[Discuss] Changing class to priest in another realm

[Lyman Stone]

> That's easy to *say*, James, but it doesn't work that way.  The  
> problem is that the other realms simply *assume* that you're  
> working for your government, no matter how much you try to tell  
> them otherwise.  Believe me, I know.  I've tried.
>
> And, of course, if they've already decided that you're working for  
> your government and trying to give them more power, they're not  
> going to believe a word you say to the contrary, because naturally  
> you'd say anything to be allowed to preach and spread your power,  
> and thus that of your government.
>
> And to those--including Tom--who believe that it will only be a  
> short time before the leaders of the religions decide that they can  
> have more power if they break away from their relationships with  
> their realms--have you seen the way people play these days?  The  
> realm is *everything*.  For some people--especially on the EC-- 
> they've been in that realm, working hard to support it, for RL  
> *years*.  They're not going to give that up just because they're  
> now the head of, essentially, the Ministry of Peasant Control.
>
> There needs to be something that will encourage them to do so,  
> beyond simply the power they can have.  If personal power were the  
> main issue, we'd have seen a *LOT* more Dukes seceding on EC and  
> Atamara over the past year or so.

For the record, I've found a multi-national religion relatively easy  
to get going... Qyrvaggism has believers on every concievable side of  
the wars in southern and eastern Beluaterra. Fronen, Enweil, RoF,  
Riombara, Luz de Bia, KoA for a little while (maybe we still do? Not  
totally sure), Irombrozia... then we also have a few noble scattered  
around in other nations.

But, it is important to note that a national religion is, and will  
always be, more powerful than a multinational one. Or, more  
correctly, multi-side. If Qyrvaggism had strong state support from  
any sizeable nation (or, really, any nation) everything would be  
much, much simpler. Then on the other hand, religions with state  
backing spread like wildire because everybody joins'em, the  
government pays for temples, and priesthood becomes very important.

The Ministry of Peasant control = Roman Catholic Church of the Middle  
Ages

Naturally, that isn't all it was... but it was a big part.

Breaking away from national support will never increase a religion's  
power. Secularization of society has never made a religion stronger.  
By definition, it removes religious influence. If characters were  
playing for personal power we would have a plethora of city states-  
all with their own state religions.