Re: Secret History of the Beast Riders?

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_...>
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:54:01 +1300

On 3/25/2013 4:05 AM, Glass wrote:
> Waha is "occasionally less popular than some religions among the peoples."

I suppose a proper understanding of this now (ie in HQ2) would depend on the difference between the Waha tradition and the Waha Spirit Societies. Most male Praxians are initiated as a matter of course into the Waha Tradition (the remainder go to cults like Daka Fal and so on).

The Waha Spirit Societies are societies like (names taken from HeroQuest Voices)

         Waha Flamebringer - fire magics                        Waha the 
Wise - loremaster and knot-maker.
         Waha Father of Khans - ruling the clan              Waha the 
Restrainer - calming the earth
         Waha Killer of Chaos - chaos-fighter                   etc.

In addition to these, the tribes have access to a number of other spirits. These are the spirits of Nomad Gods (ie Raven, Lightning Boy, River Horse etc) and Secret Societies (Sunset Society, Red School of Masks). Some societies are pretty much customary (the Morokanth worship the Dark Eater and the Sables the Twin Stars).

So when the sources talk about Waha being occasionally less popular, they are talking about membership in the Waha spirit societies as compared to the other spirit societies. If Waha has been defeated then other spirits will be popular. But if Waha is strong or the tribes are reacting violently to the influx of outland ways, then the followers of his spirit societies will be more popular than other spirit societies.

Now I've pretty much confined myself to existing cults but the topic of outland influences has been raised. The foreign spirit societies (and other cults) that are likely to be worshipped by the Praxians today are:

DAGORI INKARTH Dark Eater: It may be the same as the Black Eater that was mentioned as being summoned in the Sunstop.
Grandmother of Spiders: Too close to Cragspider to be coincidental.

WORLD COUNCIL Sword Brothers: a Humakti cult. Introduced in 35 ST.

EMPIRE OF LIGHT Yelorna

EWF/ORLANTHLAND Yelmalio

LUNAR EMPIRE Red School of Masks.

In addition to the above names, some spirit societies may have been influenced by foreign contact. The Star Twins and the Little Moon are the obvious examples from the Lunar Empire but any cult which could be exposed to an analogous cult (like say the worshippers of Pole Star, Rigsdal and Polaris) has some opportunity for foreign insight and magics.

--Peter Metcalfe