Re: Nice or not-so-nice Esvulari ?

From: Jeff <richaje_at_lVsXxl_aUQhM5t3n2OzDHaim175FHCmRjWvDTYt30xme-U7G_32b5cHaKxiPwMEcFPu3>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:11:51 -0000


> This is what happens when you have material written by refined, cucumber sandwich-eating fellows (with a particularly wry, English nod to Low Church sensibilities), as opposed to swaggering, spittoon-brandishing Colonials*.

I'm afraid I do not view the Aeolian Church as some sort of cucumber-eating Anglican Church. From Greg's writings (which I was privy to as a co-writer of History of the Heortling People), the Aeolians are a particularly strange henotheist variant of Malkionism.

The Aeolings recognize the One God, but hold that he has taken many forms including forms and is served by lesser beings that are often mistakenly worshiped as independent gods or demons by the pagan Kethaelans. The "saints" (a troublesome word in English that often invites inappropriate comparisons to the saints of the medieval church) are those Erasanchula and holy men that have revealed this to the Aeolings. Thus Saint Worlath is worshiped as the personification of Storm within the material world (one of the Erasanchula) but is inferior to the transcendent and Invisible God.

The Aeolings do not acknowledge the Abiding Book as one of their sacred texts (although they were heavily influenced by the God Learners in the Second Age) although they concede that it is a Book of Truth. The Aeolings are heavily influenced by the purely materialist wizards of God Forgot who they respect and fear (even when they disagree with them).

Aeoling colonies exist throughout Kethaela - a very large colony has long existed in Nochet. They speak a Theyalan language that is not quite intelligible to Heortlings and Esrolians.

Over the centuries the Aeolings have had to adapt to their more powerful neighbors. During the early Second Age, that was the Hendriki tribe; later that was the Middle Sea Empire and the Zistorites. With the fall of the MSE, the Esvularings were subject again to a reascendent Hendriki until the arrival of Belintar and the formation of the Holy Country, of which they were a privileged minority. With the demise of Belintar and the return of a powerful Hendriki kingship, the Esvularings are scrambling to keep their privileges.

So does that make the Aeolings "nicer"? Depends on the needs of your story. I'm sure their are plenty of "nice" Aeolings who are respectful of their pagan neighbors. Similarly I am sure that plenty of them are ruthless bastards who strive to prevent the Orlanthi from uniting under a strong king (be it in Whitewall or Boldhome) and will ally with very unsavory folk to do so.

Jeff            

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