What the Gods know

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_bigfoot.com>
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 11:37:16 +1300

GAZZA:
>How much do gods know about their worshippers?

Runequest III magic book devotes several paragraphs to this question. In short:

• the God knows what its priests and initiates tell them through prayer.
• the God will know if they are alive or dead, and can tell what killed them.
• the God does not know what a priest of initiate is thinking and cannot deduce motivations.
• the God cannot invade anybody's mind, though it will know when a worshipper has lost faith.

>Are the requirements
>to become an initiate (and then a priest or rune lord) enforced by
>the god itself, or just by the cult heirarchy?

Some are, some aren't. Generally the more magical ones are enforced by the God while the mundane ones are enforced by the Cult hierarchy.

For example, breaking a geas is very bad ju-ju and will be punished by the God. Neglectling the tithe OTOH is minor to the god and the consequences are left to the temple hierarchy who normally take a dim view.

>For example, suppose we have a Thanatari cultist who doesn't (for
>various reasons) much like Orlanth. Would it be possible for him
>to become an initiate of Orlanth? And later a Wind Lord, so that he
>could (eg) go on various Orlanthi Heroquests and deliberately fail
>them badly?

Nope, except if he was a member of some Orlanthi head-hunting clan, like the Engoli. But if he was, then he would have no reason to hate Orlanth.

>This sort of thing is presumably fine for Illuminates, but what
>about the non-Illuminated? Must a prospective initiate fool the
>god, or simply the priest?

Both, I'd think. It's possible for Ogres to join many cults so deception is possible.

• --Peter Metcalfe

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