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Notes on Small Cults

Posted on March 26, 2023

In all of Sartar, about 2500 people are initiates of Daka Fal and worship their ancestors and eschew other cults. That’s about the same size as the Chalana Arroy or Lhankor Mhy cults, and smaller than Storm Bull.

Some 1200 people worship Maran Gor, 1100 worship Babeester Gor, 1000 people worship Eurmal, another 1000 Gustbran the Workfire, 800 Argan Argar, 500 Yinkin, 500 Odayla, and maybe 200 Waha.

Another 4000 people scattered around all of Sartar are members of minor cults not mentioned in the RQG book. Asrelia, Ty Kora Tek, Lanbril, various spirit cults, lesser Lunar cults, Invisible God, that cult you just made up, etc. Comes out to somewhere around 150-200 per tribal group (with maybe 15-20% of them in the cities). Maybe your minor cult is only found amongst the Kheldon of Boldhome, or maybe they are thinly scattered around Sartar.

The point is that there is plenty of room for minor cults, but they are minor in the big scheme of things!

These numbers are for all of Sartar, including the Far Place.

Now this all adds up though, and helps create a lot more diversity in places like Sartar. So even though some three-fifths of the population are initiates of Orlanth or Ernalda – and the leaders of those cults are the leaders of tribal and urban communities, there are still plenty of smaller independent cults that play an important role.

Note that I find it easier to refer to Yelmalio as Yelmalio, rather than Antitrust, Kargzant, Elmal etc.

Yinkin has much less adherents than Maran, Babeester or Eurmal? Yes. The Earthquake Goddess, the Avenging Daughter, and the Trickster all have larger independent cults than the cat god or the bear god in Sartar. But their cults are smaller than say the Cattle Goddess.

  1. Maran Gor, Babeester Gor, and Ty Kora Tek are the dangerous, malevolent, and death-bringing masks of the Earth Goddess. Where Ernalda is important, they are going to be there as well.
  2. Dragon Pass is seismically active. I’ve lived in earthquake zones for much of my life, and believe me, if you have a lot of earthquakes, the Earthquake Goddess is going to be very important.

Note that Daka Fal has a LOT of lay members but comparatively few dedicated initiates. You offer proper respect to the ancestors, but you are not THEM. For most people, the ancestors show up as they do (probably connected with Ty Kora Tek’s cult) but they are not how you survive in the world – that is the gods. The Daka Fal initiates are those who focus solely on the ancestors. They are good to have around, but they are a little weird, except when you really need the magic they have.

How does worship work on a pantheon level? If you are an Orlanth initiate, you worship Ernalda, Chalana Arroy, Eurmal, Issaries, Lhankor Mhy, Mastakos, Storm Bull, etc. as associates. If you are an Ernalda initiate, you worship Orlanth, Yelmalio, Aldrya, Asrelia, Babeester Gor, Eiritha, Flamal, Maran Gor, Ty Kora Tek, Doria, etc. as associates. You might also be a lay member of Humakt or some other cult that is friendly to that cluster of gods, but not associated.

What are the lesser lunar cults? Anything not the Seven Mothers.

Jeff Richard

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Argan Argar, Asrelia, Babeester Gor, Cult demographics, Daka Fal, Eurmal, Gustbran, Invisible God, Lanbril, Maran Gor, Odayla, Sartar (homeland), Ty Kora Tek, Waha, Yinkin

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