Re: Carmenia

From: K. Paul McDonald <paul_mcdonald_at_...>
Date: Tue, 23 May 2000 10:08:59 -0400


Hello again,

> From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_...>
> Subject: Re: Carmania
>
> Viziers and Magi are kinda complicated. There is Malakinus, a
> Carmanian order of sorcery given in the rulebook but it should
> be pointed out that this is a "Good Sorcery" school and the only
> sorcery that the Magi will learn. The Carmanians know that all
> other sorcery is corrupted by the Lie and the Magi forbid their
> study to most Carmanians, save the Viziers.

Humm... so only the Magi practice traditional (ie non-Lunar) Carmenian sorcery? If I understand correctly, there are only about 100 Magi in Carmenia, and most of them are probably in monasteries. Has the western idea of the House Wizard been abandoned by the Carmenians? I am assuming that the regular folk in towns and villages (Pelandan, Bendler, Spolite, ect) worship the local "good" gods. I was still assuming that although they typically worship other deities, most Carmenian lords have a chapel and Wizard (Vizier) devoted to Carmanian Malkionism. From what you are saying, it seems I should run the Carmenians as pretty close to typical polytheists, with a sort of remote acknowledgment of the Invisible God and its Saints and Prophets. Actual "Wizard" types are rare. Is this accurate?

Are members of the Vizier class solely sorcerers, or does the class include priests of the approved gods and goddesses of the Empire? In other words, would a Carmenian priest of Etyries be considered a member of the Vizier class?

> I only know of one name for an order, Fronalako.

Which, if I understand correctly, is a name originally applied by the Carmenians to the corrupt sorcery of the God Learners. At this point it time it probably is used as a derogatory term for all evil sorcery.

> Magi are much more complicated. They follow the Good God, Idovanus, Creator of
> the World and the Truth.

Humm... is Idovanus the Invisible God, or a Great God one step below Him?

> They do have access to the Idovanic magics which are not sorcery and not theistic
> either.
> Perhaps Transcendent is the best label.

This makes religion in Carmenia basically polytheism (with a dash of Sorcery) controlled and moderated by a select group of mystics. That seems like a reasonable model to me, anyway. :) What is the path that young Carmenians of a religious bent take to eventually wind up as one of these mystics?

> There are a few orders and cults, such as the Spolite Witches, that serve the
> Lie.

I am (naturally) also very interested in the dark practices of the Spolites and Bindlers, but that is a topic for another day... :)

> From: "Nick Brooke" <Nick_Brooke_at_...>
>
> A Carmanian Cults list (from RQ, but pretty useful) is on my own website,
> along with lots of historical and cultural Carmanian resources. URL below.
>
> :::: Website: <http://www.btinternet.com/~Nick_Brooke/>

Yikes! Sorry, Nick - I didn't mean to overlook your site, which is certainly another favorite source for my Carmenian game. Basically, anyone that plans to run their game in the Lunar Empire should head directly to the above website and spend the next few days there! Very useful and interesting material...

Thanks for the assistance...

-Kevin

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