Dave Dunham
>The thought crossed my mind, but I have intimations that not all of the
Malkioni are actually Sedalpists.
This is certainly my belief. In fact, it is my belief that the Sedalpists are a small minority of the Malkioni here -- maybe only 10-15% of the total population. That said, it is _also_ my belief that they are the largest Malkioni faith! Here is my take on the situation.
The Malkioni live in separate enclaves, each based around a particular river, typically with a large city near the coast and then various colonies upriver. Each riverstate is typically separated from the others by forest, barbarians, and elves. During the Closing, inter-communication was extremely difficult. Overland travel is slow and dangerous, and even sailing along the coast is not particular simple. The weather here is far from calm, and the mermen uniformly hostile. Remember that in Genertela, except for Kralorela, the mermen are generally friendly, even allied, with the local humans. The situation is the opposite in most of Pamaltela, and so the seafaring experience is quite different.
I believe that during the Closing the religious faiths of Umathela evolved quite differently from riverstate to riverstate. I suspect henotheism is rampant, from two causes -- some states succumbed to the barbarians and elves and incorporated pagan god-worship into their Malkionism. Others managed to overwhelm and (partly) convert their own local barbarians, turning the _barbarians_ into henotheists. Yet others, like the Sedalpi, managed by firm faith to hold back the pagan tide.
I am of the belief that there are only two sects of Malkionism which are widespread in Umathela (that is, they are found amongst multiple riverstates). These are the Silencers and the Sedalpi, the former because of the Silent Prophet, the latter because of the Sedalpists success in keeping their Malkionism pure.
Because of the general lack of contact during the Closing, and the near-unification during the period of Vadeli control, I also believe that the sects of Umathela are generally less hostile to one another and nitpicky than we find in Genertela. A Malkioni from one nation would be accepted in the chapels of another. His variances in belief and worship would be accepted as colorful local differences, not as horrendous heresy. This is only true up to a point of course. The Sedalpi, for instance, are generally aloof, even hostile, to the Knights of any other sect, though other folks' Wizards, Farmers, and Lords are usually considered acceptable.
So what do we call the coastal people? I don't think there is a universal term. Each riverstate has its own name, and its own faith (typically called by the same name, since most of the riverstates were unaware that there _were_ other Malkioni faiths until after the Closing). For our own purposes, how about the Coastal People?
Jeff Irwin
>Subject: Sog Ruins
>What relationship does this have (if any) to Sog in Fronela? Is it an
old Jrusteli colony?
Yes, it is an old Jrusteli colony. When it was built, it was on the coast, but the sealine has changed since them. Sog was a powerful water spirit which the Jrusteli worshiped/called upon. He's not really a god so much as a tidal wave.
Richard Develyn
>Do I basically choose, for my Glorantha, whether Foundchild is a
relatively weak spirit or a full blown God?
The God Learners say: he is an aspect of the mighty Hunter God. His powers aren't all that strong, but are useful in a specialized sense. Few cultures worship him as a majority cult, which lessens his overall power, but he is one of the fundamental gods of the universe, which is why he is found in so many forms in so many places.
RE: xeroxing old out-of-print Glorantha materials
I hereby publicly grant permission to Issaries Inc. to xerox anything Gloranthan of mine in print or to grant permission for others to do so. In return, I ask for no royalties of any kind, whether or not I'm entitled to them.
Sandy Petersen
P.S. I realize that far more permission than my own is required for this, but a start must be made somewhere.
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