| Post/Author/DateTime | Post |
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| #1rauricMar 26, 2009 9:41:51 | This is for anybody but I hope Hellcow can pop in to offer suggestions. I know there are worshipers and clergy of the Silver Flame within Aundair but how are they viewed after the war? Are the people of Aundair suspicious that nay clergy of the Flame may be a Thrane spy? How deep are the ties of nation and faith? Did the Aundair clergy fight in the War for their country? Are there any notable churches in Aundair? Are there any bishops or cardinals in the nation? Whew. Lots of questions, and I know I can just wing it but I just want some ideas I can bounce around in my head. The last time everyone commented on my "New Silver Flame Messiah in Aundair" thread it made me change and rework things just enough so it made my game fun. I am just looking for that type of feedback. Thanks in advance. ;) |
| #2ieattrollsforbreakfastMar 26, 2009 14:48:33 | I think the Flame in Aundair is very different to the Flame in Thrane. Given Aundair neighbours the Eldeen Reaches, it was much more exposed to the lycanthropy plague that lead to the Purge than Thrane. As such, it is home to the puritanical sect of the faith, which is responsible for a lot of discrimination and zealotry against shifters. Flamers in Aundair by and large probably aren't much different to those in Thrane, but the perception of the faith is bound to be coloured by the actions of the puritans. Given the history of the faith in the region, particularly the Purge, long before the establishment of Thrane as theocracy, I don't think Aundairs citizens are going to feel any particular loyalty to Thrane. I think reactions can mostly be summed by these attitudes: 1. Casual worshippers who, given their family, friends and land are all in Aundair, aren't going to fight for Thrane just because they have the fire in Flamekeep. If anything, these people will be in favour of the Aundairian crown seizing control of Thrane and hence Flamekeep. 2. Puritanical worshippers who think the Thranes are doing it wrong. To take a real world example (uh oh), mediaeval protestants would have no issue with fighting a war against the catholic Papal States. |
| #3rauricMar 26, 2009 20:03:54 | I was thinking about the Prots and Caths myself. Even though in fantasy games the people actually know (or in EB are pretty sure) that their god exists. So there may be less chance that they fight each other. Though national pride would probably be stronger than the fact that they share the same religion. Well, keep em coming.;) |
| #4HellcowMar 26, 2009 21:06:31 | I agree with most of what Trolls has said. Aundair is the seat of the most zealous followers of the Church of the Silver Flame. While I don't remember if it's seen official print, IMO the archbishop of Thaliost - the one noted for burning people - is an Aundairian (which is why he was placed in charge of Thaliost, in the hopes that he would keep the other Aundairians in line). The vicious persecution of shifters, the ugly aftermath of the Purge... these were actions carried out by Aundairian converts as opposed to the more moderate people of Thrane. The CotSF has a smaller following in Aundair than in Thrane, but its followers are very dedicated, believing that it was the Flame that saved their nation from utter destruction during the Purge. With that said, these people are loyal to the FLAME, not to THRANE. The Flame is a divine force, and the fact that you've got a spark of Silver Flame in Thrane doesn't place loyalty to their political leaders over those of Aundair. First you have the fact that there are many who feel that it's wrong to merge church and state, and that running a nation distracts the church from its sacred mission - so Thrane shouldn't be a theocracy in the first place. Then you have those who believe that Jaela is too moderate and too soft - there's that rumor circulating around Aundair that she's actually a lycanthrope herself. Beyond that, the point is that the Flame saved their families, but their families have always been Aundairian. They may be eternally grateful to the FLAME, but that's a divine force. So many of them respect the Keeper, but that doesn't make them loyal to Thrane itself. And as I said, some of them DON'T respect the Keeper. The Silver Flame had followers in Breland, Cyre, and Aundair. During the war, those who felt that they had to fight for Thrane immigrated to Thrane; those who remain put their nation first, just as there's been many points in history where Christians have fought Christians, Muslims have fought Muslims, and so on. So no, People in Aundair do not assume that anyone who worships the Flame is loyal to Thrane; the Flame has a strong place within the culture of Aundair... one that predates the establishment of Thrane as a theocracy. |
| #5julescarvMar 29, 2009 11:01:40 | The Silver Flame had followers in Breland, Cyre, and Aundair. It's notable that you leave Karrnath off of the list. Did the Silver Flame have little or no presence in Karrnath even before the sundering of Galifar? I've been curious about how, while Thrane has virtually monolithic CotSF loyalty, and three other nations of Galifar (Aundair, Breland, and Cyre) have the CotSF as a common minority faith, Karrnath has essentially no CotSF presence. Personally, my completely made up explanation lies in a little incident 90 years ago called Operation Adamantine Gorgon, but I'm curious about other explanations. |
| #6HellcowMar 29, 2009 18:47:07 | It's notable that you leave Karrnath off of the list. Did the Silver Flame have little or no presence in Karrnath even before the sundering of Galifar? In MY Eberron, this is true, and it's because the Blood of Vol was the faith of the majority of Karrnath's commoners before the Silver Flame even came to Thrane. Thrane is the seat of the faith because it was the Flame that saved the nation from the risen Overlord. It has its strength in Aundair as a direct result of the Purge. and it spread to Breland and Cyre because there was nothing particularly standing against it; the Sovereign host and the Silver Flame aren't especially at odds. But because there was nothing particularly driving it, either, you don't see the same passion for the faith you see in either Thrane or Aundair. Meanwhile, in Karrnath, the missionaries found the faith of the Blood of Vol to be an abomination, but were unable to topple it - and as a result, the Flame was never able to secure a strong foothold in Karrnath. During the war, this became more visible and dramatic, with bone knights and orders like the Emerald Claw clashing with the Thrane templars of the Flame. Looking to the original question, if anyone is likely to see a follower of the Flame and consider her a tool of Thrane, it would be the Karrns - because a) they had few followers of the faith in their nation and b) have had a long and bitter struggle with Thrane in which the divine powers of the respective faiths have often been tested. There are followers of the Silver Flame in the armies of Breland and Aundair - but it's Thrane who has the most significant number of divine-empowered warriors, and Thranish forces that are most likely to wield the power of faith on the battlefield. |
| #7HellcowMar 29, 2009 19:07:18 | One more point to remember is the false Keeper, Melysse Miron... and the general threat of the Shadow in the Flame. You may ask how a zealous Aundairian puritan could stand against Flamekeep. An obvious answer is because he concludes that if the Keeper declares war on Aundair, she is no true Keeper; clearly she is a tool of the Shadow in the Flame, and it is the duty of the faithful of Aundair to conquer Thrane, retake Flamekeep, and restore purity to the Flame. As the gods of Eberron never descend from the heavens and say "He's right, you're wrong", there's lots of room for this sort of violent schism. So personally I think you saw this sort of breakdown:
You'd have the same issues with the Blood of Vol and Karrnath, once you had groups like the Emerald Claw taking the battlefield. Most seekers would separate loyalty to the faith and loyalty to nation, but some would certainly follow their faith. Of course, the majority of the BoV faithful were already in Karrnath or the Lhazaar principalities, but not all. Personally, I think that the Keeper herself would support and encourage the first category on the list above. Because the key issue is that the heart of the faith is to protect the innocent of ALL nations against supernatural evil. Politics has nothing to do with it. You might have cardinals or princes with visions of a theocratic Galifar, but ultimately this isn't something encouraged by the faith itself. Corrupt cardinals might abuse the faith of their followers for political gain (just like corrupt priests of the SH and BoV - and it's something that's considerably more obvious with the BoV, when you consider that it's what Erandis is doing)... but it's the Keeper who has the ear of the commoners of all nations. And I believe that even though she can't just TALK to the Flame, she was chosen by it and empowered by it, and that she is true to its principles. I believe that she would be a proponent of peace. That she would encourage the faithful of all nations to show mercy and compassion whenever possible, to remind them that the people on the battlefield are not the true enemy, and to be ever alert for forces of darkness that might take advantage of this foolish war. That she'd rather have a champion of the Flame serving in the army of Cyre, ready to defend his own nation from an Overlord or Daelkyr if one returned, then to have all of the faithful abandon their own people and come to Thrane. She wouldn't demand that the Thranes stand down, because she needs to protect her own innocent people from harm... and because fighting the undead armies of Karrnath is certainly a valid cause. But she would rail against torture and cruelty, mistreatment of prisoners, and so on. If she couldn't stop the war, she'd at least try to shine a light on its horrors. But again, that's me. I don't see the CotSF as a perfect faith. Its followers have made mistakes in the past. Those who are too overzealous may harm the innocents they are suppose to protect, and corrupt priests may take advantage of the faithful... as they do in ALL the faiths of Eberron. But overall, I do see the CotSF as a force that seeks to do good - and the Keeper as a chosen vessel of that force. Which is why followers of the Flame in other nations are more likely to put their faith in the Keeper than in the words of a cardinal... though even there, as I said, they could always assume that Jaela is a false Keeper. |
| #8PJammaGodMar 30, 2009 21:20:19 | One more point to remember is the false Keeper, Melysse Miron... Boy am I glad she's currently a roman lawn ornament in Dreadhold. If anybody breaks that anit-keeper our Khorvaire's in for a world of pain. Angsty revenge style pain. |
| #9GunpowderMar 31, 2009 1:07:49 | Wait, hold on. "False keeper"? I admit it has been too long since I have read any Eberron books so where is this Melysse Miron mentioned? I don't remember this person at all. |
| #10PJammaGodMar 31, 2009 7:53:58 | Faiths of Eberron, pages 69 (heh) and 70. Specifically the sections on "The Tarnished". Melysse Miron is mentioned here. And her surname, I've always wondered about that. Was it something she took up later in life or is she distantly related to Tira...? |
| #11HellcowMar 31, 2009 12:43:10 | Faiths of Eberron, pages 69 (heh) and 70. Specifically the sections on "The Tarnished". Melysse Miron is mentioned here. And her surname, I've always wondered about that. Was it something she took up later in life or is she distantly related to Tira...? She actually first appeared in the Dragon Magazine article on Dreadhold, as one of their star prisoners. Per that article, Melysse took her surname after claiming that the Voice of the Flame had spoken to her and revealed their blood connection... so it's all a question of whether you take her word for it. While her other claims turned out to be less than accurate, it's always possible the lineage is true... and that she simply listened to a different voice than Tira. |
| #12PJammaGodMar 31, 2009 22:18:02 | Heh I never actually bought any Dragon magazines (just borrowed 'em off mates), so cheerski for the correction Hellcow. I might have to riffle through a buddies back-catalogue and see what I can dig up. Do you happen to remember what Dragon Issue No# it was? |
| #13GiloMar 31, 2009 23:51:06 | Wait, hold on. "False keeper"? Just goes to show that the church did a good job removing any mention of the anti-keeper ;) Do you happen to remember what Dragon Issue No# it was? Dragon #344 |
| #14the_fireballed_mageApr 05, 2009 18:31:35 | Boy am I glad she's currently a roman lawn ornament in Dreadhold. Yeah... she's in Dreadhold... right... Hmm... I *thought* that life-sized decorative statute those cloaked figures asked me to sculpt looked a little familiar... |