most of the water has collected and frozen on the Night Side;
wells are precious and guarded;
walls are of dry stone because water cannot be squandered on mortar;
drapes are used for interior doors because wood is scarce;
the Emperor sits not on a throne but on the saddle of "the Beast," a bronze chimera, with his feet in stirrups;
standing at attention has not been invented and the human beings who serve as warriors have had the good sense not to introduce it;
because Falkayn has come for business reasons, not for racial imperialism, he offers to reduce a castle held by human rebels - but, of course, the eventual business deal will find a profitable role for everyone;
Ikranakan magical religion does not serve gods who maintain order but counteracts demons who try to restore chaos!;
primordial Fire and Ice came together and condensed into the universe - good dialectical philosophy.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
One thing Falkayn noticed about the people living on the sun facing side of Ikrananka was how paranoid and suspicious they were of all who were not of their "phraatries," Falkayn came to realize that was due largely to the gradually worsening conditions of life on the sun facing side of the planet.
While Falkayn did manage to persuade the various human and Ikranankan factions to make peace and agree to mutually beneficial trading terms, we should remember Adzel's suggestion. He suggested that Buddhist missionaries should come to Ikrananka. Falkayn thought many Ikranankans would become Buddhists, because that philosophy or faith would be so much more comforting than their fears about demons.
Sean
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