>So? The Pharaoh can evolve new magics or assume old ones to rule those
>lands which he has conquered. Otherwise the Red Emperor (and the Emperors
>of Dara Happa before him) would have never been able to extend his rule
>beyond the Ten Cities of Murharzarm.
Several differences. The Red Emperor or the Dara Happan Yelmic (Kargzantic, Paradisial Aviatoric, Antirian or whatever) Emperors all were avatars of a sovereignty deity, whereas John Carter Belintar isn't. (BTW: Are the John Carter Books by Burroughs still in print? I haven't read any, yet...) The Pharaoh lacks the big beard in the sky behind his claim for sovereignty, and even if he would perform Great Sacred Marriages to every land goddess in his realm, that wouldn't really help unless he steps in in the role of one of the husband gods.
The fact that he managed to perform the Esrolite Year King Rite (which seems sufficiently fuzzy about the nature of the husband deity to accept a stranger - Belintar could not have participated in the Garhound contest...) was a surprise to all the priestesses, and may have cost him lots of his free Will. As will have his other five Feats to gain a hold over the Holy Country. I doubt the Pharaoh has that much free Will left.
And there is another difficulty: the Holy Country has had some unity throughout its mythical prehistory, or so the Pharaoh claims. All parts of it had their Silver Age Hero, which was summoned by Belintar (like by Arkat before) and which may have given him his claim on sovereignty.
If the Pharaoh had conquered another country by military force, that country would still have to be introduced into his rule by extensive heroquesting. Somehow I find it difficult to believe that the Pharaoh can take a couple of years off his seasonal "Reinstate Sovereignty" rituals in the Sixths to include a new such ritual in his annual turnaround, and keep his country united, and fit the new rite into his schedule. (This is another way to describe his lack of free Will - when Belintar did this in the Holy Country the first time, he did not yet have to obey the annual rituals. He still had free Will, and free use of his time. This has changed since he managed to kill the Only Old One at the Tarpit...)
>But they do so quite happily. The
>Pharoah could for instance crown himself the Archduke of Slontos if he
>ever conquered the Manirian Coast.
To what avail? A meaningless title with no magical or mythological reason to convey a magical sovereignty. The conquered province would remain a conquered foreign territory.
The Lunar Empire has its Glowline to define "us" and "them", linked to a deity totally independent from the Emperor. Before the Glowline, the Lunar Empire had problems to incorporate the Provinces properly.
Theists:
>>Maniria
>Is 90 to 95% theistic IMO. The remainder are the Rokari in Heortland
>and the Marcher Barons as well as the People Whom God Forgot.
With Esrolia forming about 70% of the Manirian populace, acceptable. There are considerably more Malkioni than those Peter mentioned, all along Newcoast and the Trader Prince Road through Wenelia (like the Ditali and Solanthi nobility), and in the cities of Kethaela and surrounding lands. Of course, quite a lot of these are "Stygian" or henotheistic, thus qualifying halfway as theists.
>>Peloria (separate?)
>Close to totally theistic. The major non-theistic groups are the
>Viziers of the Western Reaches, the Balazaarings and the Eolians.
>Although there are mystic cults which were introduced by Sheng
>Seleris (they deny it), I would consider beginners in these cults
>to be theists.
What about other shamanic traditions like the Frog People Greg Stafford described in his Questlines story? Rulesbook ancestor worshippers (like Duke Raus)?
I agree that there are few "Hsunchen" (left) in Peloria.
>>Seshnela
>The only theistic group here is the Pirates of Ginorth. Everybody
>else belongs to the See of Leplain or the Church of Arolanit.
Unless you include Fornoar and Orninior, which are old parts of Tanisor (in the meaning of "Land on the Tanier River"). Fornoar may have Hsunchen, Orlanthi barbarians related to the Lankst people, or whatever culture you want to put into Lalia, and Orninior may have Hsunchen tribes. Ok, not necessarily theists, but certainly not Rokari.
There must be some witch tradition in Seshnela as well, dating back to the cult of Seshna Likita or early Pendali traditions (related to the Aldryami of that land). Heavily trod on by Rokari authorities, and not really possible to extinguish. Though (to please Sandy) they may be more or as much shamanistic than theistic...
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