I can't deny that the older material definitely does specifically call out her folio covering all forms of anguish and suffering, including the mental and psychological, and while the newer lore we have doesn't focus on that as much, it does still mention it. I do want to mention: "If they make a full recovery, did you even damage them particularly much?" No - that's the point though; damage and suffering are not the same thing. Any permanent damage you do is a form of suffering you cannot inflict again, and yes, a lasting maim may lead to continuing difficulties and anguish over life, but people have an alarming resilience to nomralising and adapting to such things, so they offer fairly poor diminishing returns. Better not to cause permanent damage, and so leave your supplicant able to experience afresh every type of torment you can inflict, again and again, over and over. the book in Abdirak's alcove, for example, talks about this in brief, and suggests switching what you're doing if your supplicant risks lasting damage in one area. Pulled out fingernails will grow back in a way that a maimed and crushed hand will not.
This difference in ideology, or the way we view things, however, is exactly the sort of thing that explains why there are different sects of worship within a deity's clergy - different enclaves that worship and practice differently, with different views on the overall ideology of worship for their deity. I believe that you're right, absolutely, in that many sects of her followers would worship and practice as you describe. I also believe that I'm right too, and that some sects would worship and practice more along the lines I envision. I think that the fact that the current lore talks about there being differences of practice between different sects supports this - not all sects draw their supplicants solely from the willing, especially in places where ensalvement is acceptable - but by extension, the fact that they say "not all" does necessarily mean that there are also sects that do. I feel that Abdirak's behaviour seems to fall more in line with the latter. Perhaps it's even possible that he sought out a different sect after deciding that the permanent damage and debilitation he was building up in his original one was an inefficient way to worship his mistress?
I don't know why I objected to masochists following Sharess before - I think I was thinking on the history she has with both Shar and Loviatar, and was presuming she'd avoid that staunchly these days as a result... but as someone who is quite familiar with D/s interplay in an intimate and sexual setting, and as a sub (apologies for overshare), I admit that it would be very remiss of me to suppose that such tastes in pleasure wouldn't be catered to by her. Of course they would...
The concept of followers of Loviatar specifically targeting followers of Sharess as sexual presators - and deliberately seeking to scar and traumatise, in a way that turns any association of the thing that was part of their worship and pleasure, into torment and trauma.. is an interesting - if terribly dark - concept that I could see being a thing. I don't imagine many games would have the maturity and desire to tackle it, but in a realms-lore discussion, yes, I'd absolutely imagine that to be something that might occur.
Last edited by Niara; 30/01/21 11:44 PM.
