Dragon Emperor Cults

[MagikarpHunter]

I'm curious what anyone has done with Kralori Dragon Emperor cults, especially from Daruda onwards. Are they basically a standard Rune Cult and therefore provide Rune Magic? Maybe just unique skills? Are they different but equally valid paths towards enlightenment? How are they integrated into the social structure of Kralorela and the more typical cults found there? 

[metcalph]

Inferring a bit from wot Jeff has said (okay quite a lot then), I think most Emperor cults have been devoid of Dragon Powers since the God Learner invasion and only through the worship of Godunya are the worshippers able to access the draconic meaning.

My hastily compiled thoughts (solely my interpretation and not based on anything Jeff has said)

DARUDA:  A Shamanic transformation cult.  Deeply embarrassing to the Kralori Sages as it's Shamanism.  While most Kralori have a single beast tyype, the Darudans pick and choose.

METSYLA;  Originally a cult for Dragonewts to immerse themselves humans and become enlightened as per Zhuangzhi's butterfly dream (the 'newts that chose this find it difficult to cope with the traditional way of dragons).  Also used by humans to become dragonewts.  Favourerd by spies and secret policemen.  They have magic that resembles dragonewt magic but it's illusion magic rather than dragonewt magic.

THALURZNI:  Worshipped by alchemists and poisoners.

VAYOBI:  Perhaps a Humakt analogue.  

VASHANTI:  Probably a variant of Lhankor Mhy except that his magics aren't about the acquisition of knowledge but rather the assessment of taxes and the like.  The Web of Righteous Knowledge was interpretd by the God Learners as Arachne Solara's Web so there's probably some bollocks about how they revealed he was Lhankor Mhy after returning to earth after the Lightbringers Quest.  

All Emperor Cults (save for the non-Draconic ones) have Godunya as an associate and so to get anywhere within the Kralori government, one has to prove one's mastery of his wisdom.  If the above cults represent governmental functions, Godunya represents the party functions.  There's probably dissidents who are big in their Imperial Cult but have been snubbed by the Godunyan hierarchy.  They spend their time trying to awaken the ways rather than the EWF nonsense that Godunya broguth back with him from Dragon Pass.   

I've been trying to work in Eunuchs as villainous enforcers somewhere in the above system but I'll leave it for now.

As for Godunya's cult, I think the idea is that you have to sacrifice for rune points and only after becoming enlightened can you use it for Draconic Transformations.  Gods of Glorantha had some schtick in which you could do sorcery with it but I think that is an abuse of Godunyan wisdom by those frustrated with their spiritual progress.

 

 

[MagikarpHunter]

34 minutes ago, metcalph said:

DARUDA:  A Shamanic transformation cult.  Deeply embarrassing to the Kralori Sages as it's Shamanism.  While most Kralori have a single beast type, the Darudans pick and choose.

How did you come by this interpretation of Daruda? From what I found mentioned about him in the Guide, he seemed like a very respected god.

34 minutes ago, metcalph said:

As for Godunya's cult, I think the idea is that you have to sacrifice for rune points and only after becoming enlightened can you use it for Draconic Transformations.  Gods of Glorantha had some schtick in which you could do sorcery with it but I think that is an abuse of Godunyan wisdom by those frustrated with their spiritual progress.

Interesting, I always interpreted Godunya (or Yanoor when he was Emperor for that matter) to not really offer anything practical. My first instinct is that he's included in the worship of every Kralori god. I recall Jeff saying that the Exarchs' magic is like some crossing point between Dragonewt Magic and Sorcery. I'd think the Path of Imminent Mastery is also probably some sort of Sorcery that shapes Dragon Magic more aggressively. Maybe the Exarchs have perfected it (or at least say they have)?

[metcalph]

5 minutes ago, MagikarpHunter said:

How did you come by this interpretation of Daruda? From what I found mentioned about him in the Guide, he seemed like a very respected god.

It was on the basis of discussions about Daruda that I had with others many years ago and several books on how the Manchus ran their empire (they have parallel documents in some cases so that while the official chinese record describes an orthodox confician ceremony for example, the Manchu record about the same ceremony mentions a shamanic oath which would have caused a scandal if included in the official record).  Daruda is still respected because the authorities find it easy to keep him out of sight.  

5 minutes ago, MagikarpHunter said:

Interesting, I always interpreted Godunya (or Yanoor when he was Emperor for that matter) to not really offer anything practical. My first instinct is that he's included in the worship of every Kralori god. I recall Jeff saying that the Exarchs' magic is like some crossing point between Dragonewt Magic and Sorcery. I'd think the Path of Imminent Mastery is also probably some sort of Sorcery that shapes Dragon Magic more aggressively. Maybe the Exarchs have perfected it (or at least say they have)?

I think the Path of Immanent Mastery is really false magic these days (any true magic they had was lost in the Dragons Awakening Shudder).

[MagikarpHunter]

6 minutes ago, metcalph said:

It was on the basis of discussions about Daruda that I had with others many years ago and several books on how the Manchus ran their empire (they have parallel documents in some cases so that while the official chinese record describes an orthodox confician ceremony for example, the Manchu record about the same ceremony mentions a shamanic oath which would have caused a scandal if included in the official record).  Daruda is still respected because the authorities find it easy to keep him out of sight.  

I like that quite a lot. I sort of envision Kralorela as its own worst enemy (what with its number of "False Dragons" and problems like Ignorance and Sheng Seleris that it empowers only for it to backfire) so the idea that even the original Emperor that introduced the Void to the people is viewed as culturally embarrassing, and is historically rewritten because of that, adds a nice level of hypocrisy to the place. Same with the Exarchs maybe having sorcerous elements in their magic while also condemning the God Learners.

[metcalph]

Possible outline of Godunya's cult magic (my thoughts only)

The worshipper has a chance of becoming illuminated equal to the number of runepoints acquired.  Success allows access to True Dragon Magic.

Most worshippers find this too slow and resort to a God Learner-era abuse.  They can use the runepoints to cast an automatic sorcery spell (as per Gods of Glorantha).  Originally this was regarded as very shameful but since the wars against Sheng Seleris, it has become rather common (purists will still turn their noses up).  The downside is that such runepoints become soiled and no longer count for illumination purposes.  

I think knowledge of a spell is required beforehand to produce its effects (a change from the Gods of Glorantha rules) but unlike westerners, the Godunyan merely needs to have studied it.  

[Akhôrahil]

1 hour ago, metcalph said:

The worshipper has a chance of becoming illuminated equal to the number of runepoints acquired. 

Each Sacred Time as per "regular" Illumination? Or roll each time you pick up a new Rune Point?

[metcalph]

8 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

Each Sacred Time as per "regular" Illumination? Or roll each time you pick up a new Rune Point?

Each sacred time.