There are some 1200 initiates of the Seven Lightbringers in New Pavis, fully a third of the adult residents in the city. Now more than half are Orlanth initiates, and Orlanth is the patron deity of Sartarite settlers. But the other Lightbringers are significant as well.
Temple Court in New Pavis reflects the cosmic order, with temples of the Lightbringers, as well as Ernalda, all arranged around the courtyard.
Lhankor Mhy
Lhankor Mhy has some 200 initiates in the city, and their temple is the greatest library in Prax. Scribes, scholars, administrators, and bureaucrats, the initiates contribute greatly to the cultural life of the city. We might think about New Pavis as filled with adventurers, thieves, and mercenaries, but it is also a major producer of literature – including poetry, drama, historiography, magic, mathematics, biography, and even fiction!
The cult also teaches reading and writing, and literacy rates are surprisingly high. as much as one in three adults are literate. The cult keeps itself neutral in most conflicts, providing Knowledge to all (at least to all who can pay their price). Nonetheless, the cult is closely associated with the Orlanth cult and the other Lightbringers.
Issaries
Issaries has an equally large cult, with at least 200 initiates residing in the city. The cult has a two story Trade Temple, with shrines to Issaries and Etyries, where merchants can store and sell goods. The Trade Temple faces Founders Market, a daily market where locals buy goods and food. Exotic foods and goods can be bought there for ridiculous prices. Also facing the Founder’s Market are the Market Administration Building, the Lokarnos Temple, and the Guild Hall.
The Issaries cult overlaps with the Merchant Guild. The merchants of Pavis determine all prices in the city. Their opinions have much weight and can prevail against public opinion or real need, sometimes causing suffering and bad blood. The guild acts in concert whenever the economic stability of the city is threatened. If only a portion of the financial stability is threatened, the guild will act divisively. Portions of the guild are controlled by the major families, and other portions by families trying to become important. The shifting alliances within the guild mirror the city at large.
Chalana Arroy
Chalana Arroy has less than 100 dedicated initiates within New Pavis, but the cult is greatly loved by all. The temple is a large single story building that serves as a place of healing, cleansing, and succor for all, regardless of cult affiliation.
The cult’s strict requirements of non-violence, mercy, and vegetarianism stand out in the violent, vengeful, and meat-eating world of Prax. Few can live up to the cult’s strict demands. But perhaps in part because of that, the cult is loved by others – even by warlike cults such as Orlanth and Storm Bull.
Eurmal
The clown society is active in post-Liberation New Pavis, and Tricksters participate in many rites and rituals of the other Lightbringers cults. The cult was suppressed during the Lunar Occupation – however, it now enjoys the protection of Argrath, who gave the cult the Seven Mothers temple.
Clowns violate sacred laws freely while they carry out their ritual roles, and the ritual attire of the tricksters is easy to see. They are protected by the Lightbringers cult, especially the Orlanth cult.
See also:
Besides the Lhankor Mhy cult, what other cults and cultures also teach reading, writing and mathematics? None at that level. Most traders are likely illiterate, unless they were taught by Lhankor Mhy initiates. Given that there are a lot of LM initiates in New Pavis, they certain possess the ability to be taught literacy. There’s some 200 initiates of LM in the city, which means that there are plenty of potential teachers.
Tradetalk has a written component, and it is used in some commercial agreements, etc. But in general, it is much easier to get instruction in literacy from the Lhankor Mhy cult than from Issaries – it IS what they do after all. And many rely on scribes to draft agreements and writings.
So in New Pavis, probably most merchants have some amount of literacy. A few are very literate. But they likely learned to read and write in a Lhankor Mhy temple. They learn to speak other languages at the Issaries temple.
Does the vegetarianism of Chalana Arroy initiates have a negative impact on relationships with Aldryami? The Aldryami are also vegetarians. The CA cultists don’t eat Aldryami – but then again, no human culture does.