Immanent Mastery and Tuskriders

From: Peter Metcalfe <P.Metcalfe_at_student.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: Thu, 05 Jun 1997 13:09:58 +1200


Simon Bray:

>2) PoIM is a source of the Five Dragon Warriors, Godunya's bodyguard.

I don't think so. It is a bit too easy to become a 'Dragon' via Immanent Mastery and the resulting Dragon is no tougher than a Winged Dragonewt. The ease of the Path is the main reason why the Mandarins call it False. I would imagine Godunya's bodyguards are at least Dragonet in ability. Hence IMO the Five Dragon Warriors are those who attain Draconic Status via the more difficult path of the state mystical school.

>I believe that PoIM is controlled by having state ruled monasteries.

IMO Kralorela is far too huge and the Mandarins too few for potentially subversive cults to be state-controlled. The Tongs literally run the underworld and the Mandarins can't even stop cannibal cultists prowling the streets at night! The Cult is stated in the GoG to be a cult with a large number of adherents among the lower classes. From this, I imagine the cult to be a alternative mystical path for those who are too poor, too dumb and/or too worldly to succeed in the socially acceptable paths. It is a safety valve for the energies of people dissatisfied with their place in life.

So how do the Mandarins control the cult if they get out of hand? IMO the answer lies in the recreation of the War in Heaven ceremonies. The draconic students (hundreds of them exist according to Elder Secrets) issue challenges to the Path cultists and they square off in ritualistic duels. The draconic students usually win because they are morally superior to the Path (and also because of biased referees, covert magical support etc). However some cultists can suffer 'accidents' in these duels...

>(Are the cliffs of Chu, Kralorela's Gods Wall?)

If it were, it would have been defaced in Shang-Hsa's crusade. Perhaps it was discovered afterwards and was used by the New Dragons Ring to remake Kralorela?

Erich Schmidt:


>With the mention of the Kitori, I started to think about the Tusk
>Riders. I believe that their origins are not documented. When did
>they first appear?

The first mention of Tusk Riders is after the Dragonkill War when they start fighting with other Trolls over Dragon Pass. KoS describes them as Boar-Trolls who formed the nobility of the uz in the Stinking Forest and omits any mention of their supposed human interbreeding. Only of the similarity of the Tusk Rider skull (cf trollpak) to the human prevents me from asserting outright that they are a product of breeding with their boars.

The Tuskers themselves were been domesticated by Aram-ya-Udram who was Kero FIn's lover during the Silver Age and wrought the Ivory Plinth from the bones of Gouger. Their riders prior to the Dragonkill were apparently human.

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