From: Paul Reilly (paul@phyast.pitt.edu)
Date: Tue 14 Dec 1993 - 00:00:14 EET
Hi there, Paul Reilly here.
SInce the subject of the Invisible Orlanth has come up, let me quote from a letter I sent to Nick Brooke this past June.
It starts with a quote from Nick:
>A fanatical Invisible Orlanthi would say they were all
>Deceived by illumination, and that the whole established Carmanian Church
>had been corrupted by the influence of the Father of Lies -- that only
>their god was still pure and free.
[ Warning : I have a splitting sinus headache, may sound cranky! I don't intend to be but am genuinely curious about your picture of the Inv. Orlanthi.]
Your view of the Invisible Orlanth cult is certainly different from mine! You seem to see them as a sort of fanatical holdout of anti-Lunar True Orlanthi. It seems to me that there are enough of those about without adding in the syncretic Invisible Orlanth cult.
My view is different. Reasons:
I just don't see these guys (True Orlanthi) as promulgating a religion that combines the Invisble God and Orlanth. What would Sartarite Orlanthi think of Invisible Orlanthi, given the above? Seems to me Argrath's opinion of them is not too high, since he commits genocide on them along with the rest of Carmania and much of Peloria.
2. Moralatap and Kaufan don't seem like fanatical anti-Lunars and they supposedly support the cult because of the protection it will give the Empire. Do you see them as dupes or traitors, if so who are they betraying,the Invisible Orlanthi they claim to support or the Empire they are sworn to?
3. The Invisible Orlanth cult must be (at least on the surface and probably to fairly deep penetration by spies) acceptable to the Lunar authorities for some reason. They shut down all the (major, at least) Orlanth temples in Sartar, they could have nipped Invisible Orlanth in the bud if the religion preached sedition. We know the Lunars can be pretty ruthless.
4. We know that the Lunar religion is syncretic and borrows freely. The
Carmanian religion also appears to have been syncretic, accepting "brute gods"
as valid objects of worship. And the name "Invisible Orlanth implies a
union of the Invisible God and Orlanth.
We
also know that they view many of the greater Gods as unhealed portions of the
Creator, and that the Lunar Goddess is trying to "Heal" those portions and
will become his bride. (Read Me First! from the GoG box.) In particular
Orlanth is the breath of the Creator (stale and wheezing). We know from other
sources (Dragon Pass, maybe the Genertela Book?) that the Red Goddess wants
to "marry" Orlanth - to me this implies that the Orlanth she marries is
in fact the 'healed' Orlanth : the breath of the Creator.
My theory: at least on the surface (and possibly much deeper), Invisible Orlanth doctrine is that they worship that portion of Orlanth that has been successfully "healed" by the Red Goddess and is reunited with the Creator as his breath. Note that His Breath could be viewed as the aspect of the Creator which carried His Words to Malkion, Hrestol, and other prophets and thus be a major Emanation, worthy of worship. This seems in keeping with Carmanian and Lunar religions to me and keeps the Spoken Word of the backs of the Invisible Orlanthi. Moralatap and Kaufan can return to their status as honorable and intelligent leaders. The True Orlanthi can have yet another reason (although they don't really need reasons for anything) to hate the Lunars - they corrupt even our own religion!
There may be Illuminates at the core of the I.O. movement, or a fanatical group of True Orlanthi, or both. Illumination does not corrupt (look at Oddi) in itself.
(I think Illumination is far more common in the Empire than was recently bandied about on the Net. More Galvosti sorcerers than Illuminates? I doubt it, according to the Orlanthi it is pretty common and it is a Good Thing (and also a heavy responsibility) in Lunar philosophy)
If Nick agrees and there is interest I can quote much more discussion on this subject and perhaps add a few things....
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