As a Russian I have to say that the sentiment of progress being sympathetic but sometimes volatile and dangerous and liable to bring about Chaos and bloody terror does not seem so exclusively Gloranthan... :P
That being said this is why Sartar (the man) is so impressive. He is a hero who could bring about Change without turning his back on Orlanthi traditions; indeed, he managed to give the Orlanthi of Dragon Pass an urban culture and the beginnings of civilisation (as it is usually understood) without taking away their freedom and what made them Orlanthi. I think he's the counterpoint to Lokamayadon, of sorts; Lokamayadon brings about forceful, reckless change out of personal ambition and with no respect for his culture, Sartar brings about subtle, negotiated transformations for the good of society as a whole and with Orlanthi cultural specifics in mind. Evil Revolutionary/Westerniser (or Northerniser as the case may be) vs. Good Native Reformer, if you will. :P
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> --- In WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com, hcarteau@ wrote:
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> > 3)What's wrong about Lokamayadon?
> > Franky speaking, I began to like the character of Lokamayadon.
> > /// Ah, yes. I like him too : level-headed, reasonable yet proud, he tried hard to get the World out of the dead end it was heading to. All the while trying to fend off fanatic windbags.
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> > What made him his downfall aside from the ill luck?
> > /// The other guys won, and have been desecrating his name ever since.
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> To me the main point aboutLokamayadon was that he sided with change--both by allying with Nysalor and, eventually, in trying to displace Orlanth. Orlanthi mythology is kind of interesting, because up until the Storm Age it is in substantial part about forcing change in a stagnant world. But after the great compromise, and arguably even before then, it is very reactionary, basically viewing any change as a threat to the world, because any change could weaken the Great Compromise and let chaos run rampant again.
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> The challenging part as players (and narrators) is that the Orlanthi are probably right (as much as anyone can be right in matters of theology, even in Glorantha). Progress is pretty much a dirty word, so while our 21st century sympathies may be with the progressives, in Glorantha they are dangerous and short sighted.
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> All just IMO.
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