NationStates Jolt Archive

The Dark Side of Light (located here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=439873)) is my first real followup to The Conception (located here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=423761)). To briefly summarize events, the Commander of Krioval, Raijin Dekker, called upon the power of a Kriovalian God to separate Krioval from the rest of the universe in order to "purify" the land. In so doing, several million people judged to be unworthy of continued existence were killed by the Conception Disc, which was the sole source of "natural" light and a quasi-sentient arbiter who would eventually decide who was to create the new order. After quite a bit of intrigue, Raijin himself received the power of the God he summoned (Solokaro), and using this power, brought himself to the Disc. However, Raijin's vision of the world to come was much the same as the one destroyed, which angered the Disc. Using the divine powers of Solokaro, Dekker destroyed the spirit of the Conception Disc, bringing the Creation forward. This event marked the destruction of "total Light" and its influence over Krioval. Mirrored by this was the (not yet RP'd) destruction of "total Darkness" eons ago by the same God. So now any level of predestination over Krioval is shot straight to hell. Thus, it's up to just about anyone to bring order to the chaos...or not.

As it stands, Raijin promised Empress Michiko Jones of Tanara that a certain portion of Krioval would be converted into a natural preserve. How "convenient" that he's convinced the Senate that the Christian-dominated region of Bralos is a good place to do this.

Basically, I'm looking for a decent mostly peaceful character RP with plenty of intrigue and general mayhem without all the unnecessary bloodshed that, to me, mars a good RP. To this end, let me say that Krioval's borders are extremely open, though security is quite good at catching would-be troublemakers.

Tech: Any
Violence: Minimal (please ask first)
Weirdshit: Moderate

Side note: Ose is a Goetic demon supposedly bound by King Solomon, and he does appear (apparently - I've never summoned a demon!) as a leopard. He is also featured in the PS2 RPG Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, which also served as the inspiration for the Conception. His name is pronounced as two syllables as far as I know.

I'd like to join in, though I very much doubt I can rise to your truly awesome levels of well-plotted chaos.

A small side role as a Holy Simpleton, perhaps?

Oh, yeah: welcome back.

*Retires to count toes and think about it all*

Sounds good. I mean, part of me just wanted to do a roleplay where I could work in a swordfighting cat-demon - because I'm silly like that.

Thanks for the "welcome back". I've been away for too long, but things look to be calming down for a while.

If I miss this one...

Welcome back indeed- The Ambassador from Tanara will be making minor appearances ( too busy being ambassador to do much ), if you have no objection - but I have to very firmly state -

That wasn't a promise from Raijin to Michiko - that was Deity to Deity -

I need to think a bit about who to bring in- but count me in!

What do you need to know?

Cool. I was worried that it'd be too uninteresting, or "overdone" for most NSers. Yes, the arrangement was technically between the two deities, but Kriovalian theology gets a bit vague on what distinguishes the God from the "vessel". In Raijin's case, it's unclear whether he was always part-Solokaro, all-Solokaro (but incarnate), or whether he "became" all- or part-Solokaro. It's the sort of thing that theologians will debate incessantly while simultaneously throwing their hands in the air and saying "it doesn't matter, so long as people realize the Gods exist, in whatever form". Still, the thought of Kriovalian denominationalism is interesting...

But basically, Raijin wants the Christian minority gone for their role in eliminating his status as royalty, as well as attempting to displace the Kriovalian faith. It remains to be seen whether his policy is to simply scatter or move those in his way or whether he's going for something a bit nastier.

Now it's made the nightly news. Have at thee. :p

What do you need to know?

Aside from the obvious (obtained from reading the IC posts), very little. I'm trying to make this RP entirely standalone from previous ones involving Krioval, save for the occasional "flavor" posts (like Krodan, from "Festival of Fighters").

On an unrelated, but relevant note, I may allow things like entire nations becoming involved in events here, but at present, I'd like to keep it to individual characters - certainly I expect governments to notice the issues, but unless Krioval is actively massacring its citizens, I'd expect there to be no invasions. Unauthorized assassins, hit men, or spies will become Ose's "playthings", and one will not likely get said characters back...in one piece. :D

LOL He has Michiko's sympathies- she has no love for the various Christian denominations - though she does have a long standing, strongly held belief in religous freedom- as much as she may personally be ...irked.

And I do have to admit that Michiko does consider herself Ashala's voice, eyes, hands, and more. She intends to keep an eye on Raijin.

Hmmm, how about a specialist in returning once urban zones back to nature - a Tanaran Ranger with multiple degrees in ecology, geology, botany, zoology etc... and somewhat other than pure human.

any thoughts on that?

Sounds good. More characters interacting = more fun (I've found)

I'll post an update tomorrow (or rather, later today). I was somewhat busy with RL issues.

While I'm posting OOC, I might as well indicate that I'd like to reiterate the openness of this RP. For those who expressed interest earlier, feel free to join in.

I would be interested in a recurring role in this story. My idea is to create a character, an overzealous member of the native HotRodian religion Combustianism (see NSwiki for details) who is trying to take advantage of the religious/theological disagreements and general spiritual strangeness in Krioval so that she can spread her own religion. This character would be a Combustian priestess, but that's all the detail I would have for now. I wanted to see if you liked the idea before going ahead with it. :)

Could be interesting - go for it. Most Kriovalians aren't exactly zealots except for when faith spills into the political arena (much like a lot of RL places).

Could be interesting - go for it. Most Kriovalians aren't exactly zealots except for when faith spills into the political arena (much like a lot of RL places).

That's fine. Overzealous Combustians are not really zealous in comparison to say...Fundamentalist Christians...anyway. They tend to be laid back and mesh well with other religions. The fact that they bother to talk about religion to other folks at all makes them zealous in comparison to most HotRodians.

To clarify, HotRodia is an anarcho-capitalist cooperative, so almost anything else is considered "conservative" to some degree...

And I plan to add my next post later when some more RP time has passed.

I'm kicking things forward a bit, if only to see where the RP goes. Heaven knows I could RP a conversation for several days, exploring all the character interactions in one setting, but I'll leave a bit for later. How much more RP time do you need to pass, HotRodia?

I'm kicking things forward a bit, if only to see where the RP goes. Heaven knows I could RP a conversation for several days, exploring all the character interactions in one setting, but I'll leave a bit for later. How much more RP time do you need to pass, HotRodia?

About a month...

Sorry about the lack of update - I'm pretty busy these few days. I'll try to post something inspirational in the morning (PDT), but it'd work if those interested were to post before I do.

Sorry I'm late, Krioval. RL intervened -- a chance to buy a new car! So there's been a fair bit of time lost paper-shuffling.

Anway, now I'm in, and, as you can see, Iestyn was the un-named worker who found Mary Selekar's body. I've deliberately left things fuzzy as to time, either when he found her or how much has passed since then.

I know I said I was going to write a Holy Innocent, but I'm finding Holy is a bit of a stretch, and Innocent is pretty difficult for me to maintain, too. So he may turn out to be the current incarnation of something. But he's my main character, anyway. (Oh, yeah, and I don't know how he got so much blood on him. Probably something quite ordinary.)

Father Andrew is fairly expendable, if anybody wants to kill him off in some spectacular fashion. Or he could stick around and be the voice of reason for the common Christians if the Bishop runs amok. 'Sup to dramatic necessity, I guess.

I'm trying to avoid writing actual Catholic activity, owing to my lack of knowledge. If a mistake's minor, please assume it's just one of those local practices that develop. If it's a glaring one, let me know and I'll edit. Similarly, I'm relying on very distant memories for any generic Christian detail, so if I misrepresent anyone's faith, again, I'll edit. Just TG me or write it here. I'm not trying to start any General Forum-type rows.

Sorry I'm late, Krioval. RL intervened -- a chance to buy a new car! So there's been a fair bit of time lost paper-shuffling.

Anway, now I'm in, and, as you can see, Iestyn was the un-named worker who found Mary Selekar's body. I've deliberately left things fuzzy as to time, either when he found her or how much has passed since then.

I know I said I was going to write a Holy Innocent, but I'm finding Holy is a bit of a stretch, and Innocent is pretty difficult for me to maintain, too. So he may turn out to be the current incarnation of something. But he's my main character, anyway. (Oh, yeah, and I don't know how he got so much blood on him. Probably something quite ordinary.)

Father Andrew is fairly expendable, if anybody wants to kill him off in some spectacular fashion. Or he could stick around and be the voice of reason for the common Christians if the Bishop runs amok. 'Sup to dramatic necessity, I guess.

I'm trying to avoid writing actual Catholic activity, owing to my lack of knowledge. If a mistake's minor, please assume it's just one of those local practices that develop. If it's a glaring one, let me know and I'll edit. Similarly, I'm relying on very distant memories for any generic Christian detail, so if I misrepresent anyone's faith, again, I'll edit. Just TG me or write it here. I'm not trying to start any General Forum-type rows.

I'm a practicing and informed Catholic IRL, so if you have any questions just ask.

Thanks, HotRodia. I was going to rely on my husband, who's an ex altar-boy, but the emphasis is on the "ex" -- and besides, when I'm NSing, he's asleep. SO...Do priests still get de-frocked?
*If so, does it happen at their request only (ie, leaving priesthood) or is it still a disciplinary measure?
*Does a Bishop do it, or does it need someone higher?
*Is it done publicly?
*If it's disciplinary, are they excommunicated as well?

You see where my thoughts are tending, if no-one wants him as a victim. Also, I'm assuming that Krioval's Catholic Church is very much pre-Vatican II -- is it so, Krioval?

Thanks, HotRodia. I was going to rely on my husband, who's an ex altar-boy, but the emphasis is on the "ex" -- and besides, when I'm NSing, he's asleep. SO...Do priests still get de-frocked?
*If so, does it happen at their request only (ie, leaving priesthood) or is it still a disciplinary measure?
*Does a Bishop do it, or does it need someone higher?
*Is it done publicly?
*If it's disciplinary, are they excommunicated as well?

The Code of Canon Law (http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM) indicates that it can be a "disciplinary measure" of sorts, but there is plenty of room left in the wording for other things. Certainly a removal of "ecclesiastical office" because of an abuse of clerical power or some other serious offense would be justified, though if there a lot of politicking in a church or diocese less appropriate justifications might be used to oust someone who was actually doing good. The Code uses the term "competent authority" which would most likely be a Bishop, but not necessarily. Depending on whether the priest is a diocesan priest or became a priest via one of the Orders (ie. Franciscans, Carmelites, etc), the Bishop might not be the one to look to, and the authorities within the Order might handle the matter, perhaps in cooperation with the local Bishop. The removal of ecclesiastical office has to be done in writing. They might or might not be excommunicated. It would depend on the situation.

Whew! You know, just a while ago I was saying to myself, "I should have said to HR, 'Just answer if you can tell me off the top of your head. I don't want you to spend time doing my research for me'."

And now you've done it. Thanks three times over, HotRodia: for the info, for the speed and for suffering a double post on my behalf.

Whew! You know, just a while ago I was saying to myself, "I should have said to HR, 'Just answer if you can tell me off the top of your head. I don't want you to spend time doing my research for me'."

And now you've done it. Thanks three times over, HotRodia: for the info, for the speed and for suffering a double post on my behalf.

Heh. You're welcome. The only thing I didn't know off the top of my head was that it had to be done in writing. Ya learn something new every day. :D

OOC: I find the concept of a less-than-violent RP interesting. I'll have to read a bit further & think on a character I could play...

OOC: I find the concept of a less-than-violent RP interesting. I'll have to read a bit further & think on a character I could play...

HotRodia's character is looking for converts, and it looks as if the Catholic Church in Krioval is about to divide along extreme or tempered opposition to Raijin lines (if it's OK with Krioval?), and there are (or could be) spiritual dimensions to almost everything that's going on ...

Now might be a good time to be an uninvolved academic commentator on Comparative Religion? Or a journalist, or teacher, with an interest in some aspect of it? Or a rent-a-comment media face?

Please don't take this the wrong way, you've obviously got enough experience to come up with the goods. It's just that I'm the typical lazy person: I can't resist finding things for other people to do.

Some background on Krioval, and the current situation:

Most of Krioval is extremely liberal in social and economic policy, including the capital. On Earth, most of the conservative Catholics are in the "old city" of Bralos, while those embracing more liberal philosophies have settled in other cities. Those being evicted are tending to settle in nearby cities, most notably Telekar and Tevanor. Valak, which is nearby, is easily the most "free" city in Krioval, as evidenced by the level of public nudity considered acceptable, ruling it out as a refuge.

Extraplanetary holdings aren't really relevant, though Crysalia was once Catholic, and was converted into a nature preserve as well. Raijin, and by extension the Kriovalian government, are less interested in destroying Catholicism in Krioval, and more interested in eliminating pockets of resistance to modernization and assimilation. It doesn't help from either the Catholics' or the government's perspective that religion is a tremendous issue in Krioval, with the overwhelming majority of citizens following the traditional pantheon. Complicating matters we have Raijin as a military, civilian, religious, and economic leader. Which form he takes isn't always clear, and that's bound to cause problems.

Not that anyone could tell, but this was meant to address the "pre-Vatican II" question, which I only saw now. The short answer is that the battle is between those who are pre-Vatican II in their viewpoint and the rest of society, with plenty of people being caught up in the middle. I'll try to draw this out in a bit more detail.

If the young would-be suicide bomber's a Catholic, could he be a member of Father Andrew's parish, or do you have plans for him?

I'm just wanting to make Father Andrew's life a little harder. Presumably the civil authorities would be interested in a church that produced a suicide bomber, however innocently.

Feel free to use him however you'd like. One thing I might mention is that he was an unwitting suicide bomber - either the device detonated too early or he was unaware that the backpack contained explosives to begin with. I was thinking more on the order of someone telling him "take this bag across the checkpoint and deliver it to [person X]", and things going downhill from there.

EDIT: Apologies for the delay. I was without internet access for (gasp!) twenty-four whole hours. I hate when that happens.

Thanks, that's better still. Let the misunderstandings multiply!

Suitably chastened. How the hell could I forget that your people have telepaths?

Well, at least I've got an excuse IC: because Father Andrew's from Findhorn, where there aren't any, and Brian, as a member of a poor and despised minority, didn't expect fairness.

I was drawing on my perceptions of how a Muslim failed-terrorist might be treated in, say, Australia or America right now: unjust justice. I gather Kriovalians aren't quite that frightened of their Catholics.

It wasn't just a strip-search, BTW; I re-wrote my original, more explicit, post. It was also a cavity-search. Which, in the hands of goons, could come near enough to anal rape. Which, given Father Andrew's tangled emotions when he entered the seminary ... yeah.

I was hoping that Father Andrew, through his defence of Brian, would get in good with the Bishop, who would think he was defying Raijin. Then, when some incident yet to come proves that Father Andrew isn't, the Bishop would be particularly angry. Or possibly the Bish isn't the extremist, but has a Machiavellian private secretary who's in league with them?

Thing is, when I try to follow the links in your sig to find out, I keep coming on "Deleted by ..." posts. Any chance of your Bishop having a scene soonish? Or any thread I could check to sort myself out?

In the meantime, I'll just follow the polite lead you've given. Ta for bowling to a bunny.

I'll be posting again soon, by the way. Unless of course there are objections...