> From: 
> 
> >>So what do you provide them, what do they provide you, and how are the
>>interactions performed?
>
>Anyway, my viewpoint is that they have provided guidance and gifted the
>Ka'Shari with certain magical techniques in each of the Goddesses' area of
>expertise.

-Which are what? Feroze's areas of expertise are -dimensions, discovery,
-and (to a lesser degree) imagination.

I have no idea, as yet. The Goddesses are transcendent, and I've been leaving their exact nature up to the GMs. All I know for certain is that earlier turns in the archives mention the Goddesses, and they are now having a greater in-game effect.

I would assume, given what I've gleaned of Ka'Shari history that each one has a fairly broad range of interests and that some encourage the creation of a monument-building, moral culture in which merit plays a large role in status.

I will admit, I think the whole 'god of Thunder and War' paradigm is just too cliche for my tastes. It *does* translate more readily into a game format, however. I prefer to have Gods who are mysterious and incomprehensible - but consistent in some way.

>In return, our use of those techniques presumably gives them
>something they like, whether that is merely ornament or it helps them in
>some way with their interaction with some other deity is probably a mystery
>known only to Juuso. :) They certainly perform the occasional miracle (such
>as making Bra'anath ill for a month), but that's subsidiary to their
>teaching us how to be 'better' in some way.

-That operates in much the same way as Exquaestio. Feroze offers
-guidance, but it up to the quaestae to make things work. The first form
-of guidance is in the form of the myths in the _Book of Travels_. His
-second form of guidance is through the Espiri, the priests to whom he
-grants magical authority. Third he may send -guidance in dreams. Finally
-he may directly intervene through miracles. Dreams and miracles are
-extremely rare at this point.

The parallel to the Ka'Shari would be our Traditions as a form of moral and social teaching. More personal guidance really has to be from human to human, because divine perspectives simply don't work well when applied to mortal lives. Dreams and Miracles occur more often to provide things needed by the society as a whole. That's why I took Bra'anath's illness as a /this is *important,* dummy! Do it!/ rather than a petulant act.

>As a player, I envision it as the goddesses' effort to teach some beings
>(Ka'Shari) how to transcend the physical and have real (?)
>power/effect/presence/value (?) in the Dreaming while remaining a force in
>Celandra. Sort of like the Buddhist concept of Boddhisatvas, but with a much
>stronger tie to this current life and a vastly reduced emphasis on
>detachment. I'm not looking to have the Ka'Shari become another Eerith
>(although that might be a possibility), but I haven't got a clear idea of
>just what they *are* heading towards. I am hoping that our interaction with
>the Dragons and the other players will eventually point out a direction.
>About all I want to preserve is that they continue to provide a unique (set
>of) viewpoints with which to comment on the world.

-Interesting. What will they make of Exquaestio's Rohain, whose first
-gift is the ability to separate their souls from their bodies and travel
-spiritually leaving their bodies behind (astral projection)? (See
-Missionaries story in another post.)

My first reaction: 'Handy Trick'. Depending on the individual wise one, they may find it an effective  way to gain a greater understanding of the gods, or a good way to lose empathy with common people.

-Also, have you worked out the mechanism for your magical communication
-system? I'm curious because Rohain (potentially) gain communication
-abilities at third (Paladin) rank, but it will be a rare individual who
-can "reach" more than ten feet. I'd like to see if there's some
-potential cooperation here or if the two systems are just too different.

I'm afraid not. From the original files on the Ka'Shari, the sages have a gem implanted in them which allows them to better focus power. I'd assumed they had a working /line of sight/ communications magick; this new system extends that to those you know, even if they're far away. Apparently, the power needed is still proportional to distance, but several miles' range is possible. The problem between my two systems is that the mind-set required is just so different that it is very hard to learn. After 2 years' heavy efforts to spread the knowledge, we have maybe 50-100 people who can accomplish the feat, with varying degrees of success. So far, none have even tried to reach the Ladies (which was one of my goals with it).

Now whether your Paladins can learn this different technique is an open question. I'd assume the 'feel' of my skill is completely different from theirs.

  Bob

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