Quote Originally Posted by treuhavik View Post
I like to think that not all monks, or Ala Mighans for that matter, saw Rahlgr as their personal deity, if they even subscribed to such a practice. Yes, Rahlgr, the Destroyer, was the gaurdian of Ala Mihgo, a military nation, and it's probable that the majority of its citizens favored him over the other members of the pantheon. But, adventurers aside, I think it's likely there were a healthy population that chose their own god(s) for their own reasons.

As for the Fists of Rahlgr, I would hold them to no other standard. The temple itself was dedicated to Rahlgr, but I highly doubt placing him above the other Twelve was a requirement for joining the order, where an aptitude for hand-to-hand combat was likely a far better, if not sole, qualifier. Ala Mihgo's main military power was in their lancer brigades and monks, and with their warmongering tendencies, I doubt there was much room to be that choosy when it came to recruits. Besides, the Fist of Rahlgr wasn't as religious as they were interested in honing their martial art. That is to say, praying to or serving the will of Rahlgr wasn't their agenda, it was becoming as destructive as possible and "drawing" that power from the Destroyer himself.

I speak in the past tense, of course, because not only is the temple no more and it's order disbanded (as far as the realm is concerned), but the worship of any deity in Ala Mihgo today is strictly forbidden by its Garlean occupants.
you are both right and wrong (king Theodoric said that he was the "chosen" of Nymia which is the reason he tried to destroy the fists of Rhalgr) and wrong when you state that the monks weren't religious as the reason he wanted them gone is because he feared that with them being the religious "center" of Ala Mhigo that they would gain more power and support from the people than him.