Mobile Orlanth/Lightbringer Temples & Shrines

[Erol of Backford]

Similar to the Temple of the Wooden Sword or the say the Golden Sword (This is the sacred sword of the temple and will in and of itself serve as a holy place for attracting spirits for anyone). Are there examples of mobile Orlanthi holy spots/shrines/temples?

What about for other Lightbringer Cults?

There was talk that Mr. Stafford regretted (I recall) that the Wooden Sword was introduced into the House Campaign but I have always loved the storyline of the and am curious if there are other mentions of similar items/devices?

Thanks everyone for any input.

[soltakss]

We played that certain artefacts allowed Adventurers to regain spells, as they were holy. So, they amounted to portable shrines.

In RQG you could use them to regain Rune Points as if in a Temple.

What I would probably do is to have them bump up the level of temple by 2. So, nothing gets bumped through Site to Shrine, Site gets bumped through Shrine to Minor Temple and so on.

[Bill the barbarian]

32 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

Similar to the Temple of the Wooden Sword or the say the Golden Sword (This is the sacred sword of the temple and will in and of itself serve as a holy place for attracting spirits for anyone). Are there examples of mobile Orlanthi holy spots/shrines/temples?

 

Orlanth, check!

[Sartar Companion Page 126]

Edited November 14, 2022 by Bill the barbarian

[Rodney Dangerduck]

We've played that you just need a Sanctify spell on the Holy Day.  And throw in MP to boost up your worship, since you won't have any bonuses.

[Erol of Backford]

I have seen this picture and will spend this whole next weekend scrolling through 1000's of pages looking for it!

Its like the shrines in Spain or Japan (armor versus fundoshi) being paraded through the streets on holy days!

It would be tough taking this through a dungeon crawl for sure!

[Bill the barbarian]

Erol, if you are referring to the one above... it is as stated:

Quote

[Sartar Companion Page 126]

 

8 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

I have seen this picture and will spend this whole next weekend scrolling through 1000's of pages looking for it!

If @Scotty or another representative of Chaosium were to give me permission, I could paste the two paragraphs of italicized text from this out of print but very much TMed product as well. To save your poor eyeballs the thousands pages of looking... If not, I am sure you will understand.

It is pretty cool though, innit?

 

Edited November 14, 2022 by Bill the barbarian

[jajagappa]

3 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

Are there examples of mobile Orlanthi holy spots/shrines/temples?

What about for other Lightbringer Cults?

The one in the Sartar Companion was ostensibly somewhere in the Colymar lands, possibly with the Orlmarth or around the Starfire Ridges.

I picture a similar mobile shrine in the Godman Hills of Heortland (which are situated in the Jondalar plateau west of the line from Smithstone to Jansholm).

Eurmal could certainly have mobile shrines.  Donandar shrines (i.e. puppeteer troupes) are almost by definition mobile shrines.

Any regiment has a mobile shrine - so this is where you'll find many Humakt or Yanafal temples, and it would not surprise me if the Sun Dome regiments maintain such as well.  

LM?  Probably not - too likely to lose knowledge that way.  

CA?  Possibly, but perhaps more a feature of Arroin?

Issaries - yes, I can definitely see the Goldentongue caravan masters maintaining mobile shrines.

[Erol of Backford]

1 hour ago, Bill the barbarian said:

[Sartar Companion Page 126]

Sorry I missed that, I am getting older, not old yet but getting there and missed the small print!

Reminds me of some other portable shines like in Indian Jones movies... or those in Spain or Japan (armor versus fundoshi) that are paraded in the streets. I can totally relate but can't see them being on a dungeon crawl no matter how portable... but a sword or other weapon?

It is very cool!  Thanks again. (Should I not be clipping items? If so I'll stop and my apologies!)

 

[Bill the barbarian]

5 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

Sorry I missed that, I am getting older, not old yet but getting there and missed the small print!

Me, without my glasses I would not have been able to see that either. So do you have Sartar Companion old timer?

 

Quote

 

Reminds me of some other portable shines like in Indian Jones movies... or those in Spain or Japan (armor versus fundoshi) that are paraded in the streets. I can totally relate but can't see them being on a dungeon crawl no matter how portable... but a sword or other weapon?

It is very cool!  Thanks again.

 

That's what I was remarking on being cool! Innit (English slang for isn't it).

You're welcome! Thanks for all your great questions over the years and your great topics.

 

Quote

(Should I not be clipping items? If so I'll stop and my apologies!)

Well, I believe a pic to make a point is cool, and a look around these fora should confirm my guess. I had asked David Scott on discord about cutting and pasting text to make a point and this one is a bit more unclear to me. How much is too much. I agree with copy-write laws and love Chaosium so I prefer to ask permission rather than posting too much.

[Jeff]

Shrines and temples to Movement Gods are often (not surprisingly) mobile themselves. But they still need to maintain support from initiates and other worshipers in order to keep that divine link strong. So many Orlanth Adventurous temples have the shrine on a wagon, and go from place to place, gaining support from the communities they pass by and perform rituals and sacrifices as they travel.

 

[Erol of Backford]

2 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

So do you have Sartar Companion old timer?

Whoa, "old timer" LOL I guess being in high school in the 80's makes me old?

I do have the best/fondest memories of "all night dungeon crawls" - always being torn between the kegger with the cheerleaders and the basement beers with Doritos! When I looked at the Companion cover I hadn't notice some of the goofiness of it. Humor of kicking a trollkin off the side of the mountain versus the horror of being killed and eaten by their larger cousins! Can't stop laughing...

[Erol of Backford]

5 minutes ago, Jeff said:

So many Orlanth Adventurous temples have the shrine on a wagon, and go from place to place, gaining support from the communities they pass by and perform rituals and sacrifices as they travel.

I hadn't known that but an Acolyte making rounds on holy days makes sense. Would the Lunars do that as well, having nefarious thoughts (in their mind) on conducting a mobile shrine raid behind enemy lines, so to speak!

[Erol of Backford]

On 11/14/2022 at 5:17 PM, jajagappa said:

LM?  Probably not - too likely to lose knowledge that way.  

For LM there could be an armor enchanted "golden book" say the Decretorum libri viginti (Book of Wyrms - what would that be in the Heortland I wonder) by the Buchard of Worms or the all too popular Zorak Zorain version of the Necronomicon!? I think unless you have a heroquest superbowl ring you can't destroy the Necronomicon?

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Erol of Backford

[jajagappa]

20 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

For LM there could be an armor enchanted "golden book"

A key goal for LM though is the preservation of knowledge (he's got the Stasis Rune for good reasons).  You go out, collect it, and bring it back to the temple.  Enchanted books are not the same as portable, mobile shrines.  

[EricW]

Shaman can summon spirits for a worship ceremony so in principle a Shaman Orlanth tradition priest could probably consecrate a service without any props. 

[Darius West]

On 11/15/2022 at 6:11 AM, Erol of Backford said:

What about for other Lightbringer Cults?

I ran a game where there was an old Orlanthi chariot from EWF days that could serve as a mobile shrine to Mastakos.  It was lost in an oily sump in the Clanking Ruins.

[Erol of Backford]

19 hours ago, EricW said:

Shaman can summon spirits for a worship ceremony so in principle a Shaman Orlanth tradition priest could probably consecrate a service without any props.

As we always and still do play RQ3 I never thought that a Sanctify allowed Divine spells to be regained. Is this the case, that within the Sanctified space spells may be regained no matter where you are, priest or no priest?

[hipsterinspace]

Orvanlarnste and the Little Great One from the Sartar Companion are a lot of fun, and I've actually used that for a few fun little side vignettes in RQG. Really great bit of flavor.

53 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

As we always and still do play RQ3 I never thought that a Sanctify allowed Divine spells to be regained.

I have never played RQ3, but the way my groups have played RQG have always allowed for regaining rune points through worship in a sanctified place under appropriate circumstances.

Edited November 16, 2022 by hipsterinspace

[EricW]

2 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

As we always and still do play RQ3 I never thought that a Sanctify allowed Divine spells to be regained. Is this the case, that within the Sanctified space spells may be regained no matter where you are, priest or no priest?

Do Shamen have temples? If a Shaman wants to contact Oakfed to obtain fire magic for themselves and their followers, do they build a temple, or do they find a place which is spiritually significant to Oakfed, light a big bonfire, get the worshippers praying, and enter the spirit plane to try to make contact?

Obviously a Shaman on home turf might have a few wards and props set up, but if the Shaman is wandering around on a spiritual journey, or helping a group because it is part of their personal journey, they still have the power to contact powerful spirits and gods. Though obviously if they are in a place which is significant to a particular god, they have more chance of contacting the god they want to contact.

[Bill the barbarian]

2 minutes ago, EricW said:

Do Shamen have temples? If a Shaman wants to contact Oakfed to obtain fire magic for themselves and their followers, do they build a temple, or do they find a place which is spiritually significant to Oakfed, light a big bonfire, get the worshippers praying, and enter the spirit plane to try to make contact?

Obviously a Shaman on home turf might have a few wards and props set up, but if the Shaman is wandering around on a spiritual journey, or helping a group because it is part of their personal journey, they still have the power to contact powerful spirits and gods. Though obviously if they are in a place which is significant to a particular god, they have more chance of contacting the god they want to contact.

I would say you got it right, but I wonder what the rules guardians have to say on that. Have you considered putting this great question into Q&A?

[Richard S.]

3 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

As we always and still do play RQ3 I never thought that a Sanctify allowed Divine spells to be regained. Is this the case, that within the Sanctified space spells may be regained no matter where you are, priest or no priest?

RQG's sanctify specifies that regaining RP (equivalent to regaining divine spells) is one of those ceremonies performable on sanctified ground. I'd rule you still need enough worshipers present at the ceremony for it to count as a shrine though.

 

43 minutes ago, EricW said:

Do Shamen have temples? If a Shaman wants to contact Oakfed to obtain fire magic for themselves and their followers, do they build a temple, or do they find a place which is spiritually significant to Oakfed, light a big bonfire, get the worshippers praying, and enter the spirit plane to try to make contact?

Obviously a Shaman on home turf might have a few wards and props set up, but if the Shaman is wandering around on a spiritual journey, or helping a group because it is part of their personal journey, they still have the power to contact powerful spirits and gods. Though obviously if they are in a place which is significant to a particular god, they have more chance of contacting the god they want to contact.

Spirit cults usually center around special shrines using a focus attuned to the spirit. They need less total worshipers (10 minimum), but more frequent worship (weekly). It's not clear whether spirit cult foci are portable or whether the shrine needs to be permanently established. For shaman cults that aren't spirit cults, they follow the normal rules, though I'd assume Waha and Yelm have some sort of portable temple, a special tent or artifact or something.

[EricW]

5 minutes ago, Richard S. said:

Spirit cults usually center around special shrines using a focus attuned to the spirit. They need less total worshipers (10 minimum), but more frequent worship (weekly). It's not clear whether spirit cult foci are portable or whether the shrine needs to be permanently established. For shaman cults that aren't spirit cults, they follow the normal rules, though I'd assume Waha and Yelm have some sort of portable temple, a special tent or artifact or something.

Perhaps a totem or fetish? If anyone can do a portable shrine it would be a shaman - they're known for carrying odd things of spiritual significance. And a powerful fetch is a potent warding. 

[Erol of Backford]

2 hours ago, Richard S. said:

Spirit cults usually center around special shrines using a focus attuned to the spirit.

2 hours ago, EricW said:

Perhaps a totem or fetish? If anyone can do a portable shrine it would be a shaman - they're known for carrying odd things of spiritual significance.

When the baboons danced and their ancestors were summoned at Hender's Ruins wouldn't it have been an example of a portable temple/holy site or would Hender's Ruins be a holy site for baboons?

Would the ancestors not count as worshipers as well? I recall a certain shrine where the spirits summoned/sacrificed also counted as worshipers and made the shrine/temple/major temple status change as more victims were sacrificed and their spirits devoured?

[Bill the barbarian]

7 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

When the baboons danced and their ancestors were summoned at Hender's Ruins wouldn't it have been an example of a portable temple/holy site or would Hender's Ruins be a holy site for baboons?

When I talked on that subject for a podcast a couple of years back, I spent a week looking for details on the ruins and the best I could determine is it is a gateway to other realms. They don't have a lot of material written about them in the more accessible tomes. Maybe in a Stafford lore book. Besides, your topic heading reads mobile shrines... and I am not sure if the ruins would qualify... Of course it is your topic so you can always say they do!

[Erol of Backford]

2 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

your topic heading reads mobile shrines

I suppose that is correct but I was thinking on the troop of baboons being the "mobile shrine" combined with their ancestors all being worshipers. Could they not build a fire anywhere they had a shaman and dance?