A spoiler for Babs runelord?

[Eff]

It's worth pointing out that in the RQG rules, the use of Death to suppress fertility is voluntary and initiated by the player, and possibly voluntary on the part of the character as well. 

But questions of Babeester Gor's "barrenness" are interesting if we consider the Earth as... earth. Depleted soil, such as that of Prax, which is literally of limited fertility and ability to support life, is not beholden to some fierce Earth goddess, but is simply absent an Earth deity of any sort, and relies on Eiritha, who is disconected from the soil, instead. Maran is associated with the rough country on the western and northern foothills of Kero Fin, which are... forested. Inhospitable to human exploitation, but not devoid of life. 

But of course Babeester Gor is right there beside Ernalda, rather than an incarnation of wild places. We might well say that she's an assertion that the Earth has boundaries. Which explains quite a lot about her, in-universe and out-of, including her association with Eurmal, who highlights those boundaries ritually and formally. And of course, such fierceness as she possesses is, I suspect, a matter of how one approaches her rather than an intrinsic quality. 

[Rodney Dangerduck]

3 hours ago, JRE said:

Yes, that is what I meant. When I say Babeester Gor is barren, that does not mean that her worshippers are, but the prototypical BG devotee (Death 90+) will have problems, and probably little interest in bearing a child.

But it is not set in stone, and a great story could come from that...

The BG's lifestyle (and body part ornaments) do make a long term relationship difficult.

Your last section is brilliant.  One could make a great story about the BG who is different. 

In our campaign, we have a female Humakt PC, who, like a BG, is usually the stereotypically deathy / glum type.  But her friend, my Vingan PC, got herself in a family way ("Bad choices make good stories"), and that started the Humakti PC thinking about her future life.  And, she has feelings for a guy.  On her recent Quest to prove herself as a Sword of Humakt, she, like Robert Frost, took the alternative path, "the one less travelled by Deathy".  We will see if that will make "all the difference", but, IMO, it's way more interesting than the standard "Death, Death, Death to us all".

[g33k]

Babs has the Death rune.
Humakt is Death.

IMHO (IMG) this allows a much larger range of variation on the issue of fertility &c.

Similarly, Babs has several roles...

• temple guard
• bodyguard / protector
• avenger (and by implication:  tracker, investigator, etc -- finding the offender may be a challenge)

She also has a sideline with beer & brewing.

There's room for everything from the old-school "psycho berzerker" type PC to the "drunken barbarian comic relief" to the "implacable dark knight of vengence," and more.

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by g33k

[AndreJarosch]

42 minutes ago, g33k said:

Babs has the Death rune.
Humakt is Death.

That hasn´t stopped Greg from having the Humakti a child: Alebard Elffriend  and his wife Eril Silksword had a daughter (born in battle!). 

[Rodney Dangerduck]

My movie image of BG is River Tam at the end of Serenity.

[Squaredeal Sten]

For what it's worth, in my campaign on Zoom the Humakti player was hit on by a Babeester Gor NPC, "I like the way you kill"....

[He has a record of cutting off heads in melee]

hooked up with her on occasion - and last Sacred time I did the standard die roll for having children. 

None yet -

None of this disturbs My Glorantha.  It did seem to give the player pause.

Edited February 12, 2022 by Squaredeal Sten
record

[Shiningbrow]

16 hours ago, JRE said:

I actually expect BG worshippers to have active sex lives, just not what your typical male orlanthi would appreciate.

I disagree with this.

Typical Yelmite males wouldn't appreciate. Orlanthis would be fine.

[Qizilbashwoman]

26 minutes ago, Shiningbrow said:

I disagree with this.

Typical Yelmite males wouldn't appreciate. Orlanthis would be fine.

Maybe six hundred years ago they might not have approved

[DucksMustDie]

I see it this way: Babs has a high Death rune --> likely no Love-passions. But she also has a high Earth rune --> likely has Lust-passions (like Lust [someone], maybe even generally Lust [sex])

Edited February 12, 2022 by DucksMustDie

[Shiningbrow]

33 minutes ago, DucksMustDie said:

I see it this way: Babs has a high Death rune --> likely no Love-passions. But she also has a high Earth rune --> likely has Lust-passions (like Lust [someone], maybe even generally Lust [sex])

Spoiler - Eraninna Chan (head Axe Maiden of the Colymar Earth Temple) has a Love (Family) at 90%, and a Death Rune at 95%.

As you were suggesting, I think on the personal level, it will depend on the other Runic Affinities (because they largely explain the persona). Earth is *generally* associated with Fertility (but can also be destructive), so as you said, if there's a high Earth Rune in the person's personality, then it will mollify the Death. Throw in above 50% in Harmony, and they're little pussycats.... until enraged.

(And, although Babs has that nasty reputation, firstly I suspect it's intentionally cultivated, and more of a stereotype than a genuine trait (useful!), and secondly - Mabs* is much scarier! That Disorder Rune makes her (and her followers) somewhat unhinged.)

I am a little surprised that Babs doesn't have an Honour passion, given her hatred of oathbreakers.

 

(Maran Gor)

[DucksMustDie]

This npc Babs I'm making has Honor, and has Harmony rune at 80%. Death 99%, Earth 98%, and she also has Love for her girlfriend and grandmother (also a Babs RL, her idol). I'm trying to break the stereotype a bit, a fun project 🙂

Edited February 12, 2022 by DucksMustDie

[DucksMustDie]

55 minutes ago, Shiningbrow said:

Eraninna Chan (head Axe Maiden of the Colymar Earth Temple) has a Love (Family) at 90%

She also should have Lust (trolls) 🙂

[Orlanthatemyhamster]

10 hours ago, AndreJarosch said:

That hasn´t stopped Greg from having the Humakti a child: Alebard Elffriend  and his wife Eril Silksword had a daughter (born in battle!). 

How long ago was that? 

[7Tigers]

32 minutes ago, Orlanthatemyhamster said:

How long ago was that? 

 

[David Scott]

The upcoming Cults of Glorantha has two important snippets about BG and fertility:

Quote

Babeester Gor was the youngest of the Earth deities, but she was no virgin. She took many lovers, but none were fruitful

(including Eurmal and Kaarg)

Quote

Initiates may not marry and must give any offspring to their local Earth Temple.

I would interpret this to mean while BG herself had no children, cult members occasionally do so. The effect of runes on childbirth are in RQG page 426:

Quote

The Childbirth roll may be augmented by the Fertility Rune, or reduced by the Death Rune (lower the roll by the amount of a successful augment), as desired by the player.

As those playing a BG adventurer aren't forced to a childbirth roll (they can skip the section per page 425). Those who encounter a BG NPC could in theory have a childbirth roll and the player could say augment down the roll with their death rune. But it's still possible if not probable. There's got to one at least one half-troll child of a BG out there. for MGF.

[soltakss]

The trouble is, people seem to assume that all Babeester Gor cultists are the same.

Babeester Gor has several different roles: Temple Guardian, Earth Avenger, the Shield of Ernalda, Big Sister to Voria and so on. Not all of those roles have the same mythical identity and followers of those roles will behave very differently.

Even followers of the same role are likely to behave differently.

So, a Temple Guardian might be quite bloodthirsty when fighting invaders, but would otherwise be quite calm and collected.

[AndreJarosch]

1 hour ago, Orlanthatemyhamster said:

How long ago was that? 

1979

or 1615

 

depends, if you are asking in game or real life

[Shiningbrow]

19 hours ago, DucksMustDie said:

She also should have Lust (trolls) 🙂

That's just hearsay and rumour...

[Shiningbrow]

16 hours ago, soltakss said:

The trouble is, people seem to assume that all Babeester Gor cultists are the same.

Babeester Gor has several different roles: Temple Guardian, Earth Avenger, the Shield of Ernalda, Big Sister to Voria and so on. Not all of those roles have the same mythical identity and followers of those roles will behave very differently.

Even followers of the same role are likely to behave differently.

So, a Temple Guardian might be quite bloodthirsty when fighting invaders, but would otherwise be quite calm and collected.

Very true!

We need a 6-volume work of Sub-cults of Glorantha!

[Squaredeal Sten]

21 hours ago, Shiningbrow said:

......

(And, although Babs has that nasty reputation, firstly I suspect it's intentionally cultivated, and more of a stereotype than a genuine trait ...

 

on the other hand, I have always thought of the cults' gods as archetypes, and thought of their devout followers as wanting to be a better [___].   Indeed for any of us playing an initiated  member of any cult, our characters should want to be a better [__].

So the zealous Babeester Gor initiate on her way to rune status would not only be an implacable avenger, but also party hearty.  NOT jolly or cute though. 

Could be friendly and talkative if you met her on a day off or on a pilgrimage, when the pressure to be vigilant is off.

it strikes me that this has a lot of similarities to Storm Bull.

 

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Squaredeal Sten
spelling

[JRE]

For centuries in our world alcohol was the standard treatment for PTSD. The standard alcohol rations in armies and navies meant most people entering battle were inebriated. I expect that to happen also in Glorantha, and professional combatants to medicate often. Or to mutiny or refuse to fight if lacking wine/mead/beer.

[Dragon]

On 2/11/2022 at 9:24 AM, Eff said:

Prax, which is literally of limited fertility and ability to support life, is not beholden to some fierce Earth goddess, but is simply absent an Earth deity of any sort

In the case of Prax, it depends on semantics. We are aware of the sort: poor Genert. It is absent in the sense that Genert was destroyed by Chaos, and thus Prax lost its Fertility. Thus, we know the mythic reasoning.