The Southern Hemisphere's own "Killer Kiwi" Metcalfe writes:
>And some Theyalans including the Dorastans were still in contact
>with the Dari Alliance. The Heortlings OTOH are seperated by the
>Mislari Mountains. Nysaloran influences would have been spread
>through the secrets of Lightbringing and so I repeat Arkat the
>Knight would have seen Theyalan influences as Gbajite and would
>have no reason to suspect (until Harmast) that one could distinguish
>between Lightbringing and Illumination.
I disagree with you here, Peter. The Theyalan missionaries of the first two centuries or so had a very different from Nysalor. The Theyalans explained the new world that heralded the Dawn and showed that the gods had returned from the Darkness. The folk of the original Unity Council knew or learned of something special, for they lived in harmony with the gods of old as well. They remembered how to sacrifice to the gods -- some sacrificed to Argan Argar during the Darkness, some to Elmal, etc -- and understood that their sacrifices are what allowed their gods to come back to life. (ie- that feather at Orlanth's worst moment, etc.)
They went out to others and said, "Perform [this] ceremony, and [this]
happens because the gods can be seen and dealt with." So they taught the
Unity Battle and Lightbringers myths (but not the IFWW). The missionaries
maintained their original connections with their clans and tribes, and it
was common for the
missionaries to be scouting new territory for their expanding clans. No
doubt inumberable of these intrepid individuals switched right from
missionary to High Priest or Chief of a newly found clan. Not all folk who
listened to the missionaries and learned their secrets joined the Unity
Council - many did not. But in this manner the Theyalan way was spread,
or, to put it culturally, the Theyalan Missionaries were spreading "Join
Orlanth and be one of us," though not necessarily "join Second Son and be
one of US." They consecrated the places where they discovered that Orlanth
and Ernalda had been, blessed markets where they found Issaries had been,
etc. .
Now the Nysalorian revelation (or, dare we say, Illumination) was something quite different from this, if no less powerful. Nysalor revealed things even to people who spurned to the Theyalan message - like the folk of Dara Happa or even the Malkioni. Nysalor was not dependent upon the centuries old shrines to Orlanth and the Lightbringers - Nysalor introduced some abstract principles, and taught people the practical application of them (mostly via new cults), which allowed a TRANSCULTURAL unity.
In other words, the Nysalorian influences would have been spread through an appeal to higher, abstract principles which were transcultural - not through the secrets of the Lightbringers or the Reascendant Yelm or through the Doctrine of Solace, but in a manner that resonated with all three. Despite his fanaticism, Arkat should easily have been able to distinguish that from the old Theyalan cult. What Arkat the Knight must have tried to eradicate was anything that appealed to transcultural unity - certainly not the pagan spring rites of the lowland Ralians. Of course, his Anti-Gbaji Crusade was just such a transcultural appeal. :)
Jeff
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