Re: Al'Akbar

Date: Sun, 12 Dec 99 08:27AM PST
From: "Wayne S. Rossi" Add To Address Book Add To Junk Mail
To: GREYTALK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: [GREYTALK] Al'Akbar

In a message dated 12/12/99 5:12:05 AM Eastern Standard Time, rtaylor@CMC.NET writes:

<< A late question on this: I've been using the "True Faith" of the Gord the Rogue modules as a pantheistic faith, serving Istus, and Al'Akbar as her true prophet. Other gods are honored as well, but Al'Akbar is the primary, along with Istus in her aspect as Fate. Does this gel with anyone else's take on the nomads of the deserts?

Al'Akbar has paladins, and is referred to as "the sword and shield of the true faith" by his warriors. >>

Personally, I'd have to say no. Al'Akbar, in what I do, is an independent god with his own church (in fact, because of his LG nature and ideas that contrast with the other Baklunish gods, I gave him the strongest individual church this side of Istus). He's quite popular in Ekbir and among LG, NG, and LN Paynim tribes.

The Beygraf of Ket is referred to as the "Shield of the True Faith" in the products, also. I would say that the "True Faith" has a lot of Istus worship to it, but also has somewhat of an edge to it, mixing with mostly nontheistic faiths (here, elemental Fire is quite popular, and, though the practitioners would never admit it, there's more than a touch of devil cultism at work in the less...beneficial...Ketite followers). My thought on the whole "True Faith" idea is that, mostly, it's a kinda propagandistic way that certain very strong Ketite priests and such refer to their own religion, and not really a strong, flourishing religion throughout civilized Bakluna.

Besides Al'Akbar, the following religions are popular in the civilized portion of the Baklunish world as I see it:
Istus (diviners, seers, prophets; any sane ruler will have a priestess in his court)
Geshtai & Elemental Water (Fishermen; certain philosophers and monks, as this has ideas not unlike some types of Buddhism)
Xan Yae & Zuoken (this particular pair is most worshipped as such; there are some influences from elemental Air as well)
Elemental Air & Elemental Water (this is a sailor's faith, most commonly found around the docks of Ekbir and Zeif)
Elemental Earth & Elemental Water (mostly farmers; a touch of Geshtai as well)

That's just a few I've thought up so far; once I get into more detail, quite a bit more will be forthcoming.

Wayne