Earwa > The White-Luck Warrior
Nonmen Society
H:
OK, I am not sure if this is a new idea or not, but I was thinking of why the Nonmen seemingly changed belief systems post-Womb Plague.
To preface this theory, we must hypothesize that collective belief in Earwa has power. In the sense that a collective belief in something, changes the Outside and so makes it true. The gods are powered by this. The more believers, the more powerful the gods.
OK, that said, it would be my theory that pre-Womb Plague, worship of Oblivion was sufficient to save their souls. It "saved" their souls, because it their souls were out of any of the god's reach, for a couple reasons: first, there were less men and so, less powerful gods, i.e. more spaces between them; second, with less powerful gods, "hiding your voice" and dodging the gods of the Outside was probably easier, since more space meant the draw of Oblivion was stronger, or easier to find. Once the Inchoroi rewrote the Tusk though, the Nonmen were damned, a priori. This meant that even a pious Nonman was damned outright with the rise of man, dispute his avoidance of the gods, because Men focused the eyes of the gods onto the Nonmen, via the Tusk.
Perhaps this helps explain this quote:
--- Quote ---"What did you find?"
"God... broken into a million warring splinters."
A grim nod. "We worship the spaces between the Gods."
"Which is why you are damned."
Another nod, this one strangely brittle. "As False Men."
The Aspect-Emperor nodded in stoic regret. "As False Men."
--- End quote ---
Since the Nonmen had no gods, in fact, had the opposite of gods, it was relatively "easy" for damnation to have "overwritten" the oblivion the Nonman belief system was built to ensure since there is essentially no competition.
This could also work to explain this quote:
--- Quote ---“The Nonmen…” he said evenly. “They have taught us how to hide our Voices. How to bypass the Outside, find Oblivion.”
Eyes like bladders of ink, each reflecting the tripods across their shining curve. The fluting of gill-tissues along the neck. “You worship the spaces between the Gods…”
“Yes.”
A rasp like the screams of faraway children tangled in the wind. Inchoroi laughter. “You are already damned. All of you are already damned.”
“So say you.”
A deep chested rumble. Popping mucous. “So says the Inverse Fire.”
--- End quote ---
Aurang is not lying when he says they are already damned for their Oblivion worship. That probably did work once, but it was sundered by the Inchoroi's rewriting of the Tusk. It also could be that the "worship" of the Inverse Fire also works against the Oblivion worship, so that simply by existing, the Inverse Fire (whatever it is) invalidates the native Nonman beliefs.
Not sure if that really makes any sense all typed out, but it did in my head...
profgrape:
That's a really interesting notion, H. Both in that the diffusion of Nonmen beliefs is what insulated them from damnation and that the Tusk acted as a "belief plague" designed to damn the Nonmen.
It stands to reason that the Nonmen, having been around for a long, long time, would have deduced how belief (and really, meaning) creates reality on their planet (or as I believe, for the entire universe). The only sensible way to avoid catastrophe is non-belief, or as it's described, worshipping the "spaces between the gods."
H:
Also, this could be further part of the Inchoroi plan for the Womb-Plague. It was always a constant question of, why a Womb-Plague? If they wanted them gone, why not kill them all? But the truth is the Inchoroi didn't want them dead, they wanted them despondent, with no hope for the future (no women, no redemption, only damnation), but very much alive. Why?
Because they wanted sorcery and they knew that the Inverse Fire could help them ply it from the Nonmen. They probably learned this from seducing the Aporos sorcerers. The whole plan of enlistment is actually kind of brilliant in it's twisted way, so much easier than total eradication. In fact, in the Flase Sun, we still see Aurang at it, even trying to lure Titirga, even with possession of Shaeönanra.
MSJ:
--- Quote from: H on January 28, 2016, 06:33:36 pm ---Also, this could be further part of the Inchoroi plan for the Womb-Plague. It was always a constant question of, why a Womb-Plague? If they wanted them gone, why not kill them all? But the truth is the Inchoroi didn't want them dead, they wanted them despondent, with no hope for the future (no women, no redemption, only damnation), but very much alive. Why?
Because they wanted sorcery and they knew that the Inverse Fire could help them ply it from the Nonmen. They probably learned this from seducing the Aporos sorcerers. The whole plan of enlistment is actually kind of brilliant in it's twisted way, so much easier than total eradication. In fact, in the Flase Sun, we still see Aurang at it, even trying to lure Titirga, even with possession of Shaeönanra.
--- End quote ---
I like this H. Makes a lot of sense in regards to the womb-plague and why the Inchoiri wouldn't just devise a way to eradicate them all, which they could've. No, the needed the Nonman for sorcery. Well thought out.
H:
--- Quote from: MSJ on January 29, 2016, 03:19:13 am ---I like this H. Makes a lot of sense in regards to the womb-plague and why the Inchoiri wouldn't just devise a way to eradicate them all, which they could've. No, the needed the Nonman for sorcery. Well thought out.
--- End quote ---
Also, not only this, but I think they also learned a great deal from Nin’janjin while he was a "guest" of the Ark. No doubt in my mind that this was when the Inchoroi sequences the Nonman gnome (or at least gain some knowledge of it), presumably realizing that they could "treat" them with exactly what had prolonged their own lives. At the same time, they had raw genetic information they could (debase) use for the weapons races.
I think most of the Tekne was already "lost" by this time. This is why they couldn't simply repair the Ark. Nor could they make more Heron Spears. They couldn't even make weapon races from scratch, mainly because their understanding of their own biology pertained only to the Grafts, that is, how to add to their own frames, not make new ones. Bashrags are the biggest clue as to how crude their understanding and implementation was.
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