Re: Bringing the Otherworld to You-- from Heroquests for the Unholy Trio

From: Richard Hayes <richard_hayes29_at_dNn3u6dkom_1ruZaZ6E8nid_OTTUdyDjZOzVkgum1g9IsEpmez23QDURFr_k>
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:36:47 +0000 (GMT)


Is it just Chaos which has a monopoly on 'bringing the Otherness to you'?  
Whilst I may have only half-remembered this, I seem to recall that the Book of Drastic Resolutions on 'Darkness' suggested  an important distinction between Troll shamans and (most/all of) their human counterparts: whereas a human shaman was usually his clan/tribe/cult's representative on the Spirit Plane, the Troll shaman was typically the Underworld's representative on the Material Plane.  
I concede it is a different kind of Otherness -- and maybe it isn't such an otherness to Trolls anyway, whose forebears came from the Underworld (sorry Wonderhome) . But then is Chaos an 'Otherness' to Chaotics?  
On a loosely-related note, surely the reason worshipping Ragnaglar and Wakboth is futile is the same reason that worshipping Yamsur or Vadrus is futile -- they're dead!  
The Chaos connection is neither here nor there. Chaos entities that are not dead can still be worshipped, and can still provide magic (thuogh probably not as reliably as many non-chaotic deities).  
Even then the erratic natuire of the worship is probably partly a reflection of the chaotic nature of the immortal, partly the lack of numbers, and partly the chaotic nature of the worshippers. They will probably struggle to get organised enough to Heroquest because of their limited and/or warped understanding of 'community', but does that mean that they never can? Or that they can, but only on a small scale?  
In relation to Thed, I concede my understanding of this deity largely dates back to Cults of Terror. From Cults of Terror, I could not easily imagine many Broos being organised into a large enough clan or tribe to provide effective support to a few of their number who were on a Heroquest in the same way that maybe an Orlanthi clan would.  
However during a "Duel of Thed" I could imagine one faction of Broo trying to steal a march on a  rival faction by Heroquesting, or by trying to sabotage the other faction as it tried to Heroquest in order to steal a march on them. (Indeed they may well be too preoccupied with the latter to get very far with the former, but it's the thought that counts ...)  
Harking back to Cults of Terror again, is there not at least one Chaotic (anti-?)Hero  who did establish quite a significant nasty little cult after he had gone -- Treack Markhor, who founded the Atyar sub-cult of Thanatar.   
A Lhankor Mhy priest who went spectacularly wrong, Treack Markhor must have done some sort of Heroquesting, mustn't he?  
Richard Hayes

From: John Machin <orichalka_at_kZDoUU6_FdIH6F2FBAXcdBuP20En96YA_zw3tqUX-GIAdUpJi7x1UkWKILaFCfjM0dLdBHrFSZ6Zmg.yahoo.invalid> Subject: Re: Heroquests for the Unholy Trio To: WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, 22 December, 2008, 12:25 AM

2008/12/22 Ian Borchardt <iborchar_at_wPXimLw13oRMvodYdhZUc5pZ3LppEcXIH5q_gCdKMZO30OIQdXQc9-QpMRY-qIuy5H3-M04jOkeY.yahoo.invalid>
> Worshipping Chaos has to have some effect, otherwise why do people
> keep doing so? It's a fairly common theme in the game literature
> for a mistaken individual to turn to Chaos to punish a neighbour or
> keep a disease away, even if it does eventually lead to the demise of
> the individual. And by interacting with chaotic entities in this way
> they _are_ heroquesting, except, as with most Chaos, the entire
> magical procedure is reversed - you are bringing the "Otherworld of
> Chaos" [note the quotes before you explode and say there is no such
> thing] to you.

Some people do worship chaotic enties don't they? Or am I misunderstanding Vivamort's and Cacodemon's connections to Chaos?

That being said, some people in Glorantha do things that defy sense to us gamers with our god-like perspective on things (e.g those poor Esvulari and their misapplied worship!). The efficacy of rites is not always provable and the expectations of those who are moved to worship Chaos may be different to those who worship more reliable entities (i.e. they don't expect it work every time, and so when it does - coincidentally perhaps - they believe they have just been favoured by their awful patrons). So there may be effects, but perhaps not as predictable or useful as those gained by less demented worship practices.

I have to say the whole "bringing the Otherness of Chaos to you" thing
is a neat idea! Something worth thinking about!

--
John Machin
"Nothing is more beautiful than to know the All."
- Athanasius Kircher, 'The Great Art of Knowledge'.

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