I think Martin Crim has hit the nail on the head with what I see as the main reason that Glorantha doesn't seem to have as many unaligned spellcasters when he says:
>>Please note that in most Earth times and places, there is not the hostility
>>shown to independent magicians shown in Western Europe under Christianity.
This would be even more appropriate to the Gloranthan setting. In the Western Culture there is no real position in society for these people, other than as fringe members. They are where you go if the socially acceptable institutions will not avail you. In Glorantha many of the roles that these witches and hermits served are taken up by one of the established cults. If you need a love potion see the Ulerian shrine, if you want to find where to dig a well consult a Lhankor Mhy, etc....
Do not get me wrong, there will always be those lone sorcerers who will fill the fringe position in cultures which do not recognize sorcery. Just as there will be priests and initiates that have beliefs or personality quirks that make them more solitary and wishing to be left alone. There are also priests who worship gods that are either no longer worshipped by the group as a whole or worship ones not aligned with the rest of the culture's. These people can be lone voices in a campaign dominated by priests and initiates spouting there party lines.
However, if you will notice in our culture the people who go to these fringe characters are people who have tried all the normal means first, who are doing it for the novelty of the forbidden, or who are going to them because their family always did. This explains why people give their money to faith healers, sneak away from their family and friends to get their palm's read, or go to the same curandero that their parents had gone to even if they have modern health coverage. In Glorantha, the priests have magic that works, sorcerery and unaligned cults provide novelty, and traditionally their families probably also used the same churches.
Just tossing my two bolgs into the ring.
Will Johnson
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