Re: Death of Orlanth

From: Ian Cooper <ian_hammond_cooper_at_...>
Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:32:12 -0000


> But how explain to players what happen when orlanth "disappeared" ???

Every age seems to have its own attempt to 'kill' Orlanth, everyone seems to succeed for a while and fail. In two earlier cases the driver seems to have been converting Orlanth worshippers to a new path.

Lokamayadon (http://www.glorantha.com/new/lokamayadon.html) prevented worship of Orlanth, by causing something to appear at Orlanthi rituals that killed all the participants. Over time people migrated to new cults (they could not even initiate new adults). Lokamayadon was trying to insitute worship of Tarumath/himself instead

In the Second Age the EWF tried to institure draconic Orlanth cults and change the perceptions of his worshippers to see Orlanth is a draconized way, waking the inner dragon.

The Lunars have been trying to replace worship of Orlanth too, with Doburdan, the Provincial Church, etc. They have razed his temples, made practicing his worship a crime, hunted down priests etc. Killing Orlanth, even if temporarily is likely t o help them.

> Imagine lunar characters who can/want participate in the "killing" of
> orlanth : I think the MJ will need some help to imagine the
> scenario :)
>

So what does OiD tell us about what is happening:

  1. Lunar attempts to subjagate Orlanth have moved to the other side (OiD p.6)
  2. Their inteference has had an affect, normal stations are replaced with new Lunarized ones, such as Burning Tongue Beast being the Red Feather tongue (OiD, p6)
  3. Heortling priests and heroquesters are being killed off, more ceremonies are failing as a result (OiD, p6)
  4. Early warning signs: harvest failings, winds failing have been felt (OiD, p6)
  5. A major ritual triggers the 'death of Orlanth', part of the construction of the Reaching Moon temple (OiD, p.45).
  6. The ritual is tapping a major power source, to create a new type of temple (OiD, p45) [the Lunars are unaware that this is the Dragon that will wake to swallow them later]
  7. Magical preperations have been underway since 1580 (OiD, p.45)
  8. The preperations require many tasks, the last of which is the fall of Whitewall. This allows them to 'kill Orlanth' (OiD, p.45)

So I would suggest that you are looking at three main adventure types for Lunar characters looking to support the attempt:

  1. Hunt and Kill Holy Men: Track down the bush priests, break shrines, guard the temples to prevent access, generally prevent the locals from worshipping Orlanth.
  2. Disrupt Heortling HeroQuests: The priests have mapped out ways to cross into traditional Heortling quests to provide new opposition, change the path etc. Dangerous god-learner experimentation? Have no fear citizen, we know what we are doing!
  3. Protect the new temple: keep those pesky foriegners out, guard the caravans. Don't upset Tatius.
  4. Peform this ritual/heroquest: We need you to go into the other side and do X. It's part of our bigger ritual. Lots of these are probably quests to defeat Orlanthi etc.
  5. Participate in the conquest of Whitewall: Bodies needed for the sieve and assault.

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