> > RQIII changed this; we find out that people join a cult as an
> > initiate, apparently as part of their adulthood ceremony. So lay
> > members are now so ineffectual that they aren't really covered to
> > any great degree in RQIII.
>
> "Different type of initiation", they said, and laughed as if at some
> huge joke...
The truth lies someplace in between: adults have a relationship with Orlanth (or Ernalda) not quite corresponding to either 'initiates' or 'lay members' in game terms. HW will hopefully do better. Confusion reigns partly due to terminological confusion: the term 'lay member' is slated, rightly IMO, as being inappropriate; but the different senses of 'initiate' are downright misleading if one uses them unqualifiedly.
> > In fact, that
> > brings up a secondary point - given that Humakt severed his Storm
> > dies in GodTime, are Humakt initiates even ALLOWED to join Storm
> > cults? Assuming, of course, we're not talking about Illuminates).
I think, like the 'severing kinship' chestnut, this is pretty variable, but it'd be pretty common. Certainly the more magically identified you are with Humakt, and further away from Orlanth's Thunderous and Farmer/Husband aspects you get. But some locales must reconcile them to a certain degree, as Humakti chiefs and kings exist, for example, some Humakti get married, some of 'em may even farm, etc, etc. Only the most zealous would not acknowledge some magical and mythical affinity with Orlanth, in the broadest sense.
> > The reason I ask is that for my upcoming campaign (for which I'm
> > going to offer a selection of pregenerated characters), I'm going
> > to throw in a couple of Issaries initiates (maybe Llankor Mhy, too,
> > although I'm leery about a beginning PC having a 90% anything), and
> > I want to know if they would be expected to be initiates of Orlanth
> > as well.
My advice would be to start the LM guy off at whatever %age you feel fits with the group, and worry about his initiatory status later. In RQ game terms, the Issaries guys are _not_ Orlanth initiates; their adulthood initiation into 'the religion of Orlanth the Great God' is _sort of_ represented, however imperfectly, by 'lay member' status, and more importantly, by the 'associate deity' thang. But not 100% satisfactorily, especially for those whose religious relationships are less clear-cut than RQ 'cults' envisage. For someone who emphasises his relationship to Issaries (say) far over and above all other divitinies, they're pretty decent.
Cheers,
Alex.
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