Rune as Building Blocks for stories.

[skulldixon]

A link to a blog post about this below but the first rune I plan on tackling is the Disorder Rune. Been thinking of an encounter that revolves around the Disorder rune and playing around with what aspects of disorder I want the theme of the encounter to reflect.

So question for the group; outside of misfortune what aspects of Disorder appear in Glorantha. What kind of things in the day-to-day life of a Gloranthian person would be affected by the presence of the Disorder Rune?
https://monstersandmusings.blogspot.com/2021/10/runequest-runes-that-govern-and-shape.html

[jajagappa]

14 minutes ago, skulldixon said:

What kind of things in the day-to-day life of a Gloranthian person would be affected by the presence of the Disorder Rune?

Since Disorder can represent selfish (i.e. "me first") attitudes, many of the traditional vices can come into play here:  greed, gluttony, addictions, disloyalty/betrayal, theft, envy, jealousy, temptation, sloth/laziness, etc.  And from a social perspective, such attitudes and behaviors, counter to group harmony and community, can then open up pathways for spirits of disease to be attracted to the individual (not to mention tricksters). 

[dumuzid]

Some months ago the campaign I run featured a bandit gang in the Praxian wastes structured around a demon of Chaos, Death and Disorder.  Skyath Red Hand was born from the savage, internecine struggles for vanishing resources between the survivors of the Earthfall, before Waha showed them new ways to survive.  Skyath is essentially a scavenger and cruel thief, and can grant his worshipers great powers for deceit and unreasoning violence, particularly the bare-handed sort.  He is a Medium Demon per the rules for demons in the RQ:G Bestiary, and appears as a SIZ 25 skinless baboon with an assortment of features associated with all the major Praxian tribes, varying from manifestation to manifestation.  He bears a Chaos Mutation that grants him blinding speed even by the standards of demons, but no inherent power to grant such to his followers.  His progeny are the Black Claws, Small Demons created by suitably gratuitous and remunerative acts of banditry and slaughter dedicated to Skyath.  They share his runes and often possess leaders of the bandit-cult to hide from the watch of the Storm Bulls in clothing of flesh while traveling the wastes.

[jajagappa]

3 hours ago, skulldixon said:

outside of misfortune what aspects of Disorder appear in Glorantha.

One additional thought on this specific note:  Disorder can represent "misfortune" broadly or at an individual level, but also it exists and thrives because it is a path to fortune, power, pleasure, etc. for those individuals who can use and take advantage of it.  It is one of the eight Runes of Power, after all - the power is there for those who can seize it.

[skulldixon]

12 minutes ago, jajagappa said:

One additional thought on this specific note:  Disorder can represent "misfortune" broadly or at an individual level, but also it exists and thrives because it is a path to fortune, power, pleasure, etc. for those individuals who can use and take advantage of it.  It is one of the eight Runes of Power, after all - the power is there for those who can seize it.

This is true. I see each rune as being multifaceted and having different aspects to how it functions. So as much as a Disorderly life can cause misfortune, a disordered person can find fulfillment and happiness in life just by making sure they places their own needs before everyone else's needs.

[EricW]

Disorder can mean strife but it also represents breaking away from the old order. Disorder could represent a youth movement, like hippies rejecting the societal rules of their parents, or people refusing to participate in the deadly clan feuds of their elders. Like a group of youths who refuse to initiate as warriors. How would they survive? Would they be easy prey to the first group of enemies? Or would the primal disorder they embrace somehow protect them, cause plans to attack them to go astray, magically divert bullies and enemies? How would the Lunars react to a movement which was sapping their enemies of potential warriors? Or would the Lunars have their own problems with youths refusing to take up the holy Lunar mission to heal the universe? 

One thing for sure, the parents would not be happy with this rising movement of lazy deserters, they would accuse them of everything from being secret chaos worshipers to clan traitors.