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Jim G's avatar

Okay, I've been doing some studying! I only subscribed yesterday and I've been doing some catching up. Right now, I'm mostly thinking about KHOR right now. To reiterate something you mentioned, Jonathan, it's important to differentiate KHOR from gold. Gold is kind of a symbolic standard of wealth, where KHOR is a usable resource. Like an economy based on units of petroleum or a Bronze Age culture that measures wealth in terms of cows (cattle). Petroleum has value in OUR culture and cows can be eaten, milked, used for leather, etc. Stuff you can use, and while gold has 'some' practical uses...eh...

It's going to seem like I'm going off topic but stick with me, I'm exploring the value of KHOR. One assumption I have been making and kinda want to confirm is, when the magic/science cycle changes- science starts to stop working and magic begins to work, right? I haven't seen that stated outright but these historical / cultural / societal changes are somewhat enforced by a tangible environmental change, right? I want to make sure that the assumption isn't that science becomes uncool and magic is the hot new trend for a 1,000 years. I can work with that idea, but my gut says that this a tangible and external change which in turn society / culture mirrors.

That suggests to me that KHOR never changes. It's the same stuff when magic is ascendant and when science reigns supreme. What changes is how the solar system interacts with KHOR. [These are my thoughts, not me telling you how it should work.] So when Science is ascendant there are some aspects of physics / chemistry / electromagnetics that are in place that allow technology (as we think of it) to function. The interaction between energy and physical systems (i.e technology) allows science to work (electricity makes robots go!). When magic is ascendant there is energy that responds to the systems of magic (rituals, force of will, psychic stuff, hermetic symbols, chanting and hand waving) affects and transforms the world around it. KHOR is the energy source in either case, but it's still the same. The environment is changing and interacting with it differently as the cycle progresses. NOT: idea is not exclusive to it having a half-life. That can be true too!

This reminds me of Roger Zelazny's Amber series, specifically The Guns of Avalon. Long story short, royals can travel the multiverse... but they come from a prime reality where technology does not function, except at a Renaissance Italy level. Zelazny describes this as "technology doesn't work" but when you look at it closely, it seems like certain chemical processes are shut off (gasoline engines quit when you get close enough). At some point the protagonist tosses some jeweler's rouge into the fireplace and it ignites.. like black powder. Kinda silly, wood burns in the fireplace but some kinds of combustion doesn't happen, but in the story he finds an exception. The rogue prince is then able to go out to other 'universes' and create firearms that uses this jeweler's rouge as ammo in place of black powder and he returns to his prime universe and changes the dynamics of his war with his brothers for the throne.

OKAY, back to Three Worlds, Three Moons! One of things that might set the BANK apart is they retain the knowledge that KHOR is valuable at any point, no matter where the cycle is at. This becomes especially important during times of transition. Consider, if the "technological" society is almost ground away to nothing, do people have to rediscover KHOR and what it can be used for? And vice versa, does the budding magical society have to rediscover KHOR and how they can exploit it? We're talking about if the BANK can preserve KHOR, we should consider that the BANK understands that it's value transcends the cycle. This may be why some vestige of the BANK endures through cyclical change. The BANK endures because KHOR truly is at the center of everything.

Maybe an incredibly simplified, dumbed down way to say it might be- KHOR is gelatinous electricity AND mana depending on the season of the solar system?

By the way, we should find a different term for the turnover of the Monarchy on FAYRII than "cycle." The word cycle runs the risk of becoming too ubiquitous like "level" in old D&D (i.e player level, spell level, caster spell level, level of the adventure, all of which were (amazingly) different things and all commonly referred to as "level").

If anybody read to the end of this comment, you have my heartfelt thanks!

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Christian Josiah's avatar

I see you Mr. Hickman! And I can’t wait to see what you all decide about FAYRII & HEIR! I have to re-read this post in doses; there seems to be and underlying tug of war between dogma and “human” nature, if you will. The idea of an invention to maintain the KHOR seemed inevitable to me from the beginning of this process. It also lends itself to the sensitive balance and connection between BANK & LAB (for me anyway). I think this post set you apart as a creator/world builder because you are playing with destabilizing factors as part of a foundation. I think the science should be true and sound. The conflict isn’t whether BANK lies about keeping KHOR but how everyone and thing deals with that fact until magic changes things (for me anyway). I actually have to pause and come back to this post to rationalize everything. It was too much for me on first read. I did just catch up from the Morrison interview to here in a constant read, so maybe I’m just overloaded and tired.

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