LBQ (was Re: Some lively Gloranthan discussions on RPG.net)

From: Tim <tim_at_Q9Gs-4LBKyJ9VJACrSGvBTgWj3fiH76RqylVR7SFyne3cDzlVyZ1rUQFtOgmUmtjuADff5Do>
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 11:45:04 -0000

> Look the LBQ does not work along the lines of "let me think who I
> need to get out of the Underworld and then let's do something that
> will unlease a huge amount of peripheral magical energy."

I think Orlanth's quest was more like this. Subsequent quests have been less specific, which might be why they have been less successful

>A lot happens to the quester during the quest - the quester is
>always changed by the quest itself. Opportunities present itself and >the quester participates with the gods in the resurrection of the >cosmos. The quest releases what *needs* to be released, not
>necessarily what the quester wants.
>

This makes sense. The effects of the quest may well mean that even if the quester started off intending to fetch back "a", he learns that in fact "b" is who is needed.

I thought that at some point in the quest, the quester does get presented with some sort of choice - making the wrong choice would, of course result in a failure (in that the world would not be saved) although this might not be (immediately ) obvious. (Wasn't Orlanth tempted before the baths of Nelat?)  

> BTW, Sheng is the Red Emperor's Other and to save a rapidly
> unraveling world, the Emperor's Other needed to be released.

The same argument could be made for Arkat and Nysalor/Gbaji But does this make Yelm Kajabor's Other (Maybe it does. If Kajabor is Entropy and Yelm's Empire was Unchanging Order . . .

>
>> In the analogous quest of the Seven Mothers, their quest seemed to
>> be targeted, so maybe Argrath learnt from this.
>
> The Seven Mothers really had no idea what they result would be
> until it was done. They were desperate and willing to take
> tremendous risks - just like anyone who has succeeded with the LBQ
> (and probably those who failed as well).

I think Greg has said in the past that the 7 Mothers quest is only superficially similar to the LBQ, and not a "lunar version" of it. It certainly seems to me that there are more differences than similarities - Flesh Man does not "become" Yelm in the LBQ...            

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