RE: Conversion

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_...>
Date: Fri, 06 Apr 2001 23:13:00 +1200


At 10:40 6/04/01 +0100, you wrote:

> > What difference does this make? Since the Lunars have demonstrable
> > magical manifestations too, it either cancels out or even favours
> > the Lunars ("The Goddess has kicked Orlanth's Butt").

>Because you can't rely on it just dying out - it is still succesful, and
>useful.

It is _less_ successful than the lunars and is not useful in preventing the lunars from jumping over you.

>Why should anyone believe that the Goddess kicked Orlanths butt
>just becuase a bunch of soldiers walked over the hill?

But it isn't just a bunch of soldiers walking over a hill. Lunar magics helped the soldiers walk all over the Orlanthi opposition despite the supposed superiority of Orlanth.

>Their grain gods are
>still feeding them; their cattle deities are keeping their herds healthy;

Grain and cattle goddess have nothing to do with keeping faith with Orlanth. Tarsh and the other provinces worship those goddesses yet do not worship Orlanth.

> > The Orlanthi worships his gods because they are the best gods,
> > not because of what his ancestors thought.

>So - how did the Tarshites go form beleiving that Orlanth was the best god
>into believing that Sedenya is the best god? This is the bit I don't get.

Look at Tarshite History: Orlanth gets his butt kicked multiple times in mythical and political conflicts. From the Battle at Castle Blue to HonEel's entry into the Kordros Temple to the death of Palashee Longaxe to the complete victory at Grizzley Peak. It's not enough for most people to say "well, Orlanth is still the King of Gods so we will worship him no matter what happens". They must have mundane evidence that Orlanth is the King of Gods. They don't have that in Tarsh and so find the Lunar Way more attractive.

>But if the Orlanthi experience the Lunars as an occupying power,
>then why would they be sympathetic enough to lunar religion (given that
>their own magic still works) to want to convert and remove their children
>from the traditional rituals?

Because many Orlanthi still want to be on the winning side. And if you convert, your kids go with you because that's a decision you've made for them.

--Peter Metcalfe

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