Illumination and suns

From: Peter Metcalfe, CAPE Canty <CHEN190_at_cantva.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 1995 17:18:49 +1300


Alex Ferguson:

>>>The big difference between the Second Age and
>>>the Lunar (and the Golden) Empire is that the civil and religious
>>>authorities in the former time are hostile to it, and in the latter
>>>are friendly.

>>Not really. Sarenesh instituted an Order of Illumination composed of
>>Eight Schools (not illumination but Nysalorean Cults, IMO).

>I haven't read TFS, so my dope may possibly not be the straightest, but
>nothing I've seen quoted from it counters my view that in the 2nd Age,
>there's fewer people seeking Illumination, fewer people spreading it,
>and more people attempting to suppress it, than in the other-mentioned
>periods.

Which is quite a different thing from saying the authorities were uniformly _hostile_ to Illumination during the second age which they weren't. Somethings they encouraged it, other times they purged it. The attitude towards it varied depending on the political situation.

>And if Peter's parenthical O is correct, this contradicts the premise
>of his Attempted Greg, methinks.

Que? They are called the Order of Illumination and they claim inspiration from Nysalor. It makes them illuminated in the _inquisitors_ eyes, does it not?

>>These were
>>allegedly responsible for the three generations of peace but were ultimately
>>blamed for causing the collaspe of Dara Happa to carmania through internal
>>corruption.

>If this charge is correct, then Illumination must have been fairly
>readily achievable during said three generations, no? No Illumination,
>no resultant social problem.

Not necessarily. The Order was used to pacify the public. I think they were philosophers who investigate new philosophies and adapted them into the existing social order. If the Scholars had stated that there was nothing wrong with dualism (y'know a Carmanian Thing) then the resistance of the population to the thought of Carmanian rule would have diminished. This would be independant of the fact whether the Order were illuminates or whether illumination was easily obtainable.

>> The change in the ease of achieving Illumination was due to the
>> Red Goddess bringing speaking to Nysalor, IMO.

>I don't think this is the case, since one does reach reach Illumination
>via the Red Goddess's cult, or, apparently, any other specifically Lunar
>cult.

No, you misunderstand. She brought back a technique which other illuminates have since copied and made part of their philosophy. Think of companies in the same field stealing each others secrets to remain competitive.

>And nor should one have to; why should an internal revelation
>from personal practical experience about the external universe be
>dependant on a theistic cult's twiddlings with the God Plane?

Que? We're talking about the techniques for bringing around that personal relevation. Let us say before the Red Goddess came the standard questions were only worth half a percentage point each to achieving illumination. Now she has brought the new and improved formula and the questions are worth one percentage point. The Impact of Illumination is still the same.

Tom Zunder:


>If the Aldryami Sun God didn't fight Zorak Zoran at some time then
>I'm a monkey's uncle.

I was thinking that when ASG arose in Fronela, he fought a local troll diety, perhaps (Shankgaro, Uzlord of the West, is my favourite). Zorak Zoran, IMO, achieved Troll Dominance because Arkat was such a big fanboy of his.

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