boomeranging words

From: Jeff Richard <jrichard_at_cnw.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 07:27:06 -0800


The "Killer Kiwi" and I are having an enjoyable row:

jr>I disagree with you here, Peter. The Theyalan missionaries of the first
>two centuries or so had a very different from Nysalor.
pm>But Arkat cannot be _aware_ of that when he enters Ralios! This would
>be on par with the First Crusaders distinguishing between Turks and
>Egyptians as they battle their way to Jerusalem.

Good analogy. Of course, Arkat had already shifted his world-view fairly dramatically by the - becoming a Seshnegi knight is a dramatic change for a Brithini Horal.

>And the Nysaloran influences came into the Dari Alliance via the
>World Council in Dorastor. And we've agreed that the essense of
>Lightbringing and other councilic beliefs in lowland Ralios was
>associated with the Orlanth cult, right? IMO the most likely people
>to be travelling between Karia (through heathen Vustria) into
>lowland Ralios to spread Nysaloran secrets would be Orlanthi from
>Dorastor. Therefore Nysaloran influences would _become_ associated
>with the cult of Orlanth in lowland Ralios regardless of whether
>his truths were capable of being understood outside that context.

But when a Dorastan Orlanthi travelled into lowland Ralios to preach of Nysalor's revelations, he wouldn't be talking about the Lightbringers - he'd be talking about High Storm, about various new abstract entities that didn't require a cultural context for understanding.

>Ergo the Cult of Orlanth is tainted as being a vessel for Gbajism
>in the eyes of Malkioni Crusaders and thus Arkat the Knight slices
>Windlords for his breakfast IMO. This makes his conversion to
>Humakt (and co-habitation with the Orlanthi!) even more shocking to
>the Ralians and the Seshnegi at the time which is a good thing
>and reinforces his betrayal.

I certainly like this image of betrayal. . .

>Of course I'm largely influenced by the wonderful argument of one
>J. Richard in Enclosure to the effect that 'Nysalor was a true son
>of Orlanth and Lokamayadon was his first priest!'

Throw my words back at me! Ouch!

jr>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.

hs>So why did Arkat wipe out the Unicorn Riders?

Because Unicorn Riders are one of the dopiest staples of cheap, hack-eyed Fantasy covers and deserved to be wiped out on purely aesthetic reasons?  Or perhaps because they were a small tribe and all fought for the Bright Empire?

Jeff


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