Re: August Dragon & other Kraloreliana

From: Nils Weinander <nilsw_at_ibm.net>
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 22:54:59 +0100


Stephen:
> An only marginally related question -- does anyone think that the August
> Dragon of Kralorela is either a previous emperor in retirement, or a
> future emperor waiting for his turn?

I think he is neither, but rather a being who turned down being emperor, but progressed to dragonhood anyway. Maybe, it is even older than the dragon emperors. A wild idea just occurred to me. What if the August Dragon is Aptanace the Sage turned into a dragon?

> ** Despite the reckless practices of certain incautious people on the
> Digest, it is established religious procedure in Kralorela, and is really
> only proper and respectful, to always include the full honorific to the
> name of Emperor Shang-hsa-may-his-name-be-cursed. Abbreviations of this
> title are insufficient to ward off his dangerous influence, and result in
> harm to the Empire and our great Emperor
> Godunya-may-his-skin-become-ever-golder. Y'all have been warned!

Once you have seen past the Paradox of the Void, you will know beyond knowing that honorifics are just added layers of the illusion. But you are right that they may be educational to the un-enlightened.

Stephen:

>I am not sure that there is any way for you, me, or anyone to know this.
>Since we know nothing at all about 1st Age Kralorela, how can you say
>that the current 3rd Age version is based on the FDR stuff?

Peter:
>Secondly the idea that the Exarchs after the War in Heaven turned
>the clock back to arrive at first age style government seems to me
>implausible.

For once I agree with Peter about Kralorela, but then again I agree with Stephen as well :-/ I think there is an important distinction to make here. I agree with Peter that government and organization in the third age probably are a lot more like those of the FDR than of whatever was done in the first age.

However, it is very unlikely that culture and magic have changed much. The Kralorelan way is to disarm foreign influences by assimilating them and having them dissipate in the huge mass of the native stuff. I'm loathe to bring up real world parallells, but look at Chine: there were the mongol and manchu dynasties, but the culture and religion remained. The invaders were quickly taken into the chinese fold. Even the communist culture revolution proved unsuccessful.

Genertela Book, p. 22:

	"The civilization is ancient, based upon
	Golden Age customs long lost to the rest
	of the world."

Stephen:

>If Godunya had existed for much longer than we suppose, perhaps
>throughout the entire time of the FDR, it could be that the False Dragon
>Emperor (FDE) gained power only by "imitation" of the hidden True Dragon
>Emperor (TDE).

- -..

Peter:
>Why do we need to suppose all this? All this does is perpetuate
>the myth of that the Old Ways are All Good and the Ways of the
>Invaders are All Bad.

- -..
>Why should Kralorela somehow be ultimately pure and
>untainted by the foreigners? Wouldn't it be more _interesting_ if
>people knew but rarely discussed the possibility that the Dragon's
>Awakening Shudder was caused by the Old NDR Emperor passing on having
>ruled wisely for many years.

Wouldn't it be more interesting if there _was_ one exception, one nation where tradition really _is_ unbroken?


Leaving Kralorela, I have now updated one of my East Isles web pages with pictures (photos!) of the Korolan Isles:

http://www.geocities.com/Paris/8689/korola.html



Nils Weinander | Everything is dust in the wind nilsw_at_ibm.net | http://www.geocities.com/Paris/8689

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