Ah, I would have said if anything the first (Lunar Army) and second ('curved sword Humakti') where the same, the difference just reflecting the Heartland and Provincial attitudes, whereas the third (sub-cult of Seven Mothers) was different, having access to very different magics. The Heartland and Provincial versions of Yanafals Tarnils I envision as being very different in culture and membership, reflecting exactly the army officer/ heroic adventurer split that Nick talks about, but I think in rules terms they are probably the same cult, or at least the same cult with minor variations. While the Yanafal sub-cult, which retains access to all the general Seven Mothers stuff, is in rules terms very different, though sometimes the same in attitude.
Admittedly this is sort of a rulesy argument, but the Yanafals sub-cult of the Seven Mothers has access to magic like Mindblast and Lunes, which I imagine the cult of Yanafals proper does not really care for (or at least, YT is more likely have Morale and Sever Spirit and other traditional Humakti things).
>There doesn't seem to be
>a great need for him as a god of warriors/soldiers. There already are Lodril,
>Shargash and a Carmanian version of Humakt floating about, not to mention the
>regimental wyters of the Red Army. So you get a lot of officer types as YT
>followers.
I'll agree you get a lot of YT types as officers, but there are also YT only units. Oh, and there are lots of other deities worshipped by the Lunar army. Lodril is probably the main cult of Pelorian light infantry units, especially militia units. Shargash covers the wild Alkothi types. But there are lots of other Dara Happans (Yelm associated cults like Hastatus and Sagittus, cults like Polestar), the Heartland lunar professional soldiers from Silver Shadow etc (likely to worship Yanafals), and lots of regimental cults like Granite Phalanx. The Lunar Army is a many-spendored thing. The real power of the Lunar army is that its well trained and fairly standardised officer caste, almost all of whom are active YT initiates, are able to coordinate its plethora of troop types as well as they do.
>(I suppose some Dart Competitors might chose YT as a patron, but
>Danfive Xaron seems like a better choice; instead of sword, shield and ride
>of 90%, a DX 'Lord' would have backstab, sneak, and brew poison.)
Not all Dart Competitors are assassins. Who would you want defending you against those sneaky assassin types? Why, a YT bodyguard with Sense Assassin, of course. And there are 'overt' Dart Wars as well, taking the form of dueling and gladiatorial competitions, for which YTs are very well suited. I imagine Dart Wars as being less a simple war of assassins, and almost as much a war of sorcerers and political strategems.
Cheers
David
End of Glorantha Digest V4 #380
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