> 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.
I like the focus on *local* alternatives to the Waha "religion" here. It makes for an even more religiously dynamic Prax and reminds us that these people can actually innovate from within when history forces their hand. And naturally, if people go looking for new magic following a major disappointment, they'll investigate options closer to home first.
So the spirit societies, maybe a shift toward Storm Bull. Once in awhile history produces a Jaldon-like figure and Jaldon himself has been institutionalized as his own cult. Maybe a shift toward Foundchild if your herds have been decimated or stolen and you never manage to get them back, because now you're not a herder, you're a hunter or you're dead. Maybe the infamous Cannibal Cult if things get bad enough.
Ronance is out there and can attract worship within the historical era Nomad Gods emulates. So can the mysterious "Good Shepherd," who both suggests that the tribal mix we have now is not what they had at the Dawn and represents a significant alternative to the Waha food chain. (But he's probably more of an oasis figure if he even still exists in Our Glorantha.)
Side note on the Father of Independents: is he mostly another mask of Waha for losers or the outward face of an entirely different Praxian religious complex that might even "occasionally" prove "more popular among the peoples?" Where is Daka Fal in all this?
> 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:
This is awesome and a great primer on how the elemental and other spirits may have entered the area or at least how their cults may have waxed and waned since time.
I would add Pent and even Sartar (in the form of the Poljoni, another significant religious innovation on the Plaines). And there's also always native Chaos. While not an officially sanctioned option, if it didn't have its seductions the Wastes wouldn't be quite so pockmarked with historical worship sites.
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