Peter Michaels' Eurmal (Sartar) Page

This work is based on Greg Stafford's official Cult of Trickster. The purpose of this work is to explore the figure of Trickster in Glorantha, and not to damage Greg's real or potential commercial gain. I freely offer the changes I've made in this cult description to Greg, should he choose to accept them as part of his copyright.

This is still very much a work in progress. Please feel free to share your comments and ideas about it with me.

Eurmal

No jape nor trick too hard for the Trickster,
Stole fire from Yelm to warm all mankind,
Was both boon and trouble to his traveling companions,
Sometimes stands loyally by Orlanth his lord.

Eurmal the Trickster goes by many names and has many shapes, but he is always a troublemaker. An untrustworthy fool, Eurmal is armed with divine energy and strength which are to be respected and feared. His tricks change the world, and his pranks can create or destroy. Eurmal is a self-indulgent buffoon whose favored activities are eating, drinking, and fornicating; thievery, mischief, and callousness are his entertainments. Every sensible deity throws this bum out of his pantheon if he can, and every sensible human throws any trickster out of his house. Only Orlanth can (sometimes) control him, and only Orlanthi Thanes can (sometimes) control his worshipers.

I. MYTHOS AND HISTORY

A. Before Time

Eurmal is one of the Burtae, or Young Gods, born from the members of the Celestial Court. He has been born and died many times, with many different names and many different shapes.

There are many stories about who Eurmal's first parents were, with most people claiming it was some combination of Ratslaff, Tylenia, Larnste, and/or Uleria.

In the beginning Eurmal's pranks were mischievious, but harmless enough. He enjoyed making others laugh, both at their and his own expense. He was silly, as when he attended a feast and made all of the god's and goddesses clothing transparent. He was ignorant, as when he fell in love with Vadrus and tried to seduce him. He was thoughtless, as when he challenged young Orlanth to a cat-juggling contest. He was stupid, as when he swallowed the Laxative Wind (even after it told him what it would do to him.) He was amusing, as when he made beer cause burping and farting. He was funny, as when he told jokes about Yelm. He also traveled widely, but rarely told others of where he had been or what he had found.

During the Golden Age, Eurmal began to learn the power of playing with things other than laughter and humor. He learned how to seduce, as when he secretly bedded Ernalda. He learned how to lie, as when he convinced Orlanth his word was his bond. He learned how to scare, as when he frightened Urox so badly that thereafter Urox claimed he can never be frightened again. He learned how to change shape, as when he took the form of the Sun Emperor and pretended to step down in favor of Orlanth's leadership, thus giving Orlanth the idea that he could challenge Yelm. It was also during this time that Eurmal gave Death to Humakt, and later helped Orlanth get Death so he could kill Yelm.

During the Storm Age, Eurmal's impact grew even greater and more uncontrollable. He became a drunkard, as when he drank Minlister's Keg dry and was then too intoxicated to help defend Orlanth's Hall from Daga. He became a glutton, as when he emptied Ernalda's larder and all those in Orlanth's Hall had to go hungry for a time. He became insatiable, as when he wore out Uleria at lovemaking and caused her pain with what should be pleasurable. He became a thief, as when he stole Orlanth's torc which caused the King to be mistaken for a stickpicker. He became malicious, as when he killed all the flying raccoon babies and bragged about it afterwards. He became cruel, as when he tricked the centaurs into butchering themselves and laughed as they were destroyed.

As Eurmal began to be blamed, despised, feared, and hated, many gods tried to kill him. Orlanth declared Eurmal to be an outlaw, but he just laughed. Urox tried grinding Eurmal up and feeding him to chickens (in the hope he would be reborn as a harmless bird), but he just hatched full grown again out of an egg. Vadrus tried dismembering Eurmal limb from limb, but he just pulled himself back together again. Humakt tried killing Eurmal with Death, but he came back from Hell seemingly unharmed and unchanged.

Some say Eurmal became disgusted with the hypocrisy of the other gods, while others say Eurmal just showed more of his true self. Either way, Eurmal began to deliberately assist in the demise of the universe. He stole Death from Orlanth, and helped bring knowledge of the power of Death to others such as Warlord Elf, Ironlord Dwarf, and Hatelord Troll. Eurmal spread Death until the whole world was dying, and Chaos itself had entered the world. During this time only Eurmal was at home, and only he could find his way among the disorder and disintegration with ease.

Then, for some reason, Eurmal began seeking to halt the ruination he had helped to cause. Some claim that he began trying to reduce the pain and suffering in the world despite his success at destruction (or maybe because of it), and that he voluntarily helped Orlanth. Others claim that Eurmal only stopped seeking to destroy the world after Orlanth caught him and extracted the Bondsman's Oath from him, forcing him to help the world. Still others say that Eurmal chose to restore disorder to order so that he could enjoy destroying all of creation again after it was rebuilt. And, some say Eurmal simply followed his nature and changed.

Whatever the reason, Eurmal joined the Lightbringer's Quest. But even while on the Lightbringer's Quest, he remained the Trickster. He saved Sofal's children from being killed, but did so by betraying an old friend. He convinced Golod to allow the Lightbringer's safe passage across the ocean, but did so by lying to him. He distracted Sinjota at the gates of Hell so that the other Lightbringers could slip by, but was eaten by her afterwards. When he did decide to speak Truth, he offended Subere and betrayed Orlanth. This resulted in Orlanth being thrown into the Pits of Darkness. Eurmal eventually found his way to the Halls of the Dead, but arrived alone after he had abandoned the other Lightbringers along the way. He found fire, which he knew would free Orlanth from the Pits, but decided to steal it instead of asking for it. He set Orlanth free, but then abandoned Orlanth again to sneak back to the Surface World. While there he shared the secret of fire with others, but was killed again when he tried to give it to the elves. When he again met up with Orlanth in Hell, he failed even himself by offering to renew his Bondsman's Oath.

To his own and everyone else's surprise, he kept to this Oath for the rest of the Quest. He found the other five Lightbringers and rested with them, and they found themselves enjoying his company before the final ordeals of the Quest. Despite all the temptation and opportunity for tricks and jokes which present themselves in the Halls of the Dead, he caused no trouble or disturbance. (This has led some to say, "The only good Eurmali is a dead Eurmali.") He did not insult the broken Gryphon who greeted them at the entrance of the Halls of the Dead. He did not make fun of Humakt when he was found dull, rusty, and broken amid the dead. He did not attempt to steal anything from the dead. He did not scoff when the pitiful creature Maggotleige claimed to be the Bright Emperor. He spoke true words of wisdom and encouragement to Orlanth during the contest to release the Glory of the Sun. He even graciously accepted the gift which was given to him by Yelm, and did not complain that another received a finer gift nor secretly switch gifts with another. (Of course he received the gift of fire, which he had already stolen.) Eurmal was the first to recognize Arachne Solara, and was the first to swear her Oath of Compromise, and he was among those who joined with Orlanth as he strode out into the Dawning. And it was then that Eurmal returned to his true nature, and he broke the Cosmic Compact by refusing to be bound by Time.

B. After Time

Of all the gods and goddesses since the Dawn, Eurmal is the only one who has broken the Cosmic Compromise and been active within Time. (Even Gbaji the Deceiver and Shepelkirt the Red Goddess were eventually bound by Time.) Eurmal can still consciously alter the world as an individual entity, and he often turns his attention to it without being called upon to do so. Eurmal continues to manifest bodily on the Mundane Plane, and actively intervenes in the realms of both mortals and immortals in new and annoying ways. Despite this, or maybe because of it, he and those who would follow him have still achieved no great successes. (There are some who say that Eurmal's place in the Cosmic Compromise is to break the rules, and that he is still as bound by the Compromise as any deity. They claim that for him to really break the Compromise would require him to go against his nature and act consistently, truthfully, responsibly, and thoughtfully.)

Everyone remembers Eurmal's gross social habits, his inconsistency, his infidelity, and his initial betrayal of the world. Even the other Lightbringers only grudgingly acknowledge his actions to save the world and his importance to the world.

During the First Age, neither Eurmal nor his worshipers were very active in the world.

The Second Age is said to have been the realization of a great dream for Eurmal, as he was able to greatly influenced two of the three Great Empires of the time.

Eurmal split the tongue, brain, and heart of a man, and created Rostand the Speaker. Rostand could understand dragon thought and dragon speech, and he became a dragonfriend and created the EWF in Dragon's Pass. Unfortunately for Eurmal his trick ultimately backfired, for in all the EWF lands Eurmal's tricks only worked against himself.

Fortunately for Eurmal, the Jrusteli were also interested in him. From the Jrusteli came the God Learners. As the God Learners expanded, they recognized or created a structure among and between the Trickster shrines in the different cultures they met. Because of Eurmal's powers of transformation and change Hofhadalos the Nonwise, a God Learner, theorized that Eurmal was the primary agent of Arachna Solara in the world. To explore this thesis he privately financed the construction of the Trickster United Temple in the land of Slontos. This was a collection of all known Trickster shrines. One of Hofhadalos' experiments worked, in that the trickster worshipers could obtain all Trickster spells from one place (although no new aspects or spells came to light from the massed worship of thousands of initiates, which is what he was hoping for). Still, due to the overwhelming influence of the disorderly god and his minions, the Trickster United project was judged a spectacular failure by Hofhadalos' peers. Each trickster worshipping at the Temple was able to perform one or more catastrophic actions for their favorite friend, city, or movement before being caught and condemned by the local authorities. Hofhadalos himself became trapped in the Eternal Feast of Fools, where all guests are boggles or madmen. Without his support, the Trickster United Temple project fell apart. The God Learners declared the project bankrupt and refused to provide further funding for it. They condemned the temple building, and scheduled it to be razed. However, before the demolition could be carried out, the entire land of Slontos sank beneath the sea. Some trickster cultists claim this was done by their cult. Since hundreds of trickster worshipers sank along with their Temple, most people doubt this, or counterclaim that they got their own justice.

During the Third Age Trickster seems to have all but disappeared so far. But there is evidence he is moving behind the scenes, preparing for the Hero Wars.

C. Life After Death

Funeral rites are not important for Eurmal cultists, and they embrace wildly variant life-after-death creeds. Some tricksters appear to be completely unafraid of death. They perform death-defying acts while claiming such things as that they cannot die, that they will automatically be reborn or resurrected if they should die, or that they are already dead. Other tricksters appear terrified of even the thought of dying and are cowardly to the extreme, claiming that there is no afterlife and that to die is the end of existance. Those tricksters who have spent time travelling with the Puppeteer Troup will (if they are sober enough) often say something about how life and death are both illusions, and that they will undoubtedly change after either experience.

D. Runic Associations

It is generally agreed that Eurmal has the Disorder rune. Many people argue over whether he is or is not also associated with the Change, Illusion, and/or Life rune.

II. CULT ECOLOGY

A. Reason for Continued Existence

Eurmal appears in many stories, often in disguise. Sometimes he even appears as another god. He is usually not even recognized as the instigator of a change, but he is always there - no change can happen without Eurmal. Thus, the Trickster is everywhere. And so long as people remember and enjoy tales about him, some people will intentionally seek to emulate him. But even if he were forgotten some people would still act foolishly, selfishly, and stupidly, or be strange looking or thinking, all in unintentional emulation of him. Thus, the Trickster is eternal.

Most Orlanthi know that Eurmali play an important religious role in their culture, but they can't say exactly why he is important. All they know for sure is that often Eurmal just happens - he just shows up - and that his presence is necessary for change to occur, for things to happen "right." Several of the rituals important to Orlanth, Chalana Arroy, Issaries, and Lhankor Mhy (those that are portions of the Lightbringer's Quest) at best don't work, and at worst are disasters, if there is no trickster present. (For instance, a Eurmali is part of the ritual of teaching a Healer how to resurrect someone from the dead.) The God Learner sage Urasmus claimed that the Sunstop was the result of the "successful" completion of the Lightbringer's Quest without a Trickster.

(God Learner/Game Master Note: Eurmal's religious importance is related to the social roles he plays in the Orlanthi culture. He is an imp and a scapegoat, a demonstration of how people who trick or abuse others always end up being tricked or abused themselves. He is a fool, showing people that humor can dissolve tensions and that violence is not the only option. He is an outlaw, a reminder to Orlanthi that dangers can come from within their community as well as from without. And he is also a necessary part of the Lightbringer's Ring, as part of what the Lightbringer's Quest provides is an awareness that everyone has flaws, and that to live one must accept the flaws and limitations of yourself and others. Eurmal the Lightbringer is also a reminder that even the worst person can be of use, and that people can change. Perhaps most importantly, Eurmal is the living embodyment of the "first rule", the basis, of Orlanthi society - "No one can make you do anything!" - taken to the extreme. The important thing to remember is that NO GLORANTHAN RECOGNIZES THIS!)

B. Social/Political Position and Power

Tricksters are, by definition, not bound by the law. The law does not punish their actions, and they can do anything that they want without having to worry about (or even be aware of) legal reprocussions for themselves or their relatives. Because of this tricksters are not trusted by anyone, including other tricksters. Tricksters are almost universally freaks, idiots, lechers, drunkards, gluttons, thieves, and/or madmen who are stupid, lazy, thoughtless, selfish, and/or insane. Thus even "local" tricksters who grew up in a given community tend not to be well liked.

Tricksters are also, by definition, not protected by the law, and so others can harm them without legal reprocussions. Because of this, even "local" tricksters are tolerated only if they manage to maintain strong family support or so long as they fulfill religiously important roles with a minimum of social disturbance. Most clans will quickly lynch any stranger found to be a trickster, partly because no one can trust them and partly because murderous brutes (who are normally restrained by law) have nothing to stop them from killing tricksters.

The only culturally recognized protection available to a trickster is for him to swear the Bondsman's Oath; if a trickster will swear absolute loyalty and obedience to an Orlanthi initiate, then that initiate must protect the Eurmali from unjust harm. In this way some Orlanthi can occasionally "tame" a trickster long enough to allow them to enter into the necessary sacred rituals.

Some tricksters are also able to take advantage of a Healer's compassion by seeking sanctuary in a Chalana Arroy temple. This tactic only works if the trickster looks as if he might reform and if the Healer can disuade the warriors chasing the trickster from violence. Such sanctuary only exists as long as the trickster maintains the good will of the Healer and is physically in her presence.

C. Particular Likes and Dislikes

Most trickster worshipers are very self-centered, and all their likes and dislikes are decided on a purely personal basis. They are frequently accused of being short-sighted, willing to give up future joy for immediate gratification.

No one openly acknowledges himself to be a Hero of Trickster, although some are suspected as such.

Some historic First Age tricksters include [unknown], who aided Harmast Barefoot in the first Lightbringer's Heroquest, and [unknown], who aided Harmast Barefoot in the second Lightbringer's Heroquest.

Pungey was a well known Second Age Eurmali who had the Heroic power of never being harmed in any way while completely intoxicated. It is said that he alone wandered unharmed (and drunk) through the Dragon's Feast at the end of the Dragon Kill War.

III. THE CULT IN THE WORLD

A. Inter-Cult Organization

Few people are willing to seek social support, advice, or political power from a trickster. Those that do most often end up making fools of themselves. Even among their own kind, famous or powerful tricksters are likelier to be the butts of jokes than objects of respect. Some Eurmali even speak ill of Eurmal himself, and seem to delight in telling others what a stupid and foolish god they worship.

The Trickster cult is an illusion. It does not exist in any formalized sense. The idea of a world-wide "Trickster Cult" is laughable, and is the result of God Learner thinking.

By categorizing the various ways to worship Trickster, the God Learners were able to discern or create several different types of Trickster. They called these types "voluntary aspects," which were thus like sub-cults. They are "voluntary" in that a trickster initiate usually has to voluntarily seek out a new shrine in order to contact a new aspect.

Some Eurmali know that Trickster also can manifest as a spirit. He has fooled some Praxians into worshiping him as a Raven spirit. He can be summoned as a duck-eating Weasel spirit at a shrine near the northern edge of the Upland Marsh, and as a Hare spirit in Big Oak Valley. In Ralios there are said to be several strange wind spirits that Eurmali can learn spells from.

One fact which unites these shrines and spirit cults is that they all disagree. They cannot even agree what runes he has. Paradoxically, all these "cults" appear to work in unofficial harmony. A trickster from one shrine or spirit cult can worship at and get spells from any other Trickster shrine or spirit cult. In God Learner influenced areas this is what provides the structure for the "Trickster Cult," and there is always the danger of a trickster from one shrine seeking to worship at a different Trickster shrine. (This danger is mitigated by the wide distances which must be traveled, and the danger which comes with being a trickster.)

Voluntary Aspects are described in the Sub-Cult section of this cult description. (Section V.)

IV. INITIATE MEMBERSHIP

Requirements: No one in their right mind would choose to become a Eurmali. People become Eurmali when Eurmal touches them in some way, and their selfish ways, strange looks, foolish thinking, and stupid/dangerous actions show them for what they are.

One stupid thing some people (God Learner/Game Master Note: Player Characters) do is to actively seek to become Eurmali. Besides being willing to become an outlaw, they must also often perform one or more tasks desired by the local trickster priest. Such a priest is always eccentric and is sometimes cruel, and he may tell the candidate to do almost anything. This could include such things as searching through a huge steaming dung heap for one tiny pearl (which may or may not actually exist), making the clan chief vomit his dinner during a feast, learning to thread a ribbon of cloth in one's mouth and out one's nostil, stealing a stick from a wyvern's nest, willingly cutting off a part of one's body, challenging a troll to a drinking contest, staying drunk for a whole year, eating excrement for a week, stealing money or goods from his own family, seducing his own mother, raping his own sister, stealing his brother's sword, and/or killing his best friend.

All tricksters are also acolytes, with access to reusable divine magic. A local trickster who regularly worships at the shrine can in turn gain the title of 'priest' and a yearly point of POW if worship ceremonies are led.

Special Divine Magic: Each shrine to Trickster is different. Some shrines appear to always (80%+) provide the same spell, such as the way the Trickster's Beef shrine near Red Cow provides Change A Cow's Color, or how the King's Jester shrine in Boldhome (located inside the Geo's at Boldhome Inn) provides the spell Group Laughter. (Note that in Boldhome all tricksters are confined inside the Clown Tower, and so only get into Geo's by having sworn the Bondsmans Oath.) Spirit incarnations of Eurmal always provide the same spell: Hare (in Big Oak Valley) provides Get Lost, Weasel (in the Upland Marsh) provides Remove Penis, and Raven (in Prax) provides Conceal. But other shrines can periodically change what magic is available at them. Sometimes this is a cyclical change, such as the way the Trickster's Secret Wind shrine (in Old Wind) provides a Fart spell that corresponds with each season. And sometimes this change simply appears to be random. (Also, there is a Lhankor Mhy scholar in Nochet who claims that for the period of the Sunstop in the Second Age, all the Trickster shrines in the world taught exactly the same spell.) Thus it is common for the trickster worshipper to not be sure exactly what spell he is sacrificing for.

(God Learner/Game Master Note: I think it is also common for the effects of the magic to change from the "official" spell descriptions with each casting of the spell. Exactly how this is done for each spell is up to the GM. As an example, I think the spell Change a Cow's Color usually turns a cow's skin a random primary color. Sometimes the spell turns the skin a non-primary color, and occasionally more than one color. If the cow is multicolored, the colors may form a pattern, although this is rare. The spell can even color the cow's meat and/or organs, but this is very rare. Extremely rarely, the spell will even affect how the meat tastes.)

The way the magic is gained at each of these shrines can also vary. Korang Jester, the "priest" of the Eurmal the Fool shrine in Jonstown, has always used the divine magic spell Spellteaching to teach other Eurmali the spirit spell Hotfoot. While he was the "priest" of the Secret Wind shrine, Chipmunk Bing is known to have had other Eurmali tongue his "binghole" publically, a ritual which somehow transferred knowledge of the seasonal spirit magic Fart spell to the other Eurmali without requiring spirit combat. Putt, the "priest" who has tended the shrine since Chipmunk Bing left, teaches the spell by having the other Eurmali eat an entire cauldron of his Blowhard Bean Soup (which varies each season). While eating, the trickster has the opportunity to learn the appropriate seasonal spell from the Spirit of the Bean. In Aldachur a spirit which teaches the spell Ignite immediately attacks any Eurmali who touches the shrine. For divine magic to be received, rarely is a week of study with a Eurmali "priest" who already knows the spell required (although a week spent doing other activities for the "priest" might well be), and occasionally a characteristic other than POW, such as DEX or CHA, must be sacrificed to gain a spell. Sacrificing for a spell in some shrines results in the spell being cast on the trickster the first time he gains it. Some Eurmali have even suddenly found, simply on recognizing or entering a shrine, that they have involuntarily sacrificed for and received a spell. More rarely still, some tricksters have unexpectedly gained a spell without entering a shrine (although almost never without a sacrifice of some sort).

God Learner/Game Master Note: Spells known by Eurmali are also subject to being involuntary cast at inconvenient times, at the GM's desire or whim.

A rare worshiper of Trickster might find he has gained an allied spirit, which is something that seems to be at the whim of Trickster himself. The allied spirit can come in many forms, and it may even be a shapeshifter. Common animal forms include a spider, a hare, a raven, a dog, a cat, and a snake. Also common is for a part of the trickster's own body (usually a hand, the stomach, the penis, an 'alter ego' voice in the head, or the trickster's shadow) to become "awakened" and independently sentient.

Note: Given their self-centered demanding nature, and their proclivity to pull pranks on and steal from the worshipper, gaining a Eurmali allied spirit is often more of a curse than a blessing.

V. SUB-CULTS

Some people emulate Trickster, either because they seek to or because of what others have done to them. If they do what he did, and worship him, they can get magics in return. However none are as adept at change as the great god himself, and so to mortals his greatest magics are transitory. (These transitory magics are called Illusions.) Some shrines teach combined, but limited, versions of the various Illusion spells to create a specific illusion.

Voluntary Aspects

The Imp - A playful mischievious prankster who is not powerful enough to be truly harmful. He gave Orlanth a "hotfoot" the first time they met, and he has continued playing practical jokes on kin and strangers alike ever since.

The Comic Fool - Trickster sometimes gets enjoyment by amusing others. In some instances he has even been able to save himself (or others) from great danger by making someone or something laugh. Trickster often uses puns, prancing, and pratfalls to amuse Orlanth enough to forgive him for some misdeed.

The Shapechanger - Trickster often decided to change his shape. Each shrine is dedicated to only one such change. The new shape is often a change in sex or to an animal, but is sometimes a type of plant, a rock, or something else.

The Seducer - Trickster has incredible skills to seduce the opposite sex. He seduced (and was eaten by) Sinjota, the dehori who eats her lovers and guards the gates to the Underworld.

The Truant - Trickster is sometimes a lazy hedonistic degenerate, idling away his time and disregarding his responsibilities and duties. Trickster spent the whole First Age dreaming about what he would do if he were King of the Gods for one day.

The Sexual Insatiate - Trickster sometimes has incredible male sexual powers. In Esrolia the story is told of how he alone was able to satisfy the Firelust Demons who sought to pervert Ernalda.

The Dismembered - At various times Trickster will take a part of his body off, and then later restore it. In Theyalan regions a story is told of Trickster taking himself apart to pass parts of him through a hole in a wall, and then reassembling himself on the other side.

The Lightbringer - Also called Firebringer, Eurmal helped Orlanth and his other companions to bring Yelm back from the dead, creating the Cosmic Compromise and saving the universe. Even the Praxians know this and tell a story of how Raven (who Orlanthi know is really Eurmal in disguise) stole fire from Yelm.

VI. ASSOCIATED CULTS

ORLANTH

Orlanth provides Eurmal with the divine spell Wind Words - a spell that is useful for overhearing whole conversations when outside and downwind from someone, or for gathering bits of gossip in a room (so long as the trickster sits in a relatively steady draft, such as near the fire).

Note: This spell is available only at the King's Jester shrine in Boldhome.

(Eurmal provides Orlanth with the divine spell Charisma - a spell which undermines a Wind Lord's usual reliance on personal honor and physical strength to get people to follow him by deceiving others as to his physical appearance and turning him into a "pretty boy" who relies on his good looks.)

ISSARIES

Issaries provides Eurmal with the divine spell Path Watch - a spell that helps travelling tricksters to avoid ambushes and lynch mobs.

Note: This spell is available only at the Eurmal shrine in the Great Market of Wilmskirk.

(Eurmal provides Issaries with the divine spell Lie - a spell which undermines a Merchant's usual reliance on the quality of merchandise (and market forces) to make a sale by turning him into a hustling cheat who instead fools customers into buying junk.)

LHANKOR MHY

Lhankor Mhy provides Eurmal with the divine spell Knowledge - a spell which allows tricksters to discover secrets about people and things.

Note: This spell is available only at the Folly's Light shrine in the Library of Kethaela in Nochet.

(Eurmal provides Lhankor Mhy with the divine spell Clever Tongue - a spell which undermines a Sage's usual reliance on logic and objective evidence to convince others of "the Truth" by turning him into a fast-talking slickser who instead uses linguistic tricks to win arguments.)

CHALANA ARROY

Chalana Arroy and Eurmal knew one another before they became associated together on the Lightbringer's Quest. Eurmal had convinced Chalana Arroy to teach him her spell Befuddle, a secret which he then spread throughout the world, and so she refused to provide him with access to any other spell of hers after the Lightbringer's Quest. Still, Chalana Arroy is sympathetic towards such miserable wretches as Eurmal, seeing him as someone in need of physical and spiritual healing. Thus Eurmali can sometimes seek sanctuary in Chalana Arroy temples - until they are thrown out for some abuse.

(Eurmal provides Chalana Arroy with the spell -- I'm not sure yet -- Perhaps he provides some spell that undermines a Healer's usual focus on what others need, shifting that focus more to her own personal needs and desires. Or maybe he provides the spirit spell False Healing, which provides only temporary healing. Or perhaps he provides the divine spell Prolong Life [think "Extreme Measures" - a mortally injured person under the effects of the spell cannot die] - a spell which undermines a Healer's usual reliance on the limits of the human body and soul to know when to stop healing by turning her into someone who cares nothing for the quality of life, only that people live. Does anybody else have any thoughts or suggestions?)

VII. NOTES

Eurmal is usually shown provocatively dressed and impishly grinning, often with sharp teeth. With one hand he holds a leather bag of tricks while he makes an obscene gesture with the other.

It must also be realized that Trickster worshipers are at an increased risk for strange and unexpected things happening to them. Very very rarely it is a strange good thing, such as the trickster jumping up alive after he or she dies. More often it is a strange or bad thing, such as suddenly becoming ugly, or weak, or clumsy, or talking with a foreign accent, growing hair on his palms, going blind, or just dropping dead. Some God Learners theorized that these happenings were parts of Trickster which not even Trickster could control. Other God Learners said that they represented the fact that Trickster is as likely to victimize himself and his worshipers as he is anybody else. A well known Trickster saying is the Trickster's Lament: "No wonder they call me the Trickster! I even play tricks on myself!"

You can go to my Glorantha page, or to Fool's Paradise.

Last Updated: 01 March 1998

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