About the collapse of the EWF

[Cleombrotus]

So it's not some celestial vestige of Obduran's "corruption of Orlanth's Ring with the Dragon Inside?"

Perhaps a subtle hint that Orlanth was never able to completely escape from his Inner Dragon?

I see how it could be one or the other or even both. So the Orlanthi look to the skies and see Orlanth's victory over Dragons, but perhaps it symbolises the inter-relationship between Orlanth and Dragons.

I've always understood that the Orlanth Rex cult developed, under Alakoring, in direct opposition to draconic corruption of the Orlanth cult, and therefore it would seem to me that one of the most important symbolic roles of any Orlanth Rex cultist would be that of Orlanth Dragonslayer, a living reminder of Orlanth's authority over Dragons, King's authority over priests.

In our game we're trying to play heavily on this possible ambiguity, with Orlanthi characters getting drawn into a Sartarite/draconic conspiracy that will hopefully one day culminate in the Dragonrise.

 

[richaje]

So it's not some celestial vestige of Obduran's "corruption of Orlanth's Ring with the Dragon Inside?"

Perhaps a subtle hint that Orlanth was never able to completely escape from his Inner Dragon?

I see how it could be one or the other or even both. So the Orlanthi look to the skies and see Orlanth's victory over Dragons, but perhaps it symbolises the inter-relationship between Orlanth and Dragons.

I've always understood that the Orlanth Rex cult developed, under Alakoring, in direct opposition to draconic corruption of the Orlanth cult, and therefore it would seem to me that one of the most important symbolic roles of any Orlanth Rex cultist would be that of Orlanth Dragonslayer, a living reminder of Orlanth's authority over Dragons, King's authority over priests.

In our game we're trying to play heavily on this possible ambiguity, with Orlanthi characters getting drawn into a Sartarite/draconic conspiracy that will hopefully one day culminate in the Dragonrise.

There is a connection between Orlanth and the Dragons. He is the Great Dragonslayer (as Alakoring showed) or the Great Utuma (as Obduran showed) or perhaps both (as Argrath will show).

 

[Sinisalo]

There is a connection between Orlanth and the Dragons. He is the Great Dragonslayer (as Alakoring showed) or the Great Utuma (as Obduran showed) or perhaps both (as Argrath will show).

To the Heortlings themselves he had an inner dragon (I think from Kodp) which is why the EWF was so easy to convert (apparently).

With all this Argrath talk are you lot gearing up for a Fourth Age version?

 

[Cleombrotus]

We just became intrigued by certain things that are hinted at and the idea that they must be intelinked. Amongst others;

Argrath's composite nature, from King of Sartar but mostly from Orlanth is Dead.

Argrath invoking the power of the EWF from the RQ2 background.

Argrath unfurls the Battle Banner of the EWF from KOS.

Orlanth's Ring and the Dragon's Head star from Elder Secrets.

Orvanshagor/Orlanth Dragonslayer from Thunder Rebels/Cults of Glorantha.

Alakoring Dragonbreaker helps destroy Draconic influences in Orlanth cult and institutes Orlanth Rex cult.

And of course the idea that The Dragonrise is an event that is manufactured, rather than incidental/natural.

 

[Cleombrotus]

Not that I'm suggesting they're directly and consciously linked, but that there is a link there that can be exploited for the purposes of a roleplaying campaign.

At the heart of the rpg side of YGWV comes the point where you have to stop thinking about the ambiguities and come up with some sort of answer that's going to satisfy a player and make them understand that they're part of something epic.

As an intellectual construction, Gloranthan ambiguity is very appealing, but when catering for the varied interests of players in an rpg, at some point you have to make concrete decisions about Gloranthan truths, and we can only go so far in background research.

 

[richaje]

We just became intrigued by certain things that are hinted at and the idea that they must be intelinked.

All good observations. In short, Orlanth is both the bearer of the Dragon Power and the Dragonkiller - this is why the Orlanthi were able to embrace and found the EWF. Here's some snippets from something Greg and I have been working on:

"When Sh’harkazeel threatened to devour the gods, Orlanth was the only god who would fight the Cosmic Dragon. Orlanth leapt into the sky and struck down the Mover of Heavens. Orlanth took the Dragon Power as its own. With his left hand, he took the head of the First Dragon and carried it in the heavens before him."

"The Orlanthi have a long history with dragonkind. Orlanth is the great dragonkiller and took the Dragon Power from the Father of Dragons. Despite this (or perhaps because of this), the dragonewts were allies of the Orlanthi at the Unity Battle and in the First and Second Councils."

Jeff

 

[Cleombrotus]

I can almost hear the collective "D'oh" of the Lunar priesthood as the ground starts to shake beneath the Sartar Temple of the Reaching Moon.

 

[richaje]

I can almost hear the collective "D'oh" of the Lunar priesthood as the ground starts to shake beneath the Sartar Temple of the Reaching Moon.

Keep in mind that - with the sole exception of the God Learners - very few Gloranthans know the details of sacred mysteries of other cults in their own religion, let alone from other cultures. The Lunars know much more about the details of the Orlanthi religion than the Orlanthi know about the Lunar religion, but Lunar scholars know only that the Dragon is one of the enemies of Order and cooperated with Orlanth to destroy the world. Then again, many Rebel Gods participated in the Doom Conjunction - Orlanth, the Dragon, Artia the Bat, and even Shargash!

 

[Cleombrotus]

Cool stuff - cheers Jeff.