Re: Lunars in Orlanthi HQs

From: Charles Corrigan <charles_at_...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 04:02:43 -0000

> We've been saying that the Orlanthi are doing lots of
> HQing, magical ceremonies, and general "try it, it
> might work" stuff throughout the siege.
>
> We know that if you go and do a HQ and don't provide
> your own opponent, someone gets "sucked" in as the
> opposition.

One of my pet theories is that one of the magics of the Trickster is the ability to take an enemy role in a HQ without magical penalties (i.e. none or reduced negative bonuses for using someone of the wrong religion etc.).

But there will not be enough tricksters to go around. For the lower level HQs, I think that the heroplane will provide faceless enemies. But the higher level HQs will attract real-world opposition.

> I'm pretty sure that if the Lunars know what the
> Orlanthi are doing, they'll be trying to do hijacks,
> interference, and so on.

Yes. The interesting thing is how... In game, once and once only, my character got the opportunity to hijack a ritual - when he was chosen as a sacrificial victim. IMO, if a ritual/HQ is looking for a result that targets a specific person or specific group, then the target will get an opportunity to participate and resist. While making a specific target gives them the opportunity to resist, it also gives a better result on success.

> And, we have a Lunar specialist in messing up Orlanthi
> magic.
>
> http://www.eparsnip.f2s.com/phpwiki/index.php?Theogenes%20Aristole
>
> "Early on in his career he was allowed access to a
> Malkioni grimoire "Spells for the defeat of the
> heathen" and concentrated his energies on researching
> these spells and developing others"
>
> This looks to me like it has scenario potential.
>
> But, what does it look like when a Sorceror interferes
> with/gets dragged into an Orlanthi HQ? Lunar theists I
> can see, but a sorceror? I know next to nuffin about
> sorcerors (burn them!) myself - ideas?

Given how few (published) myths of the Orlanthi involve sorcerers, my guess is that the direct opportunities are few.

One way it could work is that Theogenes most powerful spells will involve charts of signs to watch out for (weather patterns, subtle changes in some of the nodes in the sorcerous planes etc.) with some bizzare props (ouiji boards?). The results of the spells will a symbolic pattern that must be intrepreted to indicate what should be done to resist. This could be passed on to Jorkrandros or Tatius (or their 2IC) as intelligence.

Of course, Theogenes will also have some direct magics to resist heathens, but I would guess that these would be for the more direct/personal threats.

Also I would guess that when he first arrives, he will be a generalist against heathens. Only after experience will he start to have specialist knowledge of Orlanthi mythology (and/or any other group that he tangles with).

And thinking about it, Theogenes could well be the intellectual "muscle" behind Tatius' plan to escalate the confict into the mythological conforntation that ends with Orlanth manifesting in Whitewall.

regards,
Charles

Powered by hypermail