The Tai Lo Monthly/February 08/Telemechus and Torsaan

Torsaan: So what exactly does The Order believe? The world was created, and it was in order, thus it was good. But the Great Dragon disrupted the order of the world and so The Order fights to reorder the world? Am I right?

Telemechus: I am quite impressed Torsaan. I had not expected you to be able to sum up The Order so well. You are correct in your surmation though, The Order is here to reorder the world. It's not as simple as you make it seem, but that is the basis of it.

You see, when the world was created it was perfect, in fact everything created before then was perfect, there was no war, no strife, no Chaos, nothing bad, only Order. Everything did what it was meant to do, and nothing went wrong. With the advent of The Great Dragon, the world fell into Chaos. Something happened to cause him to choose the path of Chaos and disorder. Whatever his motives, it brought forth terrible and oppresive power on the world and made things miserable.

As time went by, a movement slowly grew to stand in defiance of The Dragon's Chaos and eight heroes were chosen to go forth and destroy this evil. They succeeded in killing the Dragon, but only after giving up their lives in the process. The Order was formed in the wake of The Great Dragon's destruction to return the peace and order that flourished before The Dragon.

The Order was eventually destroyed by heretics and power-hungry kings that wished to see The Order gone so they may use Chaos for their own gains. We were brought back by Lord Tsubaki nearly a decade ago (BM Time) and we have been spreading the light ever since.

This is what we know to be true. Obviously there is more to it than this tale of creation, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Though I have a few for you as well.

I know that The Word believes that there is a 'holy language' that carries power in its message, but where does this language originate? You claim no specific God or Gods but only acknowledge that a God exists. There is no way that a language simply appears.

Torsaan: What? We aren't based on a holy language. 'The Word' is a much simpler way of saying 'Hab-yc ka s'skeninaabasnan'. We do have gods and God. Our holy language is merely the language of my tribe. Because of it's stark contrast to the languages of other tribes, we said that the gods taught it to us. Now, I shan't divulge if that is true or not.

As for creation, we believe that all was created by the Great Gods, Fuarchostn the Entity of Time, Kaora the Goddess of Beginning and Xanio the God of End. They banished the nothingness from before all which was in turn forgotten, forming Anstorkoc the Entity of Forgotten. To populate the universe Xanio and Kaora made Esaneon the Entity of the Elements to create all inside. To govern these new things, Kaora and Xanio made Scha, Goddess of Good, and Wentarkl, God of Evil.

Now, we also believe that after one dies they are sent to an afterlife. There, they are sent to Scha if they suffered for others unselfishly, or Wentarkl if they lived luxuriously without working for it. There they will 'pay off their debts' by either suffering or enjoying. Those who have lived in complete balance will be sent to Torsaan and will await the Second Coming when all is started anew. This will be foreseen, but I can't recite the scripture to a non-believer.

We speak of God and gods. That is because we know that God exists in three selves. God that is All, God that is the Ruler, like Kaora or Fuarchostn, and God that is the Self, like myself and you. We call this I&I&I. If you wonder why I'm named after a god, that is common practice in my tribe. We are named such because our parents want us to aspire to greatness, like the gods.

In addition, we believe that you cannot have good without evil, day without night, order without chaos. For if only one exists, how do you know the other does as well? We strive to do what we will but recognize that things must be balanced eventually. Karma you could call it. If there is too much evil, the world will be unbalanced and we shall descend into chaos. Wentarkl has always been more powerful than Scha, but we cannot lost sight that Scha can also garner power. If there is so much good that we cannot see what isn't good then we shall descend into chaos, where everything is rationalized as good because we don't know evil.

A bit of an eye opening?

Telemechus: Indeed, indeed. It seems that I had your religion all wrong Torsaan, but everybody is prone to mistakes.

Though most of what you believe I simply cannot accept as true and it would be pointless to talk about it. For example, The Order hails no specific 'God' like The Word. If there is a 'God' he isn't worried about us right now. I have no real proof and I don't think you do either, so discussion won't help.

I will say that your perception of balance is incorrect. Order and Chaos are not day and night. Order existed before Chaos, and even though nobody knew it existed, it did. It was a period of pure bliss and perfection that cannot even be fully described in any language. The Order seeks to achieve this bliss again, but so long as Chaos exists, it cannot be accomplished.

Think of a perfect statue, a figure of a tall and proud warrior that would die for his cause. This statue has no flaws, no cracks, not even the smallest blemish, it is perfect. Although you my not know it is perfect, it is perfect in every way. Now imagine that a young child accidentally broke the finger off of this mighty statue. It is no longer perfect and you are suddenly aware that it is flawed, and now that the finger is broken, there is nothing you can do about it. In this case, perfection very obviously existed, even though you don't know that it does. Just because you lack a mode for comparison does not mean that it does not exist.

The Order seeks to repair this 'statue' to its original and perfect form. This cannot be done with conventional means, it must be done through a perfection of the spirit. When a person becomes perfectly ordered and at one with the universe, he may transcend all else and begin to advance in ways that could never be thought possible. Basically, that person will begin where creation stopped and become something more complex, but still in Order.

Torsaan: God is everywhere. The fact we exist is because of God. What makes a man think? What gives him his breath? How can one feel at nature when we separate ourselves from it? There is something within everything that ties us together, and that is God.

How can one have order without chaos? Without chaos the only thing in existence will be order... but that is impossible. The entire definition of order is something that is without chaos. If there was no chaos there would be no order for then there would just be a state of nothing. To be able to perceive the order we must perceive it's opposite to draw the comparisons between the two. So if we cannot perceive the order will it still be there? If there was no day would we be able to discern that we are in night?

How do we know this statue is perfect? Balance is perfect. Balance is not just one thing. It is a multitude of things working in harmony. Like our bodies. We are one being but there are organs within that do things. They work in harmony. A man and a woman, when working in harmony, create new things. You cannot have just one for that is not right. Does The Order seek to dispel harmony? Do they seek to unbalance the world? Do they wish we have all land and no water so we cannot drink? All water and no land so we cannot live? All fire and no air so that we cannot breathe? All air and no fire so that we cannot warm ourselves? One thing that works in harmony with something without that something will run rampant; and that is chaos. You need chaos for there to be order.

Telemechus: Ah, Torsaan, you do not see the cycles. Perhaps I should have explained this earlier, I honestly regret not doing so sooner.

Your inquiries about the balance between fire and air and the numerous other objects are simply a part of a cycle. Life and death, predator and prey, night and day are all cycles. They are one and yet they are separate. They exist as cycles without end, and without beginning. Their is complete Order in the death of a dove at the hands of a fox, just as there is Order in a raging wildfire. In both cases there will be rebirth, thus completing the cycle. Chaos occurs when this cycle is broken, when the natural ebb and flow of the world is disrupted by the activities of either man or the unholy beings (undead etc..).

So I answer your questions with a similar question. Despite the obvious destruction and Chaos caused by the undead, should we not eliminate them? Should we allow them to roam free because they aid your version of balance? Do you seek a world free of undead so we can all live?

Again, true Order can only be achieved by the total destruction of Chaos. There is no unbalance in this, there is only peace and prosperity. A mode of comparison is not necessary for it to exist. There is no comparison for 'God' yet you swear that it exists. Without a mode of comparison we will simply lose the word for Order, we will not lose what Order is. Do you truly believe it to be impossible for complete peace and harmony to exist? If not then you are quite the pessimist. I don't think I could live without the hope of a better tomorrow.

Torsaan: What happens when a cycle is broken? Order and chaos? Life and death?

Until about a century ago, my tribe didn't know the undead existed. We didn't even have a word for them. Undead break the balance of life and death. You live once and die once. Undead are caused by two things...

Dark magic. This is an immoral and corrupt man who seeks to lengthen life by being risen from the dead. You see, these men were already destined to suffer for quite a while with Wentarkl. But doing this makes their eventual suffering 1000 times worse for it angers I&I&I. After they suffer with Wentarkl they are sent to Anstorkoc where their name fades but their pain doesn't.

Improper burials. A body that is buried underground results in undead. The soul cannot leave the body and becomes weak. This leaves the body prone to being risen by a necromancer. After the undead is slain people tend to rebury it. The body returns to the earth but the soul could not sever its earthly bonds properly. So it becomes a ghost. Burning bodies also destroys the body before the soul can sever the bonds. That also results in ghosts.

Peace cannot exist without war, for that is unbalanced. I do not live for a better tomorrow. I live for a better today. By seeking to live a balanced life and knowing that I will be balanced after death... I can live without fear.

God cannot be compared for he is everything. I&I&I. Perhaps he can be compared to some secret that Anstorkoc jealously guards. But he cannot be compared to anything known for he is everything known.

And now for the retort!

Telemechus: Indeed Kargncha Torsaan, a retort!

When a cycle is broken you have war, unnatural deaths by disease and famine, corruption, and Chaotic beings like undead and monsters. The undead are a result of the most Chaotic people in society refusing to give in to the cycle of life and death. Monsters are people that are so Chaotic that they are not even physically recognizable. These people are the thieves and bandits and grave robbers that will do anything for personal gain.

Of course, I'm sure if we did bury them deeper perhaps they would not be able to resurface.

As for fear. I do not fear death, because fear is inherently Chaotic. Fear is simply ignorance of what is around you. I do not fear death because I know that I am a part of the life cycle that every living being takes part in. This knowledge gives me strength and through this I fear nothing.

War is Chaotic. War breaks the cycle of life and death by causing unnatural deaths throughout the world. The Order does not advocate any war unless the end result is less Chaotic than the current situation. For example, we declare war on undead because war is much less Chaotic than free roaming beasts of evil.

And you prove my point with your own words Torsaan. I tell you that Order exists even without Chaos. You tell me that this is not so, and yet you also say that God exists despite the fact that it has no comparison. A mode of comparison is not necessary for an object to exist.

Torsaan: War and peace are a cycle... are they not? After peace there is war and after war there is peace. It is most balanced, the ebb and flow of war and peace. Monster too are balanced. They are hunters of the land. They hunt us. We can defend ourselves so we do. That is balanced.

If we bury the dead deeper the necromancers will get longer spades. The only proper burial is on with the proper rites, herbs as an offering, a prayer, and burning incense to signal this to the gods. The body is then put on the ground or thrown in the ocean.

Fear is not chaotic. It is perfectly natural. Irrational fear is silly though, such as fear of death. The fear of losing a loved one is not chaotic... is it?

War is part of the cycle of life and death. Before life, the story of our lives was already written. Many people chose to die through war. You learn a great deal about yourself as you lie bleeding on the ground in the last aching moments before death. And the Hab'b do not fear that, for death is destiny.

God exists without comparison because he is everything. What is comparison to everything? Nothing? There was nothing before God created all but that nothing is known only by Anstorkoc and he tells no secrets.

Telemechus: War is balanced!? Have you lost your mind!? Perhaps you have never seen battle firsthand. I was there on the fields of Garnagi and in the forests of Alatol. I watched as thousands were slaughtered in the name of both Carelia and the Cagilan Empire. I sat in Skalk for over a week to force the people to join a realm that they had no desire to be a part of. There is nothing natural in an arrow piercing the heart of a young boy, not even old enough to feel a woman's embrace. There is nothing balanced in telling a grief stricken mother that her last child has died for nothing. There is certainly nothing Orderly in watching full grown men call for their mother with their last breath. You can never convince me that war is natural, and it is almost an insult to do so.

As for fear, it is Chaotic. Fear is irrational in all cases because it causes reactions based on emotions and not on logic and reason. A person that reacts based on emotions is likley to do something Chaotic. This Chaos is fundamentally caused by an ignorance of the world. This is an ignorance that can easily be dissuaded by knowing and understanding the teachings of The Order. That is why I believe that when the light of The Order truly touches every human being on the planet, fear will no longer exist. Knowledge is the key to ending Chaos in our world and we must wield it as the only weapon we have in this fight.

And you contradict yourself Torsaan. First you say that nothing exists without some form of comparison, and yet you claim that God exists without it. Now you say that God is everything and thus has no comparison, but you also claim that the comparison for everything is nothing. Your statements about God are self defeating. Perhaps it would be better if you explained it to me again in better terms, now that we have a better understanding of each other.

Torsaan: War is balanced. They boy soldier who dies willingly for a cause he does not know will go to Scha and live in bliss to pay his debts. After war there is peace and after peace there is war. Before you are born you choose your future. For some, one of their exits is through war. This was their choice and you shouldn't question it. Everything is for a reason. From the child that dies before birth to the king who chokes on food. War exists for a reason.

So you wish not to have emotions? Wish to not feel love, hate, jealousy, lust? You seemed quite angry a few moments ago. If acting without fear is the way of The Order... then why were you so angry? Fear causes anger. Perhaps you were afraid of an early death on the battlefield. I don't fear death.

God is everything. Perhaps I should not try to ponder whether God has a comparison with you. I thought I could. I do not know everything. Many secrets are held in deep catacombs beneath the desert. These are the scrolls of Anstorkoc. I've looked for them but have had no success. They detail some things, such as whether God is alone as a high being. Does God have a counterpart as everything in balance does? Since God is everything that means his counterpart is nothing but the only source of nothing we know of was banished from the world when it was created and became Anstorkoc. This is further complicated by the fact that Anstorkoc is part of I&I&I and thus a part of God. Perhaps God exists as two selves, one of which is I&I&I while another is the nothingness held by Anstorkoc... who is part of I&I&I. It's very confusing. Perhaps you have some insight on this. Do you?

Telemechus: Torsaan, I continue to tell you, war is not balanced. The boy who chose to die on that field did not know what death is. He did not know how it feels to have a sword thrust through his chest. He did not understand that he died in vain in a war that could be prevented. Think of all the sadness and pain that could be avoided if a few rulers had been more levelheaded and agreed to nonviolence.

And what if it was previously decided that the boy would die in battle? That would contradict our own free will, which I believe in with all of my being. How can a boy choose to fight for his realm, and yet his entire life is predetermined before he is born? This makes no sense.

I try to separate myself from emotion. It gives one a clearer head to think logically and it prevents irrational actions, like charging into battle when you know the battle is lost. A person that is calm and collected, free from irrationality and full of understanding is an Orderly person. A person that is ruled by anger or sadness and lives in ignorance and selfishness is Chaotic. Emotion are not inherently Chaotic, but if left unchecked, they can lead a person to that path with ease.

I know that my recent outburst would go against what I have just said, but I must admit that I am not perfect. Most people have moments of violence or emotion, despite it's Chaotic nature. The best thing we can do to combat these emotions is simply meditate and breath deeply. Meditation helps to focus oneself both mentally and spiritually and it allows oneself to regain control over one's emotions. I apologize for becoming angry at you, it normally isn't in my personality to do so, but the thought of war being good in any way deeply disturbs me.

As for God, I appreciate that you concede to not know everything. I tell you that I do not know much on the subject. However, I will say that I cannot deny the existence of God any more than I can claim he exists. Honestly, I believe that if God does exist, he exists in the form of Order and his opposite exists as Chaos. When Chaos is destroyed, God will not simply disappear, he will continue to exist as Order, helping the universe to further Order itself into more complex things.

Torsaan: You believe what you want and I shall believe what I want.