Aeon (updated 10/9/14)

[Salthorae]

This story is "quickly" getting beyond my ability to comprehend on a philisophical level... but I still enjoy it much! Thanks as always Sep!

 

[Cheiromancer]

The stuff that Shomei said when she was drunk on kschiff - I don't entirely grasp it either. There was some numerological speculation in the Character thread (Eadric and his friends) that has some bearing on this passage. That thread also gives the definition of a few of the obscure words. Others were introduced previously in the story-hour.

Sep- the dragon is the coming Aeon, correct? What is the currently ruling Aeon?

I remember the old song about the dawning of the age of Aquarius- it turns out that the previous age was Pisces. The dragon is a symbol of Scorpio, correct? Does that mean the preceding Aeon is one that is associated with Sagittarius?

 

[tleilaxu]

my interpretation:

Perhaps half of his Regents in the Undivided Sphere: the half which fell, even as half perished altogether?

Referencing the Adversary/Hummaz. The undivided sphere being the World, the half in the World being Hummaz' servitors IE those released from Shvar Choryati (representing that which had been extinguished). The other half being former devils: shomei speculates that on some level the souls now serving Hummaz were those devils which were destroyed during the revolt from heaven (which now never happened).

Each of the others lost one; sixty-four became forty-nine.

referencing sep's numerical scheme of DvRs as references in the 'Eadric n' Friends' thread. 64 being 8 x 8, 49 being 7 x 7. There are 7 aspects of oronthon (light, majesty, purity, wisdom, succour, bliss & wrath) with the adversary hypothesized as the 8th entity of this order.

This was necessary. The I is necessary to ens. For Radiance to penetrate beyond Tamasah."

shomei gives a sort of irrenite interpretation of this: a dialectic or duality, a seperation of a 'being' from the 'world', is necessary for the creative (sui generis) aspect of oronthon to make reality out of void, overcome death, oblivion, maintain the firmament, etc etc.

 

[Sepulchrave II]

The stuff that Shomei said when she was drunk on kschiff - I don't entirely grasp it either.

Well, she was drunk...

Shomei is speculating that if the Adversary is (or was) originally of the Sovereign order - i.e. an emanation of Oronthon - then each of the eight (original) Sovereignties would logically have 8 Regents (reflections or avatars), and that the Kings of the Four Quarters in Avernus (Amaimon, Urien, Paimon and Ariton) are (or were) his surviving Regents.

With regard to the seven 'regular' Sovereignties (those listed by tleilaxu), absolute differentiation between the Sovereignties and their Regents (and Oronthon) is meaningless. Because the nature of the Adversary is fundamentally to individuate, however, it makes sense (if you are Shomei, and drunk on kschiff) that the Adversary's Regents would also individuate (or perish).

The 'Undivided Sphere' is the hypothetical identity of Oronthon and Unbeing "prior" to Oronthon's self-emanation, and Shomei would assert that by self-emanating, Oronthon is in fact laying the way for the Adversary to rebel; that the Adversary is in fact the most authentic manifestation of Oronthon by nature of simple self-identity (I am). This is an Irrenite argument.

The Unmanifest (that which is beyond all ontological speculation) lies past this. This is ultimately the target of Saizhan. Shomei does not deny its Truth, but she has no particular interest in it; Shomei is rather anti-mystical.

Er, does that make sense?

Sep- the dragon is the coming Aeon, correct? What is the currently ruling Aeon?

They are both Pharamne (as are all Aeons). It's kind of complicated. Yes, it's a wyrm, but not Qematiel - although Qematiel presages it some way. Mechanically, this Pharamne happens to be a Perfected DvR20 great prismatic wyrm with 5 virtual age categories and 100 cleric levels.

The dragon is a symbol of Scorpio, correct? Does that mean the preceding Aeon is one that is associated with Sagittarius?

I have never entertained this idea, but apparently, yes. The Jovian tendency to organized religion would give way to Plutonic upheaval and the assimilation of notions of annihilation.

This might place Wyre around 71,000 years ago (as I see no Illuminated amongst us). Perhaps Eadric's vision of fifty millennia was 2 great years - 51,500 years.

Thinking about it, I'd be even more inclined to put Wyre 122,000 years ago in the Riss-Würm interglacial; this would coincide with Temenun's memory of the preceding glacial period, i.e. 4 3/4 great years ago.

Coincidentally, Riss-Würm also translates as "Rupture-Dragon" in German...

 

[tleilaxu]

The 'Undivided Sphere' is the hypothetical identity of Oronthon and Unbeing "prior" to Oronthon's self-emanation

this is where my interpretation diverged, as i thought the undivided sphere was a reference to the World/Qinthei/Prime Material/whatever.

love how the philosophy has developed over the years, and eagerly await fumaril pt.2

 

[Cheiromancer]

I have never entertained this idea, but apparently, yes. The Jovian tendency to organized religion would give way to Plutonic upheaval and the assimilation of notions of annihilation.

Dunno about Pluto- it's not even a planet! But the classical assignment of Mars to Scorpio should work for destruction. I thought the organized religion part of Jupiter was in Pisces, rather than Sagittarius. But like I said, I don't know much astrology.

Thanks for the explanation. It clears lots of stuff up.

 

[Sepulchrave II]

I thought the organized religion part of Jupiter was in Pisces, rather than Sagittarius.

Fair point about the signs; I tend to view things in terms of planetary archetypes rather than Zodiacal ones. Fortunately, astrology is sufficiently vague and nebulous for it to mean anything you like.

Dunno about Pluto- it's not even a planet!

No, but it remains a potent symbol. The fact that it is now recognized as just a ball of dirty ice and sh*t from the Kuiper belt actually makes more sense to me in many ways, although I'm sure many astrologers are all worried about it.

Maybe Cheshne lives in the Oort cloud.

 

[Gidien]

Just want to say thanks once more, Sep. Fantastic update. The only reason I still come to EN World, actually, is to check on this story hour, which I've been following for years... *Eagerly awaits the next installment*

 

[Knightfall]

Wow. I think my IQ just went up a point after reading that update.

 

[Antithetist]

Thanks for the clarifications - and, indeed, for all the quality updates over the years (I've been lurking around for a long time, I figured it was past due that I drop by and share my appreciation). This Story Hour stands out to me as the single most engaging and endlessly inspiring piece of fantasy literature I've ever read. In fact the rigour, sensitivity and intelligence with which it treats its ideas puts the majority (the vast majority, actually) of academic scholarship to shame. For a record of a D&D game, that sure ain't bad.