RulingNations@aol.com wrote:

>>more a suite of mutual agreements and interactions that have been going on 
>>for a thousand years or more. The human need for ritual comes more from 
>>interpersonal relationships and a very detailed 'science' of drama akin to 
>>Japanese Noh plays.
>>    
>>
>
>So what do you provide them, what do they provide you, and how are the 
>interactions performed?
>  
>
You know, those are interesting questions, and ones that have not been 
explored so
far on this list. At least, not that I remember it.

Here's my view/ideas on it; Keaton (or Bob) might see things differently:

Gods and other highly magical entities live in the Dreaming. They can 
visit Celandra
(the "hard place") but they will not stay there long, because "magic" is 
harder there than
in the Dreaming. It's kind of like diving with full equipment on: you 
can do it, but living
your whole life underseas is not something you would care to do. In 
Dreaming (and
especially on their own territory) the "reality conforms to their 
wishes" (TM / Neil Gaiman),
whereas on Celandra, the reality fights back.

Some gods gather worshippers from Celandra. Why? For various reasons. 
There's nothing
in particular on Celandra which the entities in Dreaming would need. The 
only unique resource
on Celandra is its relative stability; which makes it safer for 
less-powerful entities and which is
why there are occational migrations from Dreaming to Celandra. So, some 
do it for love,
some for the sake of tradition, some out of duty, some because it gives 
them status, and some
because people on Celandra can do them services.

Entities in Dreaming (can) provide their worshippers with
(1) a sense of direction: it's always so nice to have someone telling 
you what to do.
(2) various miracles/magic. The kind of miracles performed varies
quite a lot. Each (kind of) entity from the Dreaming seems to have a 
personal set of
limitations/possibilities, and each entity can learn to overcome some of 
those
limitations.
(3) information / teaching / access to or through the Dreaming to other 
places

As already mentioned, the worshippers provide the gods (typically)
with status and/or services. Or, in some cases, just some sort of personal
sense of satisfaction.

As to how: the god can personally enter Celandra, or work through a channel
(like in the latest Vision), or there might be a special arrangement 
that allows
the god to hear/answer prayers.

Entering Celandra is always a bit hard. There are places where it is 
easier,
and typically such entrance points (or portals) are used. The ultimate
entrance point is a direct portal between Celandra and Dreaming:
anyone/anything can go through it. In Elyria during the war against
the Sorcerer, such a direct portal was opened - and kept open
for several years. This was not a good thing, and eventually the portal
was closed. Working through a channel is the same, but opening the
channel is easier, and working through it less efficient, than being 
personally
present.

The Ladies have a close relationship with Ka'Shari. They probably have 
other
servants/worshippers on Celandra as well, but they haven't told me about
them (yet). I would suggest that the Ladies are the source of the 
Ka'Shari fresh
water on board (e.g. providing the magic / training required to clean 
the salt from
the sea water). The Ka'Shari provide the Ladies with services and 
information
from Celandra. There might be other benefits to either side.

Comments are welcome.

juuso






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