An important feature of Nyasloian Illumination/Riddling is that it is a fragment of a complete system of mystic seeking. Riddling was not the whole of Nysalor's teachings, and, without Nysalor, it is a dead end. (Although it's always possible that a complete set of Nysalor's teachings exist somewhere.) I imagine Nyasloian Illumination as a tool to break one's attachment to worldly things which now lacks the philosophical framework to build a mystic path on the ruins of the seeker's cultural baggage. The vast majority of Illuminates are mystic failures, as trapped in the material and magical worlds as the rest of creation. This especially applies to those who use their Illumination to join multiple cults and plunder their secrets.
There is a RW story of a Buddhist teacher who had a student come to him and say "Master, Master, come see the fruits of your teaching." The master followed his student down to the river, where the student said "I have trained for 20 years, and I have learned to do this." And he walked out on the river which was as solid as the ground to him. The master burst into tears; when the student asked him why, he said "20 years to learn that? Wu's ferry is only a half mile away, and the fare is just a penny!"
"Powers" gained from mystic study are pretty much like that, in my opinion. (which, if true, makes mystics more or less unplayable in ordinary games.)
On another point, I don't think the Great Gods have achieved Enlightenment. They are Transcendent, encompassing some basic part of the world, but their understanding falls far short of true Enlightenment (or they wouldn't be part of the World). Orlanth may be Air, but he is still enmeshed in the World. Yelm may be Emperor of the Universe, but he is not Dayzatar, and so on. The possible exception is the Red Goddess, who may contain beings that actually approach Enlightenment. Learning the Secret of a Great God is a wonderful thing, but it does not let you escape the chains of the World -- rather you become the World. Maybe this is part of the difference between the Manifest/Orthodox mystic division that bedevils the HQ rules....
Peter Larsen
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