> [[Cannibalism and Rape]] are expressed materially, but they are not primarily about the
> material "benefit."
They sure look like it to me.
> It would be easier for Ogres to just eat whatever meat
> was convenient -- you get stabbed less often that way -- so presumably they
> gain some sort of spiritual benefit from eating human flesh.
And the Lanbrili don't get spiritual benefit from taking things that don't belong to them?
> [Uz Cannibalism] clearly sanctioned by the
> god/spirit, so I think that's covered by "my god says it's OK, and my god
> isn't chaos, so this isn't chaos."
Which is a rather unsatisfactory guidance for determining whether an unsavory act is chaotic or not. I don't think an unsavory act can be nonchaotic when a god permits it in special circumstances and be chaotic when its practiced with wild abandon. Either the action itself is intrinsically chaotic or it isn't.
> Since [Ogres]
> seem to get their power from their crime/violation, I expect they have to
> be human enough for it to be a crime.
Do they? I don't see any evidence for their cannibalism sustaining
their worship of Cacodemon. The only cannibal cult writeup that I say
was the Hungry Ghosts in Tales #9 which was non-chaotic. In the
Cacodemon writeup, cannibalism scarcely rates a mention. If cannibalism
is a cosmic crime by definition, I do find it odd that there a more
non-chaotic practitioners of cannibalism (the Saliligori of Vithela and
the Pendali of Dawn Age Seshnela also spring to mind) than chaotic
practitioners!
> I think they kind of have to [not eat Outlanders]-- the Morokanth's survival depends on it.
Not really. Outlanders are not proper people like other Praxians and they are not Eiritha Beasts so the Survival Covenant doesn't apply to them.
> If
> the other tribes decided the Morokanth were eating them, everyone would
> gang up to kill them.
But I didn't say anything about eating other Praxians, I spoke about eating outlanders who are _not_ from other tribes.
> Also, wouldn't Waha turn his back on them if they violated his laws so?
How is eating an outlander a violation of Waha's laws? It's not as if
they are eating horses. Waha is not a wise legislator passing laws in
the best interests of the ius gentium. His prohibitions are of a
limited practical nature and that there will be obvious loopholes in his
laws. These loopholes rarely get exploited due to the harshness of the
wastes.
So by way of example, Morocanth eating outlanders. They won't do it where otheroutlanders are nearby (like say outside the walls of New Pavis) because once the evidence has been discovered, things become unpleasant for them. But if they were to come across of a party of adventurers in the wastes, as well as killing them and taking their stuff (which other Praxians would do), they would also consider eating the remains.
--Peter Metcalfe
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