Ah! So the insanity cults were based on not fearing death! I did wonder: I saw them like medieval satanism or witchcraft: a perverse rejection of the ruling classes religion by embracing it's opposite. I therefore thought the appeal of Spolite religion in Dara Happa was the fact it was quintessentially un-Dara Happan, and imagined the Insanity Cults as secretive blasphemous inversions of normal DH practices. I must admit I am not aware of the reference to the Unity List - I'm guessing its in Fortunate Sucession. Oh yes, I recall! OK I'll go have a look. :)
cheers
cj x
cj x
> At 12:41 p.m. 6/05/2007, you wrote:
>
>
> >I note it is a Darkness religion,
> >and has a strong emphasis on necopolis and commemoration fo the dead, and
> >indeed the preservation of corpses - undead even? Are there any good
> >sources I have missed for Spol?
>
> I'm not sure where preservation of the dead and necropolis come from...
>
> Glautorus is said to have made all cemetaries into holy places, preparing
> to raise the dead if needed. However he is the seventh and last of the
> Spolite "Emperors" cited in the Unity List, which indicates that respect
> for the dead wasn't very big among his six predecessors. Aegrastus
> the most oppressive of the Spolite rulers is primarily known for his
> cost of his demanded sacrifices.
>
> AFAIK the Spolites saw the afterlife as a gloomy place full of terror
rather
> than a paradise. They were mainly concerned with appeasement of
> the dread Underworld rather than any personal considerations. Those
> that sacrificed a lot lost their fear of the Underworld which made them
> more powerful. It also allowed them to indulge in behavior that was
> normally abhorrent, which was the origin of the insanity cults that
> plagued Dara Happa at this time.
>
> --Peter Metcalfe
>
>
>
>
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