RE: Re: The Unholy Trio: Rephrasing the Question

From: Matthew Cole <matthew.cole_at_ZtwSFfojEd7me__edJlSSn1kNv1-bg_TYoPjhHZh2z058ImuXBk7XUgDSbJXLqW>
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2008 11:36:44 -0000

I hope nobody minds my typing this out from my copy of Cults of Terror (if you don't have it, I recommend getting a copy - it's invaluable and great reading!):

On Mallia. She found nourishment and life amid the fallen foes, the wreckage and destruction, and the blood of everything that dies in that age. She became a corruption of Death itself, tainted and degraded from the swift brightness which Humakt and Orlanth used, becoming a lingering and festering dimness. As beings fell before her, she became fearful that her food would completely fail, and as she changed the way she ate, from lightning plagues which depopulated entire nations to the spread of slow death by disease, so that the misery she caused would last forever, as befitted a goddess.

During the Darkness she became mistress to Ragnaglar and friend to Thed. The children of Ragnaglar, the broos, gave Mallia worship, and she in turn aided them and provided special magics and spirit allies so that they could further the spread of her diseased dominion.

>From love, respect and fear, other chaos creatures came to worship her, Men,
elves, trolls and dwarves came to her also, rarely from love, but all praying to Mallia not to infect their tribes. Many survived the touch of disease in the Darkness from their association with her.

-

So we see a journey of transformation: a fusion with the power of Death, living off the dead and dying, a fading into the mythic background, an adaptation from direct assault to subtle attrition - the aim: eternal dominion. Then, to her further degradation, joining with those who would destroy the world.

The last paragraph is interesting to me because it reveals that love plays its part in Mallia's life. There is also mention of the propitiary worship.

I don't think it would be practical to write a plethora of mythology so that you have something to work from in creating your game. More suitable would be a process of writing myths that serve functions in your ongoing story.

I think you should start with characters who are flawed and who stray into evil and degradation, all the while giving them the opportunity to make the right choices. So, start with Mallia's transformation as a basis for a repeating cycle of moral dips towards the first actual act as her worshippers.

My strong feeling is that games should not lead players into negative life-affecting places. As I said at the start of the thread, and in agreement with Greg on this matter, I think would be a good idea to somehow distance players from the negative actions of their characters and play by throwing the characters as much challenge as possible - in effect trying to dissuade them from their path.

What do you think?

Right, got to go to my brother's for Christmas celebrations. Will see what I can do with the Amprefesne quest and will think on fleshing out the Mallia transformation myth. See what you can come up with too?

Btw this email has not been re-read or edited - since I'm rushing!

Merry Christmas!

M

-----Original Message-----
From: WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com [mailto:WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of pentallion Sent: 25 December 2008 06:05
To: WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: The Unholy Trio: Rephrasing the Question

Merry Christmas to everyone.

Yes, that's pretty much the kind of campaign I'm talking about. Evidently, I have free reign to do whatever since there isn't any mythology built around Malia and Thed. What little I have is that:

Malia was at first a healing spirit with great powers over growth and birth. That fits with her discovering diseases, since they grow and replicate and it fits with her midwifing Wakboth. But it doesn't fit with her being evil.

Possibly, Malia was Subhere's guardian at the door to the fount of chaos and Ragnaglar subverted/tricked her to letting him pass. That fits in with her being his mistress later on.

Malia may have walked out on the Unholy Trio after she saw what Thed had given birth to. Indicating that she didn't realize what she was a part of, which goes along with Ragnaglar tricking her.

Really, if I can just find any other scraps of info on either Malia or Thed I can probably build a great deal around it.

ANYthing.

P.S. yeah, I had forgotten Raist was D&D, not to mention he was (gasp!) a Player Character! :)

• In WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com, "Matthew Cole" <matthew.cole_at_...> wrote:
  >
  > Oooh! Quoting D&D on a Glorantha list. Very risqué! :P
  >
  > Forgive me if I don't remember all the details of your plans but
  your
  > mention of a famously sympathetic (as aptly defined earlier by Ian)
  > character - Raist (who was also famously redeemed, if memory
  serves) -
  > suggests to me that your new 'heroes' (using the term from the
  rulebook and
  > not classically) might follow suit in some way? (of course we can
  never know
  > what players are going to do - only attempt to guide) They might
  even reach
  > enlightenment to help them see through the *real* bad guy?
  >
  > For me, this would represent a departure from the 'lets play the
  bad guys
  > and *really* destroy the world' vibe that moves more toward some
  kind of
  > story about something *other* than "how Freddy Kruger got those
  tender kids"
  > (contrasted with "how most of the kids died resisting Freddy").
  Not merely
  > 'why is poor Freddy like that? Oh! That's why - cool! Lets go on a
  killing
  > spree for a whole campaign'. Instead one actually involving heroes
  who have
  > an evil-inspired cause for a
  > reason-with-which-the-game's-players-can-identify and who undergo
  trials
  > that reveal something about them (perhaps that selfsame reason) on
  the
  > journey to a fate that's not pre-determined (the end of the world)
  but open
  > (maybe they are redeemed).
  >
  > Did I derive that just from your mention of Raistin? Well I was
  clutching at
  > straws. :)
  >
  > So, to understand what you are looking to do, and thereby be more
  able to
  > suggest new myths (which I sense you hesitate to concoct without
  more info
  > from published sources), let me ask: are these two passages the
  inspiration
  > and spirit of your idea?
  >
  > Quotes from Ron's Daedalus article, Redeeming Thed
  > Unlike the more powerful gods, she knows that the Devil (moral
  evil) can be
  > neither embraced nor beaten. That's why the Old World must end. I
  don't
  > think I can role-play in Glorantha again without knowing that
  abused,
  > vicious laughter is in the background.
  >
  > ---
  >
  > We couldn't save her entirely, nor stop the Great Darkness, which
  was "set"
  > in the story too deeply. But the characters were heroes who would
  not let
  > Thed face her fate alone.
  >
  > ---
  >
  > Seems at the end of Ron's game the audience might have a different
  > perspective on the subject of Thed. Is that what you're looking
  for?
  >
  >
  >
  > Right. Up too late. Christmas in the morning. Merry Christmas one
  and all
  > and a Happy New Year!
  >
  > Matthew
  > ___________________________________
  > Pentallion:
  > And then there's Raistlin, perhaps the worlds favorite bad guy in
  > all of fantasy literature.
  >
  

  ---

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