Ancestor Worship and Daka Fal

[Godlearner]

What is the specific difference between Ancestor Worship (as described in GoG) and Daka Fal (RQG). Are these two cutls/traditions interchangeble specifically in regard to Rune spells offered?

[David Scott]

Assuming you mean Cults of RuneQuest - Lightbringers. The Daka Fal cult gives regional ancestor cult examples which are basically Daka Fal with a different name, some additional rune spell(s) and in some cases associate cults.

[Techpriest]

Use ancestor cults as an example of 'how do I add rune spells to Daka Fal that makes sense.' For example, if you want to represent an ancestor cult of a great hero of the culture, take the Daka Fal cult as a baseline, and then add in rune spells and change associations around to match what you're looking for. You want an ancestor cult to say, Heort? He's associated with stags, with Orlanth, with the Second Son, and I Fought We Won. He took his staff of Law from Gagarth. Heort's rune associations are Man, Mastery, and Air in the prosepedia. 

This means you would run him as an ancestor cult of Daka Fal, but with an association with the Orlanth cult (so his spirit magic from his shamans tends to be from the Orlanth list), and Orlanth provides Lightning to his stubborn but favored founder of Orlanthi clans in Dragon Pass. He'd also likely provide his own rune magic, likely Detect Honor, or a spell similar to 'Summon Son of Votank' which summons one of Heort's successors from Orlanth's halls to help out. This wouldn't be a very powerful (or common) shamanic cult, but they'd likely be involved with keeping law records and acting as lawspeakers - after all, they can directly ask the ancestors who knew Heort what his rulings might have been.

For me at least, this is how I would do it. You could likely do something similar with other long dead heroes and important figures that haven't achieved godhood themselves. Colymar might have a nascent ancestor cult too, considering at least six clans can directly claim him as a blood related ancestor. YGWV, after all. I do hope we see some ancestor cults in the homeland books. 

[Jeff]

7 minutes ago, Techpriest said:

Use ancestor cults as an example of 'how do I add rune spells to Daka Fal that makes sense.' For example, if you want to represent an ancestor cult of a great hero of the culture, take the Daka Fal cult as a baseline, and then add in rune spells and change associations around to match what you're looking for. You want an ancestor cult to say, Heort? He's associated with stags, with Orlanth, with the Second Son, and I Fought We Won. He took his staff of Law from Gagarth. Heort's rune associations are Man, Mastery, and Air in the prosepedia. 

This means you would run him as an ancestor cult of Daka Fal, but with an association with the Orlanth cult (so his spirit magic from his shamans tends to be from the Orlanth list), and Orlanth provides Lightning to his stubborn but favored founder of Orlanthi clans in Dragon Pass. He'd also likely provide his own rune magic, likely Detect Honor, or a spell similar to 'Summon Son of Votank' which summons one of Heort's successors from Orlanth's halls to help out. This wouldn't be a very powerful (or common) shamanic cult, but they'd likely be involved with keeping law records and acting as lawspeakers - after all, they can directly ask the ancestors who knew Heort what his rulings might have been.

For me at least, this is how I would do it. You could likely do something similar with other long dead heroes and important figures that haven't achieved godhood themselves. Colymar might have a nascent ancestor cult too, considering at least six clans can directly claim him as a blood related ancestor. YGWV, after all. I do hope we see some ancestor cults in the homeland books. 

Except that Heort is not worshiped as an ancestor. Heck, I am not sure he really receives "cult" outside of acknowledgement as Flesh Man. He's too tied to Orlanth to separate him. We walk in his path as mortal men - that's the Orlanthi initiation rites - but the Orlanthi don't summon his spirit independently of the Orlanth cult. We don't wield his power - his powers are ours already.

[Techpriest]

13 minutes ago, Jeff said:

Except that Heort is not worshiped as an ancestor. Heck, I am not sure he really receives "cult" outside of acknowledgement as Flesh Man. He's too tied to Orlanth to separate him. We walk in his path as mortal men - that's the Orlanthi initiation rites - but the Orlanthi don't summon his spirit independently of the Orlanth cult. We don't wield his power - his powers are ours already.

He isn't? I'm actually surprised by that. Thanks for the explanation though Jeff. 

[Godlearner]

My issue at the moment is that Daka Fal grants all Common divine to his worshippers. Does that mean that worship of ones clan's ancestors gives the sme access?

What about a merman, can he worship Magasta as an ancestor and gain these spells as well?

[Richard S.]

19 minutes ago, Godlearner said:

My issue at the moment is that Daka Fal grants all Common divine to his worshippers. Does that mean that worship of ones clan's ancestors gives the sme access?

Yes. Daka Fal is the default form of ancestor worship.

19 minutes ago, Godlearner said:

What about a merman, can he worship Magasta as an ancestor and gain these spells as well?

No, because Magasta isn't an ancestor of the Triolini.

[David Scott]

11 minutes ago, Godlearner said:

My issue at the moment is that Daka Fal grants all Common divine to his worshippers. Does that mean that worship of ones clan's ancestors gives the sme access?

Yes if you are an ancestor worshipping initiate, not a lay member. Few will actually be initiates and if they are, that will be their main source of common Rune magic.

11 minutes ago, Godlearner said:

What about a merman, can he worship Magasta as an ancestor and gain these spells as well?

Magasta isn't one or the Mer-ancestors, so no (see Mythology 130). But for Mirintha, Ancestor of Mertribes (Prosopaedia 85), likely yes. But worshiping a deity as an ancestor is going to be a completely different focus that the deity as its major facet. The examples in Lightbringers just give an extra Rune spell or two, not an entire array of magic.