[Shamans of Aldrya]
SM>>I said that there were shamans among elves, though again not shamans of
>>Aldrya -- any elf shaman is a shaman of Aldrya, because all elves are
>>part of Aldrya.
> Saying there are no shamans of Aldrya is a fairly big change to the
>published cult, Steve. If there are no shamans of Aldrya, there is no means
>for a non-combatant (ie magic specialist) elf to progress purely within the
>Aldrya cult. Which I think is a big and undesirable change to Aldrami
>society.
I don't understand the nature of your objection. A Elf Shaman would be exploring the Otherworld through Aldrya and be respected by other elves for doing so. Or are you worried about the lack of non-combatant elves in the Gardeners Ring? Not really a problem as the criteria for such could be changed so that Elves are selected on the basis of 'merit'.
[Arachne Solara]
> Good question, I say! I'm going to bravely contradict both Stephen
>Martin and Peter Metcalfe and say that the Pelorians do know of her - I'm
>pretty sure its mentioned in TFS. [...] I'd even go so far as to say she
>may be native to Peloria, rather than Maniria, but that would be *extremely*
>speculative.
Ah yes, the Terminal Debate system. Note that this is very *late* (post Magnificus) and the circumstances of its institution suggests that the Emperor was regulating a new religious movement of sorts.
On such grounds, I strongly disagree that her cult is native to Peloria. We know enough about the mythology of Dara Happa and surrounding regions and not a hint of spider worship is known. OTOH spider worship is found in Cliffhome in Dragon Pass and it seems to be native there. I shall demur on speculation about the exact nature of Cragspider's linkage with Arachne Solara.
> I think that those Pelorians who acknowledge Arachne Solara think
>of her role as being the one who repaired some of the damage to the
>universe, much as the Orlanthi do, though they think of her in a more
>mystical sense than the Orlanthi.
Interestingly the Terminal Debate sorts out who gets to *confront* Arachne Solara. So what are the Lunars trying to do?
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