Wizards are malkioni religious functionaries
Priests are religious functionaries
Shamans are religious functionaries, either for the gods or the ancestors or for all of nature.
Sorcerors are irreligious. They owe nothing to any higher power. Their abilities are from the application of natural law, not from belief.
Why do you need more atheistic magic-workers than sorcerors? IMO, in the real world magic is inextricably bound up with religion. I know that Gloranthan isn't earth, but I am having considerable difficulty believing it in this case, given that Greg makes so much of his shamanic experiences.
In fact one of the reasons I like Glorantha so much is that magic in Glorantha is not a morally neutral force. It is connected to cult and culture. People don't just choose spells based on their tactical power. They choose spells based on who they are and where they came from. I like this. I think that a large group of irreligious magicians in Glorantha would disrupt this. You'd be buying long-duration bladesharps, resurrections, curses on the neighbors' cattle, and market blessings all from the same person. It's like Issarian spell-trading gone berserk. And maybe that's the answer you're really looking for. If you want a magical mercenary, go to the mercenary god: Issaries.
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