"Allied cults" quesion.

From: valkoharja <rintasaa_at_ImkRdfVc89l_tnUt7A7RecaiPSbhAY1BXPTTQUF58lLkoVbMfkBgsJGawT1IlQz2Woo>
Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:30:49 -0000

Ok, here's a problem.

One of my players really liked the Rune Quest era thing of having feats from allied cults. This feels like a system artifact to me, but on the other hand heortlings are pantheists.

His character is an Esrolian goldentongue, who is really into the lightbringer and heroquesting aspects of Issaries. The player would like his character to call on the other lightbringers as well. Here are a few examples

• The character has good relationships with the huge Lankhor Mhy temple in Nochet. In RQ speak the character had access to analyse magic, and could read and write.
• He's been practicing with weapons at a temple to orlanth, and even joined in a punitive raid accross the border (I forget the name of the region feuding with Esrolia... place where Graymane lives?). He learned to use the leaping shield.
• He wants to be able to staunch bleedign by sacrificing to Chalana Arroy.
• He went on a wild bender with the bonded trickster(!) of a wind lord, and recieved a favour(?) from Eurmal. One time when he needs it he should be able to make people believe even the most outrageous lie.

   ***

How should stuff like this work in the Hero Quest II paradigm? I don't like the rulesy RQ stuff about allied cults granting runespells, but on the other hand I do like pantheism. Issaries is a god of cooperation and trade... and one who can even trade magic.

Should my boy be an assosiate member of the temples he's been at? How can he do Orlanthi or Chalana Arroy magic when his primary identification is with Issaries? I can sort of see it as Issaries trading with the other gods.

So... Should he have magic items that represent his bargains with the other temples and gods? Like maybe he can't identify with Orlanth to perform the leaping shield trick, but rather has a shield that is enchanted by the friendly orlanthi? A white stone that staunches bleeding from Chalana Arroy, and so forth?

The character is very much a magic specialist, and the player is quite keen to learn more of the esoteric working of Glorantha. He doesn't mind me adjusting how stuff works to make it fit better with Glorantha as Written. I think he'd rather me get it right than MGWV.

I can see the character as one with echoes of Hantrafal-the-first-godi, so that he's basically skilled in callind on any friendly god. Then if he needs healing from Chalana Arroy, he can figure out an appropriate sacrifice to manifest Her power. Ritual magic, rather than the quick feats of an actual Chalana Arroy devotee.

So, what do you guys think?

  -Adept