>> Are we saying here that what you concentrate on is a
>> religion rather than an otherworld?
>
>Interestingly, although Greg has implied more than once that the whole
>separate otherworld thing is really important, the rules have often implied
>you concentrate on a religion, even as they argue that it isn't the case.
My understanding is that the three otherworlds are fundamentally different and incompatible with each other. Concentrating on one means you lose the ability to comprehend the others. Within those otherworlds the pantheons are similar enough that an Orlanthi could learn Yelm's sunspear magic if they could find a way to steal it or get someone to teach them and it didn't cause a personal crisis of religious identity.
>Common religions like Lanbril let you concentrate on them. Something similar
>was proposed as how to model the Lunar situation before ILH2 came out. The
>MirrorSea Pantheon explicitly pushes for that as the case.
>
>Of course, the Aeolians act as the counter example, as do the many rules
>saying that if you concentrate on Theism, for example, you can use an enemy
>god's magic without breaking concentration.
Misapplied worship is a horrible game mechanic. Where it applies, like the Aeolians, it reflects the extra effort required to do things the wrong way. The god Orlanth isn't a saint called Worlanth but gets collateral worship because people sacrifice time and effort when they pray to him.
>Now if, as has been suggested in the past, most Gloranthans *don't* know
>about the idea of the three otherworlds. (There's just "our otherworld" or
>something) then it becomes even more intriguing to try and answer the "what
>do Gloranthans think happens when you concentrate" question.
>
>If indeed, you concentrate on a religion, then it is easy, you abandon
>anything not "purely of the religon". What that means is uncertain.
I think that's the practical result for most Gloranthans because they don't understand the otherworld sources of magic. The social and religious criteria restrict what is theoretically possible.
>From the other viewpoint a Heortling who concentrates on the magic
of Orlanth loses the ability to use Kolating charms. That's the
different otherworld limitation but all the individual knows is
that they don't work and it's accepted as one of those things.
>If you concentrate on an otherworld, then they must have some idea that
>concentrating on Theism is not the same as concentrating on Animism,
>since they produce different results.
Only those Gloranthans who are in a position to compare which is a tiny minority. The majority of those who concentrate have followed a particular religion for many years and then chose to discard that which gets in the way of developing further.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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