Yes. My main point is there are no other large Malkioni community within several days travel (the nearest are the many Malkioni groups in Nochet, represented by the henotheist Aeolians who aren't likely to be calling anyone "heretic").
> I thought that the adherence of the Atroxic Church to the Book of Betrayal and Murder rather than more conventional scriptures was (or perhaps the better term is "would be"?) thought of as heretical by some/all other Malkioni. Certainly Greg's (?) hand-drawn chart of the evolution of Malkionism that was circulated on this website a while ago placed them well away from the mainstream.
Yes. Abiding Book Malkioni (who are mainly in Seshnela, bits of Fronela and the shattered remnants of Slontos) would be horrified by the claims of Ethilrist. So would the New Hrestoli Idealists. But I'm not even sure they would recognize Ethilrist as "Malkioni" anymore. :D
> Do other Malkioni know about Black Horse County and accept the Atroxic Church as a valid alternative?
No and no.
> Or do Sir Ethilrist's followers simply not have enough contact with other Malkioni for the issue to have arisen? Would other Malkioni churches think the Atroxics were heretics if they did know a little (or a lot?) about them?
Yes. Or even transgressors. Or worse. Ethilrist has bound an army of underworld demons to his service. He's done terrible things and rejects the Abiding Book. He's the frightining Lord of Demons who lives in Monster Land surrounded by barbarians and krjalki.
> As for the term "Church" in Glorantha, is it best understood simply as a title that some Malkioni sects give to themselves to sound important?
Yes. Some Malkioni sects are numerically significant enough that they can organize their wizards, enforce a near-monopoly over religious activity (the "near" is important - there are always other sects and practices, even if confined to a small minority of the population), and get the rest of the population to follow their lead. Such terms get called a "Church" as shorthand by writers, gamemasters, and players. I'm not sure what the actual Western term is, probably just "Right Way" or "Malkioni".
Keep in mind the word Church comes from "ecclesia" which just means "assembly". If we could use that word without immediately thinking of monks, priests, and all the baggage associated with medieval Christianity, it would be fine. Unfortunately, the baggage is there and can be very misleading.
> If Glorantha still has these, do the grand Councils which debate Malkionism (like the one portrayed in the old free-form "How the West was One"), have anything to say about who may or may not call themselves a church?
Over who may or may not call themselves Malkioni.
Jeff
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