> What difference does this make? Since the Lunars have demonstrable
> magical manifestations too, it either cancels out or even favours
> the Lunars ("The Goddess has kicked Orlanth's Butt").
Because you can't rely on it just dying out - it is still succesful, and useful. Why should anyone believe that the Goddess kicked Orlanths butt just becuase a bunch of soldiers walked over the hill? Their grain gods are still feeding them; their cattle deities are keeping their herds healthy; they still travel to the god planes to initiate their children. Then "old way" would still appear to be entrenched enough to resist passive conversion.
> The Orlanthi worships his gods because they are the best gods,
> not because of what his ancestors thought.
So - how did the Tarshites go form beleiving that Orlanth was the best god into believing that Sedenya is the best god? This is the bit I don't get.
> Controlled population <> converts. Most converts would not expose
> their children to traditional rites.
Exactly. But if the Orlanthi experience the Lunars as an occupying power, then why would they be sympathetic enough to lunar religion (given that their own magic still works) to want to convert and remove their children from the traditional rituals? This just returns us to the conversion-for-tax-relief situation.
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