LINESII- Into the Darkness- Part II

[Lord_Iggy]

Who is 'him'? The Citadel?

 

[The Farow]

I think he means me but I may be wrong.

 

[LittleBoots]

The First Revelation of Pithios​

[1]O King of All That Is, you revealed to me my inner evils; you restored me to Your Life. [2]You took that which was broken and made it anew; you brought Light to Dark places and cast out the Enemy. [3] You have shown me myself, that which is at once closest to me and farthest away. [4] You have restored sight to my blind eyes. [5] Those who would hear of the grace of the One, hear my words.

[6] I stood at the head of a vast army before a city of glittering white, my numberless forces arrayed against it, ready for the assault. It’s high walls and regal banners would be smashed to pieces, ripped to shreds, for the glory of victory would be mine. [7] I raised my sword and lowered my spear; my will was unstoppable. [8] We charged across the plain; our might was unbreakable. [9] My standard would fly over the citadel; my power was unyielding.

[10] The defenders stood fast in their lines as we charged. The two forces clashed and I was unhorsed; yet there were none who could stand against me. [11] I made my way to the thick of the battle, where the din of war was the loudest. There did I revel. [12] I cut down many a well-bred man, cut to the quick before the sun had risen. I towered over men. [13] It was then that I met the Captain of the Guard, the citizen soldier who would stand against me. [14] We joined in single combat and his strength was impressive, yet he was nothing against my power. [15] My sword was howling from hunger, ever-feasting, ever-rending, never-sated. [16] He fell to the ground, his shield placed before him. He would know his weakness, his foolishness in standing his ground, before he died. [17] I kicked away his shield and fought off his sword. I prepared to strip him of his armour. [18] I tore off his helmet and looked into his eyes.

[19] I lay helpless on the ground, the Enemy above me; in his eyes, his terrible gap[A] blazing before me. I could not match his strength; my frailty in my mortality. [20] It was then that the horn sounded as the sun rose. The Radiance None May Gaze Upon came like a lion against the jackals and the cavalry of my King arrived. [21] His charge was relentless and the Enemy routed; [22] all their ranks were broke. [23] The king came upon the Enemy and forced him to yield. [24] He stopped his assault cold as the grave. [25] He cast the Enemy to his gap and raised me up and set me on solid ground.

[26] He entered the citadel and the songs of rejoicing pleased the heavenly chorus. [27] At last, our King had arrived.

[A] - Chaos, n.: 1. A gap; a void; a vacuum., 2. religious, the Emptiness of Evil and Sin

OOC: I'll jump into the philosophical stuff soon enough. This is finals week and I honestly shouldn't be on as much as I am. Lucky dog that I am, I have almost all my finals in one day (tomorrow) and really shouldn't be screwing around online, but alas, here I am. Saturday I have a rather large final paper to write over the meaning of a happiness/a good life and then maybe by Monday I can put my two bits in.

 

[Kal'thzar]

when are orders for?

 

[Swissempire]

In keeping with the intellectual theme:

Excerpt from
Genibate and Entrush
by Chief Scrivener Griuto of the Order of the Faithful Word
Written while abroad in Farport and originally written in the alphabet of the New Eldists​

Knowledge is power they say, but knowledge is not possession of books. No knowledge is genibate, whilst to own books is merely to have the ability to access data, to merely peer into the mind of geniuses, this is only entrush, which can lead to genibate, but can also lead to delusions of grandeur and power. In the Ascendancy and throughout all of Bladedom[1] it is recognized that there is knowledge that can be gained from books, but that not all who read gain genibate, and it is also recognized that not all with genibate needed or started out with entrush. But for the reader of this to truly understand what I’m saying, I guess some basic definitions are warranted.

Genibate is a Swade word that has no direct translation into other languages, such as Neweldish or Guangese, or even Valinese. Its meaning has been tried to be described by Swade, Myocacan and Aryian scholastics and it always comes down to a mixture of comprehension of knowledge, ability to use knowledge productively, and the ability to both gain and transfer that knowledge. But it also means a sort of spark, a natural predisposition to genius that is shaped and fostered by the world around you. The mind is not a blank slate, it is held, but that all children have potential and are active learners. Some just have more potential than the rest. This potential is not based on class, for an aristocrats son could have access to thousands of tomes taken from Fulfillment or bought from Citadeler travelers, but the son of a peasant could have so much genibate that when he joins the army he could rise to become the leader of an entire 1,000 man battlegroup, or he could become the priest of a large urban temple. For example, the aristocrat’s son may know that the Bladeist forces took Veritas in 1134, but the peasant’s son may know how to lead an army into battle and uses that knowledge to augment his leading abilities. In short, genibate is not simply to know but to utilize and understand and be right most of the time. Although none are infallible but the Blademaster, those with high genibate can be close. For a deeper understanding, the word genibate written in Swadeskrit[2] with the symbols that are used in Blademaster, gift, near, infallibility and with the vowels that when put together like such in a word mean nature or natural.

Entrush is the mere knowing of facts, the mere access to data, and the drive for non-practical knowledge. These definitions are not the precise meaning, but instead what scholars before me have postulated. Entrush is a word that describe those who read manuscripts and feel that givens them knowledge and ability. The ability peer into the mind of geniuses and those with genibate does not make you one nor give you some, yet many would say it does. The Citadelers learn both through experience and knowledge and this why the best of the have genibate. They travel the world to increase their potential for genibate and are thusly very successful. Not all in their society have it, and until they truly accept the Blademaster they will never reach their full potential but alack I digress. Now the Valin on the other hand devour books like food, yet most have entrush not genibate. They believe their stolen books and false god and heretical ways will bring genibate to them and their people but it does not. Their history of failure against those who are more enlightened than them, namely Khemri and as we have seen numerous times the Swade, proves this outright. They are an arrogant people and arrogance without genibate is a death sentence to a people. Perhaps the Valin shall see the error of their ways, but perhaps they shall not. Time will only tell. Yet as we did with genibate we can look to the make up of the word entrush to discover what is meant to mean. Written in Swadeskrit it combines the symbols for ignorance, book, knowledge, delusions/dreams, and its vowel combinations mean not natural (artificial) or incorrect.

[1] At the time of writing, the Scrivener included The Swade Ascendancy, Myocaca, Aryie, Sintonia and the regions of Baldiest concentration in this statement. Studies looking into the matter have concluded he had no knowledge of Guarela, which had similar words to this but ones that had been twisted by there distance from the “Blade Hub”, as recent scholars have termed it, that being the cultural center of Bladeism which is Cultesia.

[2] Swadeskrit is the written language of the Swade, made up of 64 symbols and 10 Vowels. It has evolved from hieroglyphics to this very sophisticed form because of prolonged contact with the Citadel and with Khemri and Veritas. The language is one of beauty and meaning, with every symbol being assigned 2-3 elemental meanings and every vowel is believed to have special properties when combined with others.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Nice stories guys. It definitely gives an interesting insight on your nations.

 

[jalapeno_dude]

I'm flattered that everyone seems to be using the Citadel in their nation. That's why I created the nation--to provide an interesting dynamic in the NES.

For the record, there are no "Citadel traders" as such. There are not merchants from the Citadel who sell scrolls for money. Scholars will, however, sometimes exchange scrolls, but only for ones that they fell are of equal or greater value.

@Thlayli: care to trade the book on Strategius?

 

[Thlayli]

I'm flattered that everyone seems to be using the Citadel in their nation. That's why I created the nation--to provide an interesting dynamic in the NES.

For the record, there are no "Citadel traders" as such. There are not merchants from the Citadel who sell scrolls for money. Scholars will, however, sometimes exchange scrolls, but only for ones that they fell are of equal or greater value.

@Thlayli: care to trade the book on Strategius?

Hmm, well even the Citadel needs merchants...and what's more lucrative than trading in rare books? (Strictly under the table, though. )

Littleboots, just curious...why'd you choose the fall of Redemption for your story subject?

 

[Kal'thzar]

Heh, My trade in papyrus...come on guys, I'm currently the only one providing "paper"

 

[Cuivienen]

An Inspection of the City of Mard​

Laya of Faran, by Order of Most Revered Gared​

​

The city of Mard has grown drastically in recent years. Kelios has long remained isolated form those nations across the sea, helped in no small part by the blockade by the defiant Tsayans. However, the invitation extended by the late lamented Most Revered Jarsind to the people of the Citadel to enter Kelios via the port of Mard has changed this. While the Eldranians[1] themselves brought little in trade but knowledge and some rather misguided “Guides”, they were soon followed by Valins, Ardans, Kalmari, Khemri, and of course peoples from various states of this land: Zemorans most especially, and Tairngire fleeing their civil war, but also Adarese, Sanx, Chanc, Syracians and Aitheans. Mard has rapidly become a hub for trade.

Around the port itself, originally quite small but now greatly expanded in size, a huge number of warehouses line the shore, each full to the brim with supplies entering or exiting Kelios. While my hometown of Faran and Tsarin to the east have also benefited from this recent drastic rise in trade, only the local governate of Mard has effectively capitalized on the opening of Kelios to foreign merchants. To be sure, there is some fear, in Mard and elsewhere, that foreign influence will dilute Kelios’s strong adherence to the Path and its call for government by all, but this fear seems unfounded. The Tsayans themselves were easily assimilated, and so, too, will be those of other nationalities who enter Kelios permanently.

It is my most firm recommendation to the Council and to the Most Revered that Kelios continue its investment into the city of Mard in order to make it the premier port in the farthest eastern lands. Since the collapse of I’dan’i’i[2], trade has been stifled, and the nations of the west thirst for goods only Kelios can provide. Let us expand the port and open it to more foreign merchants so as to bring the world so much close to Perfection.



[1]Kelios, of course, does not fully understand the negative significance of Eldrania and still widely uses the term for the Citadel at this time.
[2]Neither I nor the Kelia know how to spell it.

 

[Thlayli]

@Kal: Parchment is the way of the future.

So, I made a religion map last night.

With some minor exceptions, it doesn't contain religious minorities, so most of the time I just colored the entire country for the "majority" religion. I guess only Iggy knows which religious minorities are strongest where, so he can update this later if he wants, and add it to the other reference maps.

Blue- Church of the One
Light Blue- Pirian Oneism
Red- Bladeism
Pink- Ancestor Worship
Green-Trinlinism
Light Orange- Andues
Purple- Masra
Gold- Nordism
Yellow- New Eldism
Orange- Banism
Gray- Animism

Other "1-state" religions are the color of their country.

Spoiler LINESII Religion Map :

 

[Kozmos]

Aww hell naw, I follow the Emperor, keep your lame One.

 

[Wubba360]

don't forget the onist minority located in Emor, very nice map though, Iggy should add it to his atlas

 

[Kentharu]

by that map Masra has the largest thingy... i don't think thats right

 

[Thlayli]

by that map Masra has the largest thingy... i don't think thats right

Well there's a Lengri minority...I just don't know how far it extends.

 

[Luckymoose]

Iggy I am rejoining. Let me find a nation or something.

 

[alex994]

Heh, My trade in papyrus...come on guys, I'm currently the only one providing "paper"

Oh please kal, Guangfei has had paper for almost what? 7 turns?

And Qingdao, while being Oneists, DOES NOT FOLLOW THE CHURCH OF THE ONE. The 1% is incosequential.

IC: The Scholars of Guangfei refuse to respond to any message to the "imaginary" area of Guangzhong. The Scholars would like to ttake this time to say once more, that the Valins seem to have been degernating into barbarians as time progresses. At the onset of the Qingdao War, you were able to spell Guanzhong "Guangzhou" instead of now "Guangzhong"

 

[Cuivienen]

Alse extends considerably into both Sanx and Syracia; it's not a one-nation faith any longer.

Post 7000!

 

[alex994]

OOC: You know, I think that just because almost 1/3rd of the prophecies that guy made involve the Valin Race in some way was why the Valins responded. Everyone of those prophecies will come true I assure you Everyone....

 

[jalapeno_dude]

Heh, My trade in papyrus...come on guys, I'm currently the only one providing "paper"

That's what you think...

@Cuivienen: The only problem is that none of the Citadelers are descended from Eldranians. The Prophet was the last Eldranian, and he died without children (at least biological ones).