> What distinguishes a worshipper of a "false" god, who subscribes to the
> Stygian heresy, from a person who worships the same god but does n't
> venerate the Invisible God?
That's a crucial (or rather triangular) question in the Stygian business, one which crops up in my campaign again and again. One way to look at them is to treat them like members of other sects, with whom one can share the common magic (in this case the special divine spells (maybe some common ones as well) available to this branch of Henotheism), but not the spells which are different.
> Is it possible that Stygian temples provide
> sorcery to initiates instead of spirit magic?
This is how I play the Aeolian Church of Heortland. The characters choosing the Aeolian creed have access to the sorcerry taught by the wizards of the church in addition to the divine magic of Orlanth or whatever patron deity/saint they choose. Characters of traditional Orlanthi creed share the same sites and even the same officiating acolytes (who happen to be wizards or at least apprentices as well if Aeolian), but have to travel to non-Aeolian temples (or at least priests) to get spirit magic Spellteaching. Whether Aeolians and traditional Orlanthi get along in a temple or town depends on the situation I want to present, on which group is in majority, and the general political climate.
> For example, a Stygian
> Chalana Arroy cultist might know Treat Wounds instead of Heal. The
Or another sorcerous spell to repair wounds, if you don't adhere to RQ3 ("DeLuxe") sorcery spell lists only.
> alternatives a) people who subscribe to Malkionism yet know no sorcery or
These occur among some of the stricter adherents of both New Idealist Hrestoli and Rokari sects as well, where peasants aren't allowed to do any magic. Not that these are the rule, but they may exist also within the non-Stygian sects. (Note that the original Malkioni, those just departed from the Brithini way, had only one caste of magic-users.)
If you want some backwater Stygians without (widespread) sorcery but typical cult spirit magic, why not, but you get this cheaper by worshipping the Red Goddess, who has Creator in her array.
> b) people (such as the trader in "Hut of Darkness" TOTRM#9) who use all
> three types of magic strike me as being a little daft.
Thurla from Hut of Darkness is descended from the God Learner cult of Issaries, and may well be realistic since who makes the rules usually doesn't adhere to them. The same goes for Lunar initiates, who break all the rules.
> Apart from which,
> according to "Troll Gods" this is exactly what the (Stygian) trollish cult of Arkat
> does.
The trolls don't obey the rules for humans, either.
> On the other hand
> it would create some downright bizarre conflicts when Stygians meet
> orthodox members of their cult who cherish rather different
> preconceptions about their shared object of adoration.
Which is one of the themes in my campaign. Aeolians in Sartar are bound to cause and experience unease, even though there are a few minorities there (in my campaign: some crafters in a "ghetto" in Wilmskirk, not unlike Sun Town in Pavis, and a few practitioners in Jonstown and Boldhome) who practice Aeolian Malkionism.
End of Glorantha Digest V1 #247
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