Re: Godking Hero Cult

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_...>
Date: Tue, 06 Mar 2001 13:23:17 +1300


At 19:14 5/03/01 +0100, Sigaud wrote:

[posted from hw-rules]

>As most of the six parts of Kethaela are theist, I mostly thought about it
>from a theistic POV, but my first question would be : is it possible for a
>powerful enough hero to have hero cults from different kind of magic users ?

Yes. An example is Dormal who is worshipped by both the Holy Country and the Malkioni in different ways. I've heard Greg say at Victoria that the Holy Country recognizes six (or seven?) ways of seeing the world (one being the lost perspective of the glorantha court).

>(Belintar is not even dead yet, but I don't know if that's an absolute
>prerequisite to be worshipped)

Belintar is known as the Living God and does have a cult.

>ie in kethaela : theistic worship from Esrolia, Caladraland, Heort but more
>animist from the few converted Uz in the Shadow Plateau and even maybe a
>sorcerous book for aeolians or Godforgoti (by the way, I'm not quite sure
>what kind of magic they have in this region, so consider this another
>question :-) )

An Aeolian fighting order is described at http://www.glorantha.com/hw/cultshort_taurox.html

While the Aeolians are described (rules-free) at: http://www.glorantha.com/hw/cultlong_aeolus.html

The People Whom God Forgot are stated to worship Primitive Technology. They are dominated by sorcerer/technicians who delight in inventing bizarre contraptions for the benefit of their people (such as a massive trebuchet that throws manure all over God-forgot to fertilize the fields - its aim is a bit off and some villages are buried alive in steaming turds every year). Most of the people are dullards, monotonously following the ancient laws to stave off their inevitable death. I suspect that their inventiveness has flared as a result of the Pharaoh's death, although the Opening of the Oceans would have also been a factor.

IMO the sorcerer/technicians don't use ordinary sorcery rules (although their dullard counterparts certainly do). Instead their talismans that they make are actually functioning automata by virtue of being linked to the Machine Node. However this Node is somewhat damaged (as a result of a feud with the dwarves) and thus occasionally automata go rogue. Outside Casino Town, the hills are infested by one-armed bandits that accost travellers demanding to be fed money.

>I consider that Belintar is quite an exceptionnal being, so his cult
>shouldn't be restricted to the more normal 'orlanthi hero cult'
>described in the rules.

FWIW I don't consider him a hero-cult. He's more of a subcult or even an aspect.

>Anyway, I told my players that it was mostly a 'political' cult, with
>initiates acting as agents for the good of the Holy Country (and the
>blessed Godking) from time to time : explaining laws, settling matters,
>acting more or less a small ambassadors (inside the HC, not outside).

IMO this is covered by the ordinary cults in each of the sixths. The Queens of Esrolia give orders on behalf of the Year-King, the Casino Town Receiver controls the affairs of God Forgot, the High King dominates the Caladrans and so forth. When there are disputes between two of the sixths, they sort it out between themselves or ask the Pharaoh to make a decision.

What the initiates do IMO is something else. They seek various spiritual and mundane challenges so they can improve their mastery over luck and death. This is done so they can be a better vessel for the Pharaoh at the next tournament. They are essentially outside the law but this immunity is tempered by the fact that they can be slain without penalty. They live on their wits and the support of the people who hire them. They might choose to defend a village of poor farmers against rapacious bandits or to steal the Serpent's Heart from the Snake Temple of Nochet. If their deeds get too destructive, then other Masters often take the pleasure in hunting them down.

IMO anyway.

>So, for the time being, I use the following :

>GodKing/Holy Country Affinity
>[Feats : Understand Kethaelan People, Voice of the Pharaoh, Union of the Six,
>Gift of Citizenship, Sense Godking]
>No secret for now (anyway, I don't need it, the PCs will never obtain it)

IMO it would be more like:

Master of Luck: [Fortune's Favour, Luck of the Dice, It's A Million to

One      Shot (But It Might Just Work...), Second Chance, Coincidentally It
         Just So Happens That...]
Master of Death: [Smite Troll, Assassinate Orlanthi, Fight Fire With 
Fire,      Scorn Sacrificial Wound, Turn Water to Salt]

They can join whatever subcults there are of gods within the Holy Country (entry restrictions permitting) and their secret comes from that subcult. I'm unsure how it might work with the Aeolians or the People Whom God Forgot. For the Uz, I suppose any Uz followers are theists since there are theist communities among the Uz and the Shadow Plateau is an obvious location for them).

As of now, there aren't much in the way of MoLaD since most of them were killed in the last tournament. There are a few floating about but they are unsure what has happened to the Pharaoh and why their magic still works. The Kethaelan authorities now want to be rid of them (for fear that they might bring back the Pharaoh) and so MoLaD now conceal their presence under a subcult and pretend to be Kethaelan fops and dandies.

--Peter Metcalfe

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