Re: Chaos [was Re: Broos at Moonbroth]

From: Peter Larsen <plarsen_at_...>
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 06:59:38 -0500


At 12:02 AM 2/16/2004 -0600, Andrew Dawson wrote:
>Of course YGWV, but I think that equating human atrocities committed by
>Mongols and Tartars with the inhuman uncleanliness of Chaos, given the
>repeatedly demonstrable nature of the supernatural (deities, spirits, etc.)
>of Glorantha, cheapens the magical/supernatural nature of Glorantha. But,
>given the whitewashing of Chaos in HeroQuest and the recent HQ
>publications, maybe this is the new party line.

         I'm not quite sure when Chaos has been whitewashed, but:

         Assuming you are running a game where the Lunars might be right (or, at least, not Totally Wrong), chaos has to be acceptable in some form. You could treat it like nuclear power -- some people feel that messing around with it is always bad, while others feel that the power aspect is good (and superior to other options, even considering its drawbacks) but using it as a weapon is terrible. Still others feel that it has a viable role as a weapon. It is possible to hold any of these views and still be a moral person of good will. I assume that the Empire has people who fall into all of these camps, although, since the government philosophically accepts chaos, being too anti-chaos is probably seditious.

         I like the idea that Chaos was brought unwillingly into the world by the Unholy Trio (or whomever), and its destructive actions are caused by the painful disjunction between the world that is (Law or Cosmos) and the world that isn't (Chaos). This state of affairs was coded into the world by the Compromise, so Chaos is here to stay. However, by accepting, guiding, and enlightening Chaos and allowing it to transcend the world by the holy path of the Red Goddess, Lunars are reducing the amount of Chaos in Glorantha. In contrast, the frenzied flailings of the Uroxi just kill bodies, keeping the tormented powers of chaos trapped in the cycle of death and rebirth -- lots of action, no progress. Of course, many Lunars get too close to Chaos and try to use, rather than heal, it -- they likely end up spreading the taint.

         Obviously, the distinctions of the previous paragraph will be lost on the philosophically backward barbarians of Sartar, but that's what the brave and compassionate missionaries are for.

Peter Larsen

Powered by hypermail