Not much. I worked on some with Greg back when we were working on HW but never got very far along.
> >(1) Are the magical societies simply hero bands, or are they actually
> a cult or religion?
>
> Not sure there is a huge difference when you get down to it. I suspect
> either could work.
They are more (but not exactly) like herobands. Some cross Nation (as in, Bison Nation, Impala Nation, etc) barriers, while others are restricted to single Nation, tribe (or even clan).
Some teach specialised magic, some fight a particular foe, some are just for getting together and drinking. You'll tend to trust members of your Society, even if they from a different nation. You'll most likely be able to identify them by some mark - a particular painting on their animal or shield, something special in their hair or a special piece of clothing.
Note that t he society as a whole probably does *not* have a single guardian that everyone shares - expecially the cross-Nation ones. Each local group will probably have their own guardian. The Guardians *may* be connected or related somehow, but you need to be relatively close to your guardian to be able to call on its magic, so having a single guardian doesn't make sense if the Society is scattered all ove the Waste (and remember the people we normally refer to as "Praxians" are native to the Wastes - of which Prax is just the best and most desireable bit).
> >(2) What kind of magic do they practice? I suppose the logical answer
> is shamanism, but that makes them indistinguishable from other Praxian
> magicians.
>
> Well, if they are hero bands, they get the guardian's magic, so that
> already makes them different. (I would likely rule that common magic,
> but could still be spirit-based, of course.)
>
> If they are a religion, it doesn't have to be "shamanism". Most
> religions in Glorantha are mixed (or so I've been given to understand)
> so you could make it a mix of whatever magic you wanted, really.
Those that get magic (not all do) will most likely treat it as Praxian Animism, no matter what Otherworld the entity comes from. So they'll stuff their Society magic into charms and fetishes, even if the magic is "really" Theistic or Wizardry or Draconic or Underworld or something wierd. After all, they've got a perfectly good way of worshipping, they understand it, know how to get the most out of it, so why change it?
Some Societies do worship specific beings - the Spirit counters from Nomad Gods represent bands of worshippers who can call on some major magic. Other societies are warrior fraternities, women's societies, etc. Note that almost all societies are unidsex - they are either Men's or Women's, but not both.
Not all animal nomads belong to a Society, while some may belong to more than one (which can get tricky if they both call on your services at the same time)
RR
He was born with the gift of laughter and the sense that the world was mad
R. Sabatini, Scaramouche
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