I'd add to Peters insightful summary that Illumination can be seen as an engagement by mysticism with theism, and is thus (by acknowledging theism), intrinsically very 'Manifest'.
At 10:07 PM +1300 16/11/00, Peter Metcalfe wrote:
> As a result of being illuminated,
>you achieve the realization that everybody is wrong. Real mystics
>view illuminates as cursed because they don't know how to refute
>these lies to find Nirvana.
Thats probably somewhat harsh, or at least a bit judgemental with that 'Real'. I don't think Lunar mystics view illuminates as intrinsically cursed, unless they receive no further training.
At 10:07 PM +1300 16/11/00, Peter Metcalfe wrote:
> What I think the situation
>is that illumination is a profound Cosmic Truth/Strike that has become
>divorced from any stabilizing Mystical Philosophy/Counter.
An illuminate can, IMO, be trained and develop a Mystic Philosophy/ Counter, and gain abilities (and a chance at Nirvana) from it. Abilities like the classic illuminate ones are likely. An illuminate that is illuminated and untrained from then on may gain nothing apart from the 'secret knowledge' (ie nothing in game terms but a troubled soul).
>I assume that illuminates still have the capacity to join multiple
>cults and the like to learn their powers (but do not have to devote
>their attention for theistic cults etc) but they are prevented
>from learning the secrets (and vice versa, people who learn secrets
>cannot become illuminated because they are already connected to
>the mystic realm - I'm basing this on the fourth paragraph of HW:RiG
>p166).
Not learning secrets seems reasonable. Not every practitioner gains access to secrets anyway, and illuminates have their own 'secrets'.
>The thing about becoming dark masters/bad guys is something else
>AFAIK. This stems from the destruction of one's great self for
>worldly power and is something that an illuminate could stumble
>on into doing.
And something that should be left as a moral issue, not a game mechanical one, IMO.
Cheers David
Powered by hypermail