>It depends on your definition of direct worship.
If you mean worship by Issaries initiates only, there aren't many of these in one place anywhere.
>There won't be issaries cult temples for example
Issaries cult shrines to me are warehouses and roadside taverns, and temples of course Markets. Full-blown temples to Issaries will be extremely rare - the existance of a trade temple in New Pavis most likely is a Sartar dynastic matter.
>and the issaries cult writeup would not be
>appropriate, as seemed to be sugested.
Well, the Issaries cult write-ups we have (Cults of Prax, River of Cradles)) is a strange mix of Sartarite notions with Praxian myth. Of course it can't be applied directly to Ralios. "Desert Trackers? Never heard of them."
>Henotheist reverence of Issaries
>as a saint doesn't count as direct worship in my books, and I doubt it's
>as widespread as you suggest.
This depends strongly on the brand of henotheism IMO. Gods as unimportant saints doesn't hit the mark, but Invisible God as premier of many gods would be direct worship in my books.
IMO Safelster relies on trade for its welfare. Much of this trade is carried by boats or ships, but managed by trade houses. The Malkioni have no real patron for trade - Loskalm has trade as a farmer caste occupation, and the Rokari are split about this question, with Nolos and Pasos having great respect to traders whereas Rindland and Tanisor seem to have a disregard for trade.
I doubt that there are huge numbers of Issaries worshippers anywhere, but you'll be hard put to find a cult more spread out.
>The Argan Argar chain is a powerfull competitor, IMO. Surely Argan Argar
>was the trade cult of the dark empire, not Issaries? Issaries worship
>was promulgated by the middle sea empire in competition with the dark
>empire of Ralios, including Safelster. I don't see it as an indigenous
>Ralian cult at all.
I tend to agree. However, post-God Learner Ralios was pretty much led by the God-Learner installed nobility of Safelster IMO - see Tradetalk #3 for ideas how this could have worked in Naskorion.
Argan Argar hardly is popular in most areas of Safelster - if the cult was, the secrecy etc. of the Chain Gang wouldn't be necessary. IMO a result of active God Learner policy. I don't think that Safelstrans like to use insect caravans to carry their trade goods.
Orlanth isn't exactly an indigenous deity in Ralios either, but one of the most widespread. Issaries doesn't really share his main territory with Orlanth, though, being drawn to the main markets, and that means Safelster.
I believe that the Kingdom of Jorstland which ruled Ralios after the destruction of the God Learners wouldn't have relied on Argan Argar as a trade god, even if they claimed some justification from the Stygian Empire.
Powered by hypermail