Life/Death Rune

[Goldennose]

Does high Fertility show in fysical appearence? Is a female character more curvaceus? Or are runic powers just inner strengths?

[MJ Sadique]

Good Question,

As YGMV, I'll said that will depend if you're Italian or not ! (this remind me of a deviantart-ist)

-The GM answer : Uleria is the holder of the Fertility Rune and the more an initiate become powerful, the more she/he will look like her/his god... so hell yes
-the Uz' s answer : but uz think that more runes make sheeps more yummy but more hard to capture

 https://www.deviantart.com/akeiron/art/Character-Progression-180948521 by Akeiron for RuneQuest II, Italian Edition.  © 2010 Asterion Press - All rights reserved

 

 

[Joerg]

A person strong in fertility has a healthy glow, which translates to secondary and tertiary features we associate with sexual attraction, like e.g. red lips.

A person strong in death often will have a slightly cyanotic appearance, less full lips, and will wear scars with pride that a person strong in fertility may have healed away.

 

Looking at the illustration, I can't help but wonder how the correlation between skin exposure and character advancement will continue...

[PhilHibbs]

3 hours ago, Joerg said:

Looking at the illustration, I can't help but wonder how the correlation between skin exposure and character advancement will continue...

Something like Melisandre without necklace at the start of season 6, probably.

Edited August 21, 2018 by PhilHibbs

[David Scott]

3 hours ago, Caras said:

Does high Fertility show in fysical appearence? Is a female character more curvaceus? Or are runic powers just inner strengths?

The runes are the building blocks of Glorantha and so humans are made up of runes. We know that the elemental runes influence characteristics some visible some not. The Earth rune influencing CON is likely the influencing factor in curvaceousness or overall body shape. The Power Runes represent the strength and nature of an adventurer’s personality and their social impulses in Glorantha, so nothing visible.

This allows us to have men and women with high Earth runes who are physically developed (muscles, curves, etc) and Low fertility Rune, high death - not wanting to procreate or vice versa. It breaks the link between body and fertility.

 

[PhilHibbs]

4 hours ago, Caras said:

Does high Fertility show in fysical appearence? Is a female character more curvaceus? Or are runic powers just inner strengths?

There will be hints, but I don't think it will be obvious. Someone with a high Air rune might have long hair that always billows in the slightest breeze. High Darkness might be given away by dark eyes or a countenance that you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, but that could be Death instead. Charisma probably figures in, a high CHA might make these features more prominent, and could inform the way their charisma manifests (entertaining, intimidating, sexy, mysterious, inspiring, terrifying).

Priests and elders will have some ability to discern runic strengths, partly just through experience and partly through Soul Sight, although the spell description doesn't mention runes. Insight (species) is probably a good skill for figuring out someone's highest runes. Maybe some mechanic where you roll on a particular rune of yours to find out if that rune is someone's highest rune, or get some kind of range indication.

[Eff]

5 hours ago, Caras said:

Does high Fertility show in fysical appearence? Is a female character more curvaceus? Or are runic powers just inner strengths?

Bear in mind that Fertility/Life is more correlated with indulgence and engagement with the world than with sex directly. Uleria is understood as associated with love and recreational sex more than with childbirth. Ernalda's hall in the Underworld is a place of luxury, etc. 

So if there's any difference in body shapes, I would suggest general chubbiness more than anything, a physical reflection of the person's ability to enjoy the finer things in life, in line with Asrelia as the goddess of wealth etc. This also has the advantage of being gender-neutral (as opposed to having Fertility in male characters be expressed via oversized codpieces or loose-fitting pants and togas, etc.)

But of course there's not really much reason to have this. Axe Maidens can be curvy too, etc. 

[MJ Sadique]

7 hours ago, Eff said:

1/ Bear in mind that Fertility/Life is more correlated with indulgence and engagement with the world than with sex directly. Uleria is understood as associated with love and recreational sex more than with childbirth. Ernalda's hall in the Underworld is a place of luxury, etc. 

2/ So if there's any difference in body shapes, I would suggest general chubbiness more than anything, a physical reflection of the person's ability to enjoy the finer things in life, in line with Asrelia as the goddess of wealth etc. This also has the advantage of being gender-neutral (as opposed to having Fertility in male characters be expressed via oversized codpieces or loose-fitting pants and togas, etc.)

But of course there's not really much reason to have this. Axe Maidens can be curvy too, etc. 

1/ Nope, this is not logical because indulgence and engagement is more in the Harmony Rune abilities. Fertility is associate with growth and Life Creation (Uleria) and Harmony is associate with healing and maintaining Life (Chalana). As state in the very excellent Reference : Runes.pdf on http://www.glorantha.com/docs/runes/

X Rune of Life
Meaning: Plenty, Giving, Love, Sex
This Rune symbolizes the Ancient Cup from which the whole world was poured at the dawn of creation. It is the symbol of growth and life. It is now manifested as Esrola the Uleria, sister of Great Ernalda.
Personality Traits: Generous, lustful
Incompatible with: Death

||| Harmony
Meaning: Unity, cooperation, healing
This Rune is said to represent the Divine Harp with which Order was separated from Chaos. It is quite ancient and revered throughout the world. She is the power of Healing and Community. She is now manifested as Chalana Arroy, the goddess of Healing.
Personality Traits: Forgiving, merciful, peaceful
Incompatible with: Disorder

2/ Not very sure of it because Life Rune is associate with Esrola Uleria, Goddess of religious prostitution : "She is worshipped only in Boldhome, Pavis and Apple Lane" (Source: Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes, http://glorantha.wikia.com/wiki/Esrola_Uleria)

 

These informations are establish For Orlanthi and people living in Dragon Pass and nearby SO the more Life you possess, the closer to Uleria you became...

Is Uleria chubby or more like Akerion sexy Initiate ?

!!! Y G M V !!!

[jeffjerwin]

8 hours ago, Eff said:

So if there's any difference in body shapes, I would suggest general chubbiness more than anything, a physical reflection of the person's ability to enjoy the finer things in life, in line with Asrelia as the goddess of wealth etc. This also has the advantage of being gender-neutral (as opposed to having Fertility in male characters be expressed via oversized codpieces or loose-fitting pants and togas, etc.)

Modern expectations of beauty have absolutely nothing to do with Glorantha. Fat is very important to being a fertile woman: starvation is an excellent way to pause menses or miscarry. Hence Ernalda and other Fertility goddesses are going to be curvaceous or even voluptuous.

Uleria is not the goddess of child birthing and pregnancy (Ernalda is), but by extension, she's probably represented as a rich/abundant (heavyset) woman.

The modern Western stereotype of a beautiful woman looks like she needs to put on some more pounds and mature a bit compared to what I would expect the Central Genertelan stereotype is. She's more of a Voria/Teenaged pre-Initiate type, not suitable for marriage, or even a death-cultist, who has stopped her fertility.

(hopefully this isn't offensive)

 

See the Venus de Milo below.

Edited August 21, 2018 by jeffjerwin

[Yelm's Light]

While fertility may have been represented by physical plenty (and often more than the usual number of breasts), I'm not so sure about beauty.  Late Bronze Age (mid-second millennium to first-millennium BC) representations of Aphrodite or Isis or Athena don't show them as Earth-goddess types, they're more on the Venus model above.  Not willowy Twiggy-types, but certainly more athletic than 'plentiful.'

[jeffjerwin]

19 minutes ago, Yelm's Light said:

While fertility may have been represented by physical plenty (and often more than the usual number of breasts), I'm not so sure about beauty.  Late Bronze Age (mid-second millennium to first-millennium BC) representations of Aphrodite or Isis or Athena don't show them as Earth-goddess types, they're more on the Venus model above.  Not willowy Twiggy-types, but certainly more athletic than 'plentiful.'

The Venus above, if fully dressed, would be 'overweight' from a modern perspective. Here she is from the back.

Note I don't think she really is all that unhealthy looking, but fully clothed she would look like a fairly ordinary, slightly heavy woman in terms of build. Not at all like the athletic or slender build of Artemis... The classical and ancient idea of a beautiful woman resembles our Venus more than it does her sister.

Edited August 21, 2018 by jeffjerwin

[Julian Lord]

11 hours ago, Eff said:

Bear in mind that Fertility/Life is more correlated with indulgence and engagement with the world than with sex directly. Uleria is understood as associated with love and recreational sex more than with childbirth.

That's just her reputation, in Dragon Pass especially, but her primary Power is that of reproductive life in all its forms, so that whilst she certainly there in human obsessions about sex, she's also in the slow growth of the seeds, the multiplication of the fish and the frogspawn, and yes even in the destructive self-reproduction of the chaotic entities, but she is also in the life of every creature or entity, mortal or immortal, even the gods and the spirits, except for those of them that are dead or who are Death, and some few others perhaps whose Runic associations are characterised by absolute purity, such as Subere for instance.

As a goddess of the Celestial Court, she is present in every part of the Inner World at its most fundamental structures, as she is the very Life of Glorantha herself.

True Ulerian sex is intrinsically reproductive, but you're right that she's not particularly associated with childbirth.

[Eff]

16 hours ago, MJ Sadique said:

1/ Nope, this is not logical because indulgence and engagement is more in the Harmony Rune abilities. Fertility is associate with growth and Life Creation (Uleria) and Harmony is associate with healing and maintaining Life (Chalana). As state in the very excellent Reference : Runes.pdf on http://www.glorantha.com/docs/runes/

X Rune of Life
Meaning: Plenty, Giving, Love, Sex
This Rune symbolizes the Ancient Cup from which the whole world was poured at the dawn of creation. It is the symbol of growth and life. It is now manifested as Esrola the Uleria, sister of Great Ernalda.
Personality Traits: Generous, lustful
Incompatible with: Death

||| Harmony
Meaning: Unity, cooperation, healing
This Rune is said to represent the Divine Harp with which Order was separated from Chaos. It is quite ancient and revered throughout the world. She is the power of Healing and Community. She is now manifested as Chalana Arroy, the goddess of Healing.
Personality Traits: Forgiving, merciful, peaceful
Incompatible with: Disorder

2/ Not very sure of it because Life Rune is associate with Esrola Uleria, Goddess of religious prostitution : "She is worshipped only in Boldhome, Pavis and Apple Lane" (Source: Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes, http://glorantha.wikia.com/wiki/Esrola_Uleria)

 

These informations are establish For Orlanthi and people living in Dragon Pass and nearby SO the more Life you possess, the closer to Uleria you became...

Is Uleria chubby or more like Akerion sexy Initiate ?

!!! Y G M V !!!

Well, contrarily, Death as a power is understood not just as the end to life but as separation and austerity. So if we understand Life/Fertility as the opposing Power to Death, it must be the opposite of separation and austerity as well, which would mean joining, engagement, and indulgence. 

The Runequest: Role-playing In Glorantha book bears this out:

"To be strong with the Fertility Rune is 
to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh, most 
notably sexual desire. Such adventurers 
are generous and giving, often without personal commitment between the persons involved.
To be strong with the Death Rune is to separate oneself from the material world and seek to deny or even destroy the world of the senses. Such adventurers are relentless, ruthless, 
and ascetic, willing to deny others and themselves."

And these definitions are meant to reflect how the Powers act within individual people.

12 hours ago, Julian Lord said:

That's just her reputation, in Dragon Pass especially, but her primary Power is that of reproductive life in all its forms, so that whilst she certainly there in human obsessions about sex, she's also in the slow growth of the seeds, the multiplication of the fish and the frogspawn, and yes even in the destructive self-reproduction of the chaotic entities, but she is also in the life of every creature or entity, mortal or immortal, even the gods and the spirits, except for those of them that are dead or who are Death, and some few others perhaps whose Runic associations are characterised by absolute purity, such as Subere for instance.

As a goddess of the Celestial Court, she is present in every part of the Inner World at its most fundamental structures, as she is the very Life of Glorantha herself.

True Ulerian sex is intrinsically reproductive, but you're right that she's not particularly associated with childbirth.

Well, I mean, as the Sumerians had it, recreational sex and love are reproduction of social relationships... 😉