Greetings all,
This feels like a simple question and one that's probably been discussed, but I wasn't able to find any clarification when I perused the forums, so I started a thread. Feel free to link me to anything I missed...
I'm ramping up to start a long term Mummy chronicle, and I'm currently struggling with understanding the Guilds. I just reread Guildhalls (and I read most of the line as it was released), and the overall philosophies and presentation seem pretty clear, but what I'm missing is what the *goals* of each guild are and how members build toward them across Descents - essentially what motives and MOs mummies gain from their guilds (distinct from their personal/cult goals, meret, and the template drive to collect relics); and this is making it difficult for me to imagine how to use these guilds, either as NPCs or as guidelines for the players.
I feel like I very clearly understand the Tef-Aabi. The Maa-Kep and Sesha Hesu feel a little bit more passive, but I can still grok their roles. I'm really struggling with the Mesen-Nebu and especially the Su-Menent.
The Alchemists have a pretty active role - accumulating power - but I can't figure out the reasons for it or how they use it as a Guild. It makes sense as being able to fuel their personal, meret, and relic-acquiring goals, but this strikes me as a little flat, and I'm struggling to translate that into mummys' aparent purpose of guiding human civilization or carrying it over into a guild structure. It feels a bit like the guild teaches how to accumulate power, but doesn't provide a reason to stay in the guild after that, you know? It's like I can figure out how to use them, but I'm having a hard time figuring out why, if that makes sense.
The Shepherds are even more challenging for me. From what I've been able to understand, they had a very clear role in Irem as priests (with related roles as necromancers, morticians, doctors, and oracles) and powerful magic in the form of Uter... but both of these seem to fall away once they become Deathless. Arisen can no longer create relics, and there's not much discussion on what other forms of necromancy they might research/practice (an equivalent to Neithan Architecture, for example). As Priests, they're described as struggling to convert mortals (modern religions too divergent), they can't regularly take on a ceremonial role due to how descents work (and I didn't find discussion about what their rare, major ceremonies are or what big theological questions/guidance they'd be called for), and other Arisen already feel the will of the Judges (however subtle it may be). They are kind of described as a dying Guild, which fits with all that... And I can figure out how to use this to evoke a mood in game, but I'm struggling with figuring out a role for Su-Menent characters in the story or setting.
I feel like my understanding of the Tef-Aabi may be skewing my [mis]interpretation of the other Guilds / Arisen in general, or that I might be looking for things that might not have been explicitly discussed in order to give Storytellers discretion. But my understanding is that the overall purpose of the Arisen is to guide human civilization, and that each guild has things they are working to either build or maintain as part of that.
And when I state it like that to myself, I can almost start to see a fuzzy picture of the Mesen-Nebu and Su-Menent. But I'm not really getting the reasons [read: guild contexts] why their cults call upon them, what organizing as a guild helps them accomplish, or how their mystic knowledge is used or can empower them.
I hope those questions made sense. It just feels like I'm missing some of the "meat" in the setting that I need to really use these Guilds effectively. Anyway, I'm hoping the community has some advice that can help me interpret, or expand on, the Alchemists and Shepherds.
Thanks,
Seraph Kitty
This feels like a simple question and one that's probably been discussed, but I wasn't able to find any clarification when I perused the forums, so I started a thread. Feel free to link me to anything I missed...
I'm ramping up to start a long term Mummy chronicle, and I'm currently struggling with understanding the Guilds. I just reread Guildhalls (and I read most of the line as it was released), and the overall philosophies and presentation seem pretty clear, but what I'm missing is what the *goals* of each guild are and how members build toward them across Descents - essentially what motives and MOs mummies gain from their guilds (distinct from their personal/cult goals, meret, and the template drive to collect relics); and this is making it difficult for me to imagine how to use these guilds, either as NPCs or as guidelines for the players.
I feel like I very clearly understand the Tef-Aabi. The Maa-Kep and Sesha Hesu feel a little bit more passive, but I can still grok their roles. I'm really struggling with the Mesen-Nebu and especially the Su-Menent.
The Alchemists have a pretty active role - accumulating power - but I can't figure out the reasons for it or how they use it as a Guild. It makes sense as being able to fuel their personal, meret, and relic-acquiring goals, but this strikes me as a little flat, and I'm struggling to translate that into mummys' aparent purpose of guiding human civilization or carrying it over into a guild structure. It feels a bit like the guild teaches how to accumulate power, but doesn't provide a reason to stay in the guild after that, you know? It's like I can figure out how to use them, but I'm having a hard time figuring out why, if that makes sense.
The Shepherds are even more challenging for me. From what I've been able to understand, they had a very clear role in Irem as priests (with related roles as necromancers, morticians, doctors, and oracles) and powerful magic in the form of Uter... but both of these seem to fall away once they become Deathless. Arisen can no longer create relics, and there's not much discussion on what other forms of necromancy they might research/practice (an equivalent to Neithan Architecture, for example). As Priests, they're described as struggling to convert mortals (modern religions too divergent), they can't regularly take on a ceremonial role due to how descents work (and I didn't find discussion about what their rare, major ceremonies are or what big theological questions/guidance they'd be called for), and other Arisen already feel the will of the Judges (however subtle it may be). They are kind of described as a dying Guild, which fits with all that... And I can figure out how to use this to evoke a mood in game, but I'm struggling with figuring out a role for Su-Menent characters in the story or setting.
I feel like my understanding of the Tef-Aabi may be skewing my [mis]interpretation of the other Guilds / Arisen in general, or that I might be looking for things that might not have been explicitly discussed in order to give Storytellers discretion. But my understanding is that the overall purpose of the Arisen is to guide human civilization, and that each guild has things they are working to either build or maintain as part of that.
And when I state it like that to myself, I can almost start to see a fuzzy picture of the Mesen-Nebu and Su-Menent. But I'm not really getting the reasons [read: guild contexts] why their cults call upon them, what organizing as a guild helps them accomplish, or how their mystic knowledge is used or can empower them.
I hope those questions made sense. It just feels like I'm missing some of the "meat" in the setting that I need to really use these Guilds effectively. Anyway, I'm hoping the community has some advice that can help me interpret, or expand on, the Alchemists and Shepherds.
Thanks,
Seraph Kitty
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