From: Chris Pearce (cpearce@nemesis.acs.unt.edu)
Date: Mon 25 Oct 1993 - 12:59:07 EET
Colin Watson writes:
Naiya replies: (Guamata's Vision Spoilers)
Colin, son of Wat, you do not understand. To Chalana Arroy, *all* life is precious, all intelligent life even more so. But you raise a issue that greatly troubles me... I have confronted the problems you describe regularly and I cannot be certain I have dealt with the properly.
It is evident that creatures of Chaos can refute their natures. Why, the Wild Healer of the Rockwoods is a broo who turned from Chaos and joined the community of those who serve the Lady. And the Cleansed One was a broo who removed his Chaos taint through his piety.
However, so many of the creatures of Chaos I have seen--broo and ogres-- seem bent on inflicting suffering and destruction. Chalana Arroy frowns on destructive Chaos, for it reminds her that forces of Chaos slew her beloved son, Arroin. But while she does not extend her protection to those Chaos creatures who destroy, she does not necessarily wish their destruction. Rather, she truly wishes that they would turn from their Chaotic ways.
Chalana Arroy can not directly cleanse a being of Chaos--that seems clear. I once thought She could--a young girl who had been impregnated by broo-- was sent to Horngate for healing. I did not go, for I could ill afford the two day journey--Zola Fel had chosen me to help cleanse the river--but I had heard that the Healers at Horngate had treated the girl as if she had been wounded by Chaos.
But my recent experience at Horngate seems to contravene what I heard. I recently led an exodus from Black Rock Village to Horngate. Many women of Black Rock had been impregnated by a Chaotic creature. None of the High Healers' techniques could purge the Chaos, and we were faced with a difficult decision: allow the women to carry the children to term or have the Sable shamans abort the children. This was a divisive issue.
I would have had the children brought to term. Who is to say that the ogre children, brought up according to the precepts of the White Lady, would not choose lives of peace and harmony? This view was in the minority, however.
The other view was complicated by a realization of outside factors. The first was that the recuperation of the villagers proceeds quite slowly, and that some of the women are, well, too addled to be good mothers. Another concern is that the Sables would become angry and that their Storm Bulls could not be restrained. As my closest friend is himself a Storm Bull, I can understand this point of view--Bloodletter is sometimes unrestrainable.
I have rambled long without perhaps saying too much of anything. But I can
say that that creatures of Chaos can be cleansed of their taint, though not
directly by the Lady. And I can also say that while Chalana Arroy has
not great love for Chaos, especially destructive Chaos, she is merciful
and will not turn away any penitent, peaceful soul. Perhaps one day
when I am a priestess, I will go among--but carefully!--the broo and ogres
and spread the word of harmony...
--
Chris Pearce -- cpearce@nemesis.acs.unt.edu
How do you say delicious? How do you say delovely? How do you say delectable, define? How do you say - deGORgeous? How do you say dewith-it? How do you say Delite? ---------------------
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