Re: Chaos Cults

From: Andrew Solovay <asolovay_at_...>
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:13:47 -0800


Mikko Rintasaari wrote:
>
> I can't say I'm compleatly clear on how the chaos gods of RQ map over to
> HQ. Like I recently tried to say (parhaps not too clearly) on the
> Gloranthan Digest list, I'm rather worried about all the chaos-baddies
> being animist these days.

Others have noted that there are non-Animist chaos baddies. I think what's going on is: Animism is the default magic system for societies with very low levels of civilization--you need the least infrastructure to support animism. e.g. the nomads of Prax and the Wastes and Pent are animists. Theism doesn't really come in until you have a relatively stable society, with at least villages and farming (e.g. the Heortlings). Sorcery requires an elaborate civilization, with well-established cities and literacy.

Lots of chaos folks are firmly esconced in the "wandering nomads" level of society--emphatically including broos and scorpion-men--so it's not surprising that *their* religions would be animist. Ditto other wandering chaos baddies--if a walktapus has any magic at all, it's likely to be animist. But when chaos folks can establish themselves (even in hiding), they can end up with theistic cults, like Krarsht and Cacodemon and Thanatar.

Also, there are well-established cults and religious systems that mess with the three-worlds boundaries (e.g. the Lunars, Urox/Storm Bull). I'd expect chaos cults often do that, since they're, well, *chaotic*. It may be hard or impossible to neatly pigeonhole Bagog into "god or spirit or essence". (What if a Bagogi devours a theist and gains his magic?)

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