davecake

I prefer somewhere in between. The game has a Leap spell. Most Orlanthi should have it. Let them use augments or other heroquesty boosts to enhance their Leap. Or just make the chasm a bit smaller if you want them to be able to leap it.

Its the little rune that couldn't, yeah. About 80% or more of all Stasis magic ever written up seems to be Mostali magic. Even when a cult is given the rune, it is often tentative or temporary, and does not actually come with magic (Lhankor Mhy, Yelm)

Orlanthi Justice - there is a situation, people are unhappy and causing trouble and threatening to cause more, you must try and fix the problem so that people become happier with the situation and no longer cause trouble. The law gives you agreed on rules for working towards resolution. The law works best when it adapts to be complexities of the situation and is flexible. Yelmic Justice - there is the law, it defines how people should behave, and what should be done if they do not, usually punishment. The law works best when it is consistent and firm.

Telmori generally consider sex with non-Telmori to be essentially like bestiality - humans look the same, but are a different race. It generally is regarded as a serious crime. Of course, shamans might get away with it for weird shaman reasons if you want them to.

He has many associated cults that use the Death or Fertility runes, though. Yelm's power comes from his position as ruler - and he has access to a lot of good magic from associated cults. Though Yu-Kargzant and Yelm are the same god in the core, God Learner, ways, in practice the writeup in the rulebook is more or less the Yu-Kargzant writeup in a Grazer context - in practice, Pentan Yu-Kargzant is somewhat different, and Dara Happen Yelm very different, because of the cultural context that determines things like associated cults, social role, skills taught, even if their core spells are similar. Yes. Though probably a bit weaker than the variety of spirit magics accessible to Golden Bow among the Pentans.

Though the Orlanthi tradition tends to conflate the self-mastery and demonstrated prowess of the aspiring hero with political leadership, in acknowledgement of Orlanth, in the Orlanth Rex cult. In many other cultures they are far more distinct. The Orlanthi do not have a rune for Sovereignty, but rather assert that when the world is going well Sovereignty and Mastery are united. Other cultures associate Sovereignty or Rulership with entirely different virtues, and understand them in entirely different ways. Pamalts Power rune, for example, is about political leadership that is not associated with personal power or dominance, but with the ability to build coalitions and convince differing groups to cooperate - a good chieftain can be one who is able to cause great things to happen but maybe does almost none of it himself. For a Yelmic lord his power should come by being the rightful occupant of a position and then doing what the position requires, a hero who arises from the many to rule (Orlanth style, demonstrating Mastery) was traditionally considered disastrous (though of course, the Lunars have complicated that, it still remains the core of Dara Happen thinking).

Indeed so. But mechanisms made of the crooked timber of humanity are notoriously unreliable. A good argument could be made (and probably has been, by White Moonies and other dissidents) that the Examiners of the Red Goddess cult now sustain some of the problems they were meant to prevent, for example.

Illuminates often have techniques to identify Illuminates. Light or dark are subjective judgments of moral character, and can't be determined by magic. If you identify an Illuminate who is concealing their Illuminated status and performing odd deeds, questions may get asked. The Lunars attempted to set up a system to determine the 'right' sort of Illuminates from the wrong sort - but its just questioning the Illuminated on their beliefs and judging the answers they give. Yes, the thing is, illuminates are NOT always righteous, are they? This is why the Gods have mortal agents.

I think almost all of the specific claims theory are wrong, but plausibly things that idiot God Learners might have believed, and thus the theory as a whole plausible.

Or this is the far south, and it’s the Red Camp of Innocence becoming the Blue Fire Sea.

The Vadeli may, of course, try - but historically failure to manipulate Slarges seems to have been the downfall of the Vadeli empire in Pamaltela. The Vadeli proved adept at manipulating the Artmali/Veldang, but maybe Slarges are not human enough to manipulate emotionally, and too individualist/eccentric to easily manipulate with logic. I do have a theory that the Doraddi Slarge creation myth does not mention the unique bicyclic reproduction cycle and the difference between giant and lesser Slarges, so there may be some later myth era about how the species was split in two, known to few besides the Slarges and a fun mystery for PCs to uncover. I never had a good idea for what it was though - but maybe it was to do with a Vadeli attempt to curse the Slarges? Or a Slarge magic to change their species to better destroy the Vadeli? I also have a theory that there most of the major Chaotic deities owe their origins, or at least current form and prevalence, to Vadeli magic from the Oabil/Chir empire. We know Ompalam and Darleester are derived from Vadeli slavery magic. And Jraktal seems virtually just an anthropomorphisation of Vadeli Tapping into an evil god. But in addition: - the Vadeli were masters of undead creation, stealing the spirits for powering their sorcery and the bodies as slaves, which sounds very clearly connected to Gark the Calm - they manipulated and subverted the human empires expertly, and are known to have indulged in all manner of sexually perverse behaviour, which would explain Seseine and the prevalence of succubi - Pocharngo seems to specialise in the ritual creation of various weird dangerous servitor races, which sounds like Vadeli sorcerers weaponising Chaotic mutation for their wars against the Brithini and others. It would not be surprising if the Vadeli (or maybe Artmali in the late, fully corrupted, stage of their empire) created the Grue as living weapons, night riders, hoons as a weapon against elves, etc. and the watchwere are just too implausibly useful to not be a deliberate creation. So, of course, if the Blue Vadeli do return, they are likely to first become active in the south, and it will be absolutely thoroughly awful for everyone.

The Waertagi are also associated mostly with Piscoi mermen, who they have interbred with, which means most likely the Malasp. While the Waertagi are said to have been allied with the Ludoch of the Mirrorsea during the reign of the OOO, it does seem likely there are quite significant tensions between the Ludoch and the Waertagi, given how much the Ludoch and the Malasp hate one another (for various reasons including the Malasp tendency to regard cetaceans as tasty food).

The flaw in the ‘Vadeli claim credit for the Slarges’ plan is that, thanks to the Slarges destroying their empire, there basically are no Vadeli around in the areas where that would be useful. The Slarges appear to have destroyed all inland presence of the Vadeli.

Most of them are coastal. I think the Vadeli, without their higher castes, are not really able to organise themselves as an organised force away from the coast. They used to have an alliance with the Wolf Pirates, but I think no more. But there are a small number in Nochet, and probably in other coastal cities - and probably Brown Vadeli traders, mostly. I think quite minor in all cases - though the Vadeli might explain why Ralzakark and the Lunars appear to know of Seseine. I don’t know of anything they’ve done in central Peloria, actually. the slavery magic of Fonrit was originally Vadeli magic from the ancient Vadeli empire, coopted by Garangordos centuries ago to for the foundation of modern Fonritian civilisation - but that was a very long time ago, and may not have much direct connection to the modern Vadeli. The slarges do not seem to be Vadeli creations, and they actually seem to be very hostile, and the slarges seemed to be largely responsible for the downfall of the Vadeli empire. I think in general the Slarges and Vadeli are not friends. Though the giant Slarges are highly individualistic, so there may be exceptions. A reactivation of the Mostali-Vadeli alliances seems likely - not all Mostali, but probably with Slon in the South, and possibly Nida in the West. Neither sounds great news for anyone else - and Nida possibly bringing them into conflict with the Brithini allied Seshnelans, and their Waertagi allies.

The Waertagi are said to have interbred specifically with the Piscoi. And the other Piscoi avoid the surface, and appear to hate non-aquatic people even more. So the Waertagi almost certainly cooperate with the Malasp - it’s more plausible than extensive cooperation with Yssabau or Gnydron, and both those races are far smaller than the Malasp. I think it’s likely the Waertagi enlisted the Malasp to help destroy the God Learners, as their revenge for Tanian’s Victory. IMO the Vadeli welcomed Hrestol and his followers as Judges because they were literally unable to solve certain disputes and questions without any Talar/ Yellow caste Vadeli, who were all destroyed (without losing their immortality, anyway). The modern Vadeli often rely on a weird work around - there are exceptions to normal restrictions on other castes exercising leadership authority when commanding a boat, so the modern Vadeli empires are all organised as maritime fleets, with admirals as the highest leadership. (There is some dark humour to be had in comparing the Vadeli to the sovereign citizens conspiracy theory about everything being maritime law).

Well, that certainly sounds like my experience of festivals. Just the minstrels have electronic amplification now. The latrine digger will no doubt have strong opinions about not putting inappropriate things in the latrines and only using the bronze age equivalent of single ply toilet paper.

I think Fonrit sees itself more or less like Kush to a broader Pamaltelan Egypt, but long after the fall of the New Kingdom. The Agimori of Fonrit see themselves as the true heirs to the great ancient Doraddi civilisation of Tishamto to the South (only they have kept its civilization alive thanks to its rediscovery by the Glorious ones, none of this Doraddi 'progress backwards' stuff), and see themselves as sort of worshipping the same deities in a new, better, way, a natural continuation. They are, of course, mostly wrong about almost all of that. Garangordos justified conquest of the Vendang by claiming he was restoring the ancient Pamalt ruling magic, with Glorious Ones recreating Pamalts Necklace, but the Agimori of Fonrit are mostly descended from the Gendara people. Garangordos ignores the whole Thinobutu myth cycle in favour of associating himself with Pamalt and his defeat of Chaos with the Firefall, and rulership of the Earth (rather than the Thinobutu myth cycle of getting kicked around by the sea and Chaos, and continually having to migrate away due to other powers). And Fonrit was never part of Tishamto, what Agimori were there were probably mostly subjects of the Artmali then the Vadeli. Of course, the Veldang of Fonrit see it differently - they see themselves as the heirs to the real Empire, the Artmali Empire. They first freed Fonrit from the elves, and troublesome barbarians from the North killed Artmal, then they got conquered by the Vadeli, and the Agimori were never anything but subject peoples until Garagordos came. Their version of history is probably a vast oversimplication, if not an outright lie too - but they too still see Fonrit as originally a branch of the great ancient Empire to the South, they just have a different idea whose empire it was.

I think that the FHQ must allow herself to be possessed by Sorana Tor in the various sovereignty rites, including her sacred marriage with the King of Dragon Pass. But I am sure there is a lot more to it than that. When there is a blood sacrifice, it can sometimes be to Maran Gor, if it an enemy of the Earth etc. But I think the sacred marriage is about, in part, the King offering himself as a potential sacrifice to the Land Goddess (in this case Kero Fin) if he does not fulfill his duties to the Earth. It is acknowledging that the Land is the real source of sovereignty.

Ana Gor is the goddess of human sacrifice, and it is her that manifests as Sorana Tor. She is not the same goddess as Maran Gor. But Maran Gor (as Erantha Gor the axe goddess) is one of the deities she permits to human sacrifice when it is not necessary, and I think Maran Gor serves Sorana Tor in appreciation of that relationship. I think all the grain goddesses have the right to accept human sacrifice, just very few of them do - Hon-Eel has genuinely discovered an ancient Earth rite, rather than creating a new Lunar one, with her maize rites. And the Earthshakers are angry at the Hon-Eel cult, not because of the human sacrifice rites (that would be rather hypocritical!) but because Hon-Eel dares to perform it without seeking the approval of Sorana Tor, who represents sovereignty over Dragon Pass (whose power is now channeled through the Feathered Horse Queen). I think there are some interesting questions about the relationship between the Feathered Horse Queens and the Earthshakers.

Indeed, we have very different philosophies. When something might change the basic balance of the world, upset the existing status quo completely, and make quite limited sense in terms of basic physical limits (why can't a ship that can carry a few thousand people sail down a river a few feet deep?), you still like to give PCs options for how things might happen. For me, it kind of ruins the point of playing in an established setting. But if Derek the troll can kill Harrek, I'm sure he can also float a giant city sized boat down a creek. YGDoesV.

While obviously yes, it is almost certain that it is easier to get your POW/RPs up than master 5 skills. It is easy to get a POW gain roll every season - but not the same for skill rolls. Skills go up an average of 3.5 points per roll, equivalent to 0.65 the rate of POW increase. You can have some control over your POW gains, reducing it for easier gains, no such option for skills. You don't have a lot of choices over what these skills are - and if one is far below 90%, it can be a real pain to get it up/ Are you trying to just increase your POW increase, or maximise your spread of Rune magic? Because literally you get to be a priest/lord combination by just getting your POW to 18 , and it has the same POW increase chance. Becoming a Rune Lord/God Talker is a thing that only makes sense if you are talking about two different cults, which then makes it more difficult and costlier than being a Rune Lord-Priest of the same cult. A Priest-Lord of a single cult has no increase in time or money - a Lord/God-Talker of two different cults has increased cost, 95% of their cash rather than 90%.

But you don't need to cast any enchantment at all for a POW storage crystal. It exists, you can take it from the person who has it or place where it is, POW cost 0. But POW to cast.. But not Bind... also, Summon and Command are not for every cult, or known by everybody. Sure! But those Rune Levels are going to count it as a very big favour, so you better be prepared to wear that. Basically, it is a big investment of social capital. There is a cost of one sort or another for such things. And the cost for that tactic is that you are a Trickster now. That is actually a pretty big cost! I think you are way off in both those estimates. Most initiates have more urgent things to do than invest in magic point storage, and non-powered crystals are a common way of acquiring magic point storage.

One thing that happens at the tribal assembly is if there is any sort of dispute involving people from two clans, generally people can go to the tribal assembly to resolve it, often by lawsuits. This is quite a business, involving jurors and lawspeakers from both clans, lots of lobbying, and generally trying to convince the tribal King to adjudicate (and they usually prefer not having to do so). That takes up a lot of the time. Lots of small religious ceremonies may take place as well, including Rex rites (sometimes covertly) and sacrifices to the tribal wyter. And priests sharing prophecies and omens, etc. Plus it is a good opportunity for a market.

Crystals are easy, you can just pick them up. And then you can use them as a magic point matrix. Using a crystal as a spirit binding enchantment is more complicated. Spirit binding still requires you to bind a spirit, which requires both learning a spell (such as Spirit Binding or Command Cult Spirit), and either summoning the spirit or travelling to the spirit plane or similar, usually involving the help of a shaman or a priest. And the spirit goes away when you die. Using a crystal for magic point storage requires no such effort, and is still pretty useful.

The nature of the Rune Lord benefits are such that the Rune Lord can, when things go well, and if they have invested and kept available enough magical resources, DI without risk of permanent loss, which is a huge benefit. The nature of the Rune Lord role is such that they can seldom count on things going well for long enough to make that something they can rely on.