Re: Castle Coast and Malkioni Questions (Again)

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at__2OPe2veF6SlxWX4eAYxsU7g3QzcT2uFNqR1-gDi9RwLOItdxX3MuMp788o4gUhRFEW>
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:36:39 +1200


At 07:17 p.m. 11/07/2007, you wrote:

>1) What is up with the island of Guabelle off the south-west coast of
>the Castle Coast? It doesn't seem to be part of the CC, but it seems
>important enough to warrant a name on the few maps I've found online.
>Ginorth doesn't even get named as often.

         Isle on the Castle Coast where rules a Centaur King and
         a council of beasts.

         G:CotHW p79

IMO I believe the Centaurs are the last remnants of the Green Horse Troop and they got permanently converted when the Luatha blew the whole place up.

>2) Are all the Kanthor's Isles named?

No.

>I've discovered Ginorth of Wolf
>Pirate fame; Volonne, Culonmac, and Varskolin of the Quinpolic League;
>and Gilboch of Seshnela.

There's also Celmac, Piedin and Mazan. Strictly speaking only Ginorth and Gubelle are named Kanthor's Isles, the rest are Pasos Islands (not all of which are named).

>3) Elf forests in the Coast? Yea? Nay? Anything that makes them special?

There are two different elf forests - Kanthor's Forest in the north and Jorestl's Forest in the south (G:tSA p87). The major concentrations of Kanthor's elves are near Frowal and Laurmal while the concentration of Jorestl's elves are on the large island that lies between Varskolin and Ginorth. The elves used to live in Gilboch but peacefully abandoned it to the Seshnegi for "the sake of Lady Gwelenor".

Now things are confusing here because G:CotHW labels the entire region as Kanthor's Isles which perhaps is an extrapolation of what the Castle Coasters call them. The Elves did help in expelling the humans from Old Seshnela and are thought to be allied with the Luatha.

>4) Who controls the mines in the Iron Mountains? Mostali? Seshnela?
>The Castle Coast? Arolanit? All of the above?

Mostali. They sell it under strict conditions (their own ironcast procedures) at the ruins of Laurmal. The trade is protected by the castle of Rhys which was founded by Tierre of Caskall, also known as Speaker to Beast Men. Tierre is, as far as anybody knows, a castle coast knight although Seshnegi and Arolanit are not impossible.

>But, um, after Malkion
>dies, we're left with something of a gap.

After Malkion dies, his people were under the aegis of Zzabur and the Brithini.

>5) I'm confused on timing here. Zzabur seems present when Malkion
>dies, but I also thought Malkion and the Chosen were expelled prior to
>Malkion's death.

Zzabur isn't present. He and his people stayed away (RM p9). Derita the Pest is asking if Zzabur is helping because she doesn't see him there. Malkion's request is presumably in the form of a long distance communication.

>RM is just confusing me on the issue.

The RM Malkioni section is a collection of essays which is in the process of evolving towards a complete history.

>6) And who *is* the Malkioni culture hero? Zzabur is certainly
>prominent, what with being active *well* into History, but he doesn't
>feel *right* to me for a culture based on him basically being a dick
>to Moses *and* Jesus in the form of Malkion and Hrestol.

Malkion is the culture hero in that he acts like Jesus does in his sacrifice. Zzabur's treatment of Hrestol is fair and balanced because of the chaos Hrestol caused while he was in Brithos after the Dawn.

>7) Many, if not most, saints seem to have existed In Time.

This is true and I think the appearance is wrong. The majority of Saints would have walked alongside Malkion during the Ice Age. Subsequent Saints would have only arisen only through a foundation of a new sect or order, some important magical discovery or participation in some great event. Simply going on a trading visit to Pamaltela (Men of the Sea p35) isn't sufficiently noteworthy IMO.

>How exactly
>does this translate into Malkioni HeroQuesting - do these events
>within time still have timeless reflections on the Hero Plane?

The Malkioni quest on the Heroplanes and the important events of the saints are present in the sorcery world and the heroplanes.

>Are
>these saints themselves merely reflecting actions and stories
>performed BEFORE the Dawn by other mythic figures? Should I be
>focusing more on the Girl Twins of Jederes and Desdoram than on
>Gerlaint Flamesword and St. Shalara when writing myths?

Gerlant Flamesword is an important Seshnegi saint so you can't not focus on him. I don't know who Saint Sharala is. Desdoram would be an important Saint except that he's associated with Dragons and all good Malkioni know that God hates Dragons only a fraction less than he hates the Vadeli. The Girl Twins would be important saints except they are heroic women and not damsels in distress. Due to that they are ignored by the patriachal establishment whenever possible but some feminine orders would venerate them.

>8) Speaking of myths, are there any proper Chaos "gods" in western
>myth that might still have active "Satanic cults" underground?

The Borists are chaotics in that they traffic with chaotic creatures, make use of them in their religious ceremonies. They are also actively persecuted because they don't register as chaotic.

The Vadeli aren't chaotic but very very evil. They stick out and don't have much in the way of undergrounds. They are more like shady characters whom the undergrounds deal with.

Desdoram and Dadamus with their associations with dragons and demons would be considered very bad cults to be caught playing around with. They are not chaotic though.

Arkat is another popular underground cult whose adherents are considered worthy of the stake in the west. He isn't actually chaotic except if you count the Boristi.

>How much of these Old Time Religions survive amongst the lowest
>classes and isolated communities of Seshnela, the Castle Coast, and
>points Monotheist?

They survive. Mostly they are more like fragmented customs and magics rather than coherent cults but every now and then you can find yourself in a Wicker Man if you're not careful.

>For instance, when the Five Material Animals are the important, named
>parents these are stories about the Castes and appropriate virtues,
>while if the Eight Power Animals are the named parents, these are
>broader lessons about doctrine.

The Material and Power animals are only the names of the Elemental (Earth, Fire etc) and Power (Truth, Death) runes in bestial form. In other contexts (Man, Plant, Mineral), they would have different names.

--Peter Metcalfe            

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