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[interlucere]

Name: Lux Crownguard
Date: 5/7
Format: Text

Does magic exist in your world? What is it like, and how do others view those who use it? If not, is there something similar to it where you are from?

With so many of us coming from different worlds, it would be a good idea for us to pool our knowledge and resources to figure things out. The rules might not be the same here, but having a base to start from is better than nothing at all, wouldn't you agree?

- Lux

Comments

[interlucere]

[ So she isn't from the same place, but has similar laws set in place. It takes Lux some time to compose a response. ]

And no one tries to oppose the church? What sort of authority do they have over your people? I can't imagine something like that is easy to deal with, if magic is so prevalent in your world.

[ipseite]

We must differentiate between magic and the harnessing and practise thereof. Magic itself is a natural part of the world that cannot be "removed", but those who practise it, books of magic, histories of magic—the authority of the church and the empire are entwined, and long have been. Practise of magic has been all but effectively stamped out, and those few who remain do so in secrecy. A crime considered a sin that may tarnish one's immortal soul is not something undertaken lightly by many, and there are those in living memory who have witnessed the consequences and do not care to live them for themselves.

It is, most commonly, a crime of desperation. More to the point, a woman's desperation and a woman's sin. It is rare that a man should be driven to such lows with no alternative means of bettering his life, that he should reach for such extreme measures. And to arrest and execute an isolated woman with limited, self-taught magical skill is not a great challenge.

[interlucere]

So the church wishes to protect her people by ensuring that they stay on the same virtuous path, regardless of what sort of position that may put them in. Am I understanding correctly?

[ipseite]

I'm sure it's the position of the church that a truly virtuous person should never find themselves in dire straits. But broadly, that is a conclusion that I've no doubt the holy father would prefer be drawn.

[interlucere]

[ ...What can she get away with saying here without tipping off anyone from her world who might be watching this conversation? ]

It seems like the most logical conclusion in this situation, and one that I am familiar with as well, even if the reasoning is somewhat different. Do you know why they would have come to this conclusion? What happens to those who still practice in secret?

[ipseite]

I believe it is useful to the church to be perceived to have come to such a conclusion.

( it isn't the same as believing that protection of the faithful has anything to do with anyone's present motives. at her most generous, she might concede that there's a slim possibility it once mattered, and that in so large an organisation there are doubtless lower tier individuals ignorant and credulous enough to sincerely believe it. )

If they wish to live, they keep it a secret.

[interlucere]

[ Of course it's useful for the church. They can stamp out any contentious beliefs that might upset the status quo and call it the divine word of God. Lux is more than familiar with the concept, although she would never vocalize her feelings on the matter. ]

As I understand it, there are those who practice in secret where I am from as well, for similar reasons. I couldn't say how successful they are, however. The stories of those who manage to stay hidden are rarely the ones we hear about in public.

[ipseite]

Well, just so. And to most of the land, there is little difference between what is not seen because it is not there and what is not seen because it cannot be. Peasantry and aristocracy alike.