Vadeli in Umathela

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_bigfoot.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 16:32:59 +1300


David Dunham:

> > Why wouldn't the Vadeli would teach evil, twisted cults to corrupt
> > the hearts and minds of innocent Orlanthi-in-the-woods?

>Well, they would if they could. But they have been denounced for
>their attempt to pass themselves off as gods.

You make it sound as there was a Umathelan authority capable of stopping the Vadeli peddling Dark Secrets and one capable of discerning the truth.

Look at it from the Umathelan PoV. The Vadeli show up as "messengers of the god Dormal sent to rule the land and save the inhabitants from the sins of their ancestors". Since the Vadeli are immortal and are bringing the cult of Dormal that does have visible benefits (namely opening the oceans), who's to say that their claims are false? As for being sent to rule, even the Spanish had a legitimate (from their PoV) excuse to conquer the Incas and the Aztecs and I have no doubt that the Vadeli could have importuned Dormal with a bribe.

The fall of the Vadeli is not because their claims were false but because they were too greedy and the Umathelans found an alternative to the Vadeli monopoly.

>I think their attempts
>at corruption have been rooted out after their defeat (and I think
>they would have attempted to influence the coastal Malki, rather than
>the backwoods barbarians).

Well the cult of Dormal that they brought is still there and the Vadeli don't have any scuples about who they corrupt.

Powered by hypermail