Wow,
this opens up the prospects for fun - a weird group mind?
Visions of Cthulhu style horror... well, maybe not, but it keeps the possibilities open.
Thanks for the Eerith advice, its excellent!
Should make an interesting mix when religion starts getting added into the Republic soon.
Ibrahim
"M. Keaton, Archangel Press" wrote:
"You're displeased."
"Displeased!" came von Kahshaar's reply as he paced the room, "I'm furious.
You're costing me my job, maybe my life. You said your people would advise
us. Well advise already!"
"We have. We told you to stop. Remember, Karl, we advise, not instruct."
Von Kahshaar dropped into his chair with a heavy sigh. "At least tell me
why stop? Is success impossible?"
"No. Quite the opposite and that is why you should stop. Think about what
you want to accomplish. Power, even through the exercise of Will, is
Authority. The gods grant it; men use it. What you want is different-you
wish to impose your own Will over things that you have not been granted
Authority over.
"You do not want arcanum, which is granted by gods. You do not want
clerical powers, which is granted by gods. You do not want elemental power,
which is granted by the natural laws delegated by the Creator. You do not
want obeah, which is granted by the clay itself to the shaper. You want
power based only on the will and strength of your own mind.
"This violates all laws. No matter what form they practice, shapers are
tied to the physical. Even coteries, for all their flash and glory, are
strong because they have physical anchors absorbing the cost on their
behalf. Workings take a physical toll on the worker. To assume that your
'mental sciences' can be separated from the physical cost is a violation of
the natural order."
"Fine then, our workers will have to suffer physical fatigue. That's not
too unexpected."
The Eerith shook its head. "You underestimate the importance of the ties
between the will of the mind and the pain of the physical as a limiting
factor. But beyond that, look to your source of Authority. You want to
impose your will with no homage to another, greater power. In this, you
seek to be gods unto yourselves. Would you reach into another man's mind
and take his will from him because yours is stronger? That is an evil
thing. It is not you right."
Von Kahshaar pursed his lips then asked, "What about when both parties are
willing? Surely that is acceptable, to grant authority over yourself to
someone else. After all, most magi have some form of mind to mind
communication."
"They do, but they do it under the authority of a god. The gods act as a
kind of safeguard in areas where men lack sufficient knowledge to tread
safely. Consider: you speak mind to mind with no deific rules of limit or
filter. How long until someone attempts to merge two minds? Surely a
husband and wife may someday wish to share themselves completely with each
other. Easily done with no safeguards but who, then, shall separate them?
What churgeon is skilled enough to cut apart a meld of minds? And I assure
you, the mistake will be made decades before the churgeon has the skill to
even make the attempt.
"And it will spread, master to servant, lord to slave, coworker to
coworker, it will spread. Open this box outside of the gods protection and
you risk melding your entire people into a single mind. You risk erasing
individuality entirely.
"Karl, at best you will have safe parlor tricks which can be done easier
with existing magics; at worst, you will destroy your people. To take that
kind of risk is wrong."
"You exaggerate, Eerith. I think you conjure fears where none rightfully
exist."
"Listen to me, mundane." The Eerith was suddenly intense, rising to its
feet. "I pray that I do exaggerate. I pray that I am wrong. But if I am
not, then what you propose is EVIL! Trust me, fleshling, this has been done
before and it was called Alata. To impose will without authority is the
blackest of rebellions against all decency."
"Easy, friend. I'm only doing my job. The Lord wants this done; what else
am I to do?"
"Do what is right. Tell him it is evil and that you will not be party to
it," replied the Eerith with almost childlike simplicity.
Von Kahshaar shook his head. "I don't think you quite understand our world
yet."
"Perhaps. Listen Karl, there are easier ways. Gods that will grant a semb
lance of what you seek. Give your Lord a sop of small successes and wait
for him to lose interest. New is not better. Old has the value of testing
for safety and history for lesson.
"Consider Videssia, it has neither mage nor priest. It lies in chaos and
lanquishes in sorrow, wandering blindly from evil to evil. Would you be
like them?" The Eerith strode from von Kahshaar's room, leaving him alone
with his thoughts.
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