Alex Ferguson points out
>Ah, but they can. Trouble is, they can't make up _each other's_ minds. ;-)
>Or reliably tell the two apart. Oh well.
Really? The answer is easy: Gbaji is the Bad Guy. And probably both sides are right in accusing the other side of having been Gbaji, at least some time. Or (to confuse matters more) Gbaji is what stood between Arkat and Nysalor.
>> 5. The "Invisible God" of the West: Real, or just a myth invented by the
>> West to explain away their sorcery?
>Yes. ;-) Note that the Westerners will freely admit that Infidels can
>cast sorcery too; they don't claim that it's "divine" magic, in that
>sense.
I don't see any connection between the Invisible God and the Wizardry of the West. The Malkioni might claim that magic is not really a part of religion. Sorcery is claimed to have been invented by Zzabur (which makes it unclear how the Vadeli got it, since they had been enemies of the First Sorcerer even back in the Kingdom of Logic).
The Invisible God does not work as a magic reservoir. His role is one of transcendence, at least that's what the modern Malkioni say.
Alex goes on on initiatory status.
>Personally, I think there was a certain amount to be said for the quaint
>old RQ2 "lay member" concept. Trouble is, the term itself was fairly
>bogus, and certainly there was a false universality about it. But I'd find
>this a more reasonable starting point than the idea of someone being an
>"Initiate of the Pantheon", which poses more questions than it answers.
>What Rune Magic do such initiates have access to?
Little, and only the most accessible associate spells. IMO even the "common" divine spells would have to defined for an "associate" deity.
>What role or viewpoint do they take in rituals?
Generally, that of the mass scene actor: sing along in the refrain, shout when all shout, fight when all fight, pray when all pray. Their versatility makes them poor but available stand-ins for whatever position that remains unoccupied. Lacking most of the qualification for such a position, there is little or no benefit to be expected from this participation, except that it allows the rite to be performed at all.
>(The original question being, I suppose, "What is
>an Orlanthi who is is not initiated into the cult of any particular God?".
Genderless.
>(Other popular answers being "Uncommon" and "Non-existant".))
Or "Default worshippers".
End of Glorantha Digest V4 #342
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