Anyway, while doing so, I got to thinking about the Shepherds of Rad, organized and secretly led by, of course, Etienne "Rad" d'Ambreville.
What struck me, though, was the timeline. The Shepherds and Temples of Rad are seemingly a very influential, or at least relatively widespread and innocuous aspect of Glantrian society- their answer to "religious worship" minus the paying homage to the Immortals.
But Rad as an Immortal didn't appear on/near Mystara until 979 AC- he couldn't have. By the timeline as established (most evidently) in Mark of Amber, but reinforced in other areas (PC4 was, I think the first "canonical" reference to the module X2 taking place in 979 AC)- that timeline has it that Etienne was not fully Immortal when he was "killed" by Henri and Catharine, thus sending the Chateau d'Ambreville and its inhabitants into the Land of Grey Mists (or, as I like to think of it, Ravenloft.
Etienne, upon his "resurrection" in 979 (module X2), is now the Immortal Rad. So he couldn't possibly have established the Temples of Rad until this date.
So does that make the Temples of Rad only about 21 years old c. 1000 AC (Gazetteer period)? They've gained a lot of influence in that time, but I guess I could see it happening. Probably the result of Rad attempting to gain power/followers by instituting a following in Glantri- a difficult task, considering the Glantrians non-clerical ways. Pretty insidious that he managed to pull it off, and especially while sticking to the "non-cleric" line, so that other Immortals cannot make an inroads.
Or- another possibility that intrigues me-
What if "Rad" merely subverted an existing organization? What if the Temples of Rad were in Glantri from an early age, preaching their "non-Immortal" sermon, and thus well-established in that nation by the time Etienne reappeared on the scene in 979 AC? And Etienne, newly Immortal, and seeking followers, merely "jumped in", gaining control/influence over the Temples of Rad by the establishment of the Order of the Radiance and their crystal balls? A ready-made following (it would help explain how he gained such a high Immortal level during only 21 years as well).
And- this appeals to my "More Sinister than Wacky" d'Ambreville mentality- what if Etienne subverted an organization that had been originally created by another d'Ambreville? One of his brothers, in fact? What if the Temples of Rad had originally been established by Simon "I've Always Been Evil Since X2, Despite Later Changes To Make Me Good" d'Ambreville?
See, my Simon is an evil cleric- one who cavorts with the Cthulhianic entities the family entreats with as alluded to in X2- and I was thinking that it would be deliciously ironic if he had established a "non-Immortal" worshipping group (the Temples of Rad), who were secretly backed by the Outer Beings, but that Etienne later subverted them to himself (as Rad). Heh, heh...
Anyway, thoughts on any parts of this stream of thought?
I never read X2 so I don't know about Etienne's brother turning from evil to good?
I do like the idea that the Temples and Shepherds existed before Etienne, because the Glantrians have been anti-religious since the law of 858 AC,when the wizards claimed sole power (or so I figure).
But the temples could easily have existed before then. We know the Flaems sensed the Radiance - even if they could not use/control it. They might have started the temples as a sort of scholarly club? It says in Gaz 3 that the shepherds practise "mantras and bizzare rituals meant to enhance the intellect". It could be that since the Etienne became immortal they also started hearing voices...?
However, it also says in Gaz 3 that Etienne founded the first temples and established their philosophy and that these facts can be researched at the library in Glantri City. Of course, we can just change that.
But it also says somewhere that each member of the Brotherhood of Radiance must found a new temple. And that raises a lot of new questions:
1) Is there only one temple for each member that ever existed?
2) Or does each member talk to the shepherds of their own temple and Etienne / Rad talk to the rest?
3) What about Angus and Brannart who live under the same roof? Do they have two temples side by side in Glenmoorloch?
4) If a member dies do the shepherds then never hear voices again?
This needs further contemplation...
:-) Jesper