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Torumin - From Book 3541, "Admonitions", Verse III |
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Admonitions, the book from which the following verse is taken, is a strange compilation of mystical guidance and practical admonitions. The latter includes guidelines regarding dietary restrictions, marriage rites, manners, mode of dress, even appropriate entertainment. Of the former � mystical guidance � the following verse has had a great impact on the evolution of the current war.
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Verse III: "Thus do we say, and let it echo from star to star, that the
Law is the way to Victory. Child, what is the Law? That which leads to
Victory. Child, what is Victory? To live in accordance with the Law." |
Malus: Malus interpret this verse to mean "the laws of the Malus"; that is, secular laws. It was first employed by the Clan hierarchy as a means to legitimize the imposition of a despotic order on the unruly citizens of Malus. The Law, as it appears in the scripture, was soon defined as anything uttered by the various Clan leaders. The circular logic of the verse suited the whims of these upstart chiefs, who announced that any changes in the laws would be consequentially reflected in the divine Law. Any radical changes or abuses of power were then simply defined as being part of the Law, and therefore justifiable. This capricious form of lawmaking frequently led to savage abuses, such as the infamous Great Fading, in which millions of Clanless Malus were convicted of treason and summarily executed.
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The banner of the highly orthodox
Rising Clan, showing the Aldar as
menacing entities.
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The banner of the Lord of the
Night Sky Cult, the current ruling
clan on Malus.
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The banner of the long-defunct
Crescent Clan. The crescent image
is still commonly used, especially
by the Malus military.
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Alyssian: The peculiar translation of a single word highlights a fundamental cultural difference between Malus and Alyssia, and may be responsible for the current tensions between the two races. Whereas the Malus interpret the term "Victory" to mean conquest over oneself and others, the Alyssians, who lack such an aggressive mindset, took the term to mean "Unity", or "Friendship". Thus, this passage was critical in the Alyssians' efforts to establish if other intelligent life existed in the system.
Prior to contact with the Malus, "Victory" appears frequently in the speeches of Alyssian political leaders, including the famous "Lecture to the People" of the Great Orator, Wihtric:
"My People, among us and within us there dwells an insatiable loneliness. To our philosophers, artists, orators, and the millions of others � nameless � who have enriched our lives, we owe gratitude. But, alone amongst even ourselves, our achievements ring hollow. We learn from Scripture, "Child, what is the Law? That which leads to Friendship." My People, it is time to take these precious words to heart. It is time to fulfill the Scripture. It is time to befriend the cosmos. Know that this is the destiny of the Alyssians."
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Only three weeks after this speech, the Alyssian government set in motion a program of technological development that would, in only two years, enable them to dispatch unmanned satellites to the far reaches of space. These satellites were equipped with large refractors, and marked with Alyssian symbols. They would act as beacons, almost as bright as the sun, and would proclaim their existence to the cosmos.
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| Statue of the great orator Wihtric watching over an Alyssian city. |
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