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Originally Posted by Disliker of the mary sue
Hm I just wondering how exactly would such a thing be organized with temples and the resources to train clerics to begin with if your main worshipers are traveling mistrals and thieves people who probably can't have a public church.
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If you are a chaotic god of a socially unpopular (and highly mobile) group of people, why would you want organized temples?
There's a tendency for fantasy religions to fit the pattern of medieval Christianity, but Christianity is a serious outlier really. Other than some strands of Chinese traditional religion and occasional and largely unsuccessful efforts of various empires (Egypt, Rome, Japan) to force sort of more controllable hierarchy on the faithful, every temple, monastery, roadside shrine or individual teacher is independent, and the bulk of people's religious activity takes place inside their households, not at temple services.
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are their real life equivalent temples to gods of thieving and debauchery?.
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Debauchery sure. Debauchery is a popular activity, well able to attract large congregations eager to participate in the annual orgy or monthly get blind drunk celebration or whatever. Theft not so much.
Part of the problem is that real gods aren't often gods *of* something, they are just gods. You can pray to any of them for anything you like. Some gods will develop reputations for being more likely to respond favorably to prayers for something in particular, but it's unusual for them to become completely exclusive. The way you become the thief god is usually for your myth to include you stealing something yourself. Thieves who need some divine help will figure you are more likely to be sympathetic than the stern god of justice whose gaze destroys the imperfect, and ask you instead of him. If they then get lucky, hey you must have blessed them. In principle once you develop a rep for helping thieves your respectable worshippers could go elsewhere, but that doesn't actually happen much. The other major route is that gods tend to run in families. And so do professions. The favorite god of the fellow who just happened to be the most successful brothel owner around here a century ago, and who set up several of his sons and grandsons in the trade, may not have originally been the god of brothel-keepers, but he is now.