Re: Heroquesting

From: Bryan <bethexton_at_...>
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 23:09:05 -0000

I like the Orpheus type suggestion. But I came up with a few other thoughts for you to consider too, since I figure more grist for the mill is always a good thing.

I don't remember if it made it into the final version in the book, but the Mad man's table (the rock around whose edge Mykka's spirit was found) was supposed to be a `weak spot' between earth and the underworld. Now, nobody has ever explained why it is a weak spot, but you know that there has to be a myth associated with it, and as with many myths if you ride it on a heroquest starting from that exact spot, it should be worth some good bonuses (and makes crossing over easier).

Of course there are a pack of ravenous ghosts to deal with, and a hostile clan who might not be crazy about what you are doing. On the other hand, maybe in the process you can get rid of the ghosts—a weak spot does not fully explain the ghosts, so my best guess is that they are actually the remains of a quest gone horribly, horribly, wrong.

Several sources have the Heortlings talking about various parts of their soul. What if Mykka-the-guardian is in fact just one portion of the soul of Mykka? She could reveal where the rest of her soul is captured, and the heroes could go off to pull her all together. Once fully together she gains a body, for some reason or other (wave your hands around a lot at this point!) Of course, there is a reason that she has not revealed this previously—the rest of her is enslaved by a demonic master, but is a willing slave, matching her master in depravity, cruelty, and power. Once they finally win through, their challenge will be to not just bring the entire soul together—indeed at that proximity it probably can't be stopped—but in making "their Mykka" the dominant part.

Of course, as in a lot of mythology, the way to win is probably being clever. Maybe `dark Mykka' is powered by the souls of the rest of her family, which she still holds. Simply doing the right ritual (albeit under impossibly conditions) might release those souls and take away her power. Or something like that. (Oh, and this might be what gets rid of the ghosts on the Table too?)

On the other hand, maybe the real battle becomes that between the two parts of Mykka, for the love of the hero? Basically his good and bad sides are pulled each way, no matter what he will leave with the woman he loves, but will that couple be heroic or pure evil? (note that both of the above suggestions are compatible, the rest of the party could be working to steal her power while the hero fights his own dark side).

As a couple of people have already said, what with him leaving and all, him coming home in way similar to how he left may not be a priority. In this case you could make his wanting her to join him in the flesh to be a weakness in this regard (selfishness), if he finally abandons that for unalloyed willingness to be with her anywhere, anywhen, anyhow, then his job gets easier (could be modeled as a change of objective then facing a lower resistance, or as a situational bonus).

If you have the old HW narrators book, you could adapt the HQ to hell for this purpose. That is, you could use the same basic stations along the way, with a different climatic battle. Or, if you need a myth, how about something along the lines of: - Back in the lesser darkness, a great battle was fought, with so many dead that it opened a doorway straight to hell. However one of your ancestors was still alive, but was carried along. - Because she did not belong in the courts of the dead, she wandered and was enslaved.
- Her brother/father/husband/son/daughter/mother/whoever somehow found out about her plight, and went to find her. - With her/his companions they ritually re-enacted the battle, and at the proper point the doorway to hell opened again. - The quester greased the oarlocks so got past the sleeping giant storks, gave "red" to the grey folk so received their guidance, fed the diamond twin so that they became mortal and then killed them, and finally sang harmonies to the groaning fish to turn its pain into pleasure, so that it carried them to the isle of shards. - The shards divided the quester into his seven parts, which fought each other, so that he was able to kill his own fear and his companions each killed a part of themselves. - The Lord of Shards said that the quester could take his prize home, but only if he left someone else behind. The clever quester agreed that no more would leave the isle than came to it. Then they each took one part of the prize into themselves to replace the part they had killed.
- The singing fish sang the smuggled parts back out, the grey folk provided one of their unloving bodies, the bodies of the diamond twins gave back up mortality to the corpse, and the giant storks let them pass because they were mortal.

Another totally different, and possibly non questy idea. What if the rest of Mykka (her body, the rest of her soul, whatever) was actually the guardian of another hero band? This would particularly work if the heroes have a rival hero band whose guardian is not well defined yet.

Regards;

-Bryan

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