> Peter, Peter and Kevin have summarized mystics excellently.
>
Forgive my intercession here at the end of things.
> Remember also that in the East Isles where mysticism is
> probably most spread, the great mystic founders were active
> in the God Cycle, ie in a very distant mythic age. Very, very
> few mystic schools will have kept their strict purity of
> practice.
>
Correct. Some of them claim to, but many don't even claim that. They have a later hero who learns "the easier way" or the "way or the way" or whatever, which carves away the nonsense of the Ancient Master to teach the initiate the Real Stuff, which also often has nifty side benefits along the way. Side benefits that other people would recognize as magic, in fact, as magic that manifests through one of three media: spirits, sorcery or god-like, although such recognitions are neither necessary or, frankly, likely. Each discilpline will have the magic of their own way. It would be nice to have some logic and fun story behind all this stuff of course. And I can tell you that I know there are martial arts challenges between schools on the mundane level, and that the great heroes of today can go and battle the great of ancient times. No one has ever defeated the First Mystic, who does not ever even move but always wins.
> I think there are many mystic schools which include elements
> of worship, which give the practitioners magic powers, but
> ultimately make their mystic progress slower and more
> difficult (as Peter Metcalfe suggests for martial artists).
>
I agree.
And the best that most schools can do to explain this is to say, "Prove this
interesting fact, please. Even the ancient legends say only one in a
thousand truly understands, and of those who understand only one in a
thousand truly Is. Have we had a million masters to your claim?"
--
Greg Stafford
Game Designer
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