That's not the way I read it. IMG the Magi (there are only 100 of them, led by the Hierophant) are the only Carmanian sorcerors who must not indulge in theistic worship of gods, or in something that could be be called theistic worship in rules terms. The Magi are pure sorcerors who use a spell or saintly power or mass ritual from Idovanus to divine which gods are currently on the path of Truth and which on the path of Deceit. That's the only power of divine origin they use (other than the creator's magical laws which allow sorcery to work). The EthTelsen (nominally the 100 good gods, actually the number is higher ever since the Lunar Empire took over) are on the path of Truth, and the 7 Mothers (including Jakaleel) are among them. Ganesatarus and the Rebel Gods are on the path of Deceit.
There are other Carmanian Sorcerors who likewise attended magisteries or got some sort of high quality tutoring, and they may or may not give a form of worship to the gods. I think that it is 100% likely that some of these Sorcerors use sorcerous spells in conjunction with divine magic. It makes perfect sense to me. Note however that Carmanians tend to depersonalize their deities. Frex, rather than worship Umath, they would venerate Cloud Father. For the most part they venerate gods in their roles instead of worshipping the gods by their names, much as gloranthan westerners do today in their heroquests. How does this change the magic they get from the gods? Good question, and it hasn't been answered officially yet, nor do I have a lead on what the answer should be. Also, what would this mean for those who worship Jakaleel, the Spindle Hag? They'd call her the Spindle Hag, or Dark Lady, or something like that. Otherwise I dunno. It's up to you to decide.
> Thus, rather than retcon a character that does not otherwise unbalance the
> game (something I avoid doing), I'm trying to figure out a way to let the
> character exist while doing minimal damage to the setting.
Makes perfect sense, and it's always possible to rationalize a variation into the established order.
> So how do the Waleesha fit into this? Or are there actually no Waleesha?
Where I think my earlier statement was in error was in the way that women are educated, magically. Yolanela, the Taloned Countess, is most certainly a sorcerous adept of considerable prowess. She is as traditionally Carmanian as possible. I propose that she was sorcerously trained by a succession of sorcerous tutors, the family's pet eunuch wizards, none of which survive to this day. Not only may traditional women of the haram learn sorcery as Yolanela did, from unmanned tutors in the sorcerous arts, they may also attend a cloistered academy of magical training. The name of this kind of place hasn't come to mind yet. And Magistery will not do. The Carmanians are too focused on separating men and women to call the institutions by the same name. Yet I am sure womens' magisteries must exist. Intellectually and magically gifted women are sent to these institutions in order to prepare them so they may assist their houses.
Waleesha is another bag entirely. While it's perfectly acceptable for a girl of another house to leave the haram and go waleesha, if it happens in your house, it's likely to be embarrassing. It's just like many families today would feel about their children coming out as gay. Waleeshas are acknowledged, but quietly. Because of this embarrassment, I don't think that many waleeshas are sent to womens' magisteries. Most of them run away and fend for themselves, eventually either becoming adopted as a hazar by some house, wandering as houseless hazars (ronin style adventurers), or joining up with the Lunar army or a Lunar College of Magic.
> campaign was the first one she ever played in where she didn't end up as
> everybody's scut and kicking post. (There is entirely too much of the
> wrong sort of WoD LARP done around here.) Since she was female and didn't
> have the "right" connection to the "storyguides"--you know the rest. She
> feels important just because I let her character own a slave! Thus,
> decisiveness is not her forte at the moment. So, as always, I'm going to
> have to improvise.
That's a bummer. Just let her know that Carmanians are typically decisive, whether their decisions are right or wrong they come quickly. If she is an outlier that's okay, but she should know it.
> I don't really want to inform her that her character is the epitome of
> vileness as far as its home culture is concerned.
Not necessary. Yolanela is far more devious and dangerous than any initiate to the Spindle Hag, and nobody in the Western Reaches calls her the epitome of vileness (nobody with half a brain, that is). Frankly, I think that Jakaleeli, however strange, are small potatoes compared to the insidious Subere initiates who control several dark magisteries in Spol.
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