Draenic Discourses on the Inner Light (Updated 25-7-2013 with: "The Army of Light Marches On")

The 5 Hinderances I like. I thought when I read anger you were going to speak out against Paladins however Personally I think Doubt is healthy in a faith however on a larger scale perhaps it is a wiser doctrine to make doubt sinful. I will cry if thelos ever tells me "do not doubt" However.

I like the idea of singing and chanting for the atmosphere and for the RP it will make

Lexgrad wrote: Personally I think Doubt is healthy in a faith however on a larger scale perhaps it is a wiser doctrine to make doubt sinful.

It's not that Doubting is Sinful. There is no such thing as a Sin in this spiritual paradigm. And since there is no sin, there is no such thing as atonement. There are only unilluminated souls and the ways to help them reach Enlightenment. The opposition of Enlightenment and that which impairs Enlightenment is quite different in nature than that of Virtue and Sin, which is one of the reasons I didn't want to formulate any positive Virtues. Doubt, like the other four Hindrances, is a form of enroaching "Darkness" that disturb the mental tranquility and prevents the soul from reaching Enlightenment. In this sense the term Darkness should be taken very literally; as anti-enlightenment. Ignorance is perhaps its most obvious and greatest incarnation. I've even considered adopting the term "Darkening" to complete the symmetry, but I feared that might have made things sound too ethereal.

Lexgrad wrote: I will cry if thelos ever tells me "do not doubt" However.

You will probably not hear Thelos say "Do not doubt". However, you might hear him say something like "To doubt the Light's splendor is to invite Darkness into one's heart".

So... those who do not allow light into their souls... Whats the plan there?

Die alone and unloved.

gona read that when I get home. Looks good

Lexgrad wrote:So... those who do not allow light into their souls... Whats the plan there?

Can I rephrase this question to:

"What should a faithful worshipper of the Light do when faced with someone who does not allow the Light into their souls?"

Since not allowing the Light into your soul will lead this person to unimaginable suffering and spiritual unrest, your first duty ought to be to spread the Light to him and try to convince him to open ups his heart. If this fails and this person is still actively rejecting the Light and any attempts to convert him will proove to be hopeless, then you will be forced to abandon him to die alone and unloved, which is a great tragedy and a defeat for the Light. Hopefully these wandering souls will somehow find the Light somewhere down the road.

Of course the whole business dealing with Demons and agents of Darkness is going to be really tricky. It's one thing to die alone and unloved, but it's another all together to also drag others with you. That is when the big guys with shiny armor and hammers will have to step in. But I think I will address this in greater detail when I discuss the Legion and Fel in general.

I must say i've been enjoying this Thread Thelos, nice work.

The IC parts, feel very stoic and unyielding.

It feels completely defiant of questioning, and totally unforgiving, in its assumptions and interpretations.

I do see it represented in the draenei race, so Kuddo's to you.

It does seem to have a Draenei flavour to it. I love the idea! Plus with Lexgrads disallusion with the human church of light you may be the one to save him!

You will need patience ofc :p

Awh, shucks guys you guys, that really is the greatest compliment you could have given me. Now I'm all red on the cheeks!

its true so far your wipping out the best draenic lore i have seen in a while

Have you considered sending this to Blizz? I'm certain they'd pay you to put this into their law, given that you sum it up. As Mon said, this is a better read then most of the law Blizz puts out.

Daemus wrote:Have you considered sending this to Blizz? I'm certain they'd pay you to put this into their law, given that you sum it up. As Mon said, this is a better read then most of the law Blizz puts out.

Blizzard doesn't actually "put out" much of writings of this kind, so that is a pretty unfair thing to say. World of Warcraft is a videogame after all, and any mention of spirituality is usally used mechanicly to further a plot or allow players to experience certain themes - Any themes. I hope that most of what I have written here is implicit in the game mechanics and some of the lore - Though more likely is an arbitrary connection of the total mess of themes and ideas that is religion and spirituality in the World of Warcraft. I would not be suprised if somebody else were able to write something quite different with the same basic premisses Blizzard has given us which would be equally truthful and elegant as my little Discourses here. The spiritual and ethical orientations of the author will no doubt seep trough when an effort is made to say something meaningful about spirituality in WoW.

That being said keep in mind that some of this is more of my own musings than Blizzard's. In particular the piece about the Five Hindrances and Meditation is not really based on anything found in the lore. I hope I have done an adequate job of making it seem it is regardless.

Almonen's Second Speech: The Battle of the Light against Darkness

Yes there actually is another! Outside on the Terrace of Light Almonen addresses some Shattered Sun recruits who are about to be send to the battlefield. This means the audience consists out of both Aldor Draenei and Scryer Blood Elves. The speaker is, of course, a Draenei Anchorite. Though this speech is a lot less interesting, since it is much more specified to a specific purpose and moment in time, I do feel there's one other important point not mentioned in his last speech that is however still extremely important to Draenei faith, and that is the almost Ragnarok-like battle of against Darkness.

Grand Anchorite Almonen wrote:
Commander Steele: We are graced to hear from our revered Grand Anchorite Almonen. Take a knee, men.
Grand Anchorite Almonen: I have been observing your training, my young brothers and sisters.
I've not seen such a a more well-trained group of soldiers in all of my years.
The time has come for you to now face our enemies on the field of battle. As I speak our brothers and sisters fight to fend off forces of Kil'Jaeden on the isle of Quel'Danas.
As you well know, the path of our people has not been an enviable one. Blood elf and Draenei alike have been tested.
Conflict and strife have been our constant companions for as long as any of us can remember.
For countless of years, and across the faces of many worlds, draenei have yearned to better embrace the Light and put an end to the darkness. So too have our Scryer brethren held such ambitions.
At last my noble brothers and sisters, our time is at hand!
A moment ago, you knelt as recruits...
Now, with my blessing, you arise as true sons of the Light!
Go forth my brothers, and may your Light pierce the darkness! The Deciever must be brought to justice!

If you were starting to think to yourself how war and violence could be excused with such a peaceloving doctrine, here is your awnser. "To better embrace the Light and put an end to the darkness". I have often mentioned that doing good and acting in accordance to the Light's will shall bring one closer to the Light, and here Almonen instructs his recruits that the war against Kil'Jaeden and the Legion is an opportunity to do exactly that. The phrase "Smiting the wicked, healing the innocent" comes to mind here. Doing good and helping others will sometimes paradoxially take on the form of destroying those who threaten to do the opposite. A Beacon of Light must also actively seek out Beacons of Darkness to dim their corrupting influence.

Though individual Demons may, though however unlikely, be purged of their Fel corruption and be brought back onto the Path, the same cannot be said of Fel in itself. While Shadow to an extend is a part of the natural order of things and the cosmos, Fel is not; it is an evil exterior force that only seeks to consume and destroy creation. Shadow also seeks to destroy, but in the confines of creation itself; it is the natural sort of Death that seeks to consume Life, rather than the Chaos that seeks to consume both. Fel seen as its own is therefore foul and unforgivable evil. It should be fought everywhere and anywhere, and combatting it is in accordance to the Light's will just like healing the innocents is.

In fact on the field of battle it will me mercifull to relieve agents of Fel from their taint. Here are children of creation that have fallen so far that they have turned against their mother, so to speak. Perhaps by destroying their mortal coils their souls may yet find solace in some form. A proper Naaru worshipping Draenei however should, and I cannot ever stress this enough, never be motivated by vengeance or anger. Deeds wrought from anger are foul and dark, as I have explained in my previous post, and will lead one along a path of Darkness. The phrase "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you" comes to mind. Only souls in which the Light burns luminously will be able to take the fight against the soldiers of the Legion, lest they fall to it's corruption themselves. A Vindicator must be "above" the Demons he puts out of his misery. He cannot allow himself to fall to their level by entertaining such foul feeling as wrath and vengeance. You always Smite Demons in the name of the Light, never in your own name. In that sense the warrior of Light who fights against the Legion must feel some sort of detachment. He must not cary personal grudges. The fight he fights is not his own; though since the Light is ever much part of him as he is part of it, it is trough Its divine grace.

Many Draenei, like their Prophet Velen, will have the looming threat of an all deciding battle of the Army of Light against the Burning Legion in the back of their minds. In fact, battle against it are almost constantly fought. Every single Draenei is drafted into this army by default as their people have been fighting alongside the Naaru against the Legion for many years. The battle against the Legion is not merely one of arms though. It is also a spiritual battle, one of minds and hearts. As an Anchorite it has long since been you duty to ward your brethren against foul influences and keep them firmly on the path of Light. As a Vindicator, it is your duty to fight the physical fight trough arms. Anchorites and Vindicators fight the same war on different battlefields. Grand Anchorite Almonen is a great example as he inspires the troops in his speeches to ward their hearts against the Darkness trough the strength of powerful words.

Even the horrors of the Catacalysm seem to pale in comparison to this epic upcoming world-ending struggle. I feel it is no coincidence that in Catcalysm, the expansion so focused on the suffering and struggles of Azeroth and the Old Gods that dwell in its core, Blizzard let Velen speak these words to remind us Draenei roleplayers that the threat of the Legion is very much still present.

Velen (Quest:Remember the Light) wrote:
Prophet Velen says: The Light wishes suffering on none, my child. But it does not reign unopposed in our realm.
Prophet Velen says: Even now, the true battle between the forces of Light and Darkness approaches. We will all be called to join, and in the face of this conflict, all mortal suffering will be meaningless.

You can probably tell that this quote is an important piece of the puzzle I have been building also, as "The Light wishes suffering on no one" is an important axiom of my aircastle. I feel the second phrase in particular describes Velen, who in turn is the paragon of Draenei spiritual leaders and Anchorites, perfectly. We are gathering our strength and prepaing our brohters and sisters for an upcoming battle much greater than any of us. Quite fatalistic indeed; but it is to some extend natural to Draenei, who by their very nature and lifespan are long-term thinkers. It's Us against the Legion; and it is our duty to expand this Us as wide as it can possibly get.

An interesting aspect of this very binary black-and-white battle of Light against Demons is that it tends to get rather complicated for Draenei sometimes to deal with situations that require a little more nuance. The Eredar have long since split into a Blue skinned race that worships the Light and a red skinned that does not and embraces Fel. Very clearcut. When in Human lands though a Dreanei may be mortified and confused out of his gourd to see the variety of Darkness and Fel that are incarnated trough Human thoughts and deeds. What to think of the cultists? Are they merely poorly educated, or unfogivable agents of Fel that need to be destroyed much like their wayward Man'ari brethren? This binary thought may lead to some great conflict when the Draenei is asked to deal with races that have a wider variety of evil to dish up and where it is not always easy to see who are the villains and who are the heroes. It is an example of how a trait that may seem heroic and great on the outside, as the Draenei are the "perfect heroic presence that combats the Darkness" can quickly turn sour in situations that require more finesse. Our heroes might turn out to be much too naive and easily manipulated by foul ones posing as agents of Light, as in their binary thinking they believe all Humans to fundamentally embrace the Light like their own people do, or they might turn paranoid and label anything that is not an active Churchgoer as a cultist if their personal experiences have led them to believe that Humans more often embrace Darkness than the Light. There's great stories to be told here.

I have ranted about some subjects I wanted to address in character, and perhaps I will do exactly this soon, now that I have anchored it in some lore bits. Look forward to it.

Thelos wrote:
An interesting aspect of this very binary black-and-white battle of Light against Demons is that it tends to get rather complicated for Draenei sometimes to deal with situations that require a little more nuance. The Eredar have long since split into a Blue skinned race that worships the Light and a red skinned that does not and embraces Fel. Very clearcut. When in Human lands though a Dreanei may be mortified and confused out of his gourd to see the variety of Darkness and Fel that are incarnated trough Human thoughts and deeds. What to think of the cultists? Are they merely poorly educated, or unfogivable agents of Fel that need to be destroyed much like their wayward Man'ari brethren? This binary thought may lead to some great conflict when the Draenei is asked to deal with races that have a wider variety of evil to dish up and where it is not always easy to see who are the villains and who are the heroes. It is an example of how a trait that may seem heroic and great on the outside, as the Draenei are the "perfect heroic presence that combats the Darkness" can quickly turn sour in situations that require more finesse. Our heroes might turn out to be much too naive and easily manipulated by foul ones posing as agents of Light, as in their binary thinking they believe all Humans to fundamentally embrace the Light like their own people do, or they might turn paranoid and label anything that is not an active Churchgoer as a cultist if their personal experiences have led them to believe that Humans more often embrace Darkness than the Light. There's great stories to be told here.

This has been especially fun to play out on vrachos.
The first example was when he encountered a Draenei deathknight. His approach was totalistic at first; step closer and perish. But as the creature explained itself, he found himself filled with compassion and great sorrow, that a soul stood before him cut off from the warmth of light it must surely crave...
The second was when he walked into a situation he did not fully understand, he rushed to aid those he deemed more pure, and was ready to strike down the elf who was keeping those Vrachos means to protect by an inch of their lives by shadow magic. He again found himself torn and forced to re-evaluate his priorities. It raises one question though... Is extending life on this world through the means of darkness really worth it, or is it better to leave a soul to be at peace and return to the holy light?

- I'm very much enjoying roleplaying with these writings as my guideline. Good job, Thelos <3

indeed i was there.. it was some very intence heated rp there that elf was very lucky that she was doing all she could with pure and selfless attempts dispite the method she used.. that alone is what saved her i suspect

It was that and I got a very strong "I will not be interrupted" vibe from her. Tried to stomp out a candle and she was like "Nah-uh no candles where stomped here tonight." Which, you know, ok fair enough.

Would this be a good place to ask that question regarding Draenei balance and their tails? I still find the idea of a weakened, tiny bloodelf trying to topple vrachos absolutely preposterous.

i would say depends on the others tecneques.. tails are inherently sensetive so there fot a good firm squees and twist would probably hurt a lot.. much like bending sombodys arm behind there back if said smallie was quick enough due to the tail being in close proximity to there lower body and legs.. the nervous twich from that pain would most likley affect the legs and knees.. add to the fact that draenie are big it would compound this issue further so yes.. I would say if the asailent knows what there doing.. it would be possible

As always, it depends on the situation, the combatants, and whatever would be most appropiate to further along or improve upon a story or plotline. If you feel whatever an other character is doing to you is proposterous, it is proposterous. It doesn't have to be any more difficult than that. If somebody starts nagging and insisting that it is and that you are godmoding or whatever trough OOC means, then tell them to back off. It's your character after all.

Indeed if someone tries to fell monrena by grabing and twisting her tail.. she would most definatly fall like a sac of potatoes.. her tail is longer than average and also has a smaller version of the "male tail plates" on them and on her small frame and figure would make for an easy push.. (one of the many reasons why monrena staggers sometimes)

No tails where grabbed though. It was Dranac that brought up the whole tail thing OOC-ly.

ah I see

Coming Friday at 20:00 server time Thelos will be holding a communal mass based almost exlusively on the writings int his thread. Here's the event thread. Alternatively, you could contact either myself of Vespelth in game for a calender invite. If you want to ask the writers, both the character and the player, anything about the Way of the Naaru, this Friday would be the opportune chance.

cool i will be there

Ofcourse Vrachos will be there; He was born for this stuff.