> Now the reason both Orlanthcarl and Barntar are minority cults
> is that they are cults for Carls. Their strongest magic is to
> do with handling the plough team, something which is entirely
> useless to the majority of men.
I thought one of the characteristic features of a farming carl was that he had his own plow team. Obviously, there are other ways to get carl social status (for example, marry a carl, or be a particularly successful crafter), but the way for a male head of a farming household to become a carl, I thought, was behind his own plow.
> My view is that a few specialists in each clan are enough to
> provide all the magic required in normal circumstances.
This makes some sense, and would explain why the default Orlanth cult Durev deals mostly with family life and managing a household, not exercising an occupation. It doesn't align with the definition of carl just above, but that might not really apply to Sartar; it could just be a sterotype.
> Even if Barntar were a subcult of Orlanth in Sartar it doesn't
> mean he can't be a separate cult elsewhere.
Good point.
Rob
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