I put together the attached as an explanation of how Illumination works In My Glorantha; it might give you a few useful ideas. Basically, I liked the idea of Illumination being misapplied mysticism - I know the rulebook says that's impossible, but that's the entire *point* of Nysalor's cult...
ILLUMINATION: THE PATH OF NYSALOR THE BRIGHT GOD Nysalor is a contradiction in terms. His worship is misapplied mysticism; something which is impossible, Against the Rules. It is this defiance of the natural order that has led Nysalor to be condemned as a creature of Chaos.
To the Lunar mystics of the Order of Day, Nysalor is a theistic entity, since he is an aspect of Great Sedenya. Nevertheless, he is worshipped using the mystic practices of asceticism and meditation upon paradoxes (the Riddles). In return his followers learn the power to Refute the limitations on their being which restrict normal mortals. Because this is Misapplied Worship, the Lunar mystics find it slow and difficult to learn the secrets of the Bright Path. Of course, they don't accept that they are worshipping Nysalor the "wrong way", they simply believe that the Bright God is difficult to contact due to his death and dismemberment at the hands of his Other, Arkat. On the other hand, Lunar mystics see no reason to spend lifetimes preparing themselves to receive the mystic insight before they begin to study it directly. They believe the insight to be a gift of the God, rather than a lesson that has to be learned from self-knowledge. Those who are driven mad by learning Nysalor's Secret were simply unworthy to receive the God's favour.
In game terms, this means that followers of Nysalor can achieve Illumination far faster than a conventional Kralorelan mystic would reach the equivalent level, despite Misapplied Worship penalties. Nysalorans place far less emphasis on mastering the Disciplines and Balance before they begin to study the secrets of their Way. Of course, the Kralorelan will be far better mentally prepared for the shock of knowledge...
Nysalor's secret, Illumination, grants the mystic insight that "I am everything, and everything is me". This is not full transcendence. To the Lunar mystic, that would be achieved by learning the secret of Great Sedenya herself, not that of her lesser aspect Nysalor. However, it teaches the Illuminate that the world is simply an extension of her own consciousness, and any rules, taboos or barriers which appear to block her spiritual progress are simply unreal figments of her imagination. The Illuminate can learn to ignore - or Refute - these barriers, thus granting her the apparent ability to ignore cult spirits of reprisal, rules of behaviour, and taboos of all kinds with impunity.
Among non-Lunars, the opposite viewpoint is true. Here, Nysalor is considered to be a transcendant entity who grants mystical powers to those who worship him using theistic sacrifice. This is the way that Nysalor was worshipped during his lifetime in the First Age, and is still occasionally found today outside the Lunar Empire. Because Nysalor is dead, he can no longer grant Feats and Affinities directly, but only his Secret: Illumination (as above). Once the devotee is Illuminated, he can then learn the affinity Ignore the Rules, which includes such feats as Join Enemy Cult, Ignore Spirit of Reprisal, Break Taboo With Impunity, Deceive Detection and Divination Magic, Be Chaotic, and Be Non-Chaotic (At The Same Time). A mystic would recognise all of these feats as specific applications of the Refute power, but theistic worshippers of Nysalor regard them as separate abilities. Misapplied Worship penalties still apply to them, but again this is considered to be because Nysalor is dead, not because the wrong kind of worship is being used.
Why is Nysalor so dangerous? To the average Gloranthan, his power to ignore the rules of existence is obvious Chaos. Indeed, if enough people followed Nysalor and used his power to break the rules, then the rules would be undermined and cease to exist, thus destroying the world. To mystics who do not accept the real existence of the world anyway, the danger is different: Illumination is an "easy short cut" that grants the power without first achieving the control and discipline. Philosophically, Illumination is the ultimate in solipsism: it teaches the Illuminate that nothing real exists outside her own self, and the world is simply her creation or daydream to do with as she wills. While a mystic may also believe this, he has also learned to reject his own individual consciousness and self-will as barriers to progress. A mystic becomes one with the Cosmos. An Illuminate, still motivated by individualism, attempts to force the Cosmos to become one with her.
Stephen
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