Re: Balazar

From: Oliver D. Bernuetz <bernuetz_at_...>
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 18:33:55 -0000

Hmm, unfortunately some of these things just don't translate. I just don't like the misapplied worship rules. Fine, people in the world don't see it as paying double points or whatever but the players sure do so unless they're really dedicated they wouldn't bother joining.

I wonder if the Lunars and trolls can be combo priests/shamans? Maybe the Balazarings can do this too.

> > What I have so far is that the main tradition is centred around
> > Votank and Hearthmother. They're the ones who define what it
> > is to be a Votanki man or woman. [SNIP] I think Votank is a Great
> > Spirit for the Balazrings anyway since he's the one who taught
> > them to get along and how to survive in groups. Hearthmother
> > is just as important because without her the Votanki would have
> > perished in the Darkness.
>
> I lean towards this concept, although I don't think it's necessary
> for either of them to be a Great Spirit (e.g. the Praxian Tradition
> in HQ). Looking at the bare descriptions in Griffin Mountain, I
> think it's pretty clear from the way Votank is described that he is
> a Majestic Spirit (he's clearly a lot closer to his "initiates"
than
> Great Spirits can get). Sometimes I waffle around the idea of
Hearth-
> Mother being the Great Spirit of the Tradition, but her worship
also
> doesn't seem to have the level of distance required. Of course,
> either of these could be Great, and a separate (unmentioned)
> Majestic Spirit could act as go-between. None of these options has
> really grabbed me as MGF.

Right, silly me. They're the Great Spirits, not the Majestic Spirit. That could just be the "Creator" of the world. I see the tradition as not being as structured age-levels wise as Grazer practice and of course not as gender divided. Lots more cross over in the Votanki tradition.

>
> > Hunter Foundchild is the youth/adult male manisfestation of that
> > track while Rigtaina is where females who wish to be hunters
> > fall.[SNIP] Foundchild isn't a Great Spirit because he isn't
> > interested in leading anyone, he's only interested in hunting.
>
> Foundchild is more important than most hunter practices because
most
> (perhaps even Orlanthi "all") of the men are hunters. But I agree
> that doesn't necessarily make him the core practice.
>
> > Blueface is the shaman practise and Brother Dog is a helper
> > practise. The Wild Mother is a guardian spirit who is
propitiated
> > rather than worshipped.
>
> From her description in Griffin Mountain, Rigtaina gets little in
> the way of regular worship; hence, I wondered about her suitability
> to be the "patron" of a common religion for the Balazarings. I
still
> think that idea has potential, since there seem to be few female
> hunters, and I don't think Foundchild excludes females anyway.

I tried not to stray too far from GM but it seems to have left a lot out so as far as society description goes so I felt somewhat free to make changes. Always risky. Rigtaina's important too as the mother of the tribes and grandmother of citadel founders.

>
> I'd wondered what to call the shaman practice. Obviously, their
> special shaman ability is to possess animals.
>
> > Originally I had decided that the three "gods" in the region,
> > Yemalio, Balazar and Entra, the Sow Mother were all subject to
> > misapplied worship. But I've now changed my mind and decided
that
> > they're worshipped theistically. I don't think there's any
reason
> > why the areas shamans would have to exclude these people from the
> > magic in the area. Why not a lovely mess of spirits and feats?
>
> I think Entra could very well be the "spirit pig" where Mralota is
> the "god-pig"; hence, a helper practice. While I like the neat
> solution that having Yelmalio/Balazar cults provides (someplace for
> your Yelmalion Sun Domers to worship), the idea of
> Tharkantus/Foundchild shamans, dancing a "mockery" of the sacred
Sun
> Dance in the semi-ruins of an ancient splendor is very appealing in
> an MGF manner. Perhaps leaving it to a PC to "restore" the
> traditions by making strong friends in the region...

Yep, that's cool. But personally I decided to ignore misapplied worship IMG. YGWV. If misapplied worship works for you more power to you.

Oliver

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