Earwa > The Almanac: TAE Edition
The Slog WLW - Chapter 13 [Spoilers]
Bolivar:
--- Quote from: themerchant on April 21, 2016, 03:44:01 pm ---Yeah the army of the south was a premeditated disaster to "oil" the way to eating Sranc imo.
--- End quote ---
Yup. What's crazy is they could start foraging again but he ends that:
--- Quote ---The Holy Aspect-Emperor declared the Breaking of the Ordeal undone and commanded the Armies of the West and the East to converge upon the Army of the Middle-North. None of the Believer-Kings doubted his decision, even though this most recent defeat of the Horde had increased the opportunities for forage.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: H on April 20, 2016, 04:56:24 pm ---Double post, but I had another thought about this chapter, which is very long. Part of why is that it details numerous prices, grandees, and satraps who died. I had a thought about why this is important. Why are we being told all this? Sure, it gives a character to the battles, a sense that they are important people who are there, who are being lost. But again, why should this matter, really?
Then I was thinking back to the quote, about how the Ordeal is really just a sacrificial vessel for all the Schoolmen. So, why all these Lords in it? Well, that may well be the whole point. Leaving a vacuum of "lords" back in the Three Seas, sacrificing all of them in the Ordeal, allowing the New Empire to crumble, is all part of the plan; once Kellhus succeeds in achieving Godhood, he will be the whole new order, the old lords will all be gone and with them the ties to the order of the past.
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Good point. The rulers chose and sent generals and commanders to represent them in the First Holy War, it's strange that now all these kings and heirs are showing up. Not to mention the Scions get wiped out as the first real casualties. It's strange to think Kellhus could have been out maneuvered by a Consult Legion and even Porsparian said it was a lie.
One explanation might be that the Zaudunyani overthrew so many of the old order during the Unification Wars. It would make sense that the new leaders of these polities who seized power are military strategists themselves and why the Ordeal would need them.
Somnambulist:
I'm sure it was also expedient to bring said conquered rulers along. Kel couldn't overthrow the Three Seas, then leave the rulers of said overthrown lands behind. They'd immediately secede from the Empire and cause trouble again with arguably no one to stop them, once Kel marched the Ordeal north. Instead, make them Believer-Kings, 'trusted inner circle,' keep them close so he could get rid of them easier. He needed the rulers under his control so he could then in turn control the soldiers. Once out in the field, too far from home... "Oh nooooo, your king/prince/regent was just killed in battle, guess you'll have to follow me directly now..."
H:
--- Quote from: Somnambulist on May 03, 2016, 08:51:53 pm ---I'm sure it was also expedient to bring said conquered rulers along. Kel couldn't overthrow the Three Seas, then leave the rulers of said overthrown lands behind. They'd immediately secede from the Empire and cause trouble again with arguably no one to stop them, once Kel marched the Ordeal north. Instead, make them Believer-Kings, 'trusted inner circle,' keep them close so he could get rid of them easier. He needed the rulers under his control so he could then in turn control the soldiers. Once out in the field, too far from home... "Oh nooooo, your king/prince/regent was just killed in battle, guess you'll have to follow me directly now..."
--- End quote ---
Exactly. I can't help but think back to the quote that literally says that the Great Ordeal is just protection to get the Schoolmen to Golotterath. Considering that, Kellhus knowingly is throwing all these Lords right under the bus.
The old order is out, the new order is going to begin.
Blackstone:
I was initially appalled to read that the GO was a vehicle to get the schools to Golgotterath, but it makes sense. On the other hand, the anagogic sorcerers are so weak (compared to the Gnosis) that they are basically there as cannon fodder as well. They'd be good to destroy sranc, but I have a feeling that the Consult has a bunch of gnostic sorcerers to field.
IIRC, the First Holy War wasn't just run by generals and commanders. Most of them were princes and palatine governors. High Ainon in particular, seemed to send its entire ruling class (including the thing called its king).
H:
--- Quote from: Blackstone on May 05, 2016, 02:56:46 pm ---I was initially appalled to read that the GO was a vehicle to get the schools to Golgotterath, but it makes sense. On the other hand, the anagogic sorcerers are so weak (compared to the Gnosis) that they are basically there as cannon fodder as well. They'd be good to destroy sranc, but I have a feeling that the Consult has a bunch of gnostic sorcerers to field.
--- End quote ---
Indeed, we know that Shae knows the Gnosis, presumably taught it to A&A (the False Sun implies that Aurang was casting Cants with Shae to bury Titirga). The biggest question about that, and we are given glimpses of what other schools of the Gnosis bring, is how does the Mangaecca Gnosis differ from Mandati Gnosis? There could be an important difference, or perhaps nearly none at all.
Mihtrûl, we know, dealt in mundane weapons that we ensorcelled and the Sohonc we really don't know, but there must have been some reason that they were the so-called most powerful of the old Schools. Presumably though, since Seswatha was Grandmaster of the Sohonc, the Mandati Gnosis is similar to that of the old School.
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