Sword Speech speculations

From: Andrew Solovay <asolovay_at_...>
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 16:20:16 -0800


donald_at_...:
>
> About the only game use I can think of is that a Carmenian and
> a Heortling Humatki could satisfy each other as to their shared
> faith without other ways of communicating.

Or more broadly--When two possible-Humakti see each other on the battlefield, Swordspeech might be a way they could recognize each other without a normal shared language (and perhaps without getting close enough to hear each other over battle). You might see someone over *there* whose armor is blackened with charcoal, and who has the Sword Rune daubed on his shield, and think "He may be a Humakti, or he may just be another sheep-buggering Orlanthi". So you make the ritual RU12 gesture, he replies appropriately and tosses in a challenge to single combat, and you can have a grand old Humakti time.

Mind you, I expect there are some cults whose connection with Humakt is debatable. Perhaps their Sword Speech is different, or perhaps they offend more orthodox Humakti who think they're imposters. Possible candidates for this might include: (misapplied) Sword Man animists (they don't know they're worshipping the same god as those black-armored horse-riders, but they know a lot of the gestures); Yanafal Tarnils cultists (YT stole Sword Speech from Humakt when he defeated him way back when, though the scimitar "dialect" of Sword Speech seems very strange to the Storm Tribers); Arkat Humaktson cultists (I expect there are some Arkati who make much of the connection with Humakt, though no doubt plenty of Humakti object).

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