak Zoran has bound the burning death to our
service!) And
> another time, they might be furious if anyone *but* them uses fire.
(The
> burning death is *our* slave! You may not use it!) If the players
try to
> figure out the Zoraki, they'll just get a headache. Now you know
how Uz feel
> about 'em.

Yes - I like the idea of Amastan worship increasing at specific holy times relevant to this cult. I could imagine all Zorak Zorani's in a temple taking part in worship at this time irrelavent of their normal allegences. With the prosepct of facing an attack by the Amanstan sacred chief's salamnder as part of initiation, many Uz might prefer to worship as a lay worshiper instead!

Russell