In a message dated 12/8/03 4:22:55 AM Mountain Standard Time, vesanto@cc.hut.fi writes: >RulingNations@aol.com wrote: > >>Thus I hope you can see that the general rule is that the less utility >>something has the more likely it will come to be abused. Why doesn't >>this apply to Celandra? > >Sorry to say this, but your examples did not really convince me. Well. I'm not trying to convince you of anything. I'm trying to show you my viewpoint so you can explain where it's mistaken. >Currently Congo is recognized as one of the riches countries in Africa >in terms of natural resources, and all I can see there is abuse. But things have gotten steadily (if slowly) better since those resources were discovered. >A much more important difference between Congo, China and India is, I >think, that China had a long history of unity behind one government, >India had also a long history; but not a united one - while the tribes >in Congo had no unifying culture or common history whatsoever. First, I don't see how this applies to the situation in Qaiyore. Also, we don't know what pre-European Congo was like since its culture and over 99% of its population was destroyed by the European expansion. However, the fact that sick European explorers, incapable of acting on their own, were transported thousands of miles once agreement was reached makes accusations of disunity doubtful. >As for Celandra, why aren't the gods abusing it? Well, some are. >But they are kept in check by competition over the resources (people). >If only a single entity (or group of...) would be interested in Celandra, >abuse would be easier, but this is not the case. OK. I see. Dreaming entities have multiple competing interests in Celandra. We're just not sure what those interests are based on. Good. Now this means that its possible for a religion to serve more than one interest as long as those interests aren't contrary. Correct? >>Well, let's say that a worshiper generates something, call it worship >>energy, that a deity can use to acquire something that useful to him, >>call that flux. Let's say that a deity can acquire flux based on the >>square root of worship energy available to him. Flux can also be used to >>do things. For example, the lowest rank of espiri in Exquaestio might >>require five flux to do what they do. > ><...> > >>I was rather imagining that worshipers would channel their authority to >>a deity as part of their worship. Individually this authority isn't >>worth much, but if a deity can muster the authority of several hundred >>it adds up. > >That sounds plausible, but would this make the Celandra an *essential* >source for the various entities in the Dreaming? Their primary source of >food, so to speak. No. I see many potential sources of authority. This one just happens to be significant to the focus of the game. >Another question: how does one channel their authority? Through prayers, >offerings, or some kind of ceremony? Does this require some conscious >decision? Can you give/divide the Authority to several gods? I've made so many decisions on these topics that the choices fade out into a sort of quantum blur. It's exactly to answer these sorts of questions that I've been asking about current religious practices. Once I can see the existing boundaries I can start asking specific questions and creating specific answers. Until then there are just too many options. Jefferson http://www.picotech.net/~jeff_wilson63/rpg/ ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net.
