just finished silverthorn

External Since: Feb 09, 2005 Posts: 16

i just finished silverthorn and although i've read it many moons ago. a
question just stirred inside me. what is the conflict between the
temples of midkemia? it sounds like everyone's scared of the ishapian
faith.

External Since: Feb 10, 2005 Posts: 52

In article <1109862718.232482.57520.TakeThisOut@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>, [C]
hicken [G] od <iamthechickengod.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:

> i just finished silverthorn and although i've read it many moons ago. a
> question just stirred inside me. what is the conflict between the
> temples of midkemia? it sounds like everyone's scared of the ishapian
> faith.
>

Not scared, as much as very respectful.

This is a case of dramatic irony. The reader has a great deal more
information than 99% of the characters. Only Pug, Nakor, Miranda, etc.
throughout the stories know as much as a few, very highly placed
clerics.

Lower level clerics of the lesser gods, for example, barely know
anything about the Controller Gods. They know of Ishap as a shadowy
figure that somehow gains a lot of respect, but where he/she/it fits
into the order of things, they have no idea.

You have to get pretty high up the ranks of the lesser orders to really
get it.

At the lower orders, there is a perception of lots of rivalries,
oppositions to missions, etc. There are lower level martial orders
that will attack members of opposing temples on sight, for example.

So, the view "from above" that the reader gets is far different than
what you see at the lower levels.

I'll be touching on some of this in the Darkwar Saga.

Best, R.E.F.