Well, one of them is decidedly leaning towards Ereltharol the Black Ram, the other wants to be a healer, so I will direct him to Yuhurol the Golden Ram. Nice and non-overlapping. :)
/// That'd make a nice Heler-dominated group, with a Ram Daimon wyter, horned helmets etc.
That aside, I've encountered a lot of very interesting if confusing information on Heler during my research since the previous posts.
/// Heler is Water. Water is always confusing, changing, mixed with other things. It carries to mortals with the Water Rune : shifting if not shifty. "Staunch as Heler" is NOT a compliment, it's irony. Everyone knows Heler did it with Ernalda when Big O was away. Also, Heler is sometimes male and sometimes female...
For instance, isn't Aroka also the same as Sshorga?
/// Of course it is. Our course it isn't. Give yourself +10 to your Illumination chances. You ask very direct, blunt questions which could literally blow the mind of the inquirer ! Do you want a neutral, GM-perspective answer or a gloranthan, subjective one ? And from which viewpoint then ?
They certainly appear very different, in any case, and from a mystical viewpoint it does make perfect sense that Orlanth had to free Heler from the Blue Dragon if Heler is a part of its watery body - though in any case, this would be one of those things the Orlanthi wouldn't know.
/// Another +6 to Illumination. Heler might be part of Aroka, an important part in fact. Big O ripped / tore the dragon's heart out more than he freed its prisonner. Also don't forget Vadrus did the same to another dragon, long before that.
Also fascinating is the mention that Heler knows the secret of the Young God.
/// I never knew much about the Young God. What can you tell us about Him ?
Isn't the Young God Yelm, at least in some versions? I wonder how it ties into water's ability to invade the Sky.
/// Magasta tore away some of Yelm's secret when he was drowning in the Ocean after falling dead from the Heavens. Some say these secrets ARE Heler, Water in the Sky. I also suspect this ablity is strongly linked to Tides, and that both are facets of the same phenomenon.
As for the initiation itself, I'm thinking it might also involve Elmal at some point, to introduce the initiate to the rivalry. After all, that's one of the things they're supposed to carry away from it, as per the cult write-up. And there is the obvious option of having an actual Elmali initiate unwittingly end up in it, starting a more personal rivalry...
/// That sounds promising.
I agree that the sub-cult initiation would be a good way to theme it. The Ereltharol escapes from Ui and fights Chaos, the Yuhurol is freed from Aroka and woos Esrola.
/// That sounds very good. If I may, also add a Surprise in the Quest, after you've told the PCs what (normally) happens. For instance, some magnificent ewe tries to seduce away Black Ram for battle. And Yuhorol must fight something. I love to see scandalized players' faces, screaming THIS IS NOT WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN !!! and to answer: Well... yes. Still, it's happening. What are going to do about it ? Brings the best out of them.
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