Carmanian Humakt

From: Mark Galeotti <mark_at_...>
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 19:54:16 -0000

I'm a little surprised that the absence of an Honour affinity is being taken to mean that the Carmanian Humakt is a ruthless bastard. It's worth mentioning that no other Orlanthi deities have such an affinity, and that doesn't seem to be being taken as evidence that they are a shifty bunch of backstabbling thugs...!* Indeed, I'd add that Carmanians have honourable as part of their basic keyword.

The Carmanian Humakt is death as avenger, death as enforcer of fate and divine rule, death as a way of life. As such, he is in some ways IMO more human that the Orlanthi Humakt who, with his emphasis on severing of social ties, is rather more alien. The Carmanian Humakt is an outsider the way most career death-dealers and avengers are but not necessarily as such a personal choice. That's why I wrote up Grim Heresis in The Thieves' Arm the way I did: to show that even a Humakti has a chance at redemption, at rekindling a humanity which may simply have been once-drowned by blood, horror and grief.

That picture on p15 of HW is some evil, freaky cultist, not a Carmanian Humakt. To me, the Carmanian Humakti is The Man With No Name. He is an outsider, and he does not fit within society, but he wields death ultimately in ways which will benefit society (even if everyone then breathes a sigh of relief when he moves on).

I should add that none of this is official, just my own take.

All the best

Mark

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