Re: Terror in War - Long

From: donald_at_uszU2PQXPatYtc7ZITAwpdrpsvyKv03ZiU2Gchi6tl6U3dPzIv5ZPXvr9R2CgQedzOGJs
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:11:35 GMT


In message <8e57e77545b519b17b062062c26d3e18_at_cuJnigtJ5MxpNTwCBz2j457hkFXT0Gt6lCTg4QlTDWCk-FadJEebcXENXeHiL_M9phRTdooO8ydp3Ynn7xuK41FF9xU4WUzA5MfXlkO-ICQHX_UXag.yahoo.invalid> Dan Guillou writes:

>Pretty much all gloranthans are religious fanatics, by RW standards.
>But especially the Orlanthis, most of whom would (if my impression is
>correct) make that bearded fellow in the Afghan mountains look quite
>reasonable, and moderately secular. At least if one could measure by
>the strength of their beliefs.

I can't agree here. The proportion of religious fanatics in Glorantha will be higher than the RW but it's nowhere near a majority. The typical Lunar isn't trying to convert the world. He or she is concerned with making a living, raising children and enjoying what luxuries they can afford. Same with the typical Heortling, he'll tell the rebel leaders he worships Orlanth and the Lunars he follows Barntar before going back to worrying about his crops and cattle.

There are religious fanatics and many of them are the leaders of the rebellion. Others are player characters. But they are a minority.

>Second. Orlanthi morals and laws applies to other orlanthi (again as
>far as I've understood it). Their in-group, or "people", consists of
>anyone under orlanthi law. Killing a praxian, or dara happan, isn't
>murder, or even manslaughter. It's not a crime. I think... that this is
>typical for gloranthan cultures. Put another way, I don't believe that
>our RW perceptions of ethical values, or human rights, as universal
>constants, is shared by most gloranthans.
>Many deeds that we would consider heineous on earth -mass slaughter,
>ethnic cleansing, and so on- can be morally neutral, or even exalted,
>in particular gloranthan settings. Hey, irl I would object to wholesale
>extermination of broos and ogres!

Indeed. Mass crucifixions of rebels is the correct punishment under Dara Happen law. Under Lunar law the punishment is mass enslavement. And a rebel's family will be treated the same way as the individual.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/

           

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