> On 4/26/2012 12:28 PM, Daniel wrote:
> > With how Glorantha is being reimagined (refined, distilled, what have you) in connection to HQ2, I'm curious to hear what the new stance on Esvular and Aeol is. Would it still be around? How does it mesh with the new West? Are the Orlanthi gods still considered saints (with what that means in the new edition of the West), or are they something else?
> It's still around AFAIK.
Yes, but a lot of sloppy terminology is gone (especially "saints" and "bishops").
Here's the canonical summary from the Guide:
"Although most of the inhabitants of Heortland are Orlanthi, the southern coast of Heortland and the Bandori valley are the homeland of the Esvularing peoples. The Esvularings were once atheists like the folk of God Forgot, but have embraced a unique variation of Malkionism called Aeolism which holds that the Orlanthi gods are emanations of the Invisible God. They worship the Invisible God as the Supreme Creator, but heartily participate in Orlanthi rites as well. Although their numbers were always few, the Esvularings were a privileged and preferred group under Belintar as they made up the majority of Deputies and Companions of the God-King's governors."
The key point is that the Aeolians worship/manipulate the Orlanthi gods as emanations of the Invisible God, not as Ascended Masters or Saints, or whatever. Aeolians can be found throughout the Holy Country and they are the largest Malkioni sect in Nochet.
> I think the Aeolians organize their society by dedication to divine
> saints. That's something the Rokari won't do while the Safelstrans
> would just worship the pagan gods directly (without any silliness about
> divine saints).
The Aeolians are pragmatic materialists who have experienced a cultural Renaissance thanks to Belintar (who is their Arkat figure). They *know* that the Orlanthi gods are the (often falible) agents/servants/whatever of the Invisible God, history and logic proves it. The gods are often foolish and fickle, requiring wizards to put them back on the path of their duties.
> I don't think the Aeolians are afflicted by misapplied worship.
Agreed. FWIW, the term "misapplied worship" is unlikely to ever appear in any official publication.
>From a sorcerous perspective, the chief limitations of the Aeolians is their cultural isolation, their lack of sorcerous resources (the Safelstrans have the intellectual legacy of Arkat and the God Learners to draw on, the Aeolians just what they can get out of God Forgot or glean from Belintar), and their intellectually lamentable tendency to simply rationalize Orlanthi religious practice and give it a veneer of logical analysis.
Jeff
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