Summon Humakt Cult Spirit

[skulldixon]

One of my players was asking what kind of spirits their Humakti Sword could summon using the common Rune Spell. So I figured I should come up with something for when they do use the Rune Spell. So here is what I think they will get, but if anyone has a better idea - leave some suggestions.

1 Rune Point:
   This summons the spirit of a Fallen Sword; a Humakt Warrior who died in combat. 

2 Rune Points:
   This summons a small Demon - a servant of the Underworld.

3 Rune Points:
   This summons a medium Demon - a servant of the Underworld.

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2021 by skulldixon

[Akhôrahil]

Does Humakt do the Underworld, or does he just send people there?

I could also imagine Humakti ghosts (the kinds the spell creates), raven and wolf spirits, and Sword Spirits.

[simonh]

Maybe also spirits that will cast or teach various spirit spells taught by the cult. Sword spirits for bladesharp, shield or helm spirits for Protection.

[PhilHibbs]

Something that seeks out undead and engages them in spirit combat maybe. Although that wouldn't work for skeletons that have no MP, but zombies and everything upwards from there do.

[Ali the Helering]

4 Rune Point      Summon Inigo Montoya

[Bill the barbarian]

1 minute ago, Ali the Helering said:

4 Rune Point      Summon Inigo Montoya

And the words to this invocation are: "My name is Inigo...”

Edited September 9, 2021 by Bill the barbarian

[jajagappa]

On 9/8/2021 at 1:20 PM, skulldixon said:

2 Rune Points:
   This summons a small Demon - a servant of the Underworld.

3 Rune Points:
   This summons a medium Demon - a servant of the Underworld.

I don't think Humakti are going to be summoning Demons.  Demons are Underworld beings and as such that's where they belong.  If anything Humakt will be ensuring those DON'T get out of the Underworld. 

Our best example I think is from the Redline History (GS p.158): "At last Humakt fought Yanafal, but they fought each other to a standstill, even though Yanafal was aided by his devoted warriors and Humakt was not."

I'm not sure these are necessarily "Fallen" Swords, but those who have joined Humakt on the heroplane and guard the exits from the Underworld.

[Baron Wulfraed]

4 hours ago, Bill the barbarian said:

And the words to this invocation are: "My name is Inigo...”

<snort>

One of the (too many) characters I generated for practice has Hate (Lunar Empire) at 90%. Mother was eaten by the Crimson Bat...

I joked to my relatives that this character would use "My name is Akn'Ard*, the Crimson Bat ate my mother, prepare ..." on encountering a representative of the Lunar Empire.

 

* yes, my names are atrocious -- pronounce that one as "A(h) Canard"... He's a duck

 

[skulldixon]

5 hours ago, jajagappa said:

I don't think Humakti are going to be summoning Demons.  Demons are Underworld beings and as such that's where they belong.  If anything Humakt will be ensuring those DON'T get out of the Underworld. 

Our best example I think is from the Redline History (GS p.158): "At last Humakt fought Yanafal, but they fought each other to a standstill, even though Yanafal was aided by his devoted warriors and Humakt was not."

As far as I have seen, Humakt only wants to make sure that the Dead are sent tot he underworld where they belong. 

Though, i don't know what the War God Yanafal has to do with this...

[jajagappa]

3 hours ago, skulldixon said:

Though, i don't know what the War God Yanafal has to do with this...

Yanafal is the Lunar equivalent of Humakt.  The reference effectively notes that each are served/aided by their devoted warriors (i.e. cult spirits).  (The original Redline text read "einherjar" rather than "warriors")

3 hours ago, skulldixon said:

Humakt only wants to make sure that the Dead are sent tot he underworld where they belong.

Humakt also guards the paths that exit the Underworld so that the Dead do not return to the world of the Living where they don't belong.  It's why he destroys the Undead.

[skulldixon]

4 minutes ago, jajagappa said:

Yanafal is the Lunar equivalent of Humakt.  The reference effectively notes that each are served/aided by their devoted warriors (i.e. cult spirits).  (The original Redline text read "einherjar" rather than "warriors")

Humakt also guards the paths that exit the Underworld so that the Dead do not return to the world of the Living where they don't belong.  It's why he destroys the Undead.

Neither of which has to do with (the non-Christianity styled) Demons..... I get that Humakt is guarding the gate ways in and out of the underworld, but If a Humakti is summoning a Demon - then i don't see the reason why he would stop them. they're not Undead or ever dead. They're just underworld spirits. Bringing up the Redline text doesn't make any sense when it comes to demons. 

[Diana Probst]

I'd look at this from the three-point PoV.  A three point Elemental has a certain amount of power it can put down and/or people it can effect.  A three point power Rune spell might not have the area of effect, because powers do not necessarily have physical manifestations, but it's a start.

The other three point spell I would look at is Sever Spirit.  It is a single insta-kill if you pass a POW vs POW.

So, for three points I would say you can summon a spirit that physically duels one person to the death, which is less powerful than sever spirit, given the person it is attacking can heal, and friends can help.  It might also be a spirit that fights one round of combat against everyone within a certain radius, but that sounds like a lot of dice rolls.  If I did that I would probably run it like the Harmony Rune Spell, where there is one single roll against everyone.  (People might or might not have a parry roll, or you might just say what level of parry/dodge it beats, depending on where you are on the rolling vs fiating scale.)

A two point fighting spirit would go on until one person cannot, and a one point version would stop when a wound is inflicted.  Again, this might vary by area, for a shorter effect.  The conservation of ninja rule says that the fewer people attacking you, the harder they are.  So, each blade in a whirlwind of blades attack is weak, but there are a lot.  If it's a single attacker spirit, it's strong.  Those are probably two different sorts, and you could be guided how to summon one or the other, but I'd say you'd need different spells (for reasons that make sense to me in my game).  I tend to randomise the spirit you have, unless you have a specific Summon spell.

There might be other sorts of spirits of Death, but I think you could also use Truth.  (I am pretty sure Ernaldans can summon spirits of harmony and fertility, just not elementals of those powers.)

A three point Truth spirit sounds like a Lhankor Mhy thing, but a two-point spirit sounds a bit like the level of the Oath spell.  So it looks like you could find an enforcer-of-Truth spirit, who might smite people who lie in court.  Two points is more than the one-point Detect Truth, so they could do it over a wider area and/or not be limited in the numbers of times they could use it.  I'd say they could dole out what they spend in MP as HP damage, if someone has lied.  This might require a POW vs POW but given the size of spirits for 2 points, it might already be too weak.  The size of the effect depends on your game.

A one-point Truth spirit could hold an Oath for as long as it stays manifest, which is long enough to have a short meeting where it is REALLY important everyone keeps to the rules.  You could get bigger versions of that as well, although I'd be leery of a 3 point version.  It probably powers itself with MP, so you might want a bigger version, but it might also need more POW.  YMMV.

Other thoughts: spirits of certain types of swords could be called on to inhabit your enemy's blades (or even blunt weapons).  Humakt hates it when people use Death wrong, and they will try to take back the power.  Effectively this casts Dullblade, lasting for as long as the spirit wrestles with Death.  POW of the spirit vs HP of the weapon, per round, for levels of Defeat Death effect inflicted.  If the total damage is ever 0, the weapon is conquered, and breaks.

The nature of the sword is to cut.  Some spirits might just cut everything around them that is softer than they are.  Want to show your disdain for the worldly goods of your high-fertility enemy and their collection of velvet hangings?  Bring a little separation into the world.

Spirits of Honour exist, no doubt.  They act on the summoner as guides. Don't go against what they say, or you'll find your score drops.  However, if you let one inhabit you for a season it's a season's training.  Possibly this will work even if you are already over 75 in Honour.  (I think that is the limit for training all things, so I'm saying it is for this conversation.)

Some sword spirits have a physical manifestation.  Free hidden weapon!  But... don't mis-use it.  They'll know.

Essentially, the different aspects of swords and truth can be combined with different things spirits do, but a lot of spirits are, aheh, double-edged.

[jajagappa]

9 hours ago, skulldixon said:

If a Humakti is summoning a Demon - then i don't see the reason why he would stop them. they're not Undead or ever dead. They're just underworld spirits.

The Underworld is the abode of Death.  The above world is the abode of Life.  Part of Humakt's role in the Great Compromise is to enforce that line.  Anything in the Underworld belongs in the Underworld including ghosts, Demons, etc. 

[soltakss]

On 9/9/2021 at 9:06 PM, Baron Wulfraed said:

My name is Akn'Ard

With a silent F at the start?

[Baron Wulfraed]

46 minutes ago, soltakss said:

With a silent F at the start?

I'm not that crude... The other two ducks I practiced on are Hua'rd and Drake Anatidae. My dog pack also has a Lycaon Pictus, and Kai O'tei (the latter being an entertainer -- stretching Issaries "communication" skills; Eurmal might have been more appropriate but I couldn't play to the restrictions).

Edited September 11, 2021 by Baron Wulfraed
Elmal -> Eurmal

[Lordabdul]

On 9/8/2021 at 10:20 AM, skulldixon said:

One of my players was asking what kind of spirits their Humakti Sword could summon using the common Rune Spell.

I would go with:

• Raven spirits, who are possibly the ones watching the line between the living and the dead, and are keeping an eye on any dead things in the living world, making sure they stay dead.
• Wolves, eagles, and other scavengers are also spirits of Humakt. Any animal that would pick off the dead left on the battlefield.
• Spirits of honour, loyalty, oaths, truth (in the sense of "not a lie", not in the sense of "knowledge" that LM would have) and/or fighting morale, who have no well defined appearance, and manifest inside pieces of armour and weapons. These are probably very annoying spirits 🙂
• Spirits of former Humakti heroes, who typically line up the road to the Underworld and are ready for any upcoming apocalypse in which the dead may rise.

By the way, the one that leads the spirits of the recently dead to the Underworld is actually Issaries, according to the Glorantha Sourcebook. Sadly there isn't much gaming material for that responsibility of his, and he's lacking a Rune spell or two for that. Humakt is just the guy who draws and enforces the line that separates the dead and the living, so Issaries basically drops the spirits off in front of Humakt.

[skulldixon]

1 hour ago, lordabdul said:

I would go with:

• Raven spirits, who are possibly the ones watching the line between the living and the dead, and are keeping an eye on any dead things in the living world, making sure they stay dead.
• Wolves, eagles, and other scavengers are also spirits of Humakt. Any animal that would pick off the dead left on the battlefield.
• Spirits of honour, loyalty, oaths, truth (in the sense of "not a lie", not in the sense of "knowledge" that LM would have) and/or fighting morale, who have no well defined appearance, and manifest inside pieces of armour and weapons. These are probably very annoying spirits 🙂
• Spirits of former Humakti heroes, who typically line up the road to the Underworld and are ready for any upcoming apocalypse in which the dead may rise.

By the way, the one that leads the spirits of the recently dead to the Underworld is actually Issaries, according to the Glorantha Sourcebook. Sadly there isn't much gaming material for that responsibility of his, and he's lacking a Rune spell or two for that. Humakt is just the guy who draws and enforces the line that separates the dead and the living, so Issaries basically drops the spirits off in front of Humakt.

Those are some decent suggestions.
I imagine we can play Issaries up like he is Charon of greek mythology - minus the boat. A Merchant would still take pay in the form of money though.