Re: Animists [was Ducks] in exile

From: Mandacaru <mandacaru_at_...>
Date: Mon, 08 Sep 2003 08:55:15 -0000

• In HeroQuest-RPG_at_yahoogroups.com, ALISON PLACE <alison_place_at_y...> wrote:
  > Of course, another big river to find ducks on is the
  > Zola Fel. Even with the titular Lunar command of the region,
  > with three bogs...
  

...or Darjiini, the Lunar animist marsh people (see ILH).

As I made a Darjiini PC in Prax (though I'm yet to use him), I just thought I'd share a couple of thoughts about these people in Prax (and below, about animists in exile). As the Lunar Empire relies on these people for moon boat construction and piloting, and they seem to occupy the position of being in but not of the Empire, there's great potential of conflict there, which may well have been exported to Prax.

There are several reasons for Darjiini to be in Prax, for example:

1. Moon Boat captains, plus entourage (they must require maintenance - a ground crew even).
2. Hunting rebel, or just annoying, ducks/newtlings of the sort Alison suggested in her post.
3. As colonists of the Zola Fel, and those lovely bogs.
4. Being on a Darjiini mission which is not in harmony with the general Lunar purpose. (e.g. my PC, trying to stop the Dara Happans growing moonreeds in the Zola Fel, think coffee to South America, silkworms to Europe).

You end up with a small expat community, where few people necessarily trust eachother, where the other Lunars will have a very mixed attitude to them, and where they main gain sympathy from local folk. The Darjiini expats may well, however, rely extensively on their community, particularly for ceremonies/rites/magic.

So, I would be interested in how life is for an animist abroad? In the instance I've cited, I can imagine there being local spirits which are similar to those back home, although they could be harder to negotiate with and so on. A shaman in this situation would need almost to learn another way of dealing with spirits, I suppose - how different is an alligator spirit from a cayman spirit?

I apreciate that all this could be dealt with by some simple rules (modifiers, inability to contact spirits etc), but I'd be interested if people have thoughts of a non-rules sort about the general topic of animists abroad? Vague I know, but maybe someone has dealt with this topic in a brilliant way at some point?

Sam Elliot.

p.s. Love the new book, love ILH now I understand the magic. Well done to all concerned.