> Martin Dick:
>
> >Soul doomed to Hell. Come what may, the soul of the initiate
> >will end up in hell for their deeds when they die.
>
> Technically I think all Orlanthi souls go to the Underworld.
> Perhaps they go to Dead Air?
I guess I was thinking of somewhere other than Orlanth's Hall, perhaps they go to the place that Yelm ended up when he dies, though Dead Air sounds interesting? Can you tell me more?
>
> >Sacrifice enemies to Orlanth. Captured enemies must be killed
> >and sacrificed to Orlanth. The ceremony is usually simple and to the
> >point.
>
> I think the traditional Orlanthi sacrifice is to hang your victim
> from the branches of an oak tree and break his weapons and shield
> beneath him. This was followed by the norse (the sacrifice was to
> Odin) and is apparently the reason why modern gallows are made of
> oak.
>
> - --Peter Metcalfe
>
This I like a lot, ritual humiliation of the enemy fits in very well I
think.
>
> Date: Mon, 2 Feb 98 08:07:27 -0500
> From: Michael Schwartz <mschwartz_at_mindspring.com>
> Subject: Orlanth Rebellious
>
> Kudos to Martin Dick for a fascinating Orlanth alternative, although I
> disagree with many of the particulars. I am especially at odds with the
> notion that damnation is the only possible end for a initiate of Orlanth
> Rebellious, as even Orlanth himself was not so completely and utterly
> damned that he could not make recompense.
One thing that is briefly mentioned at the end and not yet developed is an Atonement HQ, which does provide the possibility for redemption for an initiate of Orlanth Rebellious. But one of the intentions of the sub-cult is to illustrate how dark and dangerous was the path Orlanth took before he redeemed himself and not to make it too attractive to power gamers :-).
So i agree with Michael, that damnation is not the only end. On the other hand, I think redemption via the Atonement Quest is as difficult as a Light Bringer Quest (which is how Orlanth atoned in my opinion) and in the OR initiate's case, community support for the HQ is going to be pretty thin or non-existent in most cases.
>
> Regardless, I think the subcult is certainly alive and well in
> post-conquest Sartar, even to the extent of having widespread popular
> support and sufficient political influence to render it a threat to Lunar
> dominance. It seems likely to me that the Cold Wind Movement would be an
> ideal place for the subcult to gain a foothold, and that group's more
> fanatical members would make promising initiates of the Widdershins Path.
I probably wouldn't go as far as it being a threat to Lunar influence directly, but I do believe that they have a galvanising effect on the more moderate rebels in Sartar and Prax, who see the dangers in letting the crazies run the show and what disaster this might bring down on the common folk if they let it happen.
Martin
End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #391
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