The fact that upstart priests and foreigners are co-opted rather than exterminated says nothing about how the K. government treats its own people. Double standards are rampant in RW history.
The tolerance of Immanent Mastery again says nothing about tolerating outright Orlanthi worship becoming widespread in K. for example. Immanent Mastery is a stupid and offensive practice, but it is a stupid and offensive practice that is from people one EXPECTS to be stupid and offensive--your peasants. Likewise, it is a stupid and offensive misunderstanding of the truth, not a stupid and offensive denial therefrom. Obviously, we tolerate Immanent Mastery because the peasants who practice it are simply incapable of doing any better.
Foreigners are bought off or co-opted because they are foreigners, they cannot be expected to do any better. If our own peasants were so gauche as to rebel--that would be rebellion against their own FATHER! That would be crushed utterly. Bandits are so close to foreigners as to be indistinguishable. They are really just human rats, and we have always had rats, no matter how hard we try to exterminate them.
The fact that K. governors tolerate things that Western European governors wouldn't in an authoritarian state makes them no less authoritarian. They just think other things are more important to exert utter control over.
End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #374
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