ZedAlpha

OKAY. So since November, my partner and I (and my partner's husband) have all been in the hospital. I've been trying to find a job. I've started some new medications that have really screwed with my sense of time and memory, and then one of our cats died. I cannot for the life of me find my notes from the few sessions we did, I apologize. I'll keep trying and let you guys know if I find anything. Sorry to just vanish like that, @g33k

Okay, so the game is apparently stopping after about 2.5 sessions, since most of the players would rather play Lancer, the mech combat RPG, and I"m also experiencing severe forever-GM burnout and would like to actually play in a game for a change. BUT. We got character creation and a little bit of storytelling done! I can let y'all know how it worked!

OKAY. So. The campaign is probably pivoting to Lancer, the mech combat anime-as-hell RPG, for a number of reasons But we did get at least two and a half sessions (not counting character creation) done! Lemme find my notes and I can tell y'all how it went.

It did end up making the character a very empathetic, kind, in-the-modern-sense heroic person. In their own words, "If nothing matters, then the only things that matter are what I say matter," and they decided that the best way forward was to just help people. Using Trickster magic. An actually capital-G Good Trickster was terrifying, at least conceptually.

The Illumination came in the form of realizing that there's no point in breaking any of the rules, just as there's no point in following the rules. Kinda broke the poor little bastard's brain.

In the HeroQuest game I ran a few years ago, one of the PCs--a Eurmali Trickster--became Illuminated through a Heroquest called "How Eurmal Got The Infinity Rune (And Then Forgot Where He Put It)." We ran Illumination as something that was ultimately frustrating for them, but helped them develop a lot more empathy than they previously had for their fellow sentients. They didn't go mad with power because they started that way as a trickster--they became a bit less jerk-y overall.

yeah, if Illumination is recognizing the illusory nature of Glorantha and becoming more cognizant of and one with that illusion, power itself would be just as illusory and hard to wield by squishy dumb mortals without supreme effort. True Dragons are literally dilt buifferent.

Oh, not at all, but to be completely honest, but it'd be hilarious, especially given this: Heh. Maybe multiple Harreks start popping up simultaneously during the Windstop and the Long Winter, either as a secondary cause or a side effect? Could explain why they're doing so many things apparently at the same time. Oh, that's a fun idea for a Hero Wars plot: the White Bear possesses a bunch of pirates all at once, and Gunda forces a the poor bewildered bastards to Heroquest to resurrect the god while there's so much divine upheaval going on.

Tired: Multiple Argrath Hypothesis. Yeah, this is getting decanonized, but it still makes a bunch of sense and at this point is one of the coldest YGWV takes out there. Wired: Multiple Harrek Hypothesis. Harrek the Berserk is also a character that does way too much and is in way too many places for one person, and he dies and comes back to life multiple times to the point that it might stretch the belief of even one demigod's heroism. But what if Harrek isn't a person so much as a title? Yes, my friends, I'm talking about the Gloranthan Dread Pirate Roberts! The original Harrek the Berserk absolutely slew his people's Bear God and skinned it, gaining much power, but at some point he probably died permanently or retired and passed the mantle of the Bear down to the next most vicious and horrible of his pirate crew. And so on. How did Harrek survive the terrible battles that destroyed the Kethaelan navy? Barely! Then he decided to take his share of the plunder and retire back to the Three Step Isles, passing it off to his second-in-command. How did Harrek survive Pennel Ford? He didn't! But another Wolf Pirate took up the mantle shortly after the original Harrek got Jar-Eel'd. In this view, Gunda the Guilty serves to help choose who the next Harrek is, which is why she's so feared--becoming Harrek is as much a punishment and a death sentence as it is a reward and a mighty boon of powerful magic. It also explains Harrek's wildly varying characterization (is he a wonderful friend of the common man and a boon companion of Argrath, or the worst reaver and an irredeemable monster? Yes! 'Cause there's been more than one Harrek!)

oh hell, that's all a very good point. And on a more mythic-focused end, Asrelia is goddess of mining, and was Lodril's first lover, so it might make sense that his country is actually pretty metal-rich. And that also works with the close-er relationship with the Mostali, too. huh, maybe there's a buttload of copper and bronze just...around everywhere? Which would mean that the cults of Gustbran and Asrelia are probably a lot more widespread and powerful than they would be elsewhere

Another good idea.

Ooh, I'm stealing that for my upcoming Caladraland game. In fact, given the (relatively) close relationship between the Mostali and Caladralanders, I do like the idea that while Caladraland might be metal-poor, they know a bit more about metallurgy thanks to their fire gods and the nearby dwarves of Gemborg.

It does make sense to me that a lot of other cultures might have their own specific gods of smithing (see Tepekos in Six Ages), but post-Dawn it appears that Gustbran is the most widespread one (in Genertela, at least).

Hi, by the way, welcome to the forums, but what?

What?