I am a bit new to all this, but I have chipped in Gloranthan story which you can find on Mything Links at:
http://www.geocities.com/bernuetz/mything/danbala.html#1
and would appreciate any constructive criticism.
I would also be curious what is known about Pithdaros other than the odd reference in Seshnela related material. I am scribbling away at some Pithdaran background materials and some further stories.
I don't know if this is to be covered in the as yet unpublished Lords of the West Book, but I have an idea for Rokarian Monasticism.
The old wizardly orders operate more like guilds for freelance wizards, with the more clerical types being trained and educated in magic through Cathedral Schools under the close supervision of the Bishops (they also train liturgists for the lower castes). Clerics of the wizard caste have limited sorcery, but of a broad type drawn from several saint's lives. Order wizards are specialists, and often very talented within their limited field. Wizards, even clerical ones, can marry, and nepotism, where a high ranking cleric gets his sons into well paid chaplaincies and comfortable parishes and cathedral chapters and marries his daughters off to nobles and great knights if he can manage it, is far from unknown. A well connected preist can hold several parishes and their incomes, and pays a curate a pittance out of this to do the actual daily praying. These proles of the priesthood ofetn end up leading peasant rebellions.
Monasticism developed out of stricter rules for wizards who pursue yet more spiritual/magical power. They take serious vows of chastity and obedience and spend a lot of time grovelling to the Great Invisible and meditating. However they are the best magi around and not to be trifled with. They can also collecitvely own land, and can serve as ordinary preists and even bishops - very attractive to reformers who don't like nepotism, and to princes who want their preists to be free of awkward family entanglements. They can be greedy though, monasteries need land to support themselves, to the despair of monastic purists. Monastic orders also exist for peasant and soldier castes, and a few blur the caste boundaries by taking all comers (though they insist to the Bishops that only the wizard caste members learn actual sorcery).
Sound reasonable? Or too like the RW?
Baz Blatt
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