In my Glorantha (which seriously diverged from the official in about
1980 <grin>) successfully initiating an alien* cult changes you
spiritually. It doesn't actually change you physically. However
anyone that looks at you with magical sight will see you as you should
be. You will still be recognisably you, but the attributes of your
cult allegiance will be much more apparent (well, that's the case with
using any sort of magical vision, but the change is much more apparent
in these circumstances). There do exist rune spells (on the order of
the 3-pt Transform Body rune spells of the various beast cults) that
will allow you to physically transform into your spiritual form
(although they can be really difficult to find if the exact
transformation isn't common - you then have to heroquest for them),
and rituals that make those transformations permanent (as with any
Rune spell). And when heroforming, the divine aspects of the
character will, of course, overwhelm any mundane attributes.
However you would expect to be treated as, and behave as, if you were a full-fledged member of the alien cult (and culture). But because most people don't have magical sight, you will often be forced to adopt a dress and behaviour code that blatantly tells the world who and what you really are. Often aggressively so, so as to avoid confusion in how they expect to be treated.
Most "normal" members of a cult find these "alien" members rather weak and to be pitied. After all, they don't have those natural abilities that they take for granted, and must acquire them magically. If Aldryami they dont have forest sense, Kyger Litor can't see in the dark and eat rocks, and Nandan can't give birth and have children. But they are members of their cult and should be defended as such.
A man initiating into the cult of Ernalda (and would actually be a follower of Nandan), would present a much more effeminate appearance to magical sight, although she would still retain male physical characteristics. They would be treated culturally as any other women, although they are lacking in several important aspects, such as the ability to give birth. They may be dress as a woman (in order to ensure that they are recognised as such), and will probably be required to do so in ceremonial situations. They would be referred to as women (it would be respectful to do so). Because they are culturally considered to be women they can even marry men (although their inability to become pregnant and give birth means this is unlikely [given that the function of Orlanthi marriage heavily determines to whose clan the children belong]). More importantly they will derive their spiritual strength through a connection with the Earth rune rather than the Air rune.
And there will be a Transform Into Woman rune spell that will be a Nandan cult special rune spell (after all, most Ernalda initiates don't need it), which will allow the initiate to transform into a woman (or even partially into a woman [the 2-pt spell]). Even without it, the Nandan initiate still gets access to all the Ernaldan procreative rune magics and can make full use of them (just like Esrola initiates can use their procreative magics on animals).
There will even be Nandan specific mythology that might have to be reenacted as heroquests. Perhaps it might be possible to use Nandan Discovers How To Give Birth to remove an infertility curse and make a woman "whole again."
Whilst it would similarly possible for a woman to join the cult of
Orlanth, this is almost never done, simply because there is another
much more culturally acceptable alternative which grants the initiate
the same benefits, and that is the cult of Vinga. Vinga is not a
direct carbon copy of Nandan with the roles reversed. Much of the
Vingan mythology is based on the fact that women can be as good as men
(although not as good as the best of men, as it is often made clear in
the stories), or where women have to make do without the protection of
men. They thus remain spiritually (and often aggressively) feminine
in nature, whilst being treated culturally (and equally aggressively)
as the equivalent of men.
[* Defined as anything where you don't naturally have the entry requirements for initiation. Such as humans joining Kyger Litor or Aldryami, or a man joining the cult of Ernalda or a human the cult of Yinkin. Of course, unless these cults are accepted as part of society, gaining membership can be even harder and will usually require extensive roleplaying. After all, it's not something that is really culturally acceptable to either side to want to join an alien pantheon.]
Ian
--
Ian Borchardt (iborchar_at_smj0wvYEzhtqGNWsZmrIDTyb8xQXwcW4XwpWpIlG1ZVhNzkcCJFSgUXOIuDhIJIyiTfCKgBwDcQ.yahoo.invalid)
Philosoph, Fool, and Magician
"That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange Ians, even death may die."
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