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David Hall described the Orlanthi practice of worshiping the entire Lighbringer pantheon through the Orlanth cult. He also suggests that this may become the norm in G:tG. It would be a very good idea, indeed!
David also suggested that specialized non-orlanthi cultists can be found only in cities, which are few in Orlanthi lands. Jeff richards also pointed out that in his pre-Sartar Dragon Pass every man _must_ be an initiate of Orlanth or be outside all clans, which is just the same as every elf being an initiate of Aldrya and every troll of KL. I agree strongly with this, too. Cult specialization is for more civilized folks - - and there are plenty of them in Glorantha.
However, I have two questions and a suggestion.
DH stated that most Humakti temples in Sartar are shrines in Orlanth Great Temples. But I have always thought that in Maniria Humakt had permanently severed his kinship to Orlanth and was no longer part of the Storm Tribe (he is still connected to Orlanth in Ralios, this I know for sure). What is the source of David's statement?
JR said that in his ancient Sartar initiates of non-Orlanth are found onnly at tribe and kingdom level. But, seriously, do the clans really miss a specialized Healer? Yes, the Ernalda priestess can heal minor wounds, but can she cure the sick and treat the poisoned? I think that a _real_ healer should be attached to every clan, possibly going on frequent pilgrimages to the tribe's temple to regain his magic. Each clan jarl should also keep an advisor/lawspeaker at his side, too, and shouldn't he be a follower of the Gray Lord? I think that the _source_ of these cults is definitely the tribe, but cultists could be employed at clan level, too. Or do you consider them to be outside the clan like Tricksters?
Finally, a suggestion. I think it would be a good idea to manage initiates of Orlanth and other cults differently. Orlanth initiates are in fact "Storm Pantheon" initiates, we all agree about this. But is there the equivalent "initiate" status for another lightbringer. I think that any healer or sage is already a godi, not just an initiate. He should have at least the rank of Acloyte, as is for Eurmal, and what we usually call "PriestS" of CA or LM in our RuneQuest games are in fact the _tribal_ High Priests. Think of this: if your healer heals an entire village of 200 souls, all of which are _pantheon_ initiates, so initiates of the Chalana, too, is she an Initiate or an Acolyte? Yes, the clan Storm Voices outrank her, but because Orlanth outranks Chalana, not because they are godar and she is not!
War cults should be treated differently, since they are usually organized into war bands who in some cases form a parallel structure outside of clans - typically the Humakti in both Sartar and Ralios. But these Initiates are warrior specialists, not magic specialists, so they should not be given acolyte status IMO.
SinMissing (what is your real name?) about Kitori - ----------
> I agree. IMO Kyger Litor is the troll psychopomp and the friendliest human
I believe not. The Troll psychopomp is Jeset the Ferryman, who is also mentioned in Orlanthi Lightbringer myths (see KoS, Orlanthi Mythology). Kyger Litor is a mother goddess, not a Goddess of the Dead. You are right when you say that AA is a communication god, but this is true for _troll_ culture. AA is mentioned as a husband/protector of Ernalda in the Introduction to Glorantha Book, RQ Deluxe, so it is clear that he has a different role in human societies. The pre-Pharaoh Holy Country is the best example of it.
> possibly Arkat for Llankor Mhy.
In every culture in which he is mentioned, Arkat is a hero, maybe even a anti-hero, but _never_ a sage. He stole the secret of sorcery in order to give it to Uzdom, but he is not a peruse-old-dusty-books type for trolls.
Jose Ramos about battles
- ------------------------> Shamanics, Shamanics beat sorcerers, and sorcerers beat theists. Mixed
> The usual effect in Glorantha is that Prepared Theists beat
Mmmh, I would say that preparation is needed by Sorcerers, not by Theists. Rune magic is fast, reliable and powerful, but usable only once per campaign. Wizardry, OTOH, needs a lot of preparation buf can be mintained or renewed over prolonged time. Shamans rely on spirits, who must be summoned before the battle and resummoned afterwards, so they need preparation too. I would say rather:
Theist beats shaman who beats sorcerer when unprepared;
Sorcerer beats shaman who beats theist when prepared.
http://www.geco.it/~guccione ------------------------------
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