[Glorantha] Magician numbers

[Donald R. Oddy]

In message <Pine.GSO.4.58.0601081839370.18399 at paju.oulu.fi> Mikko Rintasaari writes:

>the one powerful individual includes the Bishops, but possibly also 
>heads of monasteries, other wizards that are magically (but not 
>politically) powerful and so on. There propably can't actually be a 
>bishop for every 1000 people afterall. A community of a thousand 
>people, afterall, would be a small town of 200 people, and the rural 
>villages and farms that support it.

There's going to be a lot more than a thousand people in a see
(which is the area ruled by a bishop). The population of medieval 
England was probably in the low millions and there are only 20-30 
see in the country which gives about 100,000 per see.

However to counterbalance that the bishop is only the head of a
large group of clergy many of who are superior to the average
parish priest. Then there are abbots, mother superiors and other
clergy who aren't in the main hierarchy. In Glorantha you've
also got magical specialists such as members of the wizardly
orders. Even low ranking members of those will qualify as
magically powerful individuals.

>It looks like the numbers work pretty well. Thank you again,

Agreed.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/