I know you are being jocular here, and I appreciate the light heartedness.
But it seems to me it's time to re comment on Illumination.
Seizing upon the Riddlers as the key to Illumination is another example of having too little data to work from. It appears that many people think that Riddling = Illumination, and that just isn't so.
Riddling is more like a zen koan. You all have heard the riddle of one hand clapping. Was anyone illuminated by that? I didn't think so. Well, most Gloranthans, Pelorians and Lunars are not either. Illumination is a big, unknown mystical state of mind that can never be properly defined because it is beyond definition, by definition. (I'll bet Nick puts that sentence in the 'great gregisms," eh?)
Riddling, and in fact Illumination itself, are rare things in the Empire. Sure they have a hug e population base and the tiny percentage of people who are trying to becoming illuminated comes out to be a knowable number. But like all mystical practices, it's hard to get there, there are many many diversions that make people think they are illuminated when they are not, and the people who seek the easy way ("find me a Riddler, I want to break my vows") are the most likely to be duped by shysters and, especially, themselves.
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