[Glorantha] Nodes, Monoceroi and not-tapping

[Greg Stafford]

> From: Mikko Rintasaari <rintasaa at mail.student.oulu.fi>
asks about
> Forming new nodes (and where do the monoceroi come from)

> Ok, so basically the sorcery planes are abstract, and the nodes sound like
> they are preceived as being really small.

Small being a relative thing, really.
I do agree with whomever said that the saints probably live in little 
cells, or
perhaps a cave if they were hermits; but in a palatial set of rooms if they
were that kind of guy (imagine where Saint Gerlant, a former king of Seshnela,
is.)

That said, I think that people who REALLY understand what they are 
doing do not
sense these as humans at all, but rather as the power that they manifest,
having no form, etc., but a representation of their powers.


> I'm still wondering where to
> find a monoceros in it's natural habitat?

Oh, Seshnela, Fronela, etc. ?
OK, more seriously, you mean what is its node like?
When I visualize it, I see a perfect monoceros floating in space.
Or, some abstract representation of their powers?

> Also, how does one form new nodes.

One doesn?t.
They already exist in the Mind of God, and it is a matter of finding it rather
than making it.
Goodness, it would be presumptuous of a Malkioni to think they can make
something! Only God did that. It?s those corrupted Erasanchula (True Beings)
who made things and broke the perfect world.

> It seems that the sorcery planes are
> really the manifestation of the primal runes, that is, the primal building
> blocks of the universe.

That is correct. See Revealed Mythologies for some insight on this, where each
of the Actions forms one of the ?levels? of the Sorcery Planes.

> An Adept is like a physicist trying to sort the
> secrets of the universe out in his head (on on the pages of a book),
> instead of wondering a magical landscape looking for insight.

Yes, that?s correct. He uses formulae, thought and so on to ?travel and
unravel? the planes. He is exploring the Mind of God.

> So am I correct that when you develop a spell, the first casting of the
> spell means that a spell node has been formed?

Nope. A sorcerer will ?develop? it by refining his understanding of what is
(and of course, a lot of things simply cannot be), have gone to the 
Spell Plane
to affirm it is a true thing and to make the link (similar to how a sorcerer
learns a spell as described in HQ) and then used/discharged the energy in the
world.

> Do you first have to have a
> node for yourself (like a school founder), where you then create the new
> spell?

No. The Founders will have discovered that there are already a bunch of spells
that connect together, though he may be the first person to bring this
knowledge to the world, hence be a Founder.

> Thank you Greg, this has been very helpful already,

You are welcome. Good questions.

> From: Mikko Rintasaari <rintasaa at mail.student.oulu.fi>
continues on his magical quest(ioning) with
> Subject: [Glorantha] So what about the tapping?

> Ok. Wizards and sorcerer's utilize the basic forces of the universe (the
> Primal Runes, you could say).

More correctly, they use later developments of the primal runes. The primal
runes are ?way up there? as they were made in the second or third action
(depending on one?s understanding)
The devolution of the Primal Runes mixes things up to the make the 
known world.

> A spell draws on specific energy
> currents/fields on the largely abstract Essence plane to power it.

Yes.

> A very interesting concept in Gloranthan Wizardry / Sorcery is tapping,
> and I don't necesserily mean the kind that leaves shrivelled up human
> husks behind.

Well, ?tapping? has always been used to describe that power to take the
vital forces out of things, so we have to use a different word lest people
become more confused.

> I've understood that wizards are always looking for power,

Some do, though some are more content.

> and a major
> reason to quest to the other side is to find sources of power to use for
> their magic.

I don?t think this is really true. They know where the true power comes from:
the essence planes.
Sure, they may be searching for new spells and so on. But true magicians limit
themselves to that.
But to take power from the corrupt world will only corrupt the user, a thing
that must be avoided! Check out the fates of those who fail: borists, etc.

> I've assumed that this is done on the Essence plane, but now
> I'm thinking (from what Greg is saying) that parhaps such questing is done
> on the Hero Plane(s). Some places on the Hero Plane(s) are no doubt mostly
> essential in nature, and hence an Adept can use them to set up his power
> tap.

Only dangerously.
They may, however, go to the God Wars to search for, witness and learn how
ancient wizards did magic. Thus they can learn a forgotten spell, and then
bring the knowledge back to their time and space, research finding it, etc.,
and use it.

> Of course the most common one is to just use the node of your school and
> draw all your magic from there. Still, I want to figure out what the more
> ambitious and enterprising ones do.

see above for venturing into the ?past? for discovery.
And farther above for how the philosophical sorcerers learn of the essence
planes.
Note, too, that for many there is a more important thing that learning spells,
for the whole Essence Plane is really a ladder or a net to climb upward for
unification with Solace. This is of course what the religions do: climb upward
without becoming entangled by trying to use spells.

> Obviously you can even tap the forces in the mundane world, as witnessed
> by the decayed nature of Brithini lands (or is it the result of too much
> tapping of the "local" hero/essence plane?)

You speak of Arolanit, of course, where even the air is gray from being 
tapped.
This never happened to Brithos, Seshnela or Fronela.
Well, it MAY have happened to Seshnela, Jrustela and Slontos, which were all
destroyed by cataclysms at the end of he Imperial Age. But many today think
that destruction was due to them having tapped the strength out of their land,
rivers, air etc.

========================
Sincerely,
Greg Stafford

Issaries, Inc.
2140 Shattuck Ave., PMB #2030
Berkeley, CA 94704 USA