[Glorantha] Painting the dead place

[Thompson, Todd L.]

> Painting nature scenes is a much more modern thing than most people
> realize. It's not something I would see a heortling doing, in any way.
> 
> But still, the point is artistic inspiration invoking magic, and that
is
> not limited to a single medium.
> 
> Parhaps the artistic character starts chanting/singing a poem, with
the
> aforementioned results?

The player has painting and it was something that was an important part
of their character, which to me is more significant then exacting
notions of at what point in human development nature painting became a
thing.

I think the best thing to do is to look at what the players value in
their character that could be used here and tailor it to that, a dance,
a song, pottery, sculpting, perhaps weaving (not sure if weaving
includes making patterns in the fabric), or whatever.  Perhaps a player
styles his character around the idea of being an accomplished fisherman
and someone challenges him to catch a fish in the dead lake and the
mystical side of the struggle is him trying to reel a fish (the good
whatever) in while the rest of the party fights the bad whatever in a
more typical fashion.

I think having strange magical things happen when players actually use
their non-combative skills is fun and rewarding, if it plays into the
story of the character.  

If they start to go overboard then that can even play into the story.
For example, after catching the magical fish the fisherman fishes at
every creek, river, and lake he finds.   This ends up angering the local
water god/spirit/essence and the character is told "I gave you the favor
of my bounty and instead of gratitude I get insolence.  So I am making
you a fish for the day and we'll see how well you can resist the lure of
the hook?"  The character is turned into a fish and given some
personality trait like "take the bait" and the contest is him fighting
against this trait of his fishiness.  Thereafter during Sea Season he
must bathe twice as often else he develops a pungent fishy odor.