considering a scenario where Shala ended up implementing a totalitarian state after the Battle of Luthcheq (there were many steps taken to get to this point), as a Mulan, could one of these steps be enforce the… …Mulhorandi pantheon in Chessenta and forbid the rest?
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 3, 2020
1)
That would be a mistake. Belief runs deep in Chessenta, as elsewhere. If a ruler forbids worship of non Mulhorandi-pantheon deities, they’ll only succeed in driving it underground (not necessarily literally; done in secret)… 2)
…AND in giving everyone a “righteous” resentment of the ruler. Enforcement would be nigh-impossible. If worshippers are caught and punished/executed as “examples,” unrest would result, and many cults dedicated to overthrow of…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 3, 2020
3)
…the ruler would gather support and vigor. Chessenta’s trade with the wider Realms (which it has always depended on, for its prosperity and standard of living) would suffer (it would be shunned by many traders), and so on.4)
A sane ruler, no matter how tyrannical their instincts or ruling style, likely “wouldn’t go there” in the first place. Making worship of the Mulhorandi gods a favored, government-supported (portion of taxes goes to those…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 3, 2020
5)
…temples) “state religion” WITHOUT forbidding worship of other deities would be more likely to work.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 3, 2020