Carmania: Sorcerers and Priests, etc.

From: Nick Brooke <100270.337_at_compuserve.com>
Date: 31 Mar 95 02:22:38 EST


Klaus, Sandy, Steve and others have asked about Carmanian priests and wizards. I'm sorry it takes me so long to pull my notes together, but that's the way it goes. My current theories (which are pretty well formed, but are still in draft form, and may change -- especially in response to informed criticism) are as follows:

The Carmanians recognize a three-level hierarchy of "wizards": Magi, Viziers, and Priests.

  1. MAGI
Most Carmanians worship gods in the normal RQ Divine manner; the cults followed vary over time. There aren't many Carmanian sorcerors or wizards around. Only a few "magi" commune directly with the Invisible God (though *everyone* respects him as greatest of the Gods, most aren't pure enough to approach him). The task of the magi is to determine whether it is still *appropriate* to give worship to the *other* gods in the Carmanian Church. It's that old Truth v. Deception thing again: the Carmanians are scared shitless that they will be tricked into worshipping a False God (as happened with Gbaji or the God Learners). I guess they think everything is changeable apart from God the Creator: you have to keep checking up with the boss-fellow.

So the Hierophant is the guy who talks to God to find out if what's happening is OK by him. The magi keep tabs on what's happening in the Carmanian cities and towns and temples. If this appears similar to Lunar Examiners and the like, good! (Where do you suppose the Lunars get their ideas from?). Of course, Aronius Jaranthir managed to convince the Hierophant to ask if the Red Goddess etc. fitted in, and he came back saying they were just fine. Was he Illuminated? How would I know? <g>

Carmanians used to worship gods of both Light and Dark (sometimes swaying heavily one way or the other), with several oddities thrown in (like the Mithraic cults of Basmol and Bisos; a Syanoran Cloud Father; the divine first Shah, Carmanos, and his even more mysterious mother). The peculiar "Carmanian Lightbringers," too. These later get replaced wholesale by the Lunar religion (with Light and Dark embodied in the Goddess's balance and phases, and the Seven Mothers replacing the Carmanian Lightbringers). The untouched thing is the institution of the magi at the pinnacle of the Church, who regulate the (mostly) Lunar cults the same way they used to regulate the others.

The magi are Western-style "Ecclesiastical Lords / Bishops." Their supervisory role is over priests of other Gods in the Carmanian Church. Senior magi (and the Hierophant of Carmania) supervise their junior colleagues. Status as a magus is probably hereditary with strings attached. Magians are without parallel elsewhere in RQ (as far as I know). They are the "religious viziers", if you like: the people who commune directly with the Creator and obtain His guidance. No, I'm not about to write up their powers for PC abuse!

BTW, I lurch between "magus/magi" and "magian/magians" when writing about these fellows: anyone got any preferences?

2. VIZIERS The more interesting sorcerer/priests (from a PC pov) are the "Viziers": not a hereditary caste, these would be picked or volunteered from pious Carmanian families. Their job is (inter alia) the administration of Justice and Good Order in Carmania. They need to know everything about the Two Laws (those of Light and Darkness), while retaining an essentially secular outlook (being more practical than the magi: this is more a "police state" than a theocracy).

Most Carmanian children are turned over to the Viziers for a period of schooling and instruction in the classics, magic appropriate to their caste and "right thinking" and "right action". These schoolboys love pranks, but are under fairly severe discipline. The Vizier-class includes any literate and numerate (in the old days: now many Nobles do this themselves!) functionaries, also court staff and teachers, as well as religious flunkies working for the Magian caste, the rare and holy priests of the Invisible God. (What we really need, of course, is a list of the "useless" and "civilian" sorcery spells that most Viziers possess - -- something like Sandy's excellent piece on "Folk Magic" for alternative uses of Sorcery).

Viziers are wizards: the etymology is direct in Glorantha. (Mumble "vizier - wizard" a few times after a half-dozen pints and you won't need to study Grimm's Law to see how this works). Those who use magic would align themselves to Powers and Principles and Spheres, rather than to personalised divinities. Schools of Light and Darkness sorcery, inter alia: this may be what PB:G means by Carmanian "worship" of Subere and Lhankor Mhy. Non-magic-using viziers are judges, scholars, jurists, stewards, accountants, ministers, etc. Their primary relationship is always to the noble house from which they stem and for whom they work.

I never call them "wazirs" etc. -- too silly! A vizier is a vizier is a vizier... and most of them are "evil". Phyllis Ann Karr's explanation for why Sir Kay (my hero!) is hated applies here, too: the Vizier takes upon himself all of the unpopular stuff to deflect criticism from his Lord. Lunar Satraps tend to have Viziers, especially in the west of the Empire: the individuals may not be Carmanian by extraction or training, but the office is.

3. PRIESTS Priests are, by and large, for "common religion": equivalent to RQ rune priests. This is popular, emotive, non-intellectual, non-sorcerous stuff. All of the Pelorian serf cults, and probably most hazar cults (the mystery beast cults, etc) would have these running them. Their primary relationship is to their flock, cult and temple. These are the bottom rung in Carmanian religion: many priests are of Pelorian descent (and NOT held to be of "wizard social class" at all, contrary to PB:G p.26).

The lowest priestly ranks include peasant priests at the shrines of agricultural deities, who are nevertheless included within the precincts of the Carmanian Church. For better or for worse, from their pov. Also leaders of mystery cults, etc.

Feedback positively welcomed! (The Daily has been getting sparse, lately: is it because of all those workshy students pushing off away from their free Internet access for Easter?)



Nick

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