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What actually happens at Sacred Time?


Gallowglass

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12 hours ago, Charles said:

A better restatement might be: Orlanthi strongly discourage children from ‘learning’ and performing active magic.

Probably because "bad things happen" when you invest the "innocent" with magic. You might just find your village drawn into the Green Age - and you don't want your village drawn into the Green Age.

However, that sounds like a great start to a scenario...

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I’m more

5 hours ago, jajagappa said:

You might just find your village drawn into the Green Age - and you don't want your village drawn into the Green Age.

I’m more thinking of consequences such as the Household of Death (KoS), which I find disgusting rather than inspiring. At the other end of the scale, the kids accidentally burning the fields as in Six Ages.

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2 hours ago, Charles said:

I’m more thinking of consequences such as the Household of Death (KoS), which I find disgusting rather than inspiring.

No, I can't say it inspires anything in my campaigns. I'm more interested in concepts like the Rattle-born in 11 Lights.

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  • 2 months later...

I came late to this but...When I think of the Holy day rituals, especially the high holy days and sacred time..I think of Kabuki plays https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki_dance and the festive ceremonies such as Up Helly-Aa  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR7uiGVK0sQ  where re-enactment of an event happens.  In these situations, specific worshippers are not always required if specific cult members are missing, represented instead by mask wearing members of the clan/tribe/cult. 

As to including children, i have included them in the past, as a facet of their education, with guidance from their peers. Just my 2 cents worth :)

 

 

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7 hours ago, GamerUK said:

I came late to this but...When I think of the Holy day rituals, especially the high holy days and sacred time..I think of Kabuki plays https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki_dance and the festive ceremonies such as Up Helly-Aa  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR7uiGVK0sQ  where re-enactment of an event happens.  In these situations, specific worshippers are not always required if specific cult members are missing, represented instead by mask wearing members of the clan/tribe/cult. 

As to including children, i have included them in the past, as a facet of their education, with guidance from their peers. Just my 2 cents worth :)

Medieval mystery plays is another comparison I like.

And due to the nature of Glorantha, I imagine that it's quite possible for a childs' game to have sufficient mythical resonance to achieve some magical effects. If the kids play "Who Can Kill Loko Moko" or "Fight the Blue Dragon!", who knows what might happen?  

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I narrated the Sacred Time events in Boldhome where Kallyr does the LBQ. The whole of Boldhome was gradually drawn into the ritual, everyday actions began to parallel the events of the quest. When Day 11 came, the characters were walking towards the palace area where the resonance was strongest, and they saw two children scrapping. One of them suddenly tore the other's head off and began eating him - the immanent triumph of The Enemy had revealed the boy to be an ogre. Could be one of the hazards of children being drawn into myths unprepared. Then Krarshtkids burst out of the ground and it all went downhill.

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12 hours ago, Akhôrahil said:

Medieval mystery plays is another comparison I like.

And due to the nature of Glorantha, I imagine that it's quite possible for a childs' game to have sufficient mythical resonance to achieve some magical effects. If the kids play "Who Can Kill Loko Moko" or "Fight the Blue Dragon!", who knows what might happen?  

Isn't a children's game connecting to the God Time an event in King of Dragon pass?

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On 7/31/2019 at 9:52 AM, Akhôrahil said:

Medieval mystery plays is another comparison I like.

Pantomimes are always a good example of this. Very structured in many ways, the participants can go off-story but always end up achieving the usual goals.

Simon Phipp - Caldmore Chameleon - Wallowing in my elitism since 1982. Many Systems, One Family. Just a fanboy. 

www.soltakss.com/index.html

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Throughout all Glorantha, the Rebirth ceremonies of Sacred Time are of the utmost importance. During the two-week long ceremony, all god-worshiping people act out their sacred myths of death and rebirth. Every cult, every culture, every species has an important role to play in preserving the cosmos. Across the whole world. everyone summons their gods and spirits, and the physical plane trembles with their presence. Even the cynicism of the God Learners never tainted these critically important rites.
Ever since the first Dawn, people have gathered regularly at the end of the year so that the cosmos can be reborn. They celebrate the good and the bad, the living and the dead, the actions of the gods and the heroes so that everyone contributes to the rebirth of the world once again. This is the time of celebration, of ceremony, and of difficulty and of sacrifice. 
The fourteen days of Sacred Time are set outside of Time. Normal activity ceases.Extraordinary activity supersedes everyday desires. The realms of mortal and gods merge, and through the consecrated actions of mortals the world is renewed and reborn. The holy actions of mortals rejuvenate the gods.
On the first day, a sacred area is delineated, a circle within which the worlds come together and become one. For the next three days, all of the deities known - even enemies - are called in to witness and help, and to receive honor and sacrifice. Animals appropriate to the gods are sacrificed and their blood is sprinkled on the people and their homes, upon their tools of work and of war, to bring power to them; then the rest is poured into sacred pits to feed the goddesses and gods of the dead, and the ancestors who are there so that they too may come out for the celebrations and dance and pray. Finally on the end of the third day, the followers of Humakt cut themselves and offer their own blood to the God of War and Death, and then most of them afterwards go and take up positions of defense, to watch for any enemies who may try to slip into the rites to foul them. They strengthen the perimeter and cut it off from the outside world, and afterwards any participant who crosses outside that line will see and feel the difference between the ordinary world and the sacred world.
On the fourth day, the Seven Lightbringers are honored. These seven are the saviors of the world. All seven deities all come together and are worshipped. At the height of the ceremony, the seven depart on the Lightbringers Quest in a tearful and dreadful ceremony. It is a day of mourning and fear. The Seven Lightbringers participate in secret and dangerous rites until they return a week later.
On the fifth day the worshippers must call upon other gods and spirits – even some normally hostile - to help them survive.
The sixth day is dedicated to Issaries, the god of communication who bears the power of the sacrifices and worship to the other world to the gods. 
On the seventh day, everyone except the seven involved in the Lightbringers Quest gathers together. The boldest re-enact the battle of I Fight We Won, and face the armies of Chaos alone, but together they defeat the Devil. Everyone is tested by these rituals, and this is the most dangerous part of the ceremony. Real Chaos creatures are faced, and it is not unknown for people to be killed during the rites.
The next day, Chalana Arroy is worshiped without violence or animal sacrifice. Those injured the previous day are healed and those killed are revived.
On the eleventh day, the Lightbringers must return from the Underworld with Ernalda. It is a day of great joy and celebration. The gods and goddesses awaken to join the celebration and share in a great feast in celebration of the Lightbringers. Time begins, Chaos recedes, and the world is healed.  
The next two days are dedicated to the reunion of the gods and goddesses of Life, when the bodies of the world are reinhabited by their immortal parts. The celebrations are relaxed, save for those who are devoted to the deities who act during them. Most people visit the rites for at least a short while, but also go to visit their friends and give small gifts and share food and drink. 
The last day is sacred to Lhankor Mhy, the sage and seer, and during the night the dedicated worshippers meet in secret, then on the next day they look to the sun and prophecy for the community, and for whomever beings to them a gift appropriate to their station. Then, as night approaches, the community is led by the united priests and priestesses in a dance and many songs, to close the sacred time, and bring the world back to normalcy. When the sun sets, the rites are officially over. The Humakti guarding the perimeter cut down the barrier, and the power of fourteen days of celebration, worship, fear and love are released to the world. 
The next day is the Spring Equinox, the first day of the Sea Season, when the life of the world can be seen everywhere.
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How do the calendars (and the associate cultures) using different length weeks treat Sacred Time? Does it have to be 14 days, or are there really only the last 11 or 12 days that are completely outside of normal Time?

Supposedly world-wide effects include the Orlanth Storm and the Doldrums, and some of the Southpath planets turning invisible (Artia) or possibly pausing their schedule (Tolat).

Telling how it is excessive verbis

 

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@Jeff To what extent can your text apply to the Dorradi in the Plains of Pamalt? Some of the rites you describe, involving Humakt for instance, may have an equivalent with Vangono, and they have their own stories of IFWW, rites about the Firefall and so on... But do they also celebrate the Lightbringers' return?

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10 hours ago, Gregory M said:

@Jeff To what extent can your text apply to the Dorradi in the Plains of Pamalt? Some of the rites you describe, involving Humakt for instance, may have an equivalent with Vangono, and they have their own stories of IFWW, rites about the Firefall and so on... But do they also celebrate the Lightbringers' return?

Without sounding too cocksure: no. The rituals described above are expressively Theyalan/Orlanthi, and probably not universal to all Orlanthi either. Variations are inevitable, and once you leave the Orlanthi altogether, things are probably going to look radically different.

I think the general gist of these kinds of rituals is this:
- The order of the universe (both the material and the social, they are effectively the same, ie. cosmos) comes under threat.
- Members of the in-group participate to a lesser or greater degree to preserve this order.
- The borders between the God Time and Time becomes weakened.
- Something extraordinary is done to reaffirm the order of the universe/society (cosmos).
- Celebration of the continution of the order (and by extension, life, love, each other, the in-group celebrates itself, including its ancestors and deities/patron spirits, etc.)

Not necessarily in that order.
Notice that Theyalan (Orlanthi, and arguably Uz, Praxian, some elves, dwarves, merfolk, etc.) are very explicit in denoting Chaos as the Big Bad and the existential thread to the cosmos. Other cultures, such as the Pelorians or Malkioni do not really see things this way. "orthodox" Pelorians (ie. Dara Happan-influenced Peloria) focuses more on rebellion and insubordination as the Great Evil (I suspect Lodrili commoners might see things somewhat differently, there is room for subaltern views here), whereas the Malkioni (except the Brithini) appear to see the egos of the Erasanchula (their term for Gloranthan gods) as the leading cause of the troubles that nearly destroyed the universe, until Malkion sacrificed himself in order to save the Cosmos.

We know even less about Kralorelan, East Isles and Pamaltelan rituals, unless I've missed some zine article or something.

That being said, the Doraddi do have a cultural worldview that emphasizes individual heroics and adventurist fellowships that isn't totally different from the Orlanthi (although significantly less glorifying of warfare, imho). Pamalt's Neclace is very similar to Orlanth's Ring, and Pamalt as the guy who isn't best at anything, but the one who knows how to bring together all the best ones, is very reminiscent of what Orlanth does for the Storm Tribe.

In terms of specific mythic events that the Doraddi could draw on, there is Pamalt's refuation of foreigners from the north (whether Chaotic or not), the destruction of the Chaos-infested remnants of the Artmali Empire through the Firefall, where Pamalt grabs the Sky Dome and tilts it so that some of the celestial fire drowns and cleanses the south, and the subsequent taming of this fire into the form of the Bomonoi (fire beings that inhabit the southern desert). There's probably more, and even possibly some "crescendo"-myth/ritual that is the equivalent of the Light/Lifebringer's quest, but I'm not quite sure what that would be.

This is all greatly generalized, and based on my personal interpretation.

Edited by Sir_Godspeed
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15 minutes ago, Runeblogger said:

What happens if, for some reason, you cannot attend the Sacred Time ceremonies?

You cannot not attend the Sacred Time rites - whatever you do during Sacred Time will influence the reconstruction of the world and the starting parameters for the following year. You will lack your community support, and your community will lack your support, and both will be weakened by this. Your challenges out in the wild can become overwhelming, as opposed to the rather controlled stuff your community does in its rites.

Telling how it is excessive verbis

 

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Ok, but how would you translate that into game terms? 

For example, let's say my character, an Orlanthi mercenary hired by Duke Raus in the Zola Fel valley, is made prisoner by the Praxians just a week before Sacred Time. Then after Sacred Time, the Praxians return and ransom her to Duke Raus. Does that mean her community (Duke Raus' settlers and mercenaries) is not going to support her for the whole coming year?

Her missing the Sacred Time ceremonies will perhaps mean that Chaos will attack Duke Raus' lands a 1% more this  year?

Edited by Runeblogger

Read my Runeblog about RuneQuest and Glorantha at: http://elruneblog.blogspot.com.es/

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2 minutes ago, Runeblogger said:

For example, let's say my character, an Orlanthi mercenary hired by Duke Raus in the Zola Fel valley, is made prisoner by the Praxians just a week before Sacred Time. Then after Sacred Time, the Praxians return and ransom her to Duke Raus. Does that mean her community (Duke Raus' settlers and mercenaries) is not going to support me for the whole coming year?

No, what it means is that your PC performs some Sacred Time rite and joins in on her own. She might not get any benefit from it, but she has supported in her own way. Performing such a rite might just be a case of telling the Sacred Time stories, imagining a previous Sacred Time or even performing a little re-enactment of her own. Performing the Summoning of Chaos might even be a way to escape the Praxians, if it summons up a broo that attacks their camp to get to you.

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Simon Phipp - Caldmore Chameleon - Wallowing in my elitism since 1982. Many Systems, One Family. Just a fanboy. 

www.soltakss.com/index.html

Jonstown Compendium author. Find my contributions here

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1 hour ago, Runeblogger said:

Ok, but how would you translate that into game terms? 

For example, let's say my character, an Orlanthi mercenary hired by Duke Raus in the Zola Fel valley, is made prisoner by the Praxians just a week before Sacred Time. Then after Sacred Time, the Praxians return and ransom her to Duke Raus. Does that mean her community (Duke Raus' settlers and mercenaries) is not going to support her for the whole coming year?

Her missing the Sacred Time ceremonies will perhaps mean that Chaos will attack Duke Raus' lands a 1% more this  year?

Your character will be subjected to the Praxian Sacred Time ceremonies (which may be an unpleasant experience) and help strengthen the captors' magic for that year. As she lives adjacent to these Praxians, the benefits to the land may be similar. She personally will be missing out (possibly on a POW gain role, in rules terms).

I don't think that participating in someone else's Sacred Time rites increases your chances to experience a chaos attack unless those rites were of a chaotic nature. But then, Raus's rites might have some inadvertent Chaos in them from his Lunar connections.

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Telling how it is excessive verbis

 

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  • 1 year later...
On 5/15/2019 at 5:09 PM, Gallowglass said:

So, my current RQG campaign is entering Sacred Time 1625, and it takes place around a Dundealos clan in Sartar. .... 

My players include an Orlanth warrior, an Issaries merchant, and a Praxian shaman of Daka Fal who was adopted into the chieftain's household. I don't plan on turning the worship rituals into a big adventure, but I figure they can all play some part or another, since two are clearly Lightbringer gods, and Daka Fal could be a stand-in for Flesh Man. Anyway, our next session is on Friday, so any advice for storytelling Sacred Time would be helpful. 

Our campaign has a PolJoni Daka Fal shaman apprentice and their journey has lead them to Dundealos valley in sacred Time 1625.

Daka Fal has The whole season as High holy day. I wonder what this means to the character compared to the others.

Will all the cults have a common ceremony where everyone takes part? Daka Fal calls for ancestral spirits to join.

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  • 1 year later...
On 5/16/2019 at 6:16 PM, Ludovic aka Lordabdul said:

This whole post is absolute gold, but this here got me hungry and now I'm thinking someone needs to make a YouTube Glorantha cooking channel.

That would be difficult to do authentically, since I envision Gloranthan home cooking as being done on a raised hearth at best, a floor fire at worst, mostly with bronze and pottery pots or by roasting meat.  I could do it, i have the skills to cook on a wood fire after decades of ACW reenacting - I've even made pies on a camp fire - but I'd have to build a hearth.  My wife would never let me use the fireplace - even though the gas to it is turned off, she doesn't want the smell of wood smoke in the house.  

And I have no pottery cooking pots.  I'd have to hunt up a potter and a bronze smith.  My ACW era repro tinware won't do, and my iron Dutch oven would be worth a king's ransom in Glorantha.  I do have wooden spoons -

it strikes me that a strong bronze cooking fork would be a highly desirable implement for roasting and general barbecueing, and I don't think it's listed in the Weapons and Equipment Guide.  Price it  to add some authenticity to your campaign!  Meanwhile I know where to get wooden tongs, good for a lot of uses but not for big cuts of meat.

But for a raised hearth -  there are 1800s buildings in Fredericksburg TX that have some - easy to model from. 

Now Gloranthan campfire cooking would just need a campfire and a small pot or two, and i do have views on what your characters would eat on the road or on campaign.

This is getting to be material for a separate thread....

 

 

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One of the biggest hassles at Sacred Time is travelling during Storm Season to get home for the ceremonies.  The roads are packed, and often troubled by weather related problems.  Inns will be full up, and even floor space will be at a premium.  Think Xmas or Chinese New Year.

Then you finally arrive and have to contend with the family dinner table "God's War"... 

Edited by Darius West
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