Sepulchrave,
How far behind is the story hour from what the party is currently up to?
This is February/March of this year - December and January were pretty 'dead' as far as the game went. I was working my @ss off, and adjusting to a new schedule.
And (in real time) has Nehael been rescued yet? Is it close?
It's a secret
A little while ago, you mentioned that you didn't want to elaborate upon/reveal too much about the whole idea of the Q1 planes being demiplanes in Wyre vs. alternate Prime Material Planes in Q1. So, my question is, do some of the sects within or outside of Oronthonian orthodoxy address this query?
I'm uncomfortable with the distinction of 'alternate prime' vs 'demiplane' as I think its kind of artificial. From the Oronthonian perspective, there is only one 'World of Men', together with Heaven, Hell, the Abyss, and a myriad of 'limbos' - of which Afqithan would be considered one. This is Orthodox dogma, but is not necessarily the view of Oronthon himself - or his celestials. The ambiguity is intentional, as various belief paradigms view the cosmos differently, and I'm reluctant to categorize any of them as being 'correct.'
From what you've revealed, it would seem quite plausible for some sects (perhaps very conservative Heterodox sects, if such exist) to espouse an Zelanzy/Amber-like Wyre-centric view of creation, and for other such sects to counter these claims (perhaps the Transaxiomatic philosophy, the Irrenite Heresy, and/or the Urgic Mysitics?). Basically, I'm asking if Oronthonism addresses the uniqueness of life/creation, and how the ramifications of that truth (Truth?) are applied within game/rules setting in which other gods, planes, demons, and non-divine philosophies/forces can power divine spells, planar energies, etc. (Does that make sense?).
Most of the mystical sects would prefer not to categorize the Truth at all - such is the inclination of mystics generally. Both Urgic Mysticism and the Transaxiomatic philosophy can be viewed as necessary precursors to
saizhan - if you were to take an 'historical' view of the way that religion has developed in Wyre, and cosmogonic speculation is not something that
saizhan favours precisely
because it seeks to categorize the Truth in black-and-white terms. If you were to ask a
saizhan adept about the origins of the universe, and the existence of other deities, he would simply say that you are asking the wrong questions.
On the other hand, Orthodox tradition has a very linear conception of reality: cosmogenesis - > the world unfolds according to Oronthon's design -> eschatological climax. It does not deny the existence of other deities - or at least powerful beings which have worshippers, grant spells etc. - but does not grant them the 'absolute' status which it affords Oronthon. As Oronthon is responsible for the creation and maintenance of reality, any other entities
must have been created by him - there is no 'self-arising' or 'independence' of Oronthon's will. They are ghosts and phantoms which must be overcome by the devout. Ultimately, the World of Men is a testing ground, where those deserving of Oronthon's grace are wheedled out from the others.