Lhankor Mhy hero cults

[Puckohue]

I've found the following Lhankor Mhy subcults:

• Dilfar
• The Gray Ones
• Hevduran
• Irnar
• Lhankor Knowing
• Torvald

Are there any other Lhankor Mhy hero cults described somewhere?

[Joerg]

Not to my knowledge. The best you get is Tosti Runefriend and his supporters, one of the future units of the Sartar Magical Unit using Kralori and EWF dragon secrets. We don't know how exactly Tosti will work in the SMU, but it is possible that he becomes a cult hero in this pursuit. But then, the existing subcults are presented as former devotees of the god.

[RHW]

1 hour ago, Puckohue said:

I've found the following Lhankor Mhy subcults:

• Dilfar
• The Gray Ones
• Hevduran
• Irnar
• Lhankor Knowing
• Torvald

Are there any other Lhankor Mhy hero cults described somewhere?

STORM TRIBE (no longer canon) also lists Chernan the Seeker, Vinkotling Age follower of LH,  patron of the Wild Sages, provides Movement and Survival Magic. Secret: See History.

 

 

[metcalph]

Book of Heortling Mythology also gives Andrin the Wise (may be shared with Orlanth) and Jarani the Lawstaff (explicitly mentioned as such)

[Bohemond]

What the cult really needs is a hero who can organize its libraries according to a standard system. 

[EricW]

Treack Markhor, the renegade knowledge priest who founded the cult of Atyar the knowledge devourer 

[RHW]

2 hours ago, Bohemond said:

What the cult really needs is a hero who can organize its libraries according to a standard system. 

Dewey Desy Mel, Duck sage of Lhankor Mhy attempted such a reorganization of the Jonstown Library, but was found dead in the stacks, battered to death, surrounded by bloodied papyrus and velum. His death was never solved. Some believe the documents themselves killed him rather than be systematized.

[Bill the barbarian]

2 hours ago, Bohemond said:

What the cult really needs is a hero who can organize its libraries according to a standard system. 

You have heard of L-Space theory,. yes? Pratchett developed it, and I would say that he is wise enough to speak for many different  worlds and if Glorantha is not a different world I don't know what is.

L-space, short for library-space, is the ultimate portrayal of Pratchett's concept that the written word has powerful magical properties on the Discworld, and that in large quantities all books warp space and time around them. In other words rots of ruck in trying to organize a library in a magic rich world.

[Puckohue]

3 hours ago, Bohemond said:

a hero who can organize its libraries

Exactly my thought before I fell asleep! Now I'm thinking of making a cult of Eonistaran the Wise who founded the Jonstown Library and designed the catalog wheel there. He died less than a hundred years ago though. Are there other hero cults of people who lived rather recently?

[RHW]

1 hour ago, Puckohue said:

Exactly my thought before I fell asleep! Now I'm thinking of making a cult of Eonistaran the Wise who founded the Jonstown Library and designed the catalog wheel there. He died less than a hundred years ago though. Are there other hero cults of people who lived rather recently?

Sartar and Geo come to mind. Harrek has a hero cult (after a fashion) and he’s still alive.

[Sir_Godspeed]

Of course the libraries already have a standard system catalogueing!

The problem is that they all have *their own* standards of catalogueing, and if someone tries to impose a *foreign* system, the Temple's guardian spirits will make their ink run dry and vellum crack and lower back ache indefinitely.

[Bohemond]

Years ago I ran a Pavis game in which the LMs were constantly arguing about which organizational scheme to use. Toward the end of the campaign, one of the NPCs did a hero quest to organize the whole library according to his system. 

[Joerg]

6 hours ago, Bohemond said:

Years ago I ran a Pavis game in which the LMs were constantly arguing about which organizational scheme to use. Toward the end of the campaign, one of the NPCs did a hero quest to organize the whole library according to his system. 

Did he succeed, or did he manage to make everything worse?

[g33k]

3 hours ago, Joerg said:

Did he succeed, or did he manage to make everything worse?

I would presume the answer to that is "yes."

 

[EricW]

There's an interview with Greg Stafford from 2005 which details under what circumstances a hero can provide rune magic. My reading, Greg seems to be suggesting a hero can only provide rune magic to worshippers when they retire to the other side.

https://www.glorantha.com/docs/heroes-immortals/ 

I think this makes sense, otherwise Glorantha would be awash with demigods powered by worship from their communities - every village would have their living more than human immortal champion.

[jajagappa]

On 4/21/2019 at 2:32 PM, Puckohue said:

Are there any other Lhankor Mhy hero cults described somewhere?

Don't forget Elasa, LM's light of inspiration!  He did retrieve her from Hell, and in theory married her subsequently.

She's also the source for the Elasa Script, the most magical of the 3 scripts.

[Bohemond]

6 hours ago, Joerg said:

Did he succeed, or did he manage to make everything worse?

He succeeded. The amusing part was that he was the one everyone had written off as a crackpot. But his quest proved that his system was the one that LM had always used, so they had to accept that he was right. 

[Puckohue]

4 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Elasa

Nice, thanks! But in my particular case I need someone who the PC can be related to (heirloom #1) more easily.

[pachristian]

My game has the hero cult of Independent Jones, a master scholar who traveled to exotic places to bring back knowledge and sacred artifacts. Followers of the hero cult gain extra hit points in locations, wear leather armor, and often train to use a bullwhip. However, they must take an oath to never keep artifacts for themselves, but instead donate them to the library.

[g33k]

16 hours ago, Puckohue said:

Nice, thanks! But in my particular case I need someone who the PC can be related to (heirloom #1) more easily.

Make an "Elasan" hero-cult specifically claiming blood relationship, if you need to.

But honestly, I would allow any reasonably-Gloranthan group or relationship to be the source of an heirloom like that.

For a comparable example -- in the Family History section of character generation, I don't require the "Parent" and "Grandparent" roles to be actual ancestors.  A cousin?  Sure.  Great-Aunt?  Absolutely.  Part of the Gloranthan POV is close, "clannish" relations!!!

[Puckohue]

So, Chernan and the Wild Sages: how would one join this subcult? It is outside of the cult hierarchy, consisting of loners... Do you just decide to send your prayers (and magic points etc) to Chernan, and leave the city to go excavating ruins?

I assume it's not possible to become a Sage (Priest) as you've positioned yourself outside of the cult hierarchy, but Is it possible to become a God Talker if a member of this subcult? How?

[jajagappa]

35 minutes ago, Puckohue said:

So, Chernan and the Wild Sages: how would one join this subcult?

I think it's more like a "path" than anything formal.  You've already been initiated into the cult and find yourself restricted by the rules and conventions of the Library.  You head off from the temple to gather knowledge "in the wild", so to speak.  You may learn that if you Sanctify a sacred space according to the Rune of Truth, that you can lead your own Worship, offering up knowledge to your god. The amount of knowledge you offer determines how much connection (i.e. rune points regained) you maintain with your god.  Periodically you must deliver that knowledge to a temple (which also adds to your status).  Temple members now consider you to be one of the Wild Sages.  But I doubt there is anything else requisite to "join".