Magic and the multiplicity of gods.
Magic in role play gaming is where so much of
the story happens. It is also where the wheels can quickly fall off the
chariot. Fortunately, it is also one of the many strengths of the Runequest
system and one that easily lends itself to Bronze Age Wales.
A little bit of a primer on the systems and
mechanisms of magic in the game is warranted before we launch into an exploration
of the Shires leading from South to North in Cymru:
Spirit Magic, originally called Battle Magic,
could also be termed folk magic or hedge magic. An integrated spirit and
material world is what exists in Glorantha and is immediately accessible for
translation into Cymru. What fisherman plying Mor Hafren wouldn’t want a Repair
spell for that torn net? Or, if he was far enough out, to fix that sudden leak
in the coracle…
The tricky thing about spirit magic is how does
one acquire it? Well…spirits of course! Ancestor worship and the mechanics of
shamans work extremely well for family spirits and other friendly human
spirits.
And unfriendly spirits…
And nonhuman spirits…
The game mythos defines the Axis Mundi as a
spirit nexus affording the shaman an opportunity to learn and an opportunity to
be lost. Whether Rafiki or the Witch of Endor, or the Owl Witch of Modron,
examples of those who commune with the spirit realm abound.
What then of the gods? Part of divinity is the
mystery of the unknowable and I am not going to diminish Lyr any by sharing his
backstory at this point! Primal myth being what it is, so many of the gods of Glorantha
could be morphed a bit and become the Welsh gods of antiquity.
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| So, you want to be a RuneLord of Lyr? |
The key in unlocking this came from the
Mabinogion and the god Arawn. Really, its hard to tell whether it was Arawn or
Humakt who took off their respective mask first, revealing one god. Humakt in
Glorantha was a bit of a lonely god. Taking him to Cymru, he was much happier
in Annwn, or what would be known to the Greeks as Hades.
When Humakt becomes Arawn, and Magasta becomes Lyr…all of a sudden the entire scope of Rune Magic becomes accessible to the Druid Beli, priest of Cerunnos. More on him in future blogs, I think! As a brief aside, one thing that has delayed this project is finding suitable imagery to capture the magic of the moment without fostering occult yearnings. Hades is not Tarterus and Death is not forever. More on Cthulhu later...
The final category of Runequest magic is sorcery. Ngl, I am not a fan of its introduction into the game and one of the best parts of centering the game in Bronze Age Wales is I can pretend largely that it does not exist. I mean, it does…and it was important for historical backstory, but I am not telling you any more about Lyr! Or the Cosmic Wheel!
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