[Glorantha] Thoughts on souls and the afterlife

[Stephen Tempest]

Forgive me if this has been discussed before, but... what exactly
happens when you die?

Going by Storm Tribe p87, an Orlanthi soul first goes to the Court of
Silence - this journey takes a week.  But where is the Court of
Silence - the Underworld?  

As part of this process, most people lose their individuality and
become an undifferentiated Ancestor.  (Per RQ, they lost 1/7 of their
individual personality for each day in the underworld, as I recall.)

After judgement, the soul then goes to Storm Home to dwell alongside
the Gods (until eventual reincarnation, in most cases).  I assume that
this is on the Godplane - the Theistic Otherworld. Does this mean that
any non-theistic parts of the worshipper's personality are lost or
stripped away in order to allow them to enter the Godplane?  This, of
course, raises the awkward question of Kolatings who have spirits, not
souls - presumably they do *not* go to the same Storm Home, but to an
animist version of it on the Spirit Plane?  Or do they have to endure
an afterlife with the Alien World Penalty affecting them?

Why is the Underworld normally thought of as 'the place of the dead'
if most souls go to the Godplane instead?  Is it just because they
pass through there temporarily on their journey to the Otherworlds?

Finally, some speculation.  In the mortal world everything is mixed -
so a theist has a soul, but presumably also a small amount of spirit
and essence.  Concentrating on a religion purifies the soul, by
ridding it of these extra elements.  But what happens to them then?
Do they simply disappear, or get absorbed/transformed into Soul?  Are
they still present, but suppressed by a continuing act of will?  Do
they return to their Otherworld?  Or do they become very minor
independent essences and spirits, which can plague the homestead and
cause minor poltergeist activity and bad luck?  

Also, if a person concentrates on Theism, are they actually losing
part of their personality? (The spiritual and essential parts.) In
extreme cases, would they act as if Tapped or, to use a modern
analogy, lobotomised or tranquillised, because they have sacrificed a
vital part of their essence and spirit?  (If so, I'd guess that
Orlanthi would regard their new behaviour as a sign of their intense
holiness and disregard for the mortal world, rather than seeing it as
an entirely bad thing.  Even so, it suggests another reason why most
people don't Concentrate...)

Plus, if when someone dies their pure Soul goes to the Godplane, the
same question arises.  Do the spiritual and essential parts of them go
to the Spirit World and Solace?  Or do they just fade to nothing?

Clarification or expansion on these ideas is welcome... and if I've
made any fundamental misassumptions, please let me know.

Stephen