These messages are the accumulation of the messages that were sent out on 
the Blue Room email list between May 1995 and June 2000.  A large portion 
of the information is directly from Professor M.A.R Barker. When the list 
members joined during the time the list was active, they agreed to refrain 
from sharing this data with non list members.  When the list ended, it was 
urged that the data be made available to non-list Tekumel fans, and it 
seemed like a good idea all around.

I only ask that if you download these digests, or have received them in 
some other way, please respect the agreements the list members made, and 
refrain from passing them around and instead point people to the Tekumel 
web site, www.tekumel.com so that they can download them for themselves, 
and see all the other material available on the Tekumel.com web site.

Many Thanks.
Chris Davis
Moderator:  Blue Room mailing list 

Creative Commons - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 
CC BY-NC-ND

BLUE ROOM ARCHIVE -- VOLUME 10
271: Coming of Age and Naming Ceremonies
272: London Campaign Notes, Part 6
273: More on the Temple of Sarku
274: More Mitlanyal Responses
275: More on Coming of Age and Naming Ceremonies
276: Deity and Clan Symbols
277: Kraa Hills Naming Ceremonies
278: London Campaign Notes, Part 7
279: A View of Livyanu and its History
280: Tekumelani Fonts and the Council of Priesthoods
281: Tekumel PBEM starting
282: Status in Tsolyanu
283: More on Livyanu and Dlash
284: Our Tekumel Campaigns
285: Our Campaigns Response
286: Possible get together at GenCon
287: More Status in Tsolyanu
288: Questions:  Archery, Barracks, Baths, Nonhumans and Plays
289: More Questions: Covering Numerous Topics
290: More Campaigns Response
291: Numerous Short Topic Messages
292: Campaign Time Setting
293: Priestly Circles and The Lament to the Wheel of Black
294: More Archery Questions
295: Upcoming New Release Netbook
296: Clan Nobility and Leaders
297: Campaign Time Setting Reply
298: More Livyani Names
299: Heresy on Tekumel
300: Short Responses


NOTE:  I corrected Message #289 per Professor Barker's followup in Message #289b, so people who do a word search won't get the inaccurate information.  I don't normally edit posts before archiving, except occasionally to correct typos in message titles, but this seemed reasonable. 
 -- JMS




*************************************
//271

[Moderator's Note:  Lisa Leutheuser asks about coming of age and Tekumelani  ]
[                   naming ceremonies.                                       ]
[******Important Note******  Power will be down to the building that houses  ]
[                            my office on Saturday, from 5:00 AM to 5:00 PM  ]
[                            CST, to connect a new generator for the computer]
[                            room.  Our internet router and all servers will ]
[                            be powered down during that time.               ]

>There was recent mention in the "London" journals about a PCs 
>son's name-choosing ceremony/party.  (is there a specific name 
>for this?  I can't recall off hand.)

>My questions are:

>o  at what age does this occur?  (my guess is 14 or 15ish)
>o  is there a specific ceremony for this?  or is this just an excuse
>   for a party?

Child naming:

Child-naming ceremonies are usually performed at puberty or slightly 
thereafter, differing from place to place only by a few months. These 
do vary from temple to temple, clan to clan, place to place, and period 
to period, however. At the moment, in Jakalla, most clans hold "coming 
out" parties for their young sprouts, with food, wine, and entertainment. 
The "centrepiece" receives good wishes and small gifts from relatives 
and friends, and a priest of the person's faith may be asked to offer 
prayers and a small sacrifice (a lock of the candidate's hair on a 
flame altar for Vimuhla, a bit of bread and a morsel of meat from the 
feast for certain other temples -- etc.). An elder chosen by the 
candidate, the parents, senior clansmen, or all of the above than 
reads the new name from a scroll, and this is then ceremonially taken 
to the clan's record room and inserted into the clan's membership records.

In other cities, there are slightly differing ceremonies. There are 
even survivals of "puberty tests" in the temples of Avanthe, Dlamelish, 
and their Cohorts in some locales, with girls being ceremonially 
deflowered on an altar while parents, friends, and the priesthood 
fondly watch and applaud. Boys may be given a willing and experienced 
slavegirl similarly. Vimuhla and Karakan both have scarier rituals, 
particularly in Khirgar and the north, where long quests into the 
desert, ceremonial "duels" (which the candidate always wins -- but 
may be lightly scarred), etc. are common. You don't need to ask 
about Sarku and Durritlamish...

>o  I remember a reference that went something like "19th form may be
>   required."  Is a high-level form of dress generally required for
>   this ceremony/party for people in high and very high status clans?

The "24 Forms" of ceremonial dress are used whenever there is a formal 
party, with specific Forms being worn for specific types of parties. 
The 9th Form is used for family and clan celebrations. The 19th Form 
would be "de rigeur" only for VERY high clan, VERY wealthy, and VERY 
ultra-snobbish and fashion-conscious aristocrats! 

>o  does the age and/or ceremony customs vary in different clans/lineages?

Very much so. See above.

>o  does the Tlakotani clan do this differently?  (they seem to do so many 
>   other things differently than everyone else.  :)

Yes. The Tlakotani -- even rural "farmer" clansmen -- honour the 
God-Emperor more than others. A symbol of the Seal is set up in a large 
hall, an open field, etc., and the candidate and his/her friends of 
about the same age all join in singing the rituals of homage to the 
Emperor. Then they jump over a low bonfire or brazier of coals, and 
pass through a representation of the "Jade Arch" made of coloured paper. 
The name is officially given, and a representative of the Omnipotent 
Azure Legion (a fellow-Tlakotani, in most cases) is called upon to 
"deliver the name to Avanthar." This may or may not be done in reality.

In cases of VERY high and VERY wealthy Tlakotani -- those nearest the 
Imperial sub-lineage, Avanthar may even send a member of the Omnipotent 
Azure Legion with a gift of a gold coin, a gilded scroll with the 
candidate's name inscribed and illuminated with colours, and a little 
cake of Imperial incense (that used in the Hall of the Petal Throne 
itself). If the child is heir to lands or estates, their title deeds 
and documents are displayed in the feast-room, along with hereditary 
possessions (weapons, armour, Kaing-standards, etc.).

>The reason I care is that I'm doing a diary for my character to help
>me understand her and the culture better, as well as to give the GM
>(Joe Saul) more rope to hang me with.  :-/  So I would like to accurately 
>place and describe the entries concerning this time of her life.

Tell Joe to be nice to you. Otherwise the Omnipotent Azure Legion may 
come calling ...

>I know in the North a woman's children belong to her clan, and in the 
>South, they are of the father's clan.  What about the children of an 
>unmarried aridani woman in the South?  Those of married aridani women?

These matters are the subject of negotiation. If the woman is important 
to her clan or to her temple, she may insist on the children being 
members of her own clan. If the father is an unknown (a slave, a 
humble guardsman, a fellow clansman, etc.), the child will probably 
be left to her without dispute -- unless she doesn't want it at all, 
and in that case, the child may end up a "poor relation" clan-member, 
working in one of the clan's crafts or businesses.

If the father is better known or more important, the children may be 
put into his clan. A particularly handsome child (male or female) may 
also be handed over to one of the parents' temples as a ward, to be 
educated and brought up as a priest or priestess.

These and similar questions often come before the courts of the Palace 
of the Realm since clans and individuals may disagree.

Hope this helps!

Phil
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//272

[Moderator's Note:  The latest in the London Diary, Part 6.  The Professor  ]
[                   had the following comment on the last chapter.          ]

The Ice Temple which they visited is far north of Ghaton on the shores 
of the northern sea. I think it used to be on the old TSR map, but it 
was too far south, and so we took it off. Interesting that they should 
be transported there.

Phil
===============
Part 6

28th Langala
Finally off to Salarvya. The ship seems sound enough, and
the crew regularly ply the route between Jakalla and Chame'el.

3rd Fesru
The weather is unbearably hot. Even the breeze isn't cooling
us down.

4th Fesru
Fog. The gods know where it came from. The captain can't
understand it, and the temperature has dropped. It feels like
winter out there. We're almost reduced to huddling together for
warmth below decks.

5th Fesru
We ran aground on a sandbank. The captain claims that the
island isn't known to him. He thinks that we'll be able to float
of the sandbank at high tide, but he'll only go out and anchor
offshore until the fog drifts. The rest of us have decided to
explore the island, and see whether we can find any game for the
pot.

We found a cave in the side of a hill, and went in. It
opened up into a big cavern inside. Jadhak spotted a glyph of
Maraggu carved into the wall. We found the place defended by
three demon Champions - those of Maraggu, Ku'eth and Hrgash,
which we defeated eventually. We managed to find a fair bit of
loot, all of which Tlangten wants to keep for himself.

6th Fesru
The fog is gone, and there is no sign of the island. We should be
in Chame'el in about a week if the weather holds out.

17th Fesru
Met the Governor of Chame'el. He wants us to retrieve his brother,
dead or alive. And he claims that there is a curse on Dlantla Isle which
can only be lifted by the intervention of a foreigner.

30th Fesru
We found that the curse was due to some demon or other called the
Dead Spirit Lord, who was imprisoning an Aspect of Shiringgayi (don't
ask me to explain the theology of it all).

We destroyed the dead Spirit Lord, and though several of us appeared
to be killed in the battle, the released Aspect of Shiringgayi restored
our dead to life through Her beneficence, and granted us each one wish.
The others wished for the ability to cast such and such a spell, or some
wealth or other such greedy desires. I asked for the gift of fertility,
though what that will entail is a mystery to me at the moment. [He was
unaware of it before he died, but the apparent effect was that every
woman he slept with at the right stage in her cycle became pregnant,
whether or not lisutl root was used, and they eventually gave birth to
almost identical, exquisitely beautiful daughters, often in multiple
births.]

3rd Drenggar
We finally found the pirate base and wiped them out. It turned out
that the Governor's brother was the leader of the pirates. We killed
him, but he came back as a giant and we had difficulty killing him
again. I suppose we need to go back via Chame'el and give the Governor
the bad news. I hope he takes it well. I have no desire to find myself
viewing the inside of a Salarvyani jail, or feel the ministrations of
the Salarvyani equivalent of the Company of the Edification of the Soul!

-- 
Viscount Veshtaru hi Chaishyani (Jack Bramah)
Legion of the Mighty Heroes of Avanthar
Molmitlan Otulengba!
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//273

[Moderator's Note:  The Professor responds to Steve's further questions about]
[                   the Temples of Sarku and Durritlamish.                   ]
 
Legend
>> Professor Barker
>  Steve Lopez
   Professor Barker

>> The Temples of Sarku and Durritlamish thus treat the Undead as 
>>"adepts" (revered, holy beings), and do not permit them to rule. 
>>There is also, apparently, a loss of interest on the part of the 
>>Undead in temporal power: after all, what good are money, sex, 
>>physical prowess, property, etc. to the Undead? As long as Sarku's 
>>religious objectives are achieved, the Undead seem content (if 
>>that is the right word) to act as mentors, advisors, sages, etc. 
>>and dwell in the darkened depths of their sect's greatest temples.

>Sure, but duplicity and Machiavellian machinations are a way of 
>life among the upper classes of Tekumel. Why not also a "way of 
>death"? Is it possible that a  long-"lived" (ahem) Jajgi or two 
>could be "pulling strings" (sight unseen) to influence political 
>and social events in order *to advance the worship of Sarku or 
>advance his religious objectives?* (note emphasis). Perhaps the 
>desire for *personal* power dies when a person becomes undead, but 
>religious fervor and the desire to advance one's faith may live on. 

What you say COULD be true. In fact, it EASILY could be true. I just 
don't have any evidence of it. Sarku and Durritlamish seem rather 
politically remote from human (i.e. LIVING human) concerns and don't
seem to want to convert the masses.  I may be wrong. The ones in 
those temples who do show interest in politics and power are the 
LIVING senior hierarchy: the high priests and administrators of 
temple property, temple lands, and temple prerogatives within the 
Five Empires.

>Perhaps a talented Jajgi could be influencing events on Tekumel by 
>playing powerful living Sarku worshippers like den-den counters.

This could indeed be the case. I have no evidence one way or the 
other. It is VERY hard to detect and identify a really advanced 
Jajgi, of course, and I somehow don't get the impression that any 
of the current crop of senior priests and adepts are Undead.

>>Most worshippers of the Worm Lord would not want their loved ones 
>>turned into Mrur under any circumstances. 

>So what was going on in Chapter 20 of "The Man of Gold" 
>(particularly the "orgy of death" on page 159)? Was this a standard 
>Sarku ritual or a "special event" cooked up by Dhich'une? Your 
>article on Sarku worship seems to suggest the latter (in that only 
>priests generally get to participate in this kind of "inner circle" 
>event). By the way, these passages were the most memorable (and 
>unsettling!) of the entire novel.

The sacrifice described in "The Man of Gold" was indeed a "special 
event." There are wealthy -- living -- patrons of the temple, 
moreover, who get their jollies by participating in "inner" temple 
events, sacrifices, rituals, pageants, and the like (rather like 
the $1,000 a plate dinners the American political parties throw to 
raise funds from the faithful). The fact that a Prince of the Empire 
was there to participate meant that this was not just an average 
Saturday night shindig down at the temple! The participants were not 
only priests, as just mentioned, but also devotees and wealthy 
adherents who occasionally need a little jollying along to keep 
them happy and interested.

>>Emperor Dhich'une is ASSUMED by many to be a Jajgi.

>Two questions here; one concrete, the other hypothetical.

>If Dhich'une is in fact undead, would this be detectable by magic?

It would be, except that anybody with the power to turn an Imperial 
Prince into a Jajgi would likely possess the power to conceal this 
fact from others. The temples all have very powerful and experienced 
sorcerers, and a low-level Detect Magic type of spell would see 
nothing except a living human being. I suspect that it would take 
something very big indeed to "see through" the disguise! It is more 
likely, as I think I said someplace, that Dhich'une has received one 
of the Aspects -- visual and personal identity -- of his dread god. 
This is one of the last and greatest benefits of devotion and 
worship: the deity grants you an "Aspect." You then take on certain 
visible characteristics of the god and have a few very advanced 
powers (though not to the limit of "godlike").

>Now for the hypothetical part, which assumes the answer to the last 
>question is "yes". Since Dhich'une has left the Golden Tower at 
>least once (that we know of), would it be possible for an sorcerous 
>agent of one of the other heirs to get close enough to him to make 
>the determination of whether or not he's undead? (There must be 
>spies in Avanthar -- the last time Dhich'une "wasn't home", one of 
>the heirs had advance notice). Or is he jumping in a tubeway car 
>beneath Avanthar and zipping straight to the City of Sarku, with no 
>chance for a palace insider to get near enough to him? (And what 
>would the range on such a spell be, anyway?). 

What you suggest is THEORETICALLY possible, of course. It is unlikely 
since Dhich'une would take great pains not to allow a spy of that 
quality to roam about Tsolyanu without being watched. He can't really 
have them killed since this would breach the Concordat and make for 
political assassinations back and forth that would rock the fabric of 
the Empire. But no senior sorcerer can "disappear" or "wander off on 
his own" for any length of time, and getting near Dhich'une on one of 
his little forays to the City of Sarku or elsewhere would be most 
difficult and unlikely. Dhich'une's agents are watching just about 
everybody and everywhere.

Assuming an agent DID get through, he/she/it would have to have 
wizardly talents that would be just immense in order to penetrate 
Dhich'une's disguise (if one can call it that). There aren't that 
many super-high wizards running around loose in Tsolyanu in any 
case, and those that do exist would find such an adventure far too 
dangerous and unproductive. Did James Bond ever sneak into the
Kremlin and assassinate the Russian Premier? Not even when such an 
event might have been assumed to be beneficial to the Western cause!

Again, suppose you do get in and reveal Dhich'une's status as a Jajgi: 
who will care -- or dare to care -- if and when you get back to tell 
people? The general populace has no real power, any more than 
Americans do over the question of who killed President Kennedy. The 
great clans and other temples would use the information as political 
propaganda, but they're already passing gossip like that around, and 
all it does is confirm the already-convinced in their beliefs. There 
is no court or tribunal that would dare to confront Dhich'une and 
accuse him of being unfit for the Petal Throne. The only such "court" 
is an open civil war, and that is already in progress. I don't 
believe it is feasible, and if it could and did happen, what use 
would it be to tear off Dhich'une's disguise? He would simply have 
the whistle-blower(s) "offed" and declare them traitors and liars who 
were out to destroy the power of the Throne. 

I hope Churak has the good sense not to get himself embroiled in what 
might be a quick two-step to the impaling stake!

Regards,

Phil
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//274

[Moderator's Note:  David Cheng adds the following to the Mitlanyal          ]
[                   discussion.                                              ]

Two cents from David Cheng:

TOME has gone on record saying that _Mitlanyal_ is the only product they're
interested in producing, and that they might end their Tekumel efforts if
it doesn't sell well.

To this effect, I ask that Bob Alberti give them something to work with!
I am personally bewildered that the scope of the project has grown to the
extent that Bob professes it has.

How about providing a decent 64/(96?) page book on the Tsolyani Twenty? 
Leave the other empires, barbaric peoples, Shadow gods, etc., to Book Two,
to be produced when it's done?

I am a big proponent of getting product on the game store shelves, to at
least slow the rate that interest in Tekumel/EPT/S&G/Gardasiyal is eroding.
If that means making Mitlanyal a two-volume effort, then so be it.

[Moderator's Note:  I understand your point David...  But I'll add my 2     ]
[         	    cents, too.  I would rather see it one, complete vol-   ]
[ 	            ume.  I wouldn't want a shortened version to generate   ]
[	            complaints, such as not having enough material to be    ]
[         	    considered a worthwile investment.  :(                  ]

-DC
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//275

[Moderator's Note:  Lisa follows up with some more questions dealing with   ]
[                   growing up on Tekumel.                                  ]

>When is puberty?   I haven't been able to find any source that
>gives the average age.  I ask only because I would think the 
>average age of puberty might be affected by external factors 
>(such as diet) and possibly by any evolution that has occured.

So now I am to be an expert on puberty? Damfino. I think it occurs 
on the average in hot climates (e.g. India) by age 13 for girls and 
perhaps 14 for boys. I'd say this is a logical average, although 
there are exceptions in both directions. If I am wrong, would some 
medical doctor in the audience please stand up and give me the 
straight facts, please?

>Phil also said:
>> ...and a priest of the person's faith may be asked to offer prayers 
>> and a small sacrifice

>So by the time most people reach puberty, they've already choosen
>their faith?

Most people have their faith chosen FOR them by their clans, parents, 
elders, etc. Same as here. Some of my Christian classmates here were 
already having church confirmations by about age 12, as I recall. Very 
few people really sit down and choose their own religion, here or on 
Tekumel. Most get it from their elders and just tend to drift along 
with the herd. A few (like your obedient servant) get cranky and insist 
on actually reading the texts and discussing the doctrines. Still 
fewer (again, like your obt. svt.) actually revolt and leave the faith 
of their elders for some other. Here, most such "questioners" seem to 
end up as agnostics, atheists, or just-don't-give-a-hoot.

>Is it uncommon but not unheard of for a family to assume that a child 
>is going to follow the "family's faith," but the child (now young adult)
>surprises them by declaring for a different faith, say, either at
>the time of their naming or within a few years afterwards?

Again, most kids follow the family religion and remain within the 
traditional fold. A few oddballs are always found, who go off on their
own to join something else. I do recall a rather serious, mild young 
man from the Red Sword Clan (I think), who went off to become a priest 
of Lord Belkhanu instead of the expected Vimuhla, Chiteng, or even 
possibly Karakan. He was indeed an odd duck. Married a woman who was 
an officer in the prison police, the Legion of Ketl.

[Moderator's Note:  How about Princess Ma'in?  In Message 244 you mentioned  ]
[                   that she was tricked into converting...  How did that    ]
[                   happen?                                                  ]

> (would that be considered a conversion?

Not if it was a "close" deity: e.g. Thumis to Ketengku, Hnalla to 
Thumis, even Vimuhla to Karakan. "Farther" conversions raise higher 
eyebrows and occasion more wailing and teeth-gnashing amongst one's 
family members.

>Last question for tonight...  Is there a list somewhere that tells 
>for what kinds of occasions the different "24 Forms" of ceremonial 
>dress are used?

I don't think there is a list as such. I do recall that the old Zocchi 
Sourcebook had something to say about this, but I can't lay my hand on 
it just now. Essentially, the 24th Form is used in the Hall of the 
Petal Throne and nowhere else, and the other Forms are for less and 
less "ceremonial" occasions in order of descending importance, down to
making a social visit to one's kinsfolk in another clanhouse. There is 
no Form for sleeping, working at a daily job, going shopping, casual 
visits, etc. These Forms are limited to the Upper Crust of Tsolyani 
urban society and are not universal throughout the country -- much less 
the Five Empires. Fashions also change, and what may be 20th Form today
may be up- or down-graded tomorrow, depending upon current social 
leaders.  If you're from a smaller city, you're a hick, whatever your 
background or social antecedents. It's rather like a "Colonial" from 
the United States trying to fit into the uppercrust British aristocracy.
Only a few are realy accepted. The rest of us remain barbarians...

[Moderator's Note: This question went unanswered the first time around, and ]
[                  the Professor remembered and followed up with it.        ]

>There was recent mention in the "London" journals about a PCs 
>son's name-choosing ceremony/party.  (is there a specific name 
>for this?  I can't recall off hand.)

Never dawned on me to ask. The word for the name choosing-ceremony seems 
to be khatunjalim(-ikh). The "jalim" part is the same as Kolumejalim(-koi): 
an ancient Engsvanyali root for "to choose, select." This root is not 
much used in modern Tsolyani, where "to choose" is now "repul." 
"Khatun(-ikh)" is still used for "name," of course. Note the "non-
honorific" suffix "-ikh") is added to these words when the noun has 
no prefixes.

Phil
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//276

[Moderator's Note:  Jack Bramah asks the following about the symbols along   ]
[                   the map that came in the Gardasiyal box.  A list was made]
[                   up, and TOME was supposed to send it to buyers.  In case ]
[                   you missed it, Professor Barker has permitted me to post ]
[                   it.  Here it is.                                         ]

>Looking back at the old postings Phil said that the symbols on
>the East side of the map in Gardasiyal were clan sigils. Any ideas which
>clans? For reference number from 1-17 starting at the top left corner
>and counting clockwise.

Somebody recently asked me for a list of what the deity and clan symbols 
mean on the Gardasiyal maps. I originally put this information into a 
flyer and asked Tome to include it with each game. I don't know whether 
or not they ever did so.

For those who are missing it, let me add this information here:

SIDE ONE:  Map of Tsolyanu-Livyanu:

Reading from TOP CENTRE and going clockwise (to the RIGHT) around the map and 
back again:

     Hnalla
     Vimuhla
     Sarku
     Ksarul
     Dlamelish
     Hru'u
     Gruganu
     Hrihayal
     Durritlamish
     Chiteng
     Wuru (bottom centre)
     Dra
     Ketengku
     Chegarra
     Dilinala
     Qon
     Belkhanu
     Avanthe
     Thumis
     Karakan

SIDE TWO:  The Eastern Lands:

Starting with the TOP CENTRE and going clockwise (to the RIGHT) all around the 
map:

     Tlakotani
     Black Stone
     Golden Bough
     Amber Cloak
     Cloak of Azure Gems
     Vriddi
     Ensorcelled Goblet
     Red Sun
     Red Mountain
     (English at bottom centre)
     Jade Diadem
     Golden Sunburst
     Dark Fear
     Sea Blue
     Staff of Beneficence
     Golden Bough
     Great Stone
     Emerald Diadem

Pass this on to whomever wants it! Thanks,

Phil
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//277

[Moderator's Note:  We'll start off first with a message from Nick Brooke,    ]
[                   on naming ceremonies.                                     ]

Legend
>> = Professor's original comments
>  = Nick's questions
   = Professor's answers

>On today's Blue Room mailing list, re: naming ceremonies, you wrote:
>
>> In other cities, there are slightly differing ceremonies... You don't need
>> to ask about Sarku and Durritlamish...
> 
>Unfortunately, given my current fascination with popular cultic practices 
>in the Kraa Hills, that's just what I'd have loved to know! Not 
>sophisticated, urban, decadent, demon-worshipping, undead-fixated Sarku 
>worshippers of the Temples, but the quiet agrarian folk up in the hills, 
>the fertile recruiting grounds for the Legion of the Scales of Brown, 
>the Battalions of the Seal of the Worm, etc.

>Anything you can tell me (now that I've asked for the unspeakable) will be
>gratefully received.

Naming ceremonies in the Kraa Hills resemble those of other clans and 
areas of the Empire, except that the Sarku/Durritlamish worshippers take 
their young candidates to the nearest cemetery and introduce them -- 
literally -- to the bones of their deceased ancestors. This is done in 
very ceremonious, formal fashion, with the new adult's personal name, 
then lineage name, then clan name, all read out to the skeletons of 
his/her predecessors. There is usually a sort of "tour" of the catacombs, 
stopping at each sepulchre and grave-site to "speak" to the assembled 
dead. Food, incense, and thick brownish mead are presented to the young 
adults, and a priest finally rubs their faces with white bone-dust mixed 
with oil, All of the children of a clan or lineage (often of a single 
village) undergo this process at the same time, and there are usually 
a few younger ones who manage to squeak in, along with older adolescents 
who may even be a little past "official" puberty. The ceremonies finish 
with a procession back to the home village(s), with music, amber-glass 
lanterns, incense, singing, and stataues of the Worm Lord borne along 
on palanquins. It's quite a sight.

>Left to myself, I'd assume their coming-of-age rites might include 
>some acknowledgement of the horror, finality and necessity of death; 
>the extinction of one life for the perpetuation of others; all flesh 
>returning to the insatiable maw of the Worm. Perhaps giving a child a 
>new pet some months before the ceremony, letting him/her develop an 
>attachment for the sweet fluffy thing, then slaughtering it and making 
>the child watch as it is 'reclaimed' by the worm? (I worry this may be 
>too rooted in 20th-Century Western sentimentality).

I don't think this is done anywhere. Animals are usually treated as 
valuable, both as pets and as commodities. The priests do give sermons 
to the assembled candidates on the impermanence of death,the return to 
the Tomb, the glory of the Worm, and the like.

>I also note the triple cicatrices of the mountain clans of the Kraa 
>Hills (Man of Gold ch.24): are these, perhaps, also related to this 
>ritual?

No; they're clan symbols that show members' devotion to the cult of 
the Worm. Everybody gets a name and a lineage, but only true devotees 
are given the triple cicatrices. Sometimes these are combined with 
induction into the inner rites of the temple of Sarku (and Durritlamish 
as well).

>On another matter: might the Durritlamish and Sarku-worshipping Tomb 
>Police treat marauding Undead from the Necropolis as you or I might 
>treat a senile or slightly deranged elderly relative who wanders out 
>from his hospital bed and into the streets, accosting passers-by at 
>random? Gently but firmly preventing them from damaging bystanders, 
>or themselves, and helping them back to their proper place -- in this 
>case, the tomb?

I have never heard of marauding Undead, although it is possible... 
Most Undead stay put below ground, where they are more comfortable in 
the dark. On occasion, they may be brought out of the Underworld by 
some commander or senior priest, but this is for special occasions or 
for specific "jobs" only.

Phil
--
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//278

[Moderator's Note:  The 7th chapter of the London diary.                    ]

6th Drenggar
Back home at last. The Governor was fairly reasonable about
everything. He just made us swear not to reveal to anyone who the pirate
chief had been.

7th Drenggar
We've been joined on board by three priestesses of Hrihayal.
Jadhak seems keen to discuss some of the doctrinal connections between
Chiteng and Hrihayal. Whether this involves practical application I
don't know.

8th Drenggar
A strange ship met us on the seas, crewed by complete
foreigners. Nobody understood their language, though Kanmi'yel thought
their writing looked a bit like Llyani. They seemed to have some pact of
defence with the Three Demon Brothers. We barely escaped with our lives
and the ship intact.

10th Drenggar
We are cursed! Are we never going to get back home? As a result
of Jadhak's "close doctrinal discussions" he managed to find that the
priestesses are not priestesses of Hrihayal at all! Unfortunately before
we could do anything about this they attacked us. It seems that they are
the Ksarul priestesses of last year returned from the dead to haunt us.
They hit us with some spell that drew us into a nexus point, they were
obviously hoping to cast us into the sea at some distance from the ship,
where we would drown. 

By chance, or by the blessings of the gods we found ourselves
under the sea within a metal chamber. We found some "Eyes" hidden in the
chamber. Tests would indicate that at least two are Eyes of Aerial
Excellence. This means that if we should be able to get out of the
chamber we can at least follow the ship and get our revenge, as the
priestesses must surely believe us to be dead.

11th Drenggar
With a certain ampount of tinkering the chamber has risen to the
surface and we are starting our pursuit.

(Later) We caught up with the ship and were fighting well, even
when the priestesses called upon the aid of Lord O@*&%b. Baluri,
Tlangten and I fought the demon while Jadhak and Kanmi'yel dealt with
the sorceresses. 

At this point Ssomu took leave of his senses and decided that
since the primary magic was not working, a bit of secondary was in order
(This from a warrior with the brains of a chlen). We were unfortunate
that he had a magic sword which could bring forth the Carpet of
Conflagration. This he cast upon the deck of the ship, which, needless
to say, caught fire in a spectacular fashion, and sank, taking the
priestesses and the surviving crew with it. We were fortunate to be able
to fly off the deck. However, we were left hundresds of miles from land
with no vessel floating above the ocean.

We decided to fly back to the metal chamber, and hope it was
still afloat.

12th Drenggar
We are aboard the chamber. There is nothing to do but wait until
a ship passes by to rescue us. Fortunately we seem to be well supplied
(both naturally and magically).

15th Drenggar
Just as we thought the food was so boring that we'd prefer to
die rather than be subjected to Nutrifaction rations again a ship
appeared. Our spirits soared. Until it turned out to be a ship crewed by
Ahoggya. Rations would be preferable to that!

Thanks to my tact and diplomacy (Jadhak and Tlangten have the
opposite) we hitched a ride from them, and for a small consideration
decided to take their cargo to Jakalla rather than Chame'el. Ssomu was
prevailed upon to supply the required inducements, since it was his
stupid fault we were stuck here anyway. When we get home I'll need to
spend at least a week in the bath.
-- 
Viscount Veshtaru hi Chaishyani (Jack Bramah)
Legion of the Mighty Heroes of Avanthar
Molmitlan Otulengba!
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//279

[Moderator's Note:  Alex Stojanovic offers an interesting treatise on his   ]
[                   views of Livyanu, and its beginnings, including the     ]
[                   importance of the City of Dlash and the true nature of  ]
[                   Livyanu's Shadow God Pantheon.                          ]

I have developed a little source material/background on the City of Dlash 
and the founding of the Livyani state. It is told thorugh the biography
of one of the major characters involved. This is for my "personal Tekumel" 
of course, not the "official Tekumel".  I wanted to get other list readers' 
responses and comments on the material.  The material should also probably 
go to the contrib directory - if that still exists.

[Moderator's Note:  It does!  And I will place it there after you get some  ]
[                   feedback, in case you want to make some changes, or ex- ]
[                   pand on the material.                                   ]

On Niru'az Khainutl of Dlash: The Sword of Paradise
Some Comments on the Founding and History of Llyan's Empire and the
Sacred City of Dlash
(Unofficial musings by Alexander Stojanovic)

Niru'az Khainutl is the scion of one of the oldest clans and lineages in
secret-shrouded Dlash - the sealed city in the heart of the Livyani
Empire. His family claims to trace its roots back to the founding of
Llyan's empire, when the worship of the Old Ones was still nascent - and
before the orthodox doxology of the Shadow Gods was used to shroud the
True Faith from the prying eyes of foreigners. The Khainutl lineage
represents one of the ancient lines of cenobites and ecclesiastical
rulers of the City of Dlash - from the time it was founded by Tatregaz
Jakaraz Niotl - later to become one of the half-legendary Apostles of
the One Who Is. Ironically, it was Tatregaz Jakaraz and his Brotherhood
of the One True Shadow that swept away the last vestiges of the "false
beliefs" and heresies that the early Livyani clung to - the
still-whispered beliefs in travel through intergalactic space, and
mighty empires spanning a universe filled with countless stars and
planets. Before becoming a theocratic order with a stranglehold over all
of Livyanu, the Brotherhood was a society for researchers and scholars
interested in the investigation of higher-dimensional geometries and
mathematics - hoping against hope to find an explanation for Tekumel's
current position in its pocket dimension and a manner in which to navigate
back to Tekumel's original position within Humanspace. After the
"success" of its research programs - which resulted in the complete
abandonment of this line of research for reasons shortly explained -
the transformed Brotherhood purged its ranks of the heretics who still
clung to the dying machines and the fragments of  ancient technology
after more than 5000 years with hopes of reuniting with the rest of
Humanspace - and set about instituting the theocracy that Livyanu would
become known for. The pyres of the One Who Is were fed with the bodies
of heretics and those who opposed the spread of the True Faith - those
who claimed that the Shadow Gods were not the immanent divinity that
Jakaraz and his brothers proclaimed them to be once their "minds" were
opened by the visions emanating from the tenebrous Deity brought through
the curves of higher-dimensional space-time by the errant work of the
Brotherhood in its stronghold-laboratories  in Dlash. The reason for
this abrupt and complete transformation in the goals and aspirations of
the order was this: The Brotherhood of the One True Shadow had made
contact with several beings in the course of their research within the
City State of Dlash in the final Age of  Hiutaz Llyani - forty-sixth
descendent of Llyan of Tsamra and a patron of science and spiritual
disciplines. Conducting their research with the mass-point (i.e.
sub-proton-sized black hole) drive systems scavenged from the Great
Ship/Monoliths of the distant Northwest - they embarked on an
examination of the Riemmanian space-time geometries and tesseract-forms
produced by their defective and dangerously unstable drive systems in
this curious dimension Tekumel had plunged into. They succeeded beyond
their wildest dreams - breaking through to dimensions and continuums
never dreamed of by Mankind through the unstable mass-point drives as
they twisted-and malformed the space-time fabric of Tekumel - until the
fabric itself was torn in the tiniest of possible degrees(at the Planck
scale - 10-33cm in length). It was through this smallest of
ruptures/fissures that a terrifying being-consciousness emerged. The
research of the Brotherhood had accidentally led to contact with the
terrible and puissant Deity called the One Who Is - or Ju'iataz Mssaru
in the ancient tongue of Llyan of Tsamra. Following the beacon of the
28-dimensional tensor formed by the defective drive systems, a small
fragment of this entity's consciousness entered the space-time manifold
of Tekumel's pocket dimension - drawn to the fecund and Being-rich
dimension of Tekumel - ready to feast on the Pedhetl of the sentients
it could sense as it approached through the interstitial space-time
fracture - like darkness pouring in though an open window at dusk. The
Brotherhood of the One True Shadow was barely able to control the
being-fragment of this unbelievably malevolent and rapacious Deity that
extruded into the space-time of Tekumel, but was finally able to
"contain" it in a complex poly-dimensional tesseract-lattice beneath
Dlash - in a place that would come to be whispered of as "The Darkness
Below the World" for millenia thereafter in the liturgies of the Shadow
Gods throughout legend haunted Livyanu. Jakaraz and his brethren were
able to contain, but hardly master, this being - who was able over the
course of centuries to enter the souls of the brethren (through dreams
and visions) - subtly corrupting them and turning them into worshippers
and prolestyzers of a new vision of the world and cosmos - one in which
service and homage to the One Who Is (now known to Livyani as The One of
Fears) was made the core of belief and social life.  The lattice erected
by the Brotherhood could not be dismantled (a wise precaution of the
original researchers) - but a sufficient amount of the Deity's core
energy could seap through the poly-dimensional tesseract-lattices and
pour into Tekumel and consume/interact with the native energy-matrices
(what Engsvanyali theologians could come to call /Pedhetl/). In a sense
"chained" to this space-time manifold by the tesseract-lattice of the
Brotherhood, the One Who Is settled down to a curious
parasitic/symbiotic relationship with the beings it found in this
dimension. Shortly thereafter, other beings like itself were summoned
and contained within similar lattices - including the Goddess of the
Pale Bone and the devious being known as the One Other. This symbiotic
relationship has existed without interruption since then, to the present
- 2366 A.S. Even the theological jihads of the Engsvanyali Priestkings,
who reigned for almost 15,000 years, were unable to shake the
foundations of the Livyani State - and the recondite and ancient faith
of the Livyani - who embraced their curious trinity of gods beneath
layers of symbolism, aspect theologies, and numerous "names" to hide the
terrible nature of their faiths from foreigners and even from themselves
to an extent. As the great poet Li'otaz Chirruga wrote in his Threnody
to the Pale Goddess in Tsamra over 10,000 years ago, "Would not the soul
would be blinded if it suddenly opened its eyes in the Gardens of
Paradise? Certainly, for the soul must become slowly accustomed to the
terrible light of Paradise, to emerge slowly from the cave of Being into
the Glorious Nullity of Our Lady - the Devourer of Worlds!" The secrets
of Livyani theology are wound in layers of allegory, dissembling, "red
herrings", and rituals that purposely exclude all but the inner
eschelons of society from any true understanding of the core of their
faith. At the core of this Byzantine edifice of beliefs, enshrined
distortions, and rituals still shines the cold, black brilliance and
terror-filled worship of the Old Ones - the original three "Gods"
brought to Tekumel through the research of the Brotherhood of the One
True Shadow. In time, Dlash became a sealed city - a sacred site for
worship and study for the faithful. The lineages of the original
Apostles became the ruling theocrats and leaders of most of Livyanu -
but only a few lineages and family lines know the full truth of the One
Who Is and the Pariah Deities - most are content with the rituals,
beliefs, and sacrifices to these evil and terrible beings as perscribed
by tradition and custom. The Khainutl lineages is one of the most
ancient - and its members are the elite of the theocratic aristocracy
within Dlash. In Tsamra and other Livyani cities, these lineages are
given wide discretion in action - indeed the Khainutl ancestors of
Niru'az were among the founders of the Vru'uneb - the feared secret
police that holds most Livyani in its fearsome grip. Many mistakenly
believe that Tsamra was the sole seat of power in Livyanu - actually it
is Dlash which holds the true spiritual reins of state. The Theocrats
of Dlash have always kept a strong grip on their own citizens, who are
devoted to the worship of the One of Fears - the current name for the
being brought through the space-time curves of 28-dimensional space-time
to lonely,  isolated Tekumel almost 27,000 years ago. The Shadow Gods,
represented to foreigners as a set of Deities not-unlike the orthodox
Pavar pantheon established 15,000 years ago by the Priestkings of
Engsvan hla Ganga, are in fact an intricate aspect theology for a much
older set of Gods - the beings guardingly referred to as "Pariah
Deities"/Old Ones by Pavar in his scrolls. It is ironic to note that
Pavar himself was a former worshipper of a debased and derivative form
of one of the most terrible Pariah Deities, for he worshipped an old
aspect of the god worshipped today under the name of Ksarul -Doomed
Prince of the Blue Room. Over the millenia, many emissary races of the
Pariah Deities have been brought to Tekumel - and carefully "controlled"
by the Livyani within their masterful tesseract-lattices - called
Tsi'ikatesh Mu'otl in the sacred liturgical language of Dlash, Duru'ob,
- which translates roughly as "The Encircling Mirror-Forms of Eternity".
The Livyani more than almost anyone on Tekumel have understood what the
price of allowing unrestricted access to Tekumel's dimension by these
beings would mean. Still, within the walls of Dlash - which are
themselves actually multi-dimensional tesseract fields extending into
all 28-dimensions and safeguard against the unrestrained emergence of
the Goddess of the Pale Bone, the One Other, and One Who Is, -- there
roam the minions of these Old Ones - the Brethren of the Vermilion
Spire, the Cenobites of the Open Wound, and other fearsome messengers
and emissaries. Few except the senior hierophants of Dlash have seen
these beings in their true forms - fortunately for the sanity of the
common man. It has been mistakenly thought by other races and nations
that Dlash is a city sealed primarily to keep others from entering its
sacred temples, shrines, and prescints - when in truth the city was
designed to keep the fearsome Deities worshipped and feared by the
Livyani "contained". The wards and binding matrices require a huge cost
in human/sentient sacrifices - for it is only the Pedhetl of sentient
beings that can appease the One of Fears and maintain the
tesseract-lattices used to contain him/her/it. The appetite of this god
would make the sacrifical pyres of Lord Vimulha appear as the smallest
of dying embers - it truly knowns no boundary or limit if left
unchecked. This has been one of the chief tasks of the Brotherhood since
the initial contact and summoning - to keep their dark and tenebrous God
well fed and satiated - lest he finally break his bounds and tear open
the very heavens with his awesome might. Few foreigners invited or
brought to Dlash ever leave - they are usually hand-picked sacrifices
for the delectation of the One of Fears and held for special ceremonies
and rituals observed by the hierophants of Dlash in the catacombs and
shrines below their brooding, ancient city. Indeed, Dlash is one of the
few cities of Tekumel where institutionalized riutal cannibalism (a
mocking imitation of their God) is an enshrined social practice. It is
said the one can recognize a man from Dlash by his teeth - which are
sharpened for rending flesh. The huge public ceremony called "The Ritual
of Re-Entering" held in Dlash on the second day of Sharpu each year is
an ancient reminder of the nature of the One of Fears and the melancholy
fate promised to all beings by this devious and malignant Deity - a
promised re-entry into Tekumel and the consumption of all sentient
life-energy in a final apocalyptic orgy of unbridled destruction and
ecstacy! No sane man should ever enter the city of Dlash at this time or
any other - lest his soul end up feeding the One of Fears in its/his/her
own terrible plane of Nullity. Indeed, one of the God's most fearsome
aspects in Dlash is "The Shining Void" - especially beloved and
venerated by the sect called "The Joyous in Twilight Splendor" whose
reputation for unimaginable cruelties and orgiastic murder-festivals
stretchs back to the founding of the Bednalljan Dynasties.  The great
interest in demonology and other planar topology in the Age of Llyan was
not an accidental development - it was a practical necessity brought
upon by the bungling misadventures of the Brotherhood - whose mistakes
with higher-dimensional tesseract shaping have led to a "blood pact"
with the most malevolent of beings for millenia. Only the strongest
wards, rituals, spells, and bindings can keep the Pariahs contained
within Dlash and a few other locations on Tekumel - as the
Riemman-Einsteinian tensors, Kerr-Newman, and Reissner-Nordstrom
geometries generated to bind the Pariah-energies are called now by the
modern Livyani. The
higher-order mathematics and topological models once used to construct
the tesseract-lattices for the One Who Is have been replaced by
syncretic rituals and beliefs - which have distorted the ancestry of
the techniques used by the original Livyani to bind their god(s) to the
sacred caverns beneath Dlash. The ancient Terran science of the
stranded Humanspace colonists has given way to theological and magical
explanations and powers - aided by the immense availability of
Pedhetl/Nexal energy in Tekumel's new dimension - and especially in the
area occupied by the Livyani peninsula. A part of this is a proximate
result of the protrusion of the One Who Is directly into the plane - the
immense energies emanated by this Deity have been the source of much of
this "surplus" - tapped by Livyani and Llyani sorcerers over the
centuries for explorations and cartography of the "Planes Beyond". It is
even hinted by those who are in a position to speak the truth that the
famous Waba, called "The Cartographer of Suns", was privy to the
techniques and knowledge of the secret, inner schools and undying
scholars  of the One of Fears(Duru'ob: Myan'azi Nu'ux) in Dlash - the
most knowledgeable humans on Tekumel on the topologies of the "God
Planes". (Note: The undying scholars include four of the seventeen
Apostles of the One Who Is (all of them original members of the
Brotherhood of the One True Shadow), who have not emerged from the
Sacred Vaults of the Final Sun since the passing of Llyan's Empire into
the dust of history. Few have met these men - who are said to have been
"merged" into the essence of their God - becoming one with the ecstatic
void of presence, emerging from the "essence" of their Lord only when
great rituals such as  The Feast of Re-Entering are performed - and are
always referred to as the "Speakers of the Voice of Night". It was
rumored that the heretical Tlakotani Emperor Tontiken Rirune, "The Slave
of Demons", met his death on this Plane while "visiting" the sacred
prescincts of Dlash - and witnessing the Speakers of the Voice of Night
prophecy his doom. Tontiken was said to have be borne off by demons -
the truth of his passage was far more monstrous. I shall not speak more
of it here.) Some have even further suggested that Waba's Almanac is but
a poor and partial copy and palimpsest of a much older and detailed work
held in the Sacred Vaults of the Final Sun beneath Dlash - enscribed on
the shifting multi-planar forms dancing around the "Black Sun" of the
One of Fears - the holwing void at the center of all dimensions and
space-times. To gaze upon this sight of shifting forms, colors, sounds,
and noises, legend has it, is to drive any man into the final embrace of
the One of Fears - who is with excellent reason called "The Void Stalker
" and "The Final Sun"!. Most people simply believe that this is a
fortuitous circumstance of nature, that Livyanu is "blessed" with such
fecundity of nexal energy. Only the inner circles of the hierophants of
Dlash know the true reason! This is the history of the millennial
culture, lineage and clan of which Niru'az Khainutl is the modern
descendent. Niru'az's training was in the traditional mould of the
Khainutl lineage - ecclessiastical training within the Temple of the One
of Fears in Dlash, supplemented by advanced training in espionage and
assassination techniques within the elite Vru'uneb schools in Dlash and
Tsamra. Niru'az is considerd one of the best of his generation - and has
been initiated into secrets and "orders" that comprise so much of
Livyani life. He is a member, like all of his lineage for the past
millenia, of the ultra-exclusive Brotherhood of the One True Shadow -
the main power block within Dlash and one of the three "cells" which
ultimately rule Livyanu through a myriad of institutions,
puppet-governments, fronts, and bureaucratic offices. Niru'az evinced at
an early age a prodigious gift for languages and sorcerous training.  His
mentor, the legendary Kaimaz Arrio, took the young Niru'az under his
wing, initiating him within the secrets and traditions of his lineage
and the various sects and cells which determine the course of Livyani
political and spiritual life. Niru'az was trained in several classical
languages, including Sunuz and Duru'ob - the liturgical and
philosophical-theological language of the Priesthood in Dlash. In fact,
his translations of the Codicil of Ku'Atep and The Ecstasy of the Soul's
Journey into the Null are now considered modern classics. His scholarly
work alone would have established his reputation among the powerful
houses of Dlash and Tsamra. However, Niru'az was not satisfied with
this path, and chose to devote himself to serving his God through the
Vru'uneb - the so-called Path of the Sword of Paradise. This path,
unlike the scholar's Nine-Fold Path of the Chrysanthemum, meant that
his training would continue in Tsamra, at the private school of Chanaz
Dielmu - one of the spy-masters of Livyanu. It was while studying
assassination and spiritual techniques at the school that Niru'az met
his professional mentor Geimaz Zhartosh, an urbane and witty scholar who
had spent his youth rising through the ranks of the Vru'uneb to become
its secret leader. With Geimaz, Niru'az learned the deep spirituality
that lies at the core of Livyani society - the sense of "right action"
that allows the cold fire of fanaticism to be applied with the skill of
a surgeon to the political affairs of the theocratic state. The
"trained" Livyani spy-assassin is first and foremost a devoted believer
in the cause - a "Sword of Paradise" in this world. After more than five
years of training, studying, and daily drills and exercises, Niru'az was
graduated from the elite school - holding the rank of Khuaz within the
Vru'uneb. While there at the academy, he met what were to become his two
closest friends: Uoz (Captain) Jaimaz Chinaru of the Obsidian Mirror
Clan and Dlaineb (Captain) Aizaz Sharune of the Open Hands of Kirrineb
Clan. These three, who had spent their entire lives together, first in
the temple school of the One of Fears in Dlash, and later in the private
school of Chanaz Dielmu, were to become famous for their friendship and
"success" in their profession - master spies and infiltrators of foreign
governments for the good of the Livyani State. At twenty-eight, Niru'az
had spent the previous nineteen years in strict, almost monastic
training: both as a scholar-sorcerer in Dlash, and as an assassin-spy
in Tsamra. His first assignments were in the Courts of the half-mad
Mu'ugalavyani Prince Hrekkumish Mssaru in Kheiris - where he was able
to provide his master Geimaz Zhartosh with countless military secrets of
the Mu'ugalavyani elite legions over the course of three years - earning
a promotion to the Tsolyani capital of Bey Su. Had he been in
Mu'ugalavya before the outbreak of the terrible Plague of the White
Hand, perhaps the fate of his country would have been different.
Unfortunately, the sad state of his country today, overrun by
Mu'ugalavya RedHats, has made him curse this train of events bitterly.
His desire to see the Mu'ugalavyani vanquished and obliterated seeps
through every fiber of his being. His country in near ruins, except for
forbidden Dlash, Niru'az has been almost cast adrift in Tsolyani
politics - with only his own instincts to guide him and his cell of
operatives. Most of his overseers and handlers were killed either by the
Plague or in the ensuing war. He has been in Bey Su for nearly a year
since the tragedy in Livyanu - finding solace only in his two friends -
who were posted with him to Bey Su on his personal request. He currently
continues to play the role of a "bored" aristocrat biding his time in
the great city on a dull diplomatic assignment - all the while plotting
his revenge against those who started the Plague and downfall of Livyanu
- if he can find them in the web of Byzantine intrigue and Machiavellian
politics that Tsolyanu is so well known for! Some informants blame the
Tsolei Pirates, others the Mu'ugalavyani.  Niru'az is keeping an eye out
for any clues and leads. The fate of those he finally catches or
encounters along the way to righteous vengence is best not thought
about. He is, aside from his scholarly and military prowess, an
accomplished Den-den player and poet. A connoisseur of Livyani wines and
classical Bednalljan poetry, he is a frequent guest of the noblest clans
and lineages at the innumerable fetes and parties thrown throughout the
year in Bey Su and at the sumptuously appointed estates and villas of
the powerful in Tsolaynu. His web of spies includes senior priests in
the temples of Ksarul, Sarku, and Hru'u of the Tlokiriqaluyal and
Belkhanu, Thumis, and Karakan among the Tlomitlanyal. He has innumerable
contacts and informants in the Palaces of Foreign Lands and War, and
possesses at least four concubines from the diplomatic retinues of
Salarvya, Yan Kor and Saa Allaqi. He is a passionate, mercurial
individual who can pass from urbane witticisms to savage violence in the
blink of an eye as the situation demands. He is the sword of paradise
devoted to the protection and preservation of his country and culture.
He will allow nothing to stand in his way.

---end text---

Has anyone else been gaming in the distant past, in one of the
historical empires discussed in the Sourcebook? If so, where and when?
Descriptions would be appreciated! Have there been any other pilgrims
to
Dlash over the years? I would love to hear their tales! This material
is, of course, totally speculative and makes no claim to be a depiction
of the "real" state of affairs. - Any advise/hints on the Livyani would
be welcome. 

Oh, and feel free to flame away if you think I have totally missed the
mark! :)

Alexander Stojanovic
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or 
ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//280

[Moderator's Note:  Bill Faulkner asks about a Tsolyani font, and the Council]
[                   of Priesthoods.  The Professor responds.                 ]

[Moderator's Note:  In response to Bill's Question about a Tsolyani font.    ]

I have developed a new Tsolyani font, which you can get from the Blue 
Room. Chris has it already, as well as Livyani, Sunuz, and Yan Koryani. 
I even did a little special font for the Tsolyani numerals. The font is 
a "reversed" font: you type it in normal English order in an art 
programme (like Aldus Superpaint), then do a "flip horizontal," and then 
cut and paste into your document. It's the only way to get a right-to-left 
font without a lot of sweat, blood, and tears.

[Moderator's Note:  I am working on makeing the Font stuff available on the  ]
[                   ftp site.   I think most everything is ready, but I need ]
[                   to fine tune a couple of things.  Given that this is tax ]
[                   time here, I'll try to have them up by Monday.  There    ]
[                   will be both a Truetype version, and a Mac suitcase.     ]

>I have your article on Hnalla that touches on the council, but still have
>many questions. I assume that each temple has a single representative
>to the council, and that each representative has a staff of some size.
>Any details about the council would be welcomed.

Each temple has a Jashten "Lord Adept" on the Council, plus about 20 
subordinates, scribes, etc. 

What would be the title of a representative (the actual council members). 

Jashtendalidalikoi hiMitlanyal is enough of a title.

>What stucture and titles are used within the council. I 
>know that the Hnalla representative traditionally leads the council, but 
>what is his title?

As just above. The pronoun is that for Senior Priest, of course.

Is there a second in command (so to speak) and his title, etc.

Not specifically. If necessary, an ad-hoc election can be held. This 
is rare.

>Also, I was wondering if you had the names and clans of each council 
>member. I could make it up for my adventure, but why not make it closer 
>to the real thing.

I don't have the names of the current council members. They changed after 
the last accession (Dhich'une), and I don't know who's on it now.

>What sort of staff would each council member have. I know it is probably 
>dependant upon the temple and individual, but an example, with titles 
>would be nice.

About 20 people, as said above. This does not include a contingent of 
guards, slaves to bear the palanquins, musicians, dancers, singers, and 
the like.

>On a almost unrealated note, I want to thank you for giving us the clan 
>symbols on the new Tekumel map. I was wondering if there was any way you 
>could send me some clan symbols for the player-characters I will be 
>using? Any format would be fine, I'd prefer an electronic copy if 
>possible, but whatever you could supply would be a real bonus. I really want
>to infuse the players with a sense of Tsolyanu society.

I do have a few more clan symbols, but they are not drawn very well -- 
only sketched on pads of lined paper. They need work before I could even 
scan them in for you.

Do have a look at my latest font, through Chris.

[Moderator's Note:  I have.  And things will be up on Monday.  With recent   ]
[                   events, I haven't even really begun to look at my taxes. ]
[                   I guess that's what weekends are for.  ;(

Good luck on your game!

Phil
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//281

[Moderator's Note:  Bob Crane is running a Tekumel PBEM and would like char-]
[                   acter submissions.  Please send your messages directly  ]
[                   to him at the address listed in the bottom of the       ]
[                   message.                                                ]

In conjunction with an unnamed individual, I am planning on starting a
Tekumel PBEM campaign shortly.  The campaign will center around "high-level"
PCs embroiled in the Machiavellian political intrigue typical of Tsolyani
society.  The campaign will also explore events surrounding the plague in
Livyanu (just to give a small hint of what can be expected).  In running the
PBEM campaign, I plan on taking full advantage of the PBEM forum while
avoiding its potential pitfalls.  That is, PCs will be allowed to act
independently without being constrained by a group of PCs that must be
together in one place and time.  In fact, I plan on setting up scenarios
where the goals of some PCs will be indirect conflict with other PCs, and it
may be difficult for a PC to determine if he or she is interacting with
another PC or a NPC.  I also plan on avoiding time consuming activities like
"dungeon crawls" in an attempt to keep the game moving quickly.

Let me briefly discuss my gaming philosophy.  I plan on making the campaign
one that seriously explores the world of Tekumel.  To this end, I plan on
running a "simulation" style game.  This will involve "arming" PCs with
plenty of high-level attributes, skills, magic items, and allies and then
casting the "high-level" PCs into the dangerous world of Tsolyani politics
and the like.  Up and foremost, PC actions will have realistic consequences.
Player Characters that act with intelligence and cunning will most likely
succeed.   Those that act with little thought or rashness can expect to die.
I have little qualms about killing a PC if the situation truly and logically
warrants it.  Player characters can expect to be one of the major pieces in
an intense game of Den Den!.  In my experience, this type of game makes for
the best excitement and allows for truly heroic and "noble" action.  I
pledge to moderate my campaign with fairness and impartiality to all PCs.
If a PC is killed permanently, the player will be welcome to re-enter the
game as another PC if he or she chooses to do so.

I am preferably looking for players with (1) some experience with Tekumel
and (2) plenty of time to respond quickly to my emails.  Since I will be
running a "high-level" campaign, players should have a decent idea of how to
generate and play such a character.  Thus, I would expect players to have at
least read the two Tekumel novels or previously participated in a Tekumel
campaign as a PC or GM.  Since I want to keep the campaigns running at a
fairly fast pace, I prefer players that will be able to respond to my email
within a 24-48 hour period, seven days a week.  In addition, I prefer
players that have the capability to "talk" via the internet just in case the
PC finds himself in a situation requiring a lot of GM interaction.

If the sound of this Tekumel PBEM campaign interests you, please send to me
a biography of your character for consideration by myself and unnamed in-
dividual.  At this time, I am most interested in a detailed history
of the character's skill development, clan involvement, religious
involvement, and relationships with family, friends, mentors, enemies, etc.
The more detailed the biography, the better.  The PC should be currently
stationed in Be Su and the current year is 2367 with Dhich'une still in
rule.  I am fairly open to any type of PC (soldier, administrator, priest,
etc.) but I am in need of one or two high-level priests of Sarku (hint,
hint!) and possibly Ksarul.  Player characters from past Tekumel campaigns
are more than welcome.  I will be using RPG rules that have been derived
from GURPS, FUDGE, and S&G.  However, the RPG mechanics will be invisible to
all PCs, so please describe all attributes and skills in qualitative terms
(e.g., "very strong" or "average craftsman level").  If your PC is accepted
for play in the campaign, then expect the PC to go through a series of
modifications so that it best fits into the grandiose scenarios we plan to
run.  Characters not accepted may be allowed to enter the game at a later
time.  I am looking for approximately five or six PCs at this time, but this
is not a hard limit.

-bob crane
rcrane@wsu.edu
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//282

[Moderator's Note:  Our member in Japan, Paul Mason, asked the Prof a couple ]
[                   of questions through me, that I want to get out on the   ]
[                   list, because the topics are excellent.  Paul's comments ]
[                   are the ones with > and >>'s in front.  He asked 2 rounds]
[                   of questions before I decided to post them.  Phil, he has]
[                   some more comments/questions after your first answer.    ]

>>In particular I'm curious about the hands on practicalities of showing 
>>relative status in speech _other than_ through the pronouns. In 
>>particular, the way in which a Palace of the Realm bureaucrat would 
>>address a crowd of persons of unknown origin (the Falesa islanders) 
>>and what, exactly, he might do if they were not appropriately 
>>respectful to him.

There are many ways of showing status. The use of honorific pronouns is 
accompanied by words and phrases, similar to "your lordship," "highness," 
"if your excellency pleases..." These are complex and difficult to 
simulate in a gaming group. There are also special honorific lexical 
substitutions: e.g. tlakatl for "to give" instead of fazha. The former 
is more imperious and abrupt, and is used by a superior to an inferior. 
"To come" is expressed by pal, but whn speaking to or about an honoured 
person, tsamoyel is substituted. 

>I should have dug out my copy of the Tsolyani Language, I can see. 
>This, for me, confirmed a theory I have long held, that we should be 
>playing the game in Japanese. All of the above honorifics translate 
>directly into everyday Japanese. I had considered using English 
>honorifics, but it lends a very stilted air to the proceedings. No, 
>Japanese is definitely the way forward for me...

There are others. Subordinates bow their 
heads when listening to an honoured person -- and if in the presence of a 
really high person, such as an Imperial Prince), people kneel and touch 
the ground with their foreheads. This is not done by officers on campaign, 
of course, or by those whose headdresses might suffer damage thereby. A 
simple, formal bow is usually sufficient, except in the Hall of the Petal 
Throne, where EVERYBODY hits the floor.

I doubt that a High Prince would ever be required to confront peasants 
from the Farise Isles. If this did occur, the latter would assuredly be 
told to kneel until told to rise, and the Prince himself would not demean 
himself by speaking to them directly; instead, he would speak to a 
chamberlain, who might then convey the message to a lower chamberlain, 
who could pass it on to a still lower person -- etc. -- until it got down 
to somebody whose status permitted direct speaking to peasantry.

Dress, gesture, posture -- all carry messages. One just has to watch 
for clues.

The sort of "we're all equal" humour that modern Europeans are used to 
would not have been appropriate in Queen Victoria's presence either. 
On Tekumel it is downright dangerous.

>I can imagine - it's none too good for the health here in Japan!

>Now the specific point I wanted to raise was the treatment of those 
>who transgress etiquette. The cliche about Tsolyanu, which I remember 
>from the time when I had no knowledge of the world at all, was that it 
>was a culture in which you would be summarily executed for using the 
>wrong honorific. That's clearly an exaggeration designed to stress the 
>lack of equality to which the Professor alluded.

>I can understand the mechanism by which those _within_ Tsolyani 
>society would be forced to (or rather, would instinctively) adopt the 
>appropriate language. I'm curious, however, about how the average 
>Tsolyani (not the Prince, nor the General) would handle someone who 
>didn't fit in: the classic 'uppity foreigner'.

>As I have this terrible and common habit of seeking examples from the 
>world I imagine myself to be living in, I wondered if some Tsolyani 
>might find themselves totally nonplussed by such a thing. Having spent 
>their lives with everyone around them behaving in a conventional 
>fashion, to be confronted by someone who, while not being openly rude, 
>was far from being as polite as is necessary, maybe they would just be 
>left speechless and unable to deal with it? Or would I be more correct 
>in saying that the Tsolyani are made of sterner stuff than the 
>Japanese?

>If I was, for example, a relatively low clan member, accosted in the 
>street by a burly, tanned person with a strange accent, who bore no 
>clan insignia and who demanded to know the way to the Hirilakte arena, 
>how might I deal with him and preserve my own prestige (there being 
>several youngsters of my clan within listening distance)? Should I, 
>for example, make a point of responding to his rudeness by adopting a 
>more lofty tone than normal, addressing him using /keshitsam/ or even 
>/tloshuntsam/ and leaving it at that? Or is there any means by which I 
>might be able to make use of a handy city militiaman or other 
>representative of authority in order to put the upstart in his place?

>Is shamtla a common solution to social problems even at this low level 
>in society? And is it not considered gauche to say 'I believe you owe 
>me shamtla for that remark!'?

>I know many players and referees who allow the players' unconventional 
>manners to work in their favour in Tsolyanu. I don't want to do this, 
>but I'm not sure exactly how the Tsolyani protect their etiquette from 
>the unwashed apart from the methods involving judicious doses of 
>extreme violence. As my games tend to involve more members of the 
>lower and middle clans than lofty nobles, this is some importance to 
>me!

>It seems traditional to adopt a Tsolyani identity, but I feel that for 
>me my first Tekumel character would be more appropriate: Karunaz, a 
>small-time 'enforcer' from Asuaz, who currently lives in Haida Pakala 
>and styles himself Karunaz hiAsuaz in an ironic comment on his Livyani 
>origins and Tsolyani citizenship. I hope Karunaz is not an impossible 
>name for a Livyani.

>Please forgive me if my question has been dealt with before: if so, 
>feel free to scold me and direct me to the appropriate source.

>All the best,
>Paul
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//283

[Moderator's Note:  Bob Dushay responds to Alex's post on Livyanu and Dlash. ]

Alex, it's clear you put a lot of effort into your essay on 
Livyanu/Dlash/your character/etc.  Since it is meant for posting to the 
contrib section after receiving comments, I thought I'd toss a few 
comments before it's immortalized.  You did welcome flames (in good 
humor), so I hope you don't find this to be too nasty.

I think you put in a lot of work for an anti-climax.  After wading 
through so much material, which promised to explain major mysteries about 
Livyanu and Dlash, it all boils down to "they really worship the Pariah 
Gods".  How disappointing!  I was hoping for something a little more 
clever and creative.  Although the struggle with the Pariah Gods is one 
of the major (hidden) themes of Tekumel, I hardly think that explains 
every mystery.  I think the mystery of the true relationship between the 
Shadow Gods and Pavar's Twenty is a fascinating one, but to simply boil 
it down to the Pariah Gods is just too pat.

In fact, the more I think about it, the less I believe the Pariah Gods 
are the essence behind the Shadow Gods at all.  Given that the Gods are 
real beings, we can assume that their followers are directed to fulfill 
their goals in some fashion.  It has been said that humans are imperfect 
servants, and thus, the goals of the Gods are not directly addressed, but 
there are some special features about Livyanu that would make for a 
stronger relationship between the desires of their gods and the actions 
of the empire.  (I limit my description to the period prior to the 
Mu'ugalavyani conquest.)

First of all, Livyanu is a theocracy, more so than all of the other 
empires.  According to Taluvaz Arrio in "The Man of Gold", everything is 
done at the dictate of the Shadow Gods (or, more likely, at the dictate 
of their priests).  Even Flame-worshipping Mu'ugalavya is not so priest-
directed.  Second, Livyanu appears to be the most tightly controlled 
society of the Five Empires: from all descriptions, the Vru'uneb are more 
effective at domestic surveillance and control than the secret police 
forces of the other empires.  Third, Livyani worship of the Shadow Gods 
dates back to the days of Llyan of Tsamra, millennia older than worship 
of any other deities on the planet (except the Pariah Gods).  Thus, the 
Shadow gods would have an incredible grip on Livyani society--surely, if 
any Tekumel society obeyed the will of their deities, it would be in 
Livyanu!

In spite of this, there are no signs that Livyani society actually 
supports the plottings of the Pariah Gods.  When worshippers of the 
Goddess of the Pale Bone supported Fu Shi'i in the war between Yan Kor 
and Tsolyanu, Livyanu of all of the Five Empires did not add to 
Tsolyanu's woes.  In fact, Taluvaz Arrio was personally responsible for 
thwarting, at least on a temporary basis, the plots of the followers of 
the Goddess.  I would add that the Pariah Gods do not seem to value 
deviousness and secrets for their own sake, but they do so to protect 
themselves from being eradicated by worshippers of Pavar's Twenty.  
Livyani society, on the other hand, values secretiveness, mystery, and 
deviousness almost as an end to itself.  Sounds more like Ksarul than She 
Who Must Not Be Named.  (Although, Alex, you may be one of those who feel 
Ksarul is a mask for the Pariah Gods, too...which I also feel is an 
error, but that's another post.)  

I would be willing to accept that the Pariah Gods are more or less openly 
worshipped in Dlash--after all, I have no informants there.  But, I would 
not accept that they are the root behind all of the mystery of Livyanu.

In addition to disagreeing with the main point of your thesis, I have 
some less crucial comments to make.  I was puzzled by the description of 
The One Who Is as a ravening hunger.  Seems to me that's the speciality 
of the Goddess of the Pale Bone.  The One Who Is is a very mysterious 
figure, and it diminishes him/her/it to be merely an imitation of the 
Goddess of the Pale Bone.

I was unable to swallow your description of the levels of science in the 
days of the Empire of Llyan of Tsamra.  First of all, I doubt that after 
the 10,000 years or so of "The Time of Darkness" (longer than modern 
recorded human history!) there would have been enough knowledge left to 
permit "...research with the mass-point...drive systems...of the 
Riemmanian space-time geometries and tesseract-forms..."  Were these guys 
scientists who presumably knew what they were doing or magicians dabbling 
in forces beyond their comprehension?  The levels of mastery of equipment 
and technology that you portray seemed way out of line after 10,000 years 
of barbarism.



  
                                                 --Bob Dushay
                                     Dritlan, the Legion of Obscure Books
                                         1st Imperial Heavy Scholars

If you would like, we can discuss this further in private email at 
Rdushay@delphi.com.
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//284

[Moderator's Note:  Listmember Scott Kellog asks about how referees are run- ]
[                   ning their campaigns.  This could lead to rules discus-  ]
[                   sion, so if you have any rules oriented comments, send   ]
[                   them to Scott directly (his address is included below).  ]
[                   If you have general comments, feel free to mail them to  ]
[                   me for inclusion on the list.                            ]

	Hi there.  I have been reading the Tekumel literature for about 
twelve years, but have just started running my own game.  As a student and 
semi-pro musician, I don't have seemingly infinite hours available to 
construct detailed locations and plotlines.  My style of running games 
has always been focused on improvisation and high drama (I am a performer 
by nature), given a thorough knowledge of the world background.  I am 
attempting to link my game with some of the other games out there, which 
seems like a popular, and facinating, way to go.  Since there are no 
other Tekumel gamers in my area (Bloomington, IN), I am trying out some 
PBEM with other players by sharing NPCs and plotlines, so as to be both a 
player and referee.
	Because my players are unfamiliar with Tekumel generally, I have 
them out in the Flats of Tsechelnu poking around some ruins for an old 
manuscript.  The history of the ruin prvoides them a good mystery to 
unravel, and being out in the boonies keeps them out of Lord do-and-so's 
way, keeping the impalings to a minimum.  Don't want to scare them off to 
fast! They were rather impressed,however, by the vampiric thirst of the 
Kayi...
	I would like to know how other referees out there set up their
Tekumel adventures.  What kind of preparation, maps, stats???  What do you
folks actually WRITE DOWN before play?  I think about the game often,
coming up with detailed plots, NPC's, and locations, but don't have time
to do much writing.  Also, I'm very good "on the fly".  I guess playing
jazz does that to a fellow.  I am trying to get links going with other
referees, so if anyone else is interested, drop me a line.  I'd like to 
work with others on a master plot that our non-Blueroom players will be 
completely amazed by.  But if there is anyone out there who is, like me, 
still getting his/her feet wet (as a Tekumel ref), I'd like to hear from you.
	Also, in the heat of play, I find myself having to bullsh*t 
descriptions of areas and sects, in response to frenzied interrogation 
from my players.  After the game, I scramble through the sourcebook to 
make sure I was at least in the ballpark, then retrofit my lines for the 
next session.  They players usually forget exact names an places by the 
next week anyway.  As it stands, they wouldn't know a Ssu from a 
Serudla... which adds to the enjoyment of their (and my) voyage of 
discovery. Is this how other people's games are? Basically, I want to 
hear about the nuts and bolts of other games.
	Any response or advice would be appreciated.

						Thanks,
						Scott
[Moderator's Note:  You can get in touch with Scott by emailing him at       ]
[                   spkellog@indiana.edu.  Maybe you could summarize what    ]
[                   people send to you for the list.                         ]
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//285

[Moderator's Note:  Two responses to Scott's message have come in.  David    ]
[                   Bieksza and Joe Saul have sent responses.  Of course,    ]
[                   they range from both ends of the spectrum.  ;)           ]

Dave's Response...

>	I would like to know how other referees out there set up their
>Tekumel adventures.  What kind of preparation, maps, stats???  What do you
>folks actually WRITE DOWN before play? 

For my "Empire of the Petal Throne" campaign in the 1970's I prepared just
about everything in advance -- maps, area descriptions, encounter stats,
etc.  I even typed up much of this material.  By the end of the campaign
my 3-ring binder held a pile of paper about an inch thick. 

----------
Joe's Response.

>Tekumel adventures.  What kind of preparation, maps, stats???  What do you
>folks actually WRITE DOWN before play?  I think about the game often,

Not a damn thing.  GM technique -- especially preparatory technique -- is 
very much an individual thing.  Mine, however, involves absolutely NO 
writing.  Not ever.  There are a couple reasons for this:

First: for me, writing is not relaxation, it is WORK.  I worked as a 
technical writer for seven years, and I am now a law student who also 
writes policy documents and articles.  I would never, ever, ever, consider 
taking the effort to write something only I will ever see.

Second: I am an improvisational GM, and I don't need it.  Like you, I 
think about my game a lot.  I know what the relevant NPCs are up to; 
combined with the player actions, that drives the game.  I'd like to give 
examples of this -- especially surrounding the way one of my PCs got 
suckered into a duel -- but most of my players read this list.  ;-)  Once 
I have a good enough "feel" for the world, I don't need written notes; in 
fact, they seem to get in the way.  (Disclaimer:  I know other GMs, who 
are also excellent at improvisation -- but HAVE to have written notes to 
start from.  I just don't work that way myself.)


>        *        *        *                                  I'd like to 
>work with others on a master plot that our non-Blueroom players will be 
>completely amazed by.  But if there is anyone out there who is, like me, 

Nice idea, but I can't use it, as my players are mostly here.  (Hi guys!)


>	Also, in the heat of play, I find myself having to bullsh*t 
>descriptions of areas and sects, in response to frenzied interrogation 
>from my players.  After the game, I scramble through the sourcebook to 

Since my improvisational style requires me to have a very good feel for 
the world, Tekumel was pretty intimidating to me at first.  There's a 
lot to learn, and your 1996 US/Earth instincts are generally wrong.  (In 
real life, I am a strong civil rights advocate, who believes in equality 
and justice.  A Tsolyani would probably be too confused by my political 
beliefs even to be offended, but would probably have me impaled on 
general principles.)  

I read every sourcebook I could get my hands on, plus the novels, plus the 
solo adventures, several times before even considering starting a campaign.  
It still doesn't come as easily to me as _Amber_ or _Traveller_ or _Cyberpunk_ 
or _DragonQuest_, but it gets easier all the time.

This is especially important because I did the exact opposite of what you 
did with your PCs -- I like political games, for which Tekumel is 
exceedingly well-suited, so I threw them into the snakepit of upper-class 
Jakalla.  This required the players to have a decent knowledge of the 
world as well, so I used the _AoT_ solo adventures to generate their 
characters (that's as close as I'll come to a rules mention; see my post 
#241 for more information), as well as giving them other reading 
material.  I am fortunate, in that I have access to a relatively large, 
highly-skilled, open-minded gaming community; in fact, I have more people 
who want in to my Tekumel campaign than I can accomodate.  My players are 
adjusting well.

-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//286

[Moderator's Note: Joe Saul suggests a possible get-together at GenCon.     ]

I mentioned this on the newsgroup as well, but this is probably an even 
better place:

In the Amber community, we run a lot of games at GenCon.  NOT official 
GenCon events; those are a pain to set up, may (or may not) be subject to 
1950s-era content rules, and in general don't interest me.  What we do is 
organize stuff to run in open gaming space.  It's much more relaxed that way.

I was wondering if there are going to be enough Tekumel gamers at GenCon 
to make it worth while to try to set some things up beforehand -- even if 
it's only trading contact information so we can find each other, or meet 
somewhere at a specified time to schedule games.  I'd like to propose 
that any of you who are going to GenCon, and are interested in getting 
together there to play (or at least talk about ;-) Tekumel, should send 
me email.  (If Chris is willing, he might be an even better contact, 
since people could simply respond to the message.)  What do you folks think?

Joe Saul
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//287

[Moderator's Note:  The Professor adds more to the status in Tsolyanu topic. ]
[                   The questions quoted are from Paul Mason.                ]

>>If I was, for example, a relatively low clan member, accosted in the 
>>street by a burly, tanned person with a strange accent, who bore no 
>>clan insignia and who demanded to know the way to the Hirilakte arena, 
>>how might I deal with him and preserve my own prestige (there being 
>>several youngsters of my clan within listening distance)? Should I, 
>>for example, make a point of responding to his rudeness by adopting a 
>>more lofty tone than normal, addressing him using /keshitsam/ or even 
>>/tloshuntsam/ and leaving it at that? Or is there any means by which I 
>>might be able to make use of a handy city militiaman or other 
>>representative of authority in order to put the upstart in his place?

If you have servants or slaves with you, a gesture to one of them to 
reply to this insignificant stranger would be sufficient. If you're 
alone, you might give him a courteous but cold reply (if you're in a 
good mood), ignore him (if you're out of sorts), or point him at one 
of the children or to a street vendor, who can answer his question. 
Normally, you would not trouble yourself to reply to such a lowlife! 
You don't really need to have him punished, unless he is really 
offensive.

>>Is shamtla a common solution to social problems even at this low level 
>>in society? And is it not considered gauche to say 'I believe you owe 
>>me shamtla for that remark!'?

Who's going to enforce it? It is like suing a person who has no money 
here; you may win the case, but you've wasted your money on lawyers, 
your time, your energy, and your breath. It's not gauche -- it's just 
useless in such minor cases. Now if a person of another sect accosted 
you and made rude remarks about your clan, religion, lineage, etc., 
you might ask for shamtla -- if you have witnesses and a good lawyer, 
you may get something.

>>I know many players and referees who allow the players' unconventional 
>>manners to work in their favour in Tsolyanu. I don't want to do this, 
>>but I'm not sure exactly how the Tsolyani protect their etiquette from 
>>the unwashed apart from the methods involving judicious doses of 
>>extreme violence. As my games tend to involve more members of the 
>>lower and middle clans than lofty nobles, this is some importance to 
>>me!

I usually see that player characters are not allowed to "smart off" 
to Tsolyani persons of quality. If they do it, I'll gently remind 
them -- out of the game -- that this could lead to shamtla, prison, 
or -- in extreme cases -- to a quick trip to the impaling stake for 
lowlife foreigners! I also see that the players are accompanied by 
a local person, who can warn them, guide them, and keep them from 
getting themselves into foolish trouble. Imagine a modern street-
smart person at the French court in the 1700's -- or in "high 
society" at a British mansion in the 1800's. To "role play" means 
just that. Smart jokes and insults -- a very American feature -- 
should be kept to "out of game" side comments.

>>It seems traditional to adopt a Tsolyani identity, but I feel that for 
>>me my first Tekumel character would be more appropriate: Karunaz, a 
>>small-time 'enforcer' from Asuaz, who currently lives in Haida Pakala 
>>and styles himself Karunaz hiAsuaz in an ironic comment on his Livyani 
>>origins and Tsolyani citizenship. I hope Karunaz is not an impossible 
>>name for a Livyani.

Karunaz is indeed a good Livyani name. The irony of his using a "hi-" 
prefix is like naming oneself "von Clancy" or "M. le Duc de Mao Tse 
Tung." The joke will translate well for the Tsolyani, but it won't 
get your character liked, respected, or treated any differently than 
other Livyani living in Tsolyanu. It will also get other Livyani 
slightly annoyed, amused, or angry at this man's pretensions. Some 
may find it cute, however, and if that's your goal, then great.

Phil
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//288

[Moderator's Note:  Listmember Peter Bismire asks questions dealing with    ]
[                   Archery and Archers Legions, among other topics.        ]

I'll try to reply to a couple of Peter's questions.

>1/the Ssar tree whose wood among other things is used for arrowshafts, where
>does it grow?

Ssar wood is obtained from dense thickets of saplings in the swamps 
around Purdimal. It is often harvested by peasants using shallow boats, 
woven-reed coracles, etc. A similar plant is found in the Tsechehelnu 
Swamps in southern Tsolyanu. The Mu'ugalavyani get a very similar 
wood from a low tree that grows in the the Puru Ab Sharar Swamps; 
this is harvested, dried, and exported for sale by the nonhuman 
Swamp Folk who live there. Others are not allowed to get involved 
in this trade. More common for bows are Ajatl wood, Tiu-tree wood, 
or a reed called Nal that grows in swampy areas (the Tsechehelnu 
Swamps again). In Yan Kor and elsewhere, the Tiu-tree -- tall and 
slender, with black needle-like foliage rather like a pine tree -- 
is considered best.

>2/the Seresh tree is a source of wood for the best bows (I assume this is
>similar to the use of yew in Mediaeval longbows) once again where does it 
>grow?

Seresh trees are short but very straight. Staves of this wood keep 
their spring for quite a long time. The best Seresh wood comes from 
the Kurt Hills in central Tsolyanu. Again, other places produce 
different woods that are nearly as good. The Ajatl tree makes good 
bows. This is grown all through the north: from Mu'ugalavya over 
through Yan Kor. In the little states of the far northeast, Tiu-wood
is preferred, although they, too, have the Ajatl tree.

The best feathers for fletching are those from the Kuni bird. Others 
are used in other places, and even leaves from certain plants are 
employed in Livyanu.

These matters are briefly discussed in the old Zocchi "Sourcebook," 
pp. 106-ff.  We hope to get this up on the FTP site soon.

[Moderator's Note:  We are about halfway to the point where we can put up  ]
[                   the Sourcebook.                                        ]

>3/ "The best bowstrings are made from the Ruqqa plant of eastern Yan Kor and
>Saa Allaqi" but on Earth silk had also been traditionally used as a material
>for bowstrings could the fibre used for Thesun gauze be used for the same
>pupose?

I think Thesun gauze is too delicate. It is a very fine fibre but not 
as strong as Terran silk. Other fibres are used for bowstrings in many 
places: e.g. the Livyani have a vine-like plant called Chraoz. This is 
elastic, however, and has to be specially treated by a secret process 
known to certain clans in order to serve as bowstrings.

>Using the information on the archer and crossbow legions of the Imperium in
>Armies of Tekumel and Deeds I am trying to clarify the regional preferences
>for archery styles and the effect this would have on the equipment used by
>these legions.

One difficulty is the use of composite bows by people who live on or 
near the sea. Salt water tends to loosen or destroy the glue that holds 
a bow's layers together. This is remedied by applications of a varnish-
like substance that is found along the coasts around Penom, in the 
southern islands (Thayuri, Burru, Ganga, etc.), and over to Kheiris in 
Mu'ugalavya and Hemektu in Livyanu. On every naval vessel you can see 
groups of sailors squatting around little braziers of coals, boiling 
their Ssun (the "u" is umlauted, with two dots on it) fruit. These 
inedible, yellowish bulbous fruit grow back in the forests and swamps 
all along the coast. The marine legions are adept at applying this.

>The Regiment of the Clan of the Silver Lightning (7th Archers). This unlucky
>unit (it has even disappeared from Adventures on Tekumel 2/1!) is shown in
>Armies of Tekumel as using longbows. While the Legion is/was based at Bey Su
>there is no indication of from where it was drawing its recruits.

This legion still exists but is currently regrouping and trying to 
build up its strength again. Recruits are drawn from all over the 
Empire, as for many other city-based legions. Any reasonably healthy 
young citizen can join, get training, and serve. At present, this 
legion is camped near the border of Pan Chaka, where it had been part 
of a defensive force against the Mu'uhalavyani. The latter defeated 
the Tsolyani and their Pachi Lei allies, however, and the legion was 
forced to retreat with the rest of the army. Prince Eselne is 
encouraging it and providing funds.
 
>The Legion of the Peaks of Kraa (12th Archers) is shown as using longbows
>with poison arrows. On Earth most users of specifically poisoned (as opposed
>to accidentlly contaminated) arrows did so because of a lack of power in
>their bows and the need to ensure a scratch equalled a kill. In the case of
>these Sarku worshippers it could be just plain nastiness :) . Do the trees
>that provide the wood for the bow staves (Seresh?) grow locally or are they
>imported from elsewhere again the Earth analogy has Spanish and Italian yew
>being imported into England.

This legion gets its arrow poison from some plant (or combination of 
plants and minerals -- this is not known) in the Kraa Hills. The stuff 
is not very deadly but can cause wound festering and numbness, which 
is pretty terrifying for victims. The bows used by this legion are 
Seresh-wood, produced in the Kraa Hills but not as good as the Kurt 
Hills variety. Some Ajatl-tree wood is also used, I think.
 
>The Legion of the Clan of the Broken Bough (19th Archers). Based in Fasiltum
>this legion appropriately uses composite bows which require less wood in
>their manufacture. There is a mention of  this city's love for archery. How
>does this equate socially eg practice butts outside the city for practice or
>something like the Japanese style of indoor archery halls?

There is a legion archery practice area just outside the city to the 
northeast, perhaps 2-3 Tsan away. These troops are currently very 
prominent in Prince Mirusiya's army. They'll be with him when the 
siege of Avanthar begins again in earnest after the heat of summer. 
He hopes they will feather a few Sarku lads.
 
>The Legion of Girikteshmu (23rd Archers). Based in Jakalla and armed with
>composite bows. The humidity in this city could cause problems with a
>composite bows contruction of wood/horn/sinew held together with glue. How
>do the Tsolyani legions obtain their equipment, individual purchase to a set
>pattern, bulk order to a contractor? I assume because of the clan structure
>of trades that unlike the Roman army which manufactured and maintained most
>of its own equipment, either originally within the legion or later through
>government fabricae, the Tsolyani equivalent must purchase most of its
>requirements.

I mentioned the problems of composite bows and humidity above. Ssun-
varnish is sold all over the Empire, but the best varieties are in 
the south, along the coast.

The legions usually purchase their equipment in bulk for their troops. 
They provide examples and patterns to contractors, who then guarantee 
to make up such-and-such number to those standards. Officers and 
wealthy recruits can buy their own equipment, of course, and this is 
frequent. As long as it is as good or better than what the legion 
provides, they're welcome to do this.
 
>The Legion of the Crystalline Peak (41st Archers) based at Ru (and recruited
>locally) is another user of the composite bow. This legion is missing from
>Adventures in Tekumel 2/1 and is either regarded as insignificant or my have
>been destroyed.

I did omit several legions from the "Adventures on Tekumel" series. 
This was done for the sake of space -- and also because it seemed 
unlikely that player characters would ever want to join those legions. 
Thus, "low-class" legions and some provincial and minor units were 
left out. They still exist -- although we have not heard from either 
Ru or Fenul lately, what with the Salarvyani pushing into the Gilraya 
Forests, and the Ssu making inroads as far west as Hundranuu Rise 
near Sokatis!
 
>From the above the use of the composite bow seems to outweigh the use of the
>longbow withn Tsolyanu and this is without even looking at the stave s as
>used on crossbows.  

I would agree. The composite bow is more common for urban-based troops. 
Village or jungle-based troops tend to use self-bows.

>1/ Is there a Tsolyani equivalent to a sauna or Turkish bath? If yes I
>assume it is within the clans compound as opposed to a public building.

Not that I know of. Baths are very common, with attendant slaves and 
barbers, manicurists, and other specialists -- as well as prostitutes, 
musicians, and entertainers of many kinds. These baths are operated 
by each clan for its own members and their guests. There are public 
baths, too, but these are pretty disreputable.

>2/ Are there specific Aspects to the war gods associated with archery? Are
>there any for other gods/cohorts? Do they have festival days?

Not that I recall specifically. Karakan may have some Aspect that does 
this. I'll have to check.

[Moderator's Note:  Have you done that section of Mitlanyal yet, Bob?      ]
 
>3/ A common material for arrow-shafts on Earth has been reeds/bamboo. Is
>there a suitable equivalent on Tekumel (or do I have to discover it :) )?

No, you need not discover the Nal-reed. This grows in swampy areas all 
around the continent. There are still other reeds in various remote 
and tribal regions, which I have not bothered to discuss. Reed arrows 
are not considered really good, however; the Tekumelani archers think 
they're too light. Stronger arrows, they say, are needed to penetrate 
Chlen-hide armour.

>4/ What is the layout of a legion's barracks? Does each Cohort have it's own
>block within the larger fortress etc.?

Legion barracks differ from place to place, period to period, and era 
to era. A common style of barracks may thus be a square blocky building, 
built around a central square courtyard, with one side being a 
headquarters, messhall, quartermaster storerooms, etc., and the other 
three sides occupied with dormitories, a recreation hall, practice rooms, 
small shrines to the legion's favourite gods, etc. The central court 
provides a parade ground, some trees, a garden, etc. There are often 
open, pillared colonnades around the courtyard, too, where the 
legionnaires can pass the time when off duty. Only the Thumis legion 
(the Legion of the Lord of Wisdom) also has a choir-hall,where the 
soldiers are trained to sing portions of the Lament to the Wheel of 
Black and other epics a-cappella. 
 
>I've noticed in Robert Dushay's item on the creation of Pe Choi charachters
>in Gardasiyal that "The Father of Nests" and "The Black Old One" are
>regarded as Aspects of Hnalla and Thumis and Hru'u and Ksarul respectively.
>Does this apply to other non-human deities eg the Shen "One of Eggs" and
>"One Who Rends"?

Yes, I think that's a fair statement. The nonhumans decided long ago, 
during Engsvanyali times, that the humans' deities and theirs must 
be somehow made to agree and symbolise similar things. Hence, the 
Pe Choi, the Shen, etc. have declared that -- for practical purposes 
-- their deities are "the same" (whatever that means to them) as the 
human pantheon. They have ignored the Livyani Shadow Gods, of course, 
but nobody knows anything about those deities anyway, outside of their 
great pyramidal temples. 
 
>Also I'm trying to clarify details on two ketketa (sp?) plays which may date
>back to Engsvanyali times at least:

>the first is set in the First Imperium and is the story of a noble lady who
>falls in love with a lord in the service of the Emperor but is forced by
>clan considerations to marry his rival. At first her beloved accepts the
>situation but eventually the two are united. For a while they keep their
>secret until they are discovered by the husband who has been informed by the
>ladies tire woman. The husband then uses his influence with the Emperor to
>arrange for the lover to be sent into a hopeless battle where he is slain.
>He then taunts his wife with the knowledge, she stabs him and then takes
>poison.END

>the second is set further back in the time of the Dragon Warriors. A Nluss
>chieftain sends his two sons to be educated by the priests of Vimuhla in a
>nearby city. One of them falls in love with the daughter of one of the
>cities nobles. When war breaks out between the chieftain and city the son
>has to make a decision between them, and swayed by love, fights in the
>forefront of the cities army. First he meets his brother who tries to
>persuade him to return to his band. While they are circling and arguing the
>girl's two brothers arrive and kill the loyal son. Enraged the traitor slays
>them and is cradling his brothers body in his hands when his father enters
>and a moving scene ensues before the father slays his traitorous son and
>goes on to sack the city and the girl is sacrificed to Vimuhla.END

>The problem is that I seem to lack names for both of these. Are you familiar
>with the works?

I never had the pleasure of seing either one. I'll ask around. If these 
are Engsvanyali plays, then I'd expect the titles to be in Engsvanyali 
-- unless somebody has made Tsolyani (etc.?) modern translations? Or do 
you just want the English names?

Phil
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//289

[Moderator's Note:  Another batch of multi-questions, this round from Evan  ]
[                   Nitsopoulas, covering numerous topics.                  ]

>The following questions have come up during [my] game.
>Background.
>The party is currently in Jakalla fleeing from the wrath of the temple
>of Sarku and the Ito clan. Both parties are trying to capture the 
>party and get information from them. The party belongs to a secret 
>society within the temple of Ksarul and this society is actively 
>trying to get rid of Dhichune.  The Sarku worshippers are trying 
>to find out who the key players are in this society and what their 
>plans are regarding the emperor. Fortuneately the society is 
>organised into cells and the worst that players can do if captured 
>is compromise the other members of their cell. The party, as of
>Saturday night, is in the underworld beneath the city of the dead 
>outside of Jakalla. One of their companions, the Aridani warrior 
>Chashana of the Dark Flame clan, has been kidnapped by a member of 
>the Ito clan (that villian Omel was responsible).The group is trying 
>to get Chashana back before Omel can take her to the priests of 
>Sarku for questioning. Unfortuneately the group went to the Dark 
>Flame Clan and told them what the Ito's had done. Now the Ito clan 
>is in trouble with Chashana's clan and they (Ito) are pissed off
>and want to pay-back the party for their meddling as well as for 
>their treasonous activities.
>The party is about to enter an old tomb recently found by the 
>temple of Ksarul that is believed to open up(eventually)near the 
>area where Chashana is being taken to. The tomb is from the first 
>imperium and is dedicated to Siyenagga 'The Wanderer of Tombs.'
>The temple of Sarku is unaware of the existance of this tomb,
>or so the temple of Ksarul believes.
>The party consists of a priest of Ksarul, human, 3rd circle would 
>be master of demons named Turisan hiKuradu, the noble Pe Choi 
>warrior N'ek P'tek, the fetid Ahoggya Sh'ummph the butcher, (who's
>only joys in life are killing,farting and cooking gourmet Tsolyani 
>meals), Sanjesh hiSSankoral of the Black Hood clan a man of great 
>ferocity towards his enemies and charity towards his friends and 
>Chashana hi Ssankoral the gorgeous Aridani temple gaurd from Purdimal 
>who belongs to the Dark Flame clan and wants more than anything else 
>to have children of her own. 
>In addition to the main characters six temple gaurdsmen from the 
>Temple of Ksarul in Jakalla are also with the party.


Some of these questions are pretty involved. I will try to answer as many as I 
can.

>1. What are some typical funeral rites from First Imperium times. Did they
>mummify the deceased of noble lineage? What about the followers of Sarku,
>what did they do with their dead worshippers during the First Imperium? Iam
>assuming that not all devotees of the Worm Lord are turned into undead when
>they die.

The First Imperium generally worshipped Vimuhla-like deities that 
were those of the Dragon Warriors. The older, non-Vimuhla substrata 
of society apparently went on worshipping whatever they worshipped. 
This is not really known today, since it was so long ago, and the 
archaeologcial record is far from complete! Bednalljan nobles did 
bury their dead, usually in deep, rock-cut tombs. The dead were 
wrapped, inserted into stone sarcophagi, and sealed with resin, 
lead, or some other materials. They were not often embalmed. The 
followers of Lord Sarku seemto have followed similar customs, 
embalming their dead occasionally, putting grave-goods in with 
them (or in storerooms nearby) "to accompany the deceased on his or 
her journey through the Afterlife," and added underground labyrinths 
and catacombs to protect the corpses of the mighty. 

>2. What will the likely response of the Dark Flame clan be to what the Ito
>clan did to one of their clan members? Will the Dark Flame clan be content
>to just ask for Shamtla or will they act in an eye for an eye fashion?

Probably they will not ask for Shamtla, nor will they show any outward 
signs of the insult. They will wait and take revenge somewhere below 
ground where the Concordat does not apply. They may take more han just
"an Eye for an Eye..."

>3. How likely is for an Ahoggya to be a follower of Lord Ksarul and to
>belong to a secret society within the temple?

Not very likely. An occasional Ahoggya may indeed do this, but these 
nonhumans are not really interested in faiths like Lord Ksarul's. If 
they join anything, they prefer Vimuhla, Chiteng, or Karakan. Even then, 
it is hard to know exactly what they understand of the religion.

>4. What will the followers of Sarku and Imperium do if they dicover that the
>temple of Ksarul is plotting against the emperor and planning to assassinate
>him?

They have already discovered this. The situation is extremely tense 
between these temples. After all, it was a Ksarul priest who got 
admitted into Avanthar and smuggled Prince Mridobu back in! The coup 
failed, and Mridobu disappeared, but Dhich'une was not amused. The 
Concordat forbids even the Emperor from exacting revenge on the Temple 
of Ksarul, but you can be sure he is planning a response.
 
>5. What are the names of some of Sarku's other 108 aspects? I have the
>article, from the FTP sight, on the Temple of Sarku and only a few of the
>aspects are named.

Alas, I don't have time to go into this. Not all the Aspects are even 
known to outsiders, anyway. The Temple of Sarku also has some very 
localised Aspects that are not worshipped everywhere, all across the 
Empire, but only in one city or region. This would require a book in 
itself! Wish I had time to write it!

>6. Where exactly is Hmakuyal? I have been unable to find it on my maps.

I am sure Hmakuyal is on the new map.On the old Zocchi map, look in 
hex 3708 of the Tsolyani map. On the new ("Gardasiyal") map, look 
aout 3/4 of an inch to the east and slightly south of Tumissa, and 
the same distasnce northwest of Katalal.

[Moderator's Note:  It is on all of them.  Just find Tumissa and head east!  ]

>7. How long ago was the First Imperium from the current time line on
>Tekumel, i.e. how many years ago did Nayari rule.

Hard to say. Records are lost, histories disagree, and various 
historians have put some dynasties one after the other, while others 
have declared them to be contemporaneous. About the best that can be 
done is to add up the figures in the first few pages of the Sourcebook 
and see what you get. Then add plus or minus 5-10,000 years! The history 
is MUCH longer than anything we know here on earth, and the Tsolyani 
have neither good record-keeping nor good archaeology. The Engsvanyali 
period by itself is a horrible chronological problem. After that, the 
Time of No Kings lasted several millennia. The Second Imperium is now 
2,367 years old. Compare America's little 200-odd years since the 
Revolutionary War, or "Democratic" Athens (it wasn't really a democracy) 
which endured only for 30-40 years before going under. It's been a LONG 
time...
 
>1. Do the sorcerors on Tekumel have (use) familiars? If they do what form do
>the familiars take, are they "mundane" creatures or are they demons or imps?

Not really "familiars" in the Western mediaeval sense. They do know and 
use various creatures from the Planes Beyond. These are usually equals: 
friends, colleagues, creatures with the same objectives, etc.
 
>2. Where are the clanhouses of the Dark Flame and Ito clan located
>(approximately) in Jakalla?

****NOTE:  CORRECTION MADE BY JMS PER MARB:
Both are in the southEASTERN quadrant of the city, down near the Pyramid 
of the Unnamed God (no. 51 on the original EPT list and on the map).
 
>3. Do the temple of Sarku have the ability to create Vampires i.e. your
>typical night crawling, blood sucker with which we are familiar with in the
>West?
>If so what is the Tsolyani name for this type of undead.

I suppose they could do this, but I doubt whether anybody has been 
motivated to try.
 
>4. It has been said, in various places, that in addition to those undead
>which have been listed in the Bestiary there, exist even more powerful
>undead within the inner shrines of Lord Sarku's temples.What are the names
>of some these "greater undead"? Are these powerful undead individual types,
>or are they a class of undead like the Mrur Jajgi et.al. ?

There are no specific names for these. They are more advanced Jajgi, 
and they function as such. 
 
>5. How likely is for an Ahoggya to be "adopted" or accepted into a Tsolyani
>clan? What clans, if any, would accept an Ahoggya into their midst?

Ugh. Very few!

>6. During the last game session that my group and I played a party from the
>temple of Sarku broke into the temple of Ksarul and tried to kill one of my
>players characters'.  The character is priest of the third circle.
>Fortuneately he managed to escape and get help, but not until two slaves and
>two temple gaurdsmen were killed. How would the temple of Ksarul respond to
>this flagrant violation of the concordant by the followers of Sarku? 

I think I discussed this above. The two temples would never let this 
become known. Revenge, however, might be taken in the Underworlds 
where the Concordat does not apply.

>7. I have created several magic books, history texts and treatises for "my
>Tekumel". Could you please translate the following English titles into
>Tsolyani titles for me?
>The Book of Walking Unhindered Amongst the Planes.
>The Doom of Sarku and his Minions.
>The Tome of Binding Those That Would not be Bound.

I am sorry that I don't have time. I have several projects cooking 
right now, and I really have to keep after them. Within your own 
campaign, you can do about as you please -- it won't be "official" 
Tekumel, but it will be quite satisfactory for your players. You 
can thus give them only the English titles (after all, you don't 
make your players speak and read Tsolyani!), or you can invent a 
title that sounds good to you and use it.

>And could you also translate the title of the following text from English
>into Pechani?

>The Campaigns against Ssu and the Destruction of Ssuganar.

>I like to give my party the Tekumelani name of a book or treatise that they
>may discover. Even though the above titles may not exist in the "real
>Tekumel" I still think that it will add a bit of colour to my campaign. It
>is always so much nicer as a GM to be able to present the books, that the
>party discovers, with the proper Tsolyani title.  

I'll try to get back to your titles later, Evan. If I can find a few 
minutes, I'll see what I can do.

Best regards,

Phil
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//290

[Moderator's Note:  Chuck Monson replies to the campaign thread.           ]

Although I responded directly to our inquirer, I would share with you the
fact that I too run Tekumel 'on the fly'.  I am local color, happenstance,
fate and the power beyond the planes who just happens to be amused by the
circumstances of the player characters. I tell stories.

But my ground rules that differ from the one's mentioned include:

Player responsibility: The player is responsible for knowing what his
character can do with certain equipment, weapons, spells, or any other tools
of his trade. I just don't have the time to re-educate each person in each
instance. I just keep 'em honest (sorta)...it IS fanatasy after all. The
player should have all the relevant basic material, hit, speed, etc.
information at hand. I should just have to keep the story from being unwound
to crazily by fevered minds and dice throws. I have memory of admonishments
the Professor used at one time:  If convinced in reality that a player is
just using me as a television set, I shut off the set...and "Even advocates
of Dra the Uncaring must draw the line somewhere..."

The other comment I would share is probably not different from what many on
this line do in research for DM omniscience, but may be more than a
beginning DM in Tekumel might hazard:  I read on topics of curiousity guided
by the background clues: What earth culture really had Sakbe roads? What were
town development patterns and urban planning in ancient oriental states? What
archaeological drawings might lend interesting color to my words? How to make
exotic the 'essences in water' beverage to a bunch of cola-guzzling players?
How difficult is it to communicate the need for basic comforts to a person
who has little skill in MY language? And ad infinitum...Of course, proximity
to an adequate library or bookstore is necessary for some of this research. 

And then, decades later, when you have multi-cultural philosophies,
languages, and taste buds; when you have travelled, meditated, and played
amid the rock piles of the world; when these things and more earthy ones have
been experienced...THEN you will have a taste of the 'game'. Enjoy!
 
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//291

[Moderator's Note:  This is a multi-topic message, covering the GenCon topic,]
[                   a question about Play By [E]mail games, a chance to get a]
[                   highly discounted copy of Gardasiyal, and a couple of    ]
[                   announcements by yours truly.                            ]

-Chuck Monson sends the following....

The idea of flying out to a GenCon is interesting, but there are incredibly
CHEAP airfares on the west coast at present. ($50 each way to LA for example
this week from Seattle.) we could by arrangement pick someplace interesting
to visit and mini-con ourselves in this region to play Tekumel and hob nob.
Any takers? Las Vegas maybe?

-If there is some interest, email the blueroom, and I'll pass the files to
-Chuck, or someone else who can coordinate.
-In addition, if anyone wants to meet at GenCon, you can email Joe Saul at
-jmsaul@umich.edu

-Matthew Pook sends the following question about pb[e]ms.

I do have one question for the mailing list.  I have been asked by a friend
to run an EPT PBM and wondered whether anybody had any advice or ideas.
Please, please do not swamp me with requests to play - although I would
love to devote some time to a number of players, I am already running one
other PBM and have to do some course work sometime.

-Brett Slocum came across a bargain, and wanted to let people know.

A local game store has Gardasiyal and the individual books, as well 
as the Bestiary and Book 3 of the Solo adventures on sale for 25% 
off.  I'm willing to ship these for cost to anyone wanting them.  
That ends up at $33 + $2 sales tax + postage (??). 

Email me if interested.
Brett Slocum
slocum@io.com

-Mail Brett at the above address.  Thanks.

-Ok, my entries for this message...

Yesterday, I went around to 3 or 4 used book stores, gathering up copies of
Man of Gold, and Flamesong.  People always seem to have problems finding
copies of the books.  Well, I was quite successful, and have 7 sets of
the books available to our list members.  One set has been spoken for, but
the other 6 are available.  Please, if you have a set and want another, 
make that clear, as I really want people who don't have them to have first 
chance.  Most of the sets were $3.50, but I figure to let them go at $5
each plus shipping.  It took me a couple of hours, and some gas to get 
around and get them all.  I hope you find that fair.  If not, let me 
know.  I will send overseas and as many of you know, I prefer that these 
go to our friends overseas since they have the hardest time finding the 
novels.  That said, I will ship to anyone who asks, I'll just give 
priority to Non-US residents without a copy first, then to US residents 
without a copy, then first come first served if you already have a copy.  
If you are in the U.S., call around to used book stores, you'll be 
surprised what you can find.  I still have numerous other shops here in 
St. Louis to check 
out.

-

For those of you new to the list, I am waiting to send your back messages
until we get to Message 300.  That is when the newest digest will get 
created.  For our old timers who don't know this, one of our listmembers, 
Joe Saul has created a set of 30 message digests of the back messages, with 
the headers stripped off, etc.  They make sending the back messages much 
easier.  A tip of the hat to Joe.  You've helped make my life quite a bit 
easier with regards to new subscribers.  It is much appreciated!

Look forward to some new, exciting announcements coming very soon!
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//292

[Moderator's Note:  Scott follows up his campaign question with the following]
[                   about what time their campaigns are set in.              ]

	I have another question I'd like to pose to the group concerning 
the campaign timeline.  I haven't decided when my game takes place yet 
(and nobody's asked me, either).  Part of me wants to start in the time 
described in the EPT rules, circa 2354 AS:  when princes were princes, 
and heirs were heirs...  Buuuuuuut, on the other hand, would it more 
interesting to make the latest dispatch the "current news"?  Or, on the 
other other hand, (my secret favorite option), place the campaign, say, 
five hundred years in the past.  Then I could make up all of my own 
Imperial mumbo-jumbo!  I'm not looking for someone to say -authoritarian 
voice- "your campaign should start at five kiren before dinner on the 
13th of Hasanpor in 2366 AS", but some feedback on how others have 
tackled the question would be appreciated.

Regards,
Scott
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//293

[Moderator's Note:  Evan has some more questions on priestly circles, being ]
[                   promotioned, and The Lament to the Wheel of Black.      ]

Dear Chris,

>1.) I have often come across in my readings, about Tekumel, the statement
>that a particular priest is of such and such circle. I realise that circles
>correspond to rankings or levels within the temples. How is a priest
>promoted to a higher circle. In game terms does he have to accumulate a
>certain amount of xp before he can advance? Or is advancement to a higher
>circle something that occurs independent of xp? Does the characters
>immediate superior within the temple hierarchy decide whether he or she is
>eserving of advancement, if so how would this be handled within the gaming
>environ? Would a character be advanced to higher circle if he or she
>completed a particularly dangerous assignment for his or her superior?

You may want to look over the "Sourcebook" (the Zocchi version, pp. 
83-90) and the  solitaire adventures book in which I discuss the 
temples (the blue book, Part Two, vol. 1 (pp. 79 ff.). The "Circles" 
are not game terms at all but rather ranks within the temple 
hierarchies. They are not automatic, and they do not depend upon 
anything a player can count on. They are conferred by the priesthoods, 
and one goes up in Circle because of perceived skill, personality 
and relations with others, prestige of his/her clan and lineage, 
acts that the temple sees as beneficial to its aims, and -- bluntly 
-- bribes. None of this can be put into hard-and-fast gaming rules 
without violating "Tekumel Reality." I leave these sorts of things 
to the gamesmaster. Do with them as you see fit. If your players 
feel that they aren't being promoted fast enough, send them in to 
see their High Priest (Ritual, Scholar, or Administrative branches, 
depending upon their specialisations), and let him/her give them a 
good dressing down! It would be rather like going in to see the 
officer of one's army unit and demanding to know why one hasn't been 
promoted to lieutenant yet! I tend to promote my players only when 
they are in their home cities and temples -- and when I think they've 
deserved it by proven loyalty to the temple, friendship with their 
hierarchy and colleagues, and "enhancements."

>2.) There are many references made in the Tekumel world about the epic The
>Lament to the Wheel of Black. Has this ever published in an article or essay.
>Perhaps in one of the old Tekumel Journals or Dragon magazines? If not is
>possible that you could post a few stanzas (in English)? I would appreciate
>some lines that I could use in my game. One of the PC's is a priest of
>Ksarul and I know that he would enjoy reading about the battle of Dormoron
>Plain and it would be great in establishing the right 'Tekumel atmosphere'.

There is no English translation for this long epic. The thing is in 
"High" literary Engsvanyali -- and there are at least a dozen 
Engsvanyali versions, some differing in just a few lines, but others 
that include whole new passages (particularly the version used in 
the temple of Ksarul, which puts things in quite a different light 
from those preferred in the temples of Hnalla, Karakan, etc.) The 
"Kheiris Recension" is considered the best -- it is about 125,000 
verses long --  but it is difficult to use because of textual problems,
obscure Engsvanyali vocabulary, and the like. The recension put out 
by the temple of Sarku is probably a later forgery, as can be seen 
from its various late and corrupted Engsvanyali forms. The epic is 
also supposed to go back to Bednalljan times and before -- possibly 
even to Llyani -- but existing manuscripts are incomplete and 
fragmentary -- and quite possibly later forgeries made to "look 
old" for religious reasons. The temples each teach their "Classics" 
in their academies, much as British and American schools teach 
Shakespeare (or at least they used to in my day!).  Copies of the 
Lament are sold in very bookshop throughout Tsolyanu, Mu'ugalavya, 
and Yan Kor, although not in Livyanu.  The scholars of Tsamra opine 
that the Battle was rather a sideshow put on by the gods of Pavar 
to solidify their control over the world; the Livyani Shadow Gods,
they claim, were either not involved or else were on the sidelines. 
The Salarvyani have their own epic version of the Battle of Dormoron 
Plain, too, but I don't know much about it. (Somebody recently told 
me, too, that there is a version of this struggle in one of the 
Naqsai languages of the southern continent -- Sunuz? -- and it is 
VERY different...)

I'm afraid that no good English version exists, although you can 
find some discussion of the Battle of Dormoron Plain in the 'Book 
of Ebon Bindings" and perhaps in the Sourcebook as well. I may get 
out more on this later.

Best regards,

Phil
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//294

[Moderator's Note:  Peter still has a few questions on Archery.            ]

Legend
>> -- Phil's original responses
>  -- New questions
   -- Phil's response

>>One difficulty is the use of composite bows by people who live on or 
>>near the sea. Salt water tends to loosen or destroy the glue that holds 
>>a bow's layers together. This is remedied by applications of a varnish-
>>like substance that is found along the coasts around Penom, in the 
>>southern islands (Thayuri, Burru, Ganga, etc.), and over to Kheiris in 
>>Mu'ugalavya and Hemektu in Livyanu. On every naval vessel you can see 
>>groups of sailors squatting around little braziers of coals, boiling 
>>their Ssun (the "u" is umlauted, with two dots on it) fruit. These 
>>inedible, yellowish bulbous fruit grow back in the forests and swamps 
>>all along the coast. The marine legions are adept at applying this.

>What colour is Ssun varnish and could it dyed, thus allowing the bows to be
>multi-coloured and decorated (as here on Terra)? 

Ssun-varnish is usually a dark reddish brown or maroon in colour. 
Yes, it is often dyed or lacquered over, allowing lots of fancy 
patterns and decorations. These are usually each soldier's individual 
choice -- and distinguish one man's bow from his comrade's. 

>On Terra the use of the composite bow went hand in hand with what is called
>the thumb-draw or Mongolian release. Is the same true of Tekumel?

The thumb-ring is indeed used. It is often specially processed Chlen-
hide or sometimes bone. I have seen a few metal and stone specimens, 
but these are relativey uncommon. The nobility often practice archery 
as a sport, however, and their equipment is lavish indeed.
 
>If yes, an important part of the archers equipment was a thumb-ring these
>could be leather, wood, stone (precious or semi-precious)or metal. The
>design could be something like a guitar plectron to a cylinder. Both had the
>facility to be highly decorated as status symbols. Do Tekumelyani archers
>use something similar?
>
>Thanks
>Peter

Phil
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//295

[Moderator's Note:  I am happy to make the following announcement.  It deals ]
[                   with the release of some new, that's NEW Tekumel material]
[                   that will be released as our first new netbook.  Please  ]
[                   read the following for details.                          ]

I have some great news.  The Professor has written a new 35 page document on
Engsvanyali history.  We will be making this brand new work available on the
Blue Room ftp site, as a shareware netbook.  The price to register this book
will be $10.  I'll send out a message as soon as it is available for down-
loading.  It is NOT avalailable yet, I would like to get a feel for interest.
Please respond as to your interest, and make the subject of your response 
"Engsvanyali", so I can quickly cull those messages out of the regular Blue
Room traffic.

If this initial release goes well (ie. we get enough registrations), we will
be following this with some other new material.  If there aren't enough 
registrations, or the registration to download ratio (I will be scanning my
log files) is too low, we will have to find alternative ways to release new 
material in print format.

So, get your ftp/web clients heated and ready.  It should be up on the ftp
site soon!

Chris
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//296

[Moderator's Note:  Lisa Leutheuser asks the following questions about clans.]

Here are my best guesses at the answers Lisa wants. 

>First, which clans are considered "noble?"  All of the "very high" clans?
>Some sub-set of only the highest of the very high?  Or something else?

It is hard to give a hard and fast rule for which clans are "noble." 
We know that the Clan of Sea Blue is descended (or claims to be) from 
the Bednalljan nobility/royalty; Golden Bough and Golden Sunburst both 
brag about descent from Engsvanyali aristocracy similarly, as does Might 
of Ganga (the Priestkings themselves!). The Vriddi don't care about any 
of this, claiming their descent from the Dragon Warriors -- or Vimuhla 
himself! The Ito are sure that they were lords of the Chakas before any 
of these parvenus arrived. Cloak of Azure Gems boasts that it was part 
of Lord Ksarul's retinue at Dormoron Plain. Blade Raised High claims 
descent from the palace guards of the Engsvanyali Priestkings. It's all 
relative (:-). 

Some clans are rated higher than others in certain cities, while elsewhere
they are rated somewhat lower. Thus, Blade Raised High is considered the 
elite in Katalal and Usenanu, whereas in Mrelu (a Ksarul stronghold), 
the Ksarul clans take precedence. As they used to say in Boston -- I 
think I'm quoting correctly 
-- "The Lodges speak only to the Cabots, and the Cabots speak only to God..."

>Second, how does a person become the head of their clan?  Or even, the 
>head of their particular clanhouse in a city?  Is it a hereditary position
>carried down through one particular family or linneage?  Is the person
>"chosen" by the clan elders?  Or is some other method used?  Does the 
>method of choosing a clanhead vary from clan to clan?

Clan leaders are usually selected by the elders (and this is itself 
a relative term) within a given city. Thus, at the Golden Bough 
clanhouse in Jakalla, for example, the clan elders gather in the 
West Hall on a weekly basis to discuss business, finances, clan 
relations, political problems, etc. etc. If a clan leader has just 
resigned, died, or done something so disgraceful that he/she is 
removed from office, the group then considers the election of a 
new leader. Age, experience, political clout, lineage, friends in 
high places, "benefactions" done for the clan by the candidates 
(money, gifts, favours) are taken into consideration, and the clan 
elders come to a consensus. In most cases this is a secret ballot: 
white or black marbles dropped into a pot. Clan meetings are rather 
informal. Some clans choose a clan leader for life; others set term 
limits (a year, five years). This differs from place to place, clan 
to clan, and time to time. Every couple of years -- again, not a 
clearly defined period -- the clan may call a general clan meeting 
nationally (or internationally, if the Mu'ugalavyani and Yan Koryani 
branches are in the mood). The clanhouse in some major city offers to 
be host, and representatives travel thither with carts and slaves 
loaded with records, documents, clan-members, and gifts for one another. 
The meeting usually lasts a couple of weeks, and near the end a clan 
leader for the whole clan is elected by a vote or by consensus. 
(Again, this differs from clan to clan, etc.) This person is the 
clan's representative to the Imperium. With politics being in such a 
mess these days, this has not been done recently, and the clans have 
not met or selected their agents. Emperor Dhich'une asked for 
representatives to decide on agricultural and business policies, but 
many clans didn't respond -- they're not too fond of him -- and hence 
many matters are left in abeyance while the civil war drags on.

Clan membership is based on birth: any free citizen born to a member 
mother or father can be a clan member. Clan leaders have tended to 
be elected, but some few clans are hereditary (the Tlakotanis, for 
example, always take the Emperor as their clan leader -- but he/she 
is represented at meetings by a symbolic image of the Seal). 

This is partially discussed on p. 91 of the Zocchi "Sourcebook."

Regards,
Phil
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//297

[Moderator's Note:  The Professor speaks to Scott's question about the time  ]
[                   setting of a campaign.                                   ]

Those who want to set their game timelines to something other than mine 
are more than welcome to do so -- goes without saying, but I said it 
anyway. Rather like setting one's Monopoly game in Atlantic City, New 
Jersey, in the early 1930's rather than in the 1990's.

Setting your timeline 500 years ago would put you roughly in the reign 
of Nrainue "The Iridescent Goddess," who ruled from 1809 to 1872. That 
was a rather easy, stable time, and your players would certainly not 
encounter the mess of civil war that is going on now. Any earlier, and 
you'd be in the reign of Emperor Durumu "the Copper Blade of Sarku," 
(1747-1809), and that was a bloody, ugly period indeed!

Putting your game into 2354 is also a good idea, I think, because the 
early rules and other materials were all oriented towards that. Today 
the situation is pretty confused: a Sarku Emperor on the throne 
(illegally, say many), with Prince Eselne snapping up territory in the 
west; Prince Rereshqala taking Thraya and Sokatis in the southeast; 
Prince Mirusiya and the new Ksarul Prince, Taksuru, joined together 
and besieging the outskirts of Avanthar in the centre; and the 
Mu'ugalavyani in Pan Chaka and trying to push the Pe Choi in Do Chaka 
into joining their side. Very fragmented, very brutal. The Empire has 
weathered situations like this before, of course, and things eventually 
get back on an even keel again -- for a while, and then somebody else 
comes up to rock the proverbial boat...

Anyhow, set your campaign where and when your players will have the 
most fun. Don't worry that it is not current "authentic" Tekumel. 
Play and enjoy!

Good luck!

Phil
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//298

[Moderator's Note:  Back when Lisa asked for a list of Livyani names, another ]
[                   listmember, James Fetzner copied names from the Troop list]
[                   for Livyanu and the Tsolei Isles.  These names required   ]
[                   some editing.  I have finally gone through the Professor's]
[                   database and checked on spelling, etc.  Thanks James...   ]
[                   Sorry it has taken so long to work this up everyone.      ]

Following is a list of Livyani names, positions/titles, and place of origin, 
as drawn from the Armies of Tekumel, Volume V, Livyanu and Tsolei.  Note 
that all instances of the letter "u" with an umlaut have been replaced with 
the letter "u", to maintain the current proper spelling.  Map spellings are
the current ones, (ie. Hemektu, instead of Xemektu).  I hope this helps all 
of you looking for original Livyani names -- a slight note of caution though, 
I had to do a _lot_ of interpretation on spelling here, as the original 
document was reproduced from a low quality computer printout (those of you 
who have the original know what I mean), and interpolation was sometimes 
extremely difficult.  (Jim, thanks for your herculean effort here, I have 
helped by fixing --hopefully-- all of the spelling errors!)  :)

A listing of Livyani names follows, as drawn from the Armies of Tekumel,
Volume V, Livyanu and Tsolei:

NOTE: Dumuz is a title which translates to "Brother-in-the-Faith"

Dumuz Asqar Gyardanaz, Principle Staff of the Glory of Qame'el, Tsamra

Suruz Dashquz, Chief Priest of Qame'el, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the
     Hunched One, Tsamra

Eaz Druob Shienaz, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Little Moon, Tsamra

Vuoz Kaodiz Chaqqib, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Planet Garu'u, Tsamra

Niaz Zhaggao, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Planet Muo, Sraon

Chauvaz Deshshuqomez, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Great Moon, Nufersh

Dumuz Sheumayuz Buodla, Senior Commander, Charoneb of Tsupil Hlaya, Tsupil
     Hlaya

Riumaliz Mu'uveliz, Senior Priest of Kirrineb, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of
     the Ritual of Divine Praises, Tsupil Hlaya

Eumiz Disulu-Kang-Dlok, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Ritual of the Journey
     of the Dead, Dnash
[Moderator's Note:  The Professor adds that Dnash is a small town, not on   ]
[                   the map, near Tsupil Hlaya.                             ]

Dyaomaz Shritlimano, Senior Commander, Charoneb of Laigas, Laigas

Guoz Bilitlanu'u, Chief Priest of the Horned God of Secrets, Qaqqodaz of the
     Lluneb of the Horned God of Secrets, Laigas

Vusomish Daqqo, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of High Tlashte, Trahlu (Mu'ugalavyani
     Renegade in the Service of Livyanu)

Niudaomi Haosaz, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Lost One of the Sea, Laigas

Du'uz Saomire, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Obelisk, Tsupil Hlaya

Riumaliz Murushu, Senior Commander, Charoneb of Hemektu, Qaqqodaz of Lluneb
     of the Dead Hand of Quyo, Hemektu (Governor of Prefecture of Hemektu)

Tiudaz Murushu, Brother of Riumaliz Murushu, Hemektu

Do'onish Divraimu, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Shallows of Ngiu, a
     Mu'uagalavyani Renegade in the Service of Livyanu

Dumuab Disib Chaoseb, High Priestess of Kirrineb at Hemektu, Qaqqodaz of
     the Lluneb of Kirrineb, Hemektu

Dumuz Siruoz Mandakiz, Senior Commander, Charoneb of Neihai, Neihai

Huoz Milsaoz, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Priests of Ndarka, Neihai

Dumuz Chri'iz Baosamuz, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Priests of Qame'el at
     Neihai, Neihai

Dumuz Chaomiz Kitaz, Underpriest, Diodaz Commander of the Charoneb of
     Neihai, Neihai

Ruoz Mashiu'uz, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Bronze Gate, Hrais

Dumuz Gyumiz Nmiriz, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Pinnacle of Euz, Hrais

Dumuz Easuz Aoviddeb, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of Nirusama, Kakarsh

Tuoz Misheb, Kakarsh

Euz Misheb, Son of Tuoz Misheb, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of Tuoz Misheb,
     Kakarsh

Dumuab Kaeb Esueb, Senior Priestess of Kirrineb, Senior Commander of the
     Charoneb of Nufersh, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Black Beetle, Nufersh
[Moderator's Note:  Phil adds "And a nastier lady you will not meet on any  ]
		    plane...!"                                              ]

Zhuvaz Aodioliz Qa, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Third Eye of Vrusaemaz,
     Nufersh

Buoz Reosamaruz, Chief Merchant, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Merchant
     Princes of Nufersh, Nufersh

Miuz Baratlab, Khuaz of the Lluneb of the Merchant Princes (and Qaqqodaz
     in fact, if not in name), Nufersh

Mikuz Easamuz, Senior Commander of the Charoneb of Sraon, Sraon

Vrauqaz Hi'usu'umiz, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Sea Goddess of Kakarsha,
     Sraon

Haumaiz So'o, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Sword of Ndarka, Sraon

Haiz Uo, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Singing of the Rituals of Ru'ungkano,
     Sraon

Euz Asomu, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of Kikumarsha, Sraon

Heomuluz Kang-Dlok, Senior Commander of the Charoneb of Dlash, Qaqqodaz of
     the Lluneb of the Web of Fears (uncertain information), Dlash

Deuz Kang-Mmral, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Servants of Fear, Dlash

Miyutlayo Kang Seth, Senior Sorceror, Diodaz of Dlash, Dlash
[Moderator's Note:  The Professor adds, "He disappeared some years ago and   ]
[                   never resurfaced.  He probably 'got et', as one might    ]
[                   charitably put it when dealing with demons....           ]

Tiudaz Murushu, Senior Staff Priest of Ru'ungkano, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb
     of Tiudaz Murushu, Tlashte Hills

Artuz Haluz Dio, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of Those Who Conquer, Tsamra

Chunu Nyedz Boizhu, Priest of Guodai, Qaqqodaz of the Lluneb of the Might
     of Guodai, Tsamra
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//299

[Moderator's Note:  Evan Nitsopolous asks the following question about heresy ]
[                   on Tekumel and how the temples would handle it.  I am in- ]
[                   cluding the whole message first, so you can get an idea of]
[                   what Evan is getting at, and the Professor quotes specific]
[                   sections he speaks to.  I added a few questions/observa-  ]
[                   tions at the end when I sent the message to the professor ]
[                   also.                                                     ]

>I have a question on heresy and how the temples of the Five Empires would
>handle it.

>Let us assume that a figure like Christ or Muhammed arose on Tekumel. He
>swept across the country-side proclaiming that the institutions/Gods that
>the people followed/worshipped were false. The Gods of Pavar were false and
>there was only one True God, essentially they advocated  monotheism. Now let
>us further suppose that this prophet(s) started to gather a large following
>amongst many of the segments of society.The prophet(s) further demonstrated
>that their God was the only God by some kinds of major miracles, that the
>other temples could not perform or copy, even with their advanced lore in
>spells. What would the other temples do in response to this? Is the
>ecclesiastical situaton on Tekumel such that the other temples would
>tolerate this new god or would they react violently towards this new sect. I
>would further state that this new diety is a benevolent one who has only the
>desire for societies' welfare on his mind. Not like the Pariah Gods. 


The gods are too real for "miracles" to make much impression on the 
Tekumelani public. What you and I would consider "miracles" are old 
hat to the sorcerers of the temples: flying, fireballs, visions in 
the sky, healing, etc etc. 

The gods cannot thus be doubted, not when they occasionally reply to 
prayers, perform "miracles," and otherwise show up to awe their clien-
teles. How can these "gods" be false when everything humans demand of 
a "god" is available from them and through them? Anybody who argues 
that the "gods" are false is clearly not all that compos mentis.

One can argue, indeed, that the "gods" are not theological "gods" (or 
"God"). This has been argued many times before by numbers of people. 
The question is moot, however: the definition of a "god" has changed 
over the millennia to suit present circumstances. A "god" is what is 
available on Tekumel now; any other concept would have to be proved, 
and that is very difficult. I might argue that light is a substance 
that is carried and delivered to my eyes by hosts of tiny burden-
bearing invisible angels. Unless I have pragmatic proof this -- or 
reasons to believe this over any and all competing theories -- I 
will be delivered to the local funny-farm posthaste! It is the same 
with the "gods": using them as an explanation for phenomena is 
relatively easy, compared to arguing that the world is created, run, 
and otherwise operated by a single omnipotent, omniscient Entity who 
doesn't really seem to have power over much of anything! After all, 
how many mighty visions does He create -- not long ago, but today? 
How can His teachings be obeyed when one has trouble finding out what 
they are -- without getting into contradictions? God is quoted as 
saying "thou shalt not kill" -- and then letting Moses go back to 
camp where they were worshipping the golden calf and putting many 
of the worshippers to death (or having his followers do it). The 
problems of a theological omnipotent, omniscient God are difficult 
to overcome.

But, let's say that a "reformer" does arise. No problem, really. 
It has happened lots of times on tekumel before. An heroic young 
priest of Thumis, one Sanjesh hiKirisaya, called "The Young Master" 
by his devotees, wandered around southern Tsolyanu for a couple of 
years preaching love, mercy, gentility, and peace. He never 
questioned the reality of Thumis but did question Tsolyani attitudes 
and culture. Eventually, he settled down in Usenanu with a rich 
and loving wife, an estate, and lots of fun artefacts of the Great 
Ancients. Another reformer, also called "The Young Master," raised 
the tribes of Kilalammu to rebellion for awhile. He was much loved, 
much copied -- and heavily pursued. I can't say what happened to him 
since the civil war in Tsolyanu.

Reformers come and go. Nobody qustions the reality of the "gods" 
because they're too easily provable. This does NOT disprove the 
reality or lack of reality of a THEOLOGICAL "God" (or set of "gods"). 
It only shows that humankind is easily satisfied.


>Let us assume that a figure like Christ or Muhammed arose on Tekumel. He
>swept across the country-side proclaiming that the institutions/Gods that
>the people followed/worshipped were false.

Hard to prove, especially to the common folk, who love miracles and shows.

>The Gods of Pavar were false and
>there was only one True God, essentially they advocated  monotheism. Now let
>us further suppose that this prophet(s) started to gather a large following
>amongst many of the segments of society.

Why would any large segment of society follow this idea when their 
own "gods" are so easily shown to be true?

>The prophet(s) further demonstrated
>that their God was the only God by some kinds of major miracles, that the
>other temples could not perform or copy, even with their advanced lore in
>spells. 

I can't think of miracles that the twenty temples cannot also perform. 
Not every temple performs the same spells, and all this might do would  
be to add a new "Aspect" to one of the existing gods. In South India I 
have, with my own eyes, seen statues of Mahatma Gandhi standing as an 
"avatar" of Vishnu. In the same temple, I have seen a statue of the 
king who built the temple (Tiruvallu Naik) held in similar veneration. 
I was told that Jesus Christ was no more and no less than another Avatar 
of Vishnu the "Maintainer," and that some early Hindu scholars would 
have been happy if the Muslims had accepted a role of "Avatar" of Vishnu 
for Allah! The iconoclastic, monotheistic Muslims declined the offer.

I doubt whether benevolence per se would be much of a drawing card 
for a new "god." The Tekumelani deities fit into very neat and 
predictable "slots," sociologically and philosophically. Both Avanthe 
and Thumis have "benevolent" sides, while the others value other 
features of the human psyche -- some not so pleasant.

Well, give it a try, if you wish. I'll be interested to see if 
anybody would accept the falsity and unreality of their "gods," 
whatever the theological position. Not when the "gods" are 
demonstrably "real." Maybe they're not "theological," but they are 
surely useful to their loyal worshippers...

>I would think that it would happen very much like Pavar, it seems to me that
>each of the Gods (or at least their servants) can do things the others can't.
>Priests of Hru'u and Wuru can cast Silver Halo, but Sarku, Ksarul, etc can't.

>What does that prove?  Unless there was a test that this "new" god could not
>pass, which would show that he/she was no different than one of Pavar's 
>deities.

Even if he was similar but different from Pavar's "gods," he could 
still be fitted into the Tekumelani pantheon, just as the Pariah Gods, 
Shiringgayi, Hrsh, or any number of other localised deities have been 
made to fit. So he's a god...

>If, however, no matter what challenge was placed before this
>"prophet", he could meet the challenge, what effect would that have on 
>Tekumelani Society?

Probably not much. The society is far older and more encrusted with 
conservative tradition than was the Roman Empire. The new "god" would 
be fitted in, somebody would build him a temple, and life would go on.

People will have conflicting opinions on this problem. I'm always 
willing to entertain new ideas, but this is ground I have been over 
many times before. As my sainted granddad used to say, "A difference 
of opinion is what makes for horse-racing.."
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.


//300

[Moderator's Note:  Chuck Monson responds :) to Scott's message about when to]
[                   time a campaign.  And David Chatterjee adds some info on ]
[                   The Lament to the Wheel of Black.                        ]

5 kiren? Dear it will take at least six kiren to choose dining apparel.....

Chuck

-----

Mark Wigoder-Daniels wrote a three-page articles on the Lament to the
Wheel of Black in the Eye of All-Seeing Wonder (issue 2? - don't know
if it's sold out.)

Dave Chatterjee.
-----
Chris Davis      Moderator, The Blue Room        blueroom@prin.edu
The Blue Room's FTP site:  http://nexus.prin.edu  or  ftp://nexus.prin.edu
Available 24 hours a day, except when my PC is down, or unavailable.

