Bah. I'll have you know that the developer of Gloranthan Systems Theory was Emanul Valorstein, court wizard of Bastis. ;)
> True enough. However, the Ashara Church (such as it is) is
> extremely pragmatic and has a fairly simplistic theology compared
> to most other churches. And yes, I agree. It is a depiction of
> something that happened. I'm not going to go all pronounce-y and
> say what because that would take the fun out of it.
I was allowing for more theology than you. I was assuming Caselein was influenced by either Henotheism or Stygianism, which both blend divine & essential world-views with a bit of theological explication (I think).
> But your point about rejecting Godlearner ways is quite apt - the
> Trader Princes tend to adopt and propitiate nearby spirits and gods
> as well as any surviving essences or saints into the local version
> of the catechism. The Trader Princes are big fans of "this works
> for us" and tend, I think, to let the big philosophical questions
> slide. I was tempted to consider them a HQ1 Common religion but
> that just didn't seem to fit right either.
>
I realize this is a setting list and not a mechanics list, but I'll be interested to see how HQ2 deals with more blended religions like the Church of Ashara (IMO just having Kolat doesn't really make you blended). Unfortunately, to do that properly I'll want to see how they do animist and monotheistic societies first, and that may take a while. (BTW, this is an acceptance of reality, not a complaint!)
> It is both sad and ironic to note that over the centuries, as they
> accreted local power and authority, the Trader Princes have fallen
> prey to that very sin - arrogance.
Agreed. IMG, arrogance is the sin of dismissing negotiation. You don't need to discuss and compromise because you already know what is the correct act. Such a stance is fundamentally against Ashara, and it leads to a willingness to deal in Bad Faith. And as we all know, there are few worse sins for an Asharan than dealing in bad faith.
I wonder what strains The Opening and the coming Hero Wars will put on the Trader Princes' relationship with their Church. It's possible different Trader Princes start trying to push bishops with significantly different religious beliefs, or if a Church leader tries to establish an independent power base from the Trader Princes. Ooo... I'm now imagine the Gottis being thrown out of Dizbos and a Asharan theocracy established. Such a thing would end very badly but be a very interesting campaign idea.
> Yes, very true. Caselain was too busy just trying to help his
> people survive in a post-apocalyptic world - just as Ashara
> intended when It chose him as Its agent. Founding a Church and what
> is tantamount to a new culture were side effects. Heck, I don't
> know if Falangian diamonds even exist anymore. The Iron Stag is
> probably the title of some Pralorian warlord. The Pralori make
> great inroads after the Closing and recovered much of their
> pre-Dawn strength.
None of that occurred to me. Thanks!
> The Trader Princes are a pragmatic lot. That's a strength and a
> very great weakness as they tend to lack a certain depth. At
> least, that's my take on them.
And that's the story of most groups in Wenelia. Syncretism and magical pluralism will let the groups survive, but they'll probably never achieve the raw magical power displayed in Dragon Pass by the Orlanthi there (or the Lunars, or Praxians, etc).
Nick
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