RE: Re: Magic in Glorantha?

From: Bruce Ferrie <bruceferrie_at_...>
Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2004 20:49:21 -0000


Hi All,

I suspect that, when it comes to merchants using their magic in deals, certain social pressures/prejudices would apply:

  1. It's okay to use your magic against other trader cult worshippers, who would be expected to be able to deal with this sort of thing. In fact, traders might well enjoy the chance to pit their magic against each other to prove who's best. Pushing out the big guns against Joe Average, though, will get everyone else thinking that they won't get a good deal from you and would probably be counterproductive in the long run. Bad reputations don't tend to lead to big profits.
  2. It's more acceptable to use your magic on a big deal, like a major negotiation to set up a new trade route, than it would be if you're just buying a loaf of bread or half a dozen eggs.
  3. It's more, or even particularly acceptable, to use your magic on strangers and outsiders. We don't owe them anything, and they've probably got strange magic of their own that we know nothing about! It's bound to involve eating babies or something, though. We should make sure we get our magic in first.
  4. Magic use is probably more acceptable in big cities, where things are a bit more cosmopolitan and impersonal, especially if you're dealing with strangers who you might not ever see again.
  5. What *isn't* acceptable is strangers coming here and using their weird trade magic against *us*. An Etyries trader using her magic in some backwoods Heortling settlement is probably taking her life in her hands. This probably happens whenever an outsider comes into an insular culture that feels threatened. Lunar traders, on the other hand, being part of a dominant culture in their region, might relish the opportunity to prove the superiority of the Lunar Way against "inferior foreign magic".

Just my 2p worth. Though it'll be a few quids' worth if I can get the trade magic cranked up... :)

Regards,

Bruce

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