Re: Subcult of Yinkin the Chief (or Yinkin the king)

From: Jeff <richaje_at_drpbfs4WeY7iO-xP09o5y9TozohZ5ZtqUz9zUxwjUcsGl8ZroGo2vH6BGbodTsMJbYEH>
Date: Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:04:55 -0000


> I wasn't complaining about Jeff giving an answer in terms of HeroQuest on this list either. I just wanted to ask if anybody could build on Jeff's answer with ideas about how these same ideas about Glorantha that we were discussing here, (and that Jeff had helpfully explained in HQ terms), might translate into Runequest.

I fear I no longer know the current rules versions of RQ well enough to tell you how I would adapt them to model Glorantha better.

> I didn't think anyone had done anything inappropriate here, with (in retrospect) the possible exception  of myself. If I was dragging this list too far into game mechanics, please accept my apologies.

I didn't think you were. Heck, you were asking one of the publishers of HQ how you would handle this in RQ (see my non-answer above).

>  
> As for the point about someone joining a leadership sub-cult when they are already some kind of devotee, I thought that the recent Sartar book identified leadership cults as a bit of a special case in relation to multiple initiations.

Depends on the god. Orlanth is a god of chieftains, so it is certainly conceivable that a chieftain can be a devotee of Orlanth. Ernalda is the goddess of communities, so it is conceivable that a ruling priestess could be a devotee of Ernalda (if that is the tradition of the community). Elmal has very narrow leadership roles and a very few clans might have a tradition of Elmal chiefs. Even then identity challenges are going to be present - easiest probably for the Orlanth devotee to act as a Sartarite chief, hardest for the Elmal devotee.

> Isn't it okay to become an initiate of a leadership sub-cult (Orlanth, Ernalda or Elmal-- or Odayla in Sylila?) whilst remaining a devotee in the other cult-- perhaps not least because the kind of people that qualify for leadership cults  will have had to prove themselves first.

Absolutely - but I don't really think of this so much in terms of subcults (which are much looser and more flexible in HQ2 anyways). Is that god the local god of rulers? Yes - then it might be possible to be completely devoted to the god and still act as the local ruler (although identity challenges are always still present).

On the other hand, if the god you are devoted to is not a god of chiefs (ie. most gods), by acting as a chief, the odds are you are not acting like your god. And that is dangerous for a devotee.

Jeff            

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