> my character recovered the Windsword from Griffin Mountain several years
> ago and now would like to start up a Spirit Cult whose purpose is to
> worship the Windsword and destroy Chaos.
I have actually not played Griffin Mountain since when I came aboard about the same time as RQIII everyone had already played it. Is the sword sapient? Can it really be worshipped in itself? To me it sounds like what you really are trying to do is starting a Hero-cult, either of whoever that sword is associated with in the local myths to begin with, or maybe even of yourself if no local hero fits the description.
> Our game is now much more about the interplay of various Gloranthan
> societies than it is about a few individuals. I find the game to be
> much more rewarding now.
Sounds like fun. Actually, carving out a leading place in society and roleplay a political character has nothing to do with Hack and Slash, and should not be apologized for. Well, I wouldn't apologize for playing Hack and Slash either if I found that fun. (I don't.)
> My question to you folks is: Has anyone else out there started a Cult
> of the Windsword out there? I have written mine up for the most part
> but I would like to see some other folks' ideas so that I could maybe
> flesh mine out or gain some insight on what else it should be about.
I obviously don't have a Windsword cult, but this is how I would treat similar ventures in my campaign: First decide whether you are trying to revive an old cult or if you are trying to carve out something entirely new.
If you are trying for the old cult find out everything you can about it. Once you know everything needed to recreate the myth the cult is based on it's heroquest time. Collect your followers and spiritual support (remember that clan you collected) and walk the path of the hero whose cult you're trying to recreate. If successful you should have reestablished that cult. If unsuccessful you may well have strengthened the influence of chaos in the area. What you tell about the cult is that it is one with an anti-chaospurpose. This is probably reflected in the quest which surely involves battle against chaos. If the chaos wins this will be reflected in the mundane world in some way.
If you're trying to create a new cult you need to do the entire hero stuff to establish yourself as a hero. A single HQ is probably not enough (although it might be). You will probably have more say over the exact nature of the religion, but establishing the religion will be the focus of the campaign, when what you wanted to do was to play a religious and political leader.
The cult then. Since you wanted the sword to be central, it is probably needed for keeping contact with the hero. No sword - no cult, which probably is the reason why the cult died out in the first place. When designing the magic benefits of the cult be careful. Cults like this shouldn't teach more than a single spell. Additional benefits might be that for as long as the seasonal worshipceremonies is being held with enough initiates the infuence of chaos in the area is weakened. The drawback might be that if for some reason the cult fails to hold the ceremonies, chaos may find another way into cosmos. Don't lose that sword...
Just my opinions,
Jesper
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