Ralian sects and politics

From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_sartar.toppoint.de>
Date: Thu Mar 20 10:06:00 1997


Peter Metcalfe:

[nitpicking on Greek adjectives deleted, but check Webster's Unabridged p.22]

[On the Church of Naskorian]

>>> and have it 
>>> labelled a Stygian Faith by 'objective' outsiders. This is apt, IMO, 
>>> as the Duke worships Argan Argar, sponsors the temple of Zorakarkat, is 
>>> engaged in serious hanky-panky with the trolls of Halikiv _and_ seeks to 
>>> ressurect the Dark Empire of Stygia!

>>True about the Duke, and probably part of his subjects.

> Considering that 'All Naskorion belongs to its Duke, and though several
> privileged government positions are heriditary, none of the lands are
> enfiefed',

Do Orlanthi own land, or do they just gain the right to till it by performing the Great Marriage (or lesser variants)? Same with Malkioni: do they really own the land, or do they just loan it from the local Goddess (think of Seshna in Hrestol's era...).

> I would consider most of the official worship ceremonies to
> be darkness orientated.

Just as most official worship ceremonies in Tarsh or Sartar are Lunar orientated, maybe a few Earth ceremonies thrown in...

> The rural population (which is recognized as
> Orlanthi according to the Census) probably conducts ragtag ceremonies to
> Orlanth and Ernalda

To civilized eyes, there are no ceremonies to Orlanth which aren't considered ragtag, I suppose. I doubt they are aware that the Duke claims ownership, unless he performed the Great Marriage or a similar rite (e.g. like the Frankish continuation of the Nerthus _Bull_-drawn chariot ceremony).

> and subsidize the official ceremonies heavily.

Meaning they pay heavy taxes? That's ordinary, in Ralios.

>>I'm not so sure 
>>about the popularity of the Storm/Malkion combination in Naskorion, 
>>either, although I take it as proven for Otkorion and neighbouring 
>>regions. 

> Um, the neighbouring regions around Otkorion are Borin where the
> Borists hang out,

Hardly a majority religion even there. They are supposed to have a secret register, remember? I suppose the majority is of some other Henotheist blend, and with Surantyr's recent missionary activities, Otkorian faith has spread there.

> Holut where the Galvosti hold sway

Yes.

> and Tinaros
> which is ruled by Argin Terror the Nightmare Sorcerer.

Is it? I didn't expect Argin to waste any time on mundane matters.

> I assume
> Argin is the unnamed Third Man seeking to bring about the Dark
> Empire and also highly uninterested in Storm Worship.

Why do you see Argin in the tradition of Arkat?

> I think
> Otkorion is in the process of combining Storm and Malkionism

Definitely. Otkorion is the most active Henotheist church of "contemporary" Ralios, but hardly the only one. Other state churches around Lake Felster draw on a variety of locally important deites as their major saints besides the Malkioni ones.

(At least according to How the West was One, where a certain Castle Coast bishop had dealings with the head of the Henotheist Church of Azilos.)

> considering that Valantia is a Safelstran City which was ruled by
> Rokari Seshnela over a century ago

Which doesn't mean that it had been Rokari or Hrestoli earlier. More likely it was depopulated by Bailifes and his successors because it wasn't...

>>Naskorion seems to disdain its barbarian neighbours, although 
>>its northern Hsunchen neighbours likely get more disdain than the somewhat 
>>settled Storm worshippers.

> The Naskorions are of the Korioni branch of the Enerali whereas the
> Storm Worshippers of Delela and Saug are Vustrians.

You're talking pre-Nysaloran times, here. During both Dorastan, Arkat's Dark Empire and God Learner reign, such super-tribal differences had washed away into petty squabbles between neighbouring tribes and/or the large empire.

> Historically they
> have never liked each other and I expect the Naskorion to give the
> Highlanders the same amount of disdain as the Hsunchen. I think there
> will be noticiable differences between the worship of Orlanth in
> Naskorion and Orlanth in the East Wilds.

No doubt about that - wherever there are cities, Orlanth worship gets tainted with foreign ideas, at least according to the barbarian write-up in Genertela Players Book. City Orlanthi are very different to rural Orlanthi for instance in their range of associate deities, and their roles.

>>Why should the Naskorion church include Urain, and not Aurochs?

> Urain's a murderous psycho and a perfect component to the armies of
> the Duke IMO.

Ok, there is a rumour of Windwalking Gagarthi thanes of Harvar Ironfist, too, but even that seemed to stretch credibility to me. IMO Urain is clearly detecting as chaotic to Storm Bull senses.

> Urox in Ralios (as David Dunham points out) is more
> associated with the Hsunchen Bemuri and thus would be disliked in
> Naskorion, I feel.

There aren't any Hsunchen Bemuri left in 3rd Age Ralios, are there? What do you think is the Ralian population descended from? Where did the Galanini, Bemuri and Basmoli disappear?

This having said, I'd like to get opinions and details on the Ralian city states if anybody has done detail work on that - Ingo Tschinke is planning a Glorantha freeform for German RQ-Con 96 set in Ralios, and would appreciate outside input.

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