Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
The current attitude in the Peaks towards spirit blooded people is not good.
- Location
- The Space Between
Natural Philosophies are the predecessor to the field of Science. That's very interesting, seeing as this world's Nature is very much tied up by it's philosophies
the most reasonable assumption about the missing medicine saints is that they were from dynasties or political moments that they took the losing stance (or neutral stance) on. For example: it's incredible that there was no damage to the sect (which is run by the Royal Family) during the transition from the 2nd to 3rd dynasties.
we can also assume that some of the branches of study, which may or may not have had Saints, were pruned over the years. The study of Soul, for example.
because the original sect was very closely tied to the royal bloodline, I wouldn't be surprised if the Twilight King was a Medicine Saint of the study of Soul. He was certainly innovative. And it would fall in line nicely with the pattern that "healers are always very Very scary"
the most reasonable assumption about the missing medicine saints is that they were from dynasties or political moments that they took the losing stance (or neutral stance) on. For example: it's incredible that there was no damage to the sect (which is run by the Royal Family) during the transition from the 2nd to 3rd dynasties.
we can also assume that some of the branches of study, which may or may not have had Saints, were pruned over the years. The study of Soul, for example.
because the original sect was very closely tied to the royal bloodline, I wouldn't be surprised if the Twilight King was a Medicine Saint of the study of Soul. He was certainly innovative. And it would fall in line nicely with the pattern that "healers are always very Very scary"
Arkeus
Crazy cat guy
- Location
- France
Yeah, Meizhen as much as said there was silly burgers being made with definition.
Also, Shenhua really wanted to assure Tienli wasn't a disappointment like Renxiang 😆
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
my feeling was the opposite; they're so extraordinary that they can't claim they weren't Medicine Saints and everyone who could be debated they say aren't, except for their own.
What I mean is that there are probably quite a few such Saints but they want to pretend that most Saints went to their sect. So, when the descendants of such a Saint come around they just pretend they always included that Saint among the three.
Sort of like the Ancient Greeks officially had twelve gods in their pantheon (the Dodekatheon) of around 15 gods or so.
- Location
- Charlton, NY
Cultivation is so much of an old boy's club it's not even funny. Seriously. You can get people like Ji Rong, who assassinated a high red as a mortal, but once you get into yellow? Not happening. You can get to red without a backer if you steal some spirit stones, maybe, but you're probably not killing anything besides a mid yellow. If you somehow get into yellow in some podunk clan that doesn't like the Empire and all their white, prism, and violet cultivators, you're still probably not killing a green beyond rank 2/8. You're probably not getting into green without some serious sect/family backing, and disregarding loyalty, it's really hard to kill even a weak cyan as a green. And it only gets nastier from there.
So what protects mortals? 1) You need SOMEPLACE to get your brainwashees from. Can't go around leveling cities if you want mortals to live under your banner. 2) If you start leveling cities, it gives cultivators stronger than you an excuse to kill you. And besides those 2 reasons, that's pretty much it.
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
Religion also has a major factor for why cultivators don't really mess with mortals. The last command of the nameless father as he whispered the secrets of cultivation was to protect those who couldn't. Those that believe strongly in that duty protect mortals and those that don't believe in such duties strongly protect mortals because if they don't those that do start asking very pointed questions.
Not happening using the Empire's system.
There are other systems out there, and sometimes dissatisfied cultivators run into them, and then you've got an angry Cyan or higher fucking up your business and nobody's got the time, money, or blood to deal with that regularly.
Is Renxiang a disappointment though?
I mean, I get where you are coming from, but I'm not sure I'd phrase it like that.
Hm. Looking at the update I'm reminded that the Great Sects, and Imperial Edicts that spawned them were designed to give talents alongside commoner clans a better bargaining position with the entrenched nobility simply by existing as they are themselves viable career path, thereby weakening the old Clans. Furthermore it serves as a place to give opportunities of scions of clans needing revitalization like the Gu, and without the Great Sects they'd almost certainly be lacking two cultivators who should both reach Cyan by mid twenties, which is a scenario that demonstrates how under the old state of things the Han would've totally suppressed their vassal clan the Gu to insure they remain a vassal per Han Jian's comments on the Han Patriarch looking for a way to do so in his interlude.
This normal state of affairs is why I'd expect Shenhua to continue pouring in resources into them as they are something that even if abandoned by the Empress would serve well at bringing Order to the Emerald Seas, and part of why she gave the Argent Sect good PR by allowing CRX to recruit retainers directly from anyone not already a vassal attending the AS, which is something I wouldn't be suprised to see become a Cai tradition much to the annoyance of the Emerald Seas nobility.
This normal state of affairs is why I'd expect Shenhua to continue pouring in resources into them as they are something that even if abandoned by the Empress would serve well at bringing Order to the Emerald Seas, and part of why she gave the Argent Sect good PR by allowing CRX to recruit retainers directly from anyone not already a vassal attending the AS, which is something I wouldn't be suprised to see become a Cai tradition much to the annoyance of the Emerald Seas nobility.
I think Shenhua is wary of a repeat incident that ended up leaving Renxiang damaged.
Of course being shaped by her way Shenhua can't admit mistakes or actually communicate in a manner that doesn't traumatize her daughter so she just resolves to do better with the next one.
Fabula Amanti
I want a Grimoire, but I got books.
- Location
- Singapore
If it goes by KLK route she will be a rambunctious and rebellious little shit. Would like to see both the mother and daughters' faces in reaction to her. Probably has superb talent to prevent her from being offed.
- Location
- Yes
Is that the same clan as Kang Zihao?
Guess that's a yesDiscord said:
.That medicine sect reminds me of full metal alchemist for some reason i get the feling cultivators are all for human sperimentation, spiret beast chimera or hybrids or homunculos easy ways to obetain Power
@yrsillar Talked about some grourps trying to create Life or humans something like that
@yrsillar Talked about some grourps trying to create Life or humans something like that
- Location
- Colorado
I see what you're trying to say about the saints, but your statement about the Greeks is weird. Where did you get the idea that the Greeks only had 12 or 15 gods? The Ancient Greeks had hundreds of gods, its just that 12 were considered more important than the others
They had contemporaneous jokes about there being too many gods in the Dodekatheon. To put it another way, if there were twelve gods that were more important than the rest, which ones were they?
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- Location
- Colorado
Unless you're Rick Riordan most sources I've heard put them as Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Hestia, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. My main gripe though is that you stated they had 12-15 gods though, not 12-15 big important gods. The Greeks had more than anyone I can think of off the top of my head aside from the Hindus.
I specifically referred to the Dodekatheon. And no Demeter or Dionysus?
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Usually I see the list of the Twelve minus Hades (who rules from the Underworld, not Olympus) and minus Hestia (who gave up her throne for Dionysus and tends the hearth on Olympus instead).
(Hestia is great. If I ever stop being an atheist, it will probably be to become a reconstructionist Hellenic pagan and dedicate myself to her. She has excellent values.)
But, uh, the original point of how the Greeks agreed that there were twelve gods dwelling on Olympian thrones, but which twelve they were was a shifting quality is, if anything, proved by this discussion.
(Hestia is great. If I ever stop being an atheist, it will probably be to become a reconstructionist Hellenic pagan and dedicate myself to her. She has excellent values.)
But, uh, the original point of how the Greeks agreed that there were twelve gods dwelling on Olympian thrones, but which twelve they were was a shifting quality is, if anything, proved by this discussion.
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- Location
- Colorado
So you did, my apologies. Most of the time I hear pantheon getting used as a term for the entire extended (divine) family of a culture's mythology.
Aren't those reasons for Hades and Hestia not being counted just taken straight from Percy Jackson? And wikipedia tells me that his explanation for Hades at least is spot on. I thought I had learned to stop assuming he had just made a mistake when he gave Athena kids in book one and then gave a half-decent reason for it later, but I guess I'm still making that mistake. I'll concede to end this small derail.
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I have never read any of the Percy Jackson books -- they started coming out when I was outside of the target age group. These are the explanations for the Thrones of Olympus that I learned as a Greek-American child reading the culturally required eight bajillion books about Greek mythology. I assume the author of that series drew on the same sources I was given.
I'm given to understand that Rick Riordan takes background research very seriously, so that seems quite possible.
People using people as mats is one of those things that gets you killed.
Its pretty funny how stability works for large empires:
-Everyone seeks advancement. If there are no means possible to advance, social pressure will build until a means of advancement can be formed.
-Top level leadership seek to drive conflict between the ranks just below them and the ranks at the bottom. This ensures top leadership will remain top leadership, as the bottom rankers simply cannot individually challenge their position no matter how they rise.
-Mid and low level leadership seek to prevent lower ranks from advancement, as they compete for limited mid level resources.
So you have the Imperial seat establishing alternate advancement paths when its strong and those paths being marginalized when the Imperial seat is weak.
Nothing about kicking down the Old Clans really in the strategic picture, hard suppression just means that when the pressure release valve blows, it blows in a way you can't contain. The Old Clans are mostly just too damned stubborn to budge from sitting on the valve.
