I'm still perplexed by this argument, and I don't feel that Greg's response on the Hero Wars list has helped all that much. I find it really difficult to imagine our Barntar devotee taking 30% of his produce and shipping it off to the Barntar temple, especially when there can't be more than one or so Barntar temples in all of Sartar. I can imagine that some of that extra produce is expended in religious ceremonies -- the first grain of the harvest is surely sacrificed to Barntar, whether by being baked into a special bread and eaten, burned, scattered to the winds, or whatever. However, a Provider Devotee should be a blessing to the community; they will give back more than they consume.
As for a Dar initiate/devotee, what duties do you see that are not applicable? Dar is leadership; by leading the clan (or tribe), the initiate/devotee is expressing Dar. I'm sure there are some additional duties, but these must be tied in with leading -- acting as Orlanth the Leader in ceremonies and quests, probably filling the role as Generic Orlanth in most clan-wide ceremonies and quests, making special personal sacrifices. They may take away from time considering the specific future of the clan/tribe, but they do enhance leadership as a whole. It's not like there is a temple of Dar somewhere where the chiefs and kings send x% of their cash....
Peter Larsen
Powered by hypermail