From: Bryan J. Maloney (jacobus@sonata.cc.purdue.edu)
Date: Sun 10 Jul 1994 - 13:07:56 EEST
I'm handling the whole Yelmalio/Elmal thing this way:
Yelmalio is a recognized member of the Solar Pantheon of Dara Happa. He also happens to be or be very close to a deity who was a good friend of High Elf King during the Greater Darkness.
Elmal is the original sun deity of the pre-Godlearner religion of Kerofinela.
Now, are they "one and the same" or two different gods. From the point of view of my players, it's utterly and absolutely irrelevant for the following reason:
Changing from one cult to the other seems to bring no retribution. Why this might be the case is unknown.
Anyway, Yelmalio is worshipped in Sartar, Pavis, and among the more citified tribes of Prax. Orthodox Praxians worship Sun Hawk if they feel solar-ly inclined. This is extremely unusual, however, and most of the sun worship of the Praxian tribes is as a subcult/helper cult of Waha. It is also not unknown for a Praxian tribe that honors/worships the Sun-Dome inspired "Yelmalio" to integrate him into the religion as an "adopted god" who now follows the Way of Waha and gives his light powers to Waha to use. (Much like non-beast-riders can theoretically be adopted into the tribe if they prove themselves worthy.) He still has very few direct initiates in these tribes, and they aren't very "Yelmalic" according to a Sun Domer--especially since Yelmalio often plays a trickster role in these tribes. (He does ride a horse, after all--only a trickster/backwards person would do something like that.) Thus, Yelmalio is known for his cleverness and wit--after all, Zorak Zoran stole all his real power.
Anyway, enough Prax. In my Sartar/Tarsh campaign, Yelmalio is well-known in Sartar, where his worship has pretty much replaced Elmal. Yelmalions ARE conscious of this change. How do they explain it? "We are but feeble mortals, and prone to error. Monrogh be blessed for discovering the truth and setting us on the right path."
In Tarsh, Elmal worship is still common, but the Lunar authorities are actively promoting Yelmalio. The PCs have encountered a Tarshite who is travelling through Sartar to the Sun Dome there. He was sent there by his village to find out more about these "revelations" and bring information back to the elders.
Now, if you were to cast a divination as an Elmal priest asking "Are you truly Yelmalio?", the answer would be "the sun can be seen all over the world". If you were to cast the same divination as an Orlanth priest, Yelm priest, Yelmalio priest, etc. Same answer.
Of course the latest stir among the Sartarite Yelmalions has to be the ministry of Turnip Boy.
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