This is my take on a detail from our last Glorantha-based camapign:
What we saw:
We had just departed from the Old Wind temple, when we ran into a troll hunting party, out of the Troll Woods, and were harried south past the Sounder's River before we managed to shake them. Lost in the foot-hills somewhere between Storm Walk mountain and Barbarian Town, we found a cultivated area, and, at last, a steading, where we sought hospitality.
While we were greeted with the usual formal words, albeit in a quaint accent, these people did not seem quite like we were used to. Their long gowns of plain wool were plain and undecorated, despite our having seen a number of the standard plants used for dye; and when we were invited into the steading, Kathreda, the Babeester Gor warrior, was led away from the rest of us. We spotted her again when we dined, hair washed and loosed, and dressed in one of the long robes the locals favoured, amongst the women seated at a separate table. We at the men's table were served first, though the meal was of only simple fare, with spring water - no meat, no eggs, no beer, no mead, and was introduced by a grace in very archaic form that seemed to call on Orlanth Lightbringer, rather than one of his more familiar faces.
We were shown to the moot hall to sleep (though Kathreda was retained amongst the rather unsettled women), and were surprised to see on the Thunder Post that Orlanth was depicted with a Solar halo; and in the morning we were roused from our slumber before sunrise to join in their dawn prayers.
After another simple breakfast of plain porridge, we were glad to make our departure from these strange, intense, simple people.
A guess at the secrets:
Functionally, these people were detached from worldly things in a manner somewhat akin to the Amish or Pennsylvania Dutch people, sincere and friendly in their own terms.
The clues given suggested that these people followed the heresy that it was not Yelm that rose at the Dawning, but Orlanth, who had retrieved the regalia and offices of the previous Emperor - as a necessity to allow the normal function of the laws of succession and inheritance, the office had to pass from the previous, and now dead, holder. With the regalia and offices came a whole bunch of other Yelmic baggage (puritanism, the deference of women and the like).
As proof of their assertion, they could offer the motion of the Sun : in the Golden Age, Yelm sat unmoving over the world. Now, Orlanth Lightbearer carried the light, circling around and around the world, now east, now west, now moving north, now moving south.
For the weather, they would look to Umbrol, the Body of Air, and descendent demi-deities, rather than Orlanth Thunderous. For farming and everyday life, Barntar, Ernalda and perhaps Dendara would offer support. I don't see the rest of the Lightbringers playing significant parts in their relatively simple lives. Orlanth Lucifer and Ernalda would between them offer various curative and healing magics.
Exporting the concept:
The odd corner of SW Prax had the virtue of being out of the way, so is a reasonable place to lose things, but there are possibly other places in Glorantha where such a heresy might arise.
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