>1. How heavy is the Malkioni influence on the territory?
Reasonably strong. There is a Malkioni Bishopric at Nochet City which has been there since the early Imperial Age at least (ie before the EWF or the God Learners).
The Leftarmers are Malkioni sorcerors (and a stronghold of the God Learners in the Second Age) although they worship primitive technology.
Then there are the Aeolians who compose no more than 15% of the population of Heortland. Finally there are Seshnegi Knights (actually from Nolos, Pasos and Tanisor) who used to rule most of Heortland just before the Lunar invasion.
>2. Is sorcery common in the Herotland?
No IMO. Most of the Aeolians do not know sorcery but practice a weakened theism a la Stygianism and the few that do know sorcery might have their magic crippled because of the Pharaoh's death. The Seshnegi knights didn't have much time in propogating their faith to the masses because they were involved in the civil war (which the Lunars took advantage of in their recent invasion).
So one certainly would find sorcerous users in Heortland but they are usually one of the Seshnegi or a visitor from God Forgot, uncommon in both cases.
>3. I have read that the Solanthi have a Malkioni aristocracy in an Orlanthi
>population. How exactly can Malkioni and Divine Cults mix?
The best method is Stygianism which to the best of my knowledge involves worshipping the gods in a crippled manner to gain some occult advantage. The Trader Princes function as an aristocracy because they worship Issaries (which ordinary Solanthi and Ditali do not) and function as a government for the clans of the valley and have an opportunity to rake in vast sums of money because of their worship of Issaries.
The Solanthi under Greymane's leadership has reverted to traditional Wenelian Kingship because of the collapes of the trade through Wenelia (save for Bastis as it borders the Riverine route to Handra). They find it's now cheaper to gain loot through raiding the Holy Country rather than act as down-and-out middle-men on an ailing trade-route.
>4. When the Cults book shows a Malkioni influence in the Holy Country what
>exactly does that mean?
That there are plenty of Malkioni running around.
>Bonus Question:
>In Strangers in Prax it says that the Sorcerer Arlatern (or something like
>that) is probably the first sorcerer the players have ever seen. If
>Malkioni influence ends in the Herotland wouldn't it stand to reason that
>most Sartarites and many Praxians would have encountered sorcery?
Not all Malkioni are sorcerous users and the amount of Malkioni influence is not that great. A raider from Sartar or Prax would consider himself unlucky to fight a sorcerous user in his raids. He certainly would know about sorcery and consider it wise to stay away from its practitioners unless he considered himself strong enough to withstand their magics.
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