and David Weihe points out that of course he does, but then goes on to make some spurious comments about his involvement.
>Then explain the Lokamayadon vs Harmast conflict, or the struggle between
>Alkoring Dragonslayer and the Orlanth Dragonfriends. The only way that
>Orlanth could haved signaled his choice in these famous schisms was by
>granting *eventual* victory to one side or another, and THAT requires
>that he have some (notoriously denied by sources) "free will" to make the
>decision, at all.
Of course, the Orlanthi do have intra-religious wars - more serious ones than anyone except the Malkioni. The Orlanthi see the whole first Gbaji war largely as an intra-religious battle, for example.
But what does this have to do with Orlanths free will? I would think the fact that these questions where only settled by political and military means precisely that there was no unequivocal 'word of God' on the matter. I find the reasoning here very odd - if Orlanth wanted to make his wishes known on a religous questions, he could just tell everybody, thus saving great wars between his followers. That he said nothing at all, and instead they had to settle the question with killing, armies, and so on suggests precisely that Orlanth himself cannot or does not hold strong opinions.
Trotsky points out the Arrolians - are we to assume that the Red Goddess has no free will, but Orlanth has, because the Arrolian question has not been resolved but Lokamayadonism has been? Absurd.
Cheers
Dave
'...never support evil as a preferred lifestyle'
-TSR Inc corporate standards OldThinkers UnBellyFeel MoonWise! - Nick Brooke ------------------------------
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