>I don't know if this is to be covered in the as yet unpublished Lords of the
>West Book,
>
Briefly, I suspect.
>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).
>
Pretty much, yes.
>Clerics of the wizard caste have
>limited sorcery, but of a broad type drawn from several saint's lives.
>
That depends on the sect followed, IMO.
>Order
>wizards are specialists, and often very talented within their limited field.
>
Generally speaking, yes.
>Wizards, even clerical ones, can marry,
>
Again, this depends on sect. For instance, I hold to the view that the
Rokari wizards are celibate.
>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).
>
There are undoubtedly Hero Bands of these types, IMO. The Golden Chalice
is effectively one such, complete with monastic knights in the
Templar/Teutonic mould.
-- Trotsky Gamer and Skeptic ------------------------------------------------------ Trotsky's RPG website: http://www.ttrotsky.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ --__--__--
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