> Especially if there is no overarching central
> hierarchy/bureaucracy to try and keep them that way. AFAIK there is
> no 'Orlanthi papacy' (or even an 'Orlanthi Lambeth Conference') to
> do this -- unless one has emerged somewhere between HQ1 and the new
> Sartar book that I haven't seen yet-- and even if there had,
> wouldn't it seem rather unOrlanthi?
The God however is the same and changes very slowly.
>Indeed if I remember correctly (and haven't been too badly Gregged
>in the interim), what happened in the intervening 12 centuries
>wasn't even the same across all of Heortland. Geographically the
>closer one got to the Esvulari, the stronger the influence of
>Andrin's Laws (as he was before and/or after Belintar). Viewed the
>other way up, the closer to Sartar Heortlanders are geographically,
>the less different their society, laws and faith are from Sartarite norms.
Which is like pointing out that geographically the closer that one gets to England the accents and languages become much more different.
>The establishment of cities by Sartar required some evolution in
>Orlanthi society in parts of Sartar.
>This too is a change that dates from after Harmast, (and presumably
>doesn't have a direct equivalent
>in Vesmonstran).
The Orlanthi did have cities before Harmast.
>Also, does Sartar have Larnsti? Does Vesmonstran?
Insofar as the original statement of Larnsti went they can only
appear in Heortland because
that is where their god was lamed. That said, there have been
statements about an
Orlanthi in Pavis is a Larnsti while Broyan has Larnsti followers
that appear with him
outside Heortland.
>Finally is Orlanth even called Orlanth in Vesmonstran?
Vesmonstran is strictly speaking a land of monsters. The Orlanthi live in nearby Lankst which is not monstrous. Secondly the Orlanthi of Lankst were originally settlers from Dragon Pass who settled in Karia (although there was some native conversion). They were conquered by Arkat at resettled elsewhere.
>Or (at the risk of sounding like a Godlearner) is there simply a
>strikingly similar Storm god with a vaguely similar name,(rather as
>Issaries becomes 'Ashara' and Orlanth 'Vorlan' as one travels along
>the Old Wenelian Road)?
Ashara is not Issaries and Vorlan has been worshipped in Wenelia as long ago
as the Storm Age. There is a native storm deity called Vustr who was
alienated
from his horse-riding brothers (The Galanini) and fled to the wilds
where the wild
beasts lived.
My own theory about a native storm deity in Ralios is this -
originally the Felster
was part of a much large sea called the Chomal which extended into Fronela.
The inhabitants of the Chomal were blue folk related to the Blue People of
Pelanda and the Waertagi - that is they were westerners.
When the Nidan Mountains rose, they split the Chomal into many waters - the Felster, the Janube and others. The majority of the Chomal were forced to become landlubbers and lost their blue skin (except for a few deep ones).
Now in early stafford writtings (this is republished in Wyrms Footprint, there is a tale of how a Vadrudi named Aerlit fell in love with a Triolini and from that union was born Malkion. You'll notice that Aerlit has a similarity in consonants to Orlanth and it is my notion that he is a sorcerous equivalent of Orlanth.
Now Aerlit would have been worshipped among the Safelstrans and it is my thinking that when Arkat became a worshipper of Orlanth, he actually worshipped Aerlit - he didn't actually join the storm tribe until after he was rescued by Harmast and joined Humakt instead. The highlanders would have disdained Aerlit because he is a sorcerous apparition worshipped by those untrustworthy lowlanders (as opposed to the real Orlanth worshipped by the virtuous highlanders). When the God Learners invaded, they despised Aerlit for similar reasons (associated with the heretic Arkat and spineless Safelstrans) and preferred their own cult of Worlath. Taht's why you don't see much mention of Aerlit in the historical record. But his cult is making a comeback as the Safelstrans try to rediscover their old heritage.
--Peter Metcalfe
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