A letter to Athaon Hobard

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Jules
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Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:07 am

Posted by Jules »


The fire genasi leaves a short, hand-written letter at Athaon Hobard's desk on his daily visit to the temple.
"Athaon Hobard,

Following a discussion on powers between our fellow Defier Chi Lin, my humble self and a few other new faces, a female devil who goes by the tag of "Maraphiel" and speaks of herself as "Baator's diplomat" voiced to me her desire to organize diplomatic discussions between Baatezus and some of our representatives.

When probed for a less vague reason for me to disturb your thoughts, she mentioned "concrete business to be discussed", "warming relations" and "building dialogue" as her objectives. I did not inquire further than a Namer should and accepted to forward her demand. In spite of her natural skepticism on our work, I believe she found our arguments sensible and saw their appeal.

I do not have further details on her goals but have good reasons to believe similar talks could be organized between her and Godsmen.

Should you need a messenger to deliver an answer, she is a customer of my modest shop and I would thus be able to deliver your word to her in a timely manner.

Yours,
Namer Jules.
At the end of the letter, an additional post-scriptum spans over more space than the initial message.
"P.S. As a side note and if your limited time allows such an uneconomic venture, you will find with this letter the draft of my first book on what I coined "Arcane Sobriety" when I first developed the concept during my arcane studies. Its main argument suggests that relying too much on arcane magic tends to blur the boundary between the "mundane" and the "extraordinary", resulting in an inability to appreciate the value of both. I believe some of the principles it establishes could be readily adapted to convince zealots to apply the same logic in their misguided spiritual practices. Although not explictly calling out powers in such a work could be deemed hypocritical, I believe it could encourage a decrease in worship among these folks who are the least receptive to our arguments by showing them how their excessive worship actually reduces the value of their (unwise) devotion. Although I am currently testing these arguments with the two new Namers I sent you over the last weeks, your insight on my work would honor me."
Indeed, under the letter lies a thick, leather-covered volume that has been hand-copied to abide by the principles it lays out. In half a dozen chapters and following the short "On Arcane Sobriety" title, the book alternates between theoretical discussions and empirical examples to build the following arguments:

Chapter 1 claims that relying on the extraordinary to solve mundane problems blinds people to the value of the mundane. For a justification, the chapter relies on numerous examples, for instance to claim that "Only by suffering wetness can a man fully know the value of being dry."

Chapter 2 suggests that relying on the extraordinary to solve mundane problems entails a loss of experience and skills that make people dependent on external forces. The chapter includes many examples of famous wizards gone powerless in dead-magic contexts or in situations where they could not utter a word, along with examples of more reasonable and versatile wizards who went out of hardships.

Chapter 3 highlights how relying on the extraordinary to solve mundane problems deprives people of the pride of achieving. The chapter narrates the story of a farmer who took great pride in an achievement as mundane as ascending a high mountain for his cows to graze, while a second story tells of a wizard who grew blase of his own powers after he could no longer find satisfaction in his much grander achievements.

Chapter 4 argues that relying on the extraordinary to solve mundane problems also reduces the value of the produced solution to the problem, be it mundane or extraordinary. Examples in this chapter mostly revolve around wooing and courting games to suggest women prefer receiving hand-picked rather than summoned blooms or that putting efforts into carving a gift from wood makes it more valuable than carving it magically. It concludes by stating that relying on intermediary forces always reduces the value of the produced solutions, with critical questions such as: "Wouldn't your own badly written poem be worth more than the grand work of a ghost writer? If not, then what but selfishness explains why you don't hire some henchman to make love to your better half?"

Chapter 5 details the problematic ego bursts such reliance on magic for the mundane can entail, by preventing people from fully understanding their low importance in the grand scheme of things. Such boost to wizards' ego would then get dangerous by blinding them to their flaws and spawning disproportionate ambitions. Examples of Torilian power-seeking wizards gone crazy tyrants follow.

Chapter 6 finally explains how relying on the extraordinary to solve mundane issues also reduces the value of the extraordinary, by claiming that "once made ordinary, the extraordinary ceases to be just that. Falling into the mundane, it then becomes unenjoyed banality due to arguments developed in Chapter 1."

For a conclusion, the book recommends to strictly limit the use of arcane magic to these instances where a) the mundane can’t reasonably provide a working solution and b) the absence of a working solution is insufferable. The author sums it up by coining it a shift from "the utility" to the "necessity paradigm."
Last edited by Jules on Wed Apr 28, 2021 5:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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mimifearthegn
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Posted by mimifearthegn »



Namer Jules,

I have heard whispers of this Maraphiel and her visits to the factions. Please find out in more detail what she wants, and what she is offering. You may assure her that you have the authority of the Athar to begin discussions. The final decision will, of course, be up to our factol.

Your thoughts on Arcane Sobriety are quite interesting. Do you intend to publish your book?

In truth,

Athaon Hobard
Jules
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:07 am

Posted by Jules »


Another hand-written letter lands on Hobard's pile of work.
Athaon,

Here is my report and my suggestions following the visit of the envoy from the Nine Hells.

In substance, the devil would like to buy our support in order to establish their embassy in the Cage. They spoke of consular services, interplanar negotiation and more, and discussed extensively the many boons these would pour upon the cage. Many promises about alleged economic, political and societal benefits for the City of Doors; promises that yet sound like crafted for the Free League and Heartless ears. Aware of this, the envoy offered two additional retributions for our support.

  • They would “allow” us to send nine of ours to their "elite educational facilities" where they would learn from devils' record on powers for a period of one turn each, over the nine next turns. A similar proposal has been made to some other factions.
  • They would bring one hundred new recruits into our ranks. These would be convinced to join us by devils' agents across the primes, without coercion and following whatever guidelines and rhetorical methods we want.

From my humble rank, I took the time to share with you a few personal reflections below, for I believe this proposal rests on shaky foundations and on a fuzzy understanding of our philosophies.

Their first offer would hardly be beneficial to us free thinkers. Knowledge on powers does not rest down there but darkens more books and enlightens more speeches here, cycle after cycle. No other place is better positioned than the Shattered Temple for us to learn and I’m skeptical about what “education” actually means down their pit. Are whips involved? If knowledge they really wished to share, then why have they not yet joined our ranks to study, debate and write with us?

Regarding their second offer, it is pivotal for us Namers to hone our argumentative strategies ourselves, to lessen powers' influence on our own and to demonstrate upon what fallacies so many lives are built. Not only with reason, but with our hearts as well. I already shared my own perspectives on the value of efforts and hardships: I believe no questionable shortcuts should be taken to bring more souls to us. These argumentative efforts are a keystone on the path of every Namer. They help each of us belong and build our philosophical arms; arms sharp enough for us not to rely on philosophical mercenaries. Powers trade people like flock and beliefs like wool, yet powers' vanity and dependence on others we do not need.

Of course, none of this personal opinion has been shared during talks to avoid constraining our options without first consulting the wisest of us. However, for we are not beggars in need for the knowledge we craft ourselves; for we shall wield our own philosophical blades instead of hiring mercenaries, I suggest we refuse this proposal. Their envoy is open to negotiation, though. Here is my modest suggestion for you to consider:

There is no way we could reasonably support anyone or anything that would possibly further powers’ interests in the Cage. I would thus condition our support to the following promises:
  • They would not host any religious activity in their embassy. No organized prayers, no worship facilities, no altar, no shrine.
  • They would not welcome religious delegations for diplomatic purposes. Among their many layers in their home plane, I am sure one will fit that type of misguided activities (if not, why would they not build a tenth layer there?)
  • They would not take part in the spread of any cult or religious beliefs across the Cage. In particular, they would not participate in or support the current or future edification of any temple, shrine, altar or any other place of worship.

  • Beyond these conditions to establish trust and demonstrate the Nine do not conceal zealous endeavors behind diplomatic ambitions, there is an acceptable retribution they could give us for our support. Though knowledge on powers and their turpitude we do not lack, more testimonies of their fragility we could shelter! Securing the relic of a fallen power would certainly inspire our Namers and be subject to philosophical writings by the wiser. Should the Nine deliver one and respect the conditions above, maybe refraining from opposing their embassy project could be acceptable. If this embassy is as important as they claim, that is a fine price for it.

Since devils play well, why not make it a game we cannot lose? With silly promises, piles of cogs, heaps of chivs, sensory stones of tortures or questionable knowledge, they very well might convince several factions. Shall they secure other factions' support, we would own another testimony of powers' fallibility and demise while preventing a power from getting a foot in the Cage through the embassy of the Nine. Shall they fail in their diplomatic endeavors, we would still own our relic.

If need be, you can count on me to deliver our decision or our counter-proposal.

On another note, I intend to publish these thoughts I delivered in my last letter, once adapted to put powers at their core. Since I write all these without relying on any magic and since the SIGIS is hardly a fine place for our thoughts, this might be a long process.

Namer Jules
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