On 20 Sep 2004 at 18:05, John Hughes wrote:
> She's of the same clan? Ouch....
Ouch indeed. She wanted an *atrocity*, something she could never truly redeem herself for. (she's been watching a lot of Angel recently. *grin*)
> Leaving aside the much vexed and much discussed question of infanticide
> (YGMV), lets assume the child was old enough to not have the issue clouded
> by this. The child is assumed to be dead. I assume she declared this to the
> ring (no Orlanthi wants to be accused of *secret* murder) and then ran very
> hard.
Interesting. I hadn't given a huge amount of thought as to how it was revealed. I think to make this work she does have to try at least once to explain it. Although she acted alone, thinking no one else would believe her interpretation, she still did think it necessary. So after it is a fait accompli, she would have to declare it.
> If this is her birth clan, then its unlikely she will have any allies who
> would consider supporting her. (The first action in Orlanthi justice is
> always to work out who's on your side, and what's negotiable).
It is her birth clan. Her parents are probably dead in a Lunar raid. She's approaching 30 or so. She initiated to LM and left (perhaps to the south) to one of the great libraries to study and learn. She was called back a few years before this happened, since her clan lost too many people in Lunar raids and such, and she was needed to serve her role as LM sage.
With
> kinslaying, very little is negotiable. She has killed the child of a
> powerful bloodline. Her own close kin are unlikely to support her, both
> because of the politics of the situation and because she has engaged in
> kinslaying, which is the most heinous crime, taboo and blind spot of the
> Orlanthi Way.
Yup, which is why we picked that. She wanted the worst of the worst, and when I relayed to her that kinslaying was the biggie, she started working on this background. (She knows nothing of Glorantha.)
> Kinslaying is very, very rarely negotiable in any form. Her closest kin are
> already stained by her crime and the shame of it. She will know this ahead
> of time. She will run. The moot will probably proclaim her an outlaw for
> life, cutting off her ties of kinship and effectively allowing her to be
> killed by anyone on sight.
Excellent.
> If by chance, she married into the clan, her birth bloodline may attempt
> some reconciliation. This is unlikely, but in the realms of possibility.
I'll ask her. My understanding was that this was her birth clan, I'll ask her if that is what she meant.
> If she thought ahead, she might consider alternative options. Having
> someone from beyond the clan do the deed will remove the stain of
> kinslaying and make it *mere* murder. Her complicity will be limited, her
> outlawry may be reduced to seven years plus geld. If she stays and argues
> that the child may be alive, she will have to produce the child or risk the
> charge of *secret* murder - same result really. The uncertainty of not
> being able to produce the body *may* offer *some* doubt and a negotiating
> strategy, but it too is fraught with danger and shame.
Nope. She would never hire someone else to do it. She ran.
> If driven to break such an awful taboo, or even risk it by abandoning the
> child, she will know full well what to expect. She will probably run. The
> clan will proclaim her an outlaw in her absence.
Huh. If I go with LM-only literacy, she can't leave them a note. Does she just anticipate exile and take off, or does she try to explain to the ring, then run? Not sure which makes more sense here.
> Kinslaying is a very big taboo. I suspect that judicial processes (which
> are always voluntary and negotiated in Heortling society) will tend to
> break down unless the offender has **very** powerful allies who are willing
> to risk staining their own reputation and name. Orlanthi justice cannot
> deal with kinslaying. The offender runs. The victim's kin risk compounding
> the abomination by killing the offender, unless that offender is labelled
> as chaos. This may happen from time to time, but is itself fraught with
> terrible danger.
>
> The offender will usually exile themselves. The clan may well tear itself
> with accusations and repercussions for years to come.
>
> The only possibility for an end to exile would be if the child turns up
> alive. But I'm sure you've got the possibilities here all lined up :)
Oh sure. But even so, I don't think she can ever forgive herself.
LC
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