carmanian dualism

From: Loren Miller <loren_at_hops.wharton.upenn.edu>
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 1995 22:57:01 -0400


David Hall speculates:
>Thought One: To further explore the Light/Dark aspect, I reckon I'd have
>preferred to see two Carmanian war gods/aspects: one light and one dark. Based
>on Humakt's generally good press in terms of honour and truth I'd see him
as the
>Light. Maybe the the more bestial guys who accompanied Syranthir would embody
>the Dark aspect?

I have secret (mistaken?) knowledge that may affect this question. At one time there were two political factions in carmania: Individualists; and Socialists. The individualists believed that every person must embody the balance between light and dark. The socialists believed that society as a whole embodied the balance, and if society tipped too far to one side it was the individual's place to take the underdog side. If society gets too dark it's time to go light, and vice versa. The socialists got purged in the 11th century, and the individualists won the battle of ideas through inheritance.

Thus I think that each cult embodies both light and dark aspects. IMHO in Carmania Humakt embodies both light and dark aspects, but got unpopular for political reasons after the Lunar conquest for much the same reason that Etyries and Irripi Ontor made such great gains in the karmanos and vizir castes at the same time.

IMHO, YT is much the same as the Humakt cult, except for using curved swords, accepting resurrection, and losing the reusable finger o' death. In Carmania it has both a light and dark aspect, and some YTs must take geasa to always carry poison, never let a fallen foe live, murder a certain number of innocents per year, protect mallian disease-masters, and so on, just as the more standard YT geasa are also available. Naturally these geasa are mostly taken in dark, frigid Spol, not in happier climes.

>Thought Two: However, if Humakt is the Dark/Brutal side of the Carmanian
Empire,
>then might Yanafal Tarnils embody the Light/Honour? Maybe one secret of the
>Lunar victory might be that many of the Carmanian nobility saw the later
>Carmanian Empire as being wholly unbalanced towards the Dark and bestial side,
>and thus were happy to accept the Lunar Empire which was seen as embodying the
>light side - and balance!

Absolutely true, from a subjective point of view.

'Twere it not in the Guidesday lessons at the magistery when you were a pipsqueak? 'Twere in mine, certes, and I'm fain aulder than ye! I thought not that phashionne would change so greatly betwixt times as all that.

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