Re: Trader Princes question

From: bryan_thx <bethexton_at_WYGA39reL4CUzfCErfnIfdk1QoxCFfwhER8Ne2FR3CUZ3HwUBhRQDsF0b2rIrANlr5>
Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:20:10 -0000

> See, you are overthinking. The Jrusteli - synonomous with the God
> Learners - brought forth the Book. Now the actual God Learners
> collective was formed several centuries later, but most people in the
> Third Age don't make such precise distinctions.
>
>

No, the god learners were evil and corrupt, so obviously the Abiding Book did not come from them! It came from holy and good men, and was brought to us and interpreted for us by men of impeccable reputation and history, and all good people have followed it ever since. The God Learners were evil and corrupt heretics, struck down by God. Nothing at all to do with our glorious founders!

More broadly, I suspect in most societies those things which had achieved wide spread dissemination became "Our pure tradition" while those things more run by the ruling class, the sailors, or other small group that was crippled by the closing and destruction of the God Learners became "god learner corruption," whether or not it was really a god-learner introduction or not. So one society may consider Trade Talk to be a traditional way to communicate between groups, while another may reject it as a God Learner abomination. Another situation to look at what is most fun in your game in most cases, I think.

> > > Hey, I think the Sundering of Slontos and the Eruption of the Vent
> > has
> > > a lot more to blame for it. Curse those Caladralanders and Zzaburi
> > > atheists!
> >
> > Goddess Switch. Everyone knows that Wenela and Slontos are damaged
> > goods now and just aren't the bountiful fruitful grain goddesses they
> > used to be.
>
> OK, God Learners, Caladralanders, atheists. They all ruined Wenelia.
>

Don't forget about the (empire?) of the False Sun and other failed groups during the darkness, the Nysorlans who worked to break down existing social orders, the Arkati who fertilized the land with blood as they fought through it, the Slontons who used and abused Wenelia as their primitive hinterland and resource reservoir.

Here is a piece of completely unsupported speculation. Once Slontos was reasonably united, and Wenelia was famously fractured. Near the end of the second age the goddess switch happened. Now the remnants of Slontos are isolated to their individual islands, hating and distrusting each other to extreme levels. Meanwhile the Trader Princes managed to knit at least one thread of unity across Wenelia, while in the west kingdoms have started arising—maybe still transitory, but people are beginning to think in terms of kingdoms. And elsewhere federations are becoming assumed and many people are looking to strengthen them. The culture is still fragmented and prone to isolationism…..but links CAN be made.

Hence, I think that Wenel was critically damaged in the darkness, in some way that keeps her parts from working together properly. That damage was transferred to Slontos in the goddess switch. In fact, this could be the real reason behind the goddess switch—possibly an experiment to see if wounds to the land goddess really did affect the land, possibly a strike against the Slontan influence, possibly just curiousity about whether such damage could be transferred, possibly an attempt to heal Wenel.

Regards;

-Bryan            

Powered by hypermail