New Horizons (Part 7 of the Ignaius-Saga)

No Paradise Without Snakes

"Tell me more about Aurora. I think we may indeed be going there," Tanier said.

Dazed and wonderfully exhausted, Variel just snuggled up to Tanier and shut his eyes. In some distant realm, he heard the king speaking to Visorro-Kior, but it didn't really register with him. Within moments he was drifting into a deeper and deeper sleep.

Vis smiled fondly at Variel, taking a moment to watch him drift off, then turned his attention to Tanier. "As I have said, it is a beautiful land. The red sands and red leaves of many of the trees helped give the land its name. As you sail toward it, the color of the rising sun is what you will see at a distance. The land between its cities is heavily forested, plants and wildlife are plentiful, and - as I have said - it is always summer."

He turned to look up at the ceiling again. "The Auroran people are as colorful as the plant life. Buildings, art, clothing: it is all vibrant and decorated." His smile became a little grin. "The clothing is also much less... concealing. It is far too hot to cover so much skin, you see. Along the beaches, most shed all clothing and walk freely without shame, swim in the sea, bask in the sun, make love under the shade of a Red Palm... I would advise caution should you decide to travel there; you may end up forgetting why you came." He turned that grin back to Tanier, sharing in a bit of humor of his own.

Tanier smiled back.

"Don't worry. I will surely not forget why I need to go back home.

It almost sounds like paradise - but there must be discontent. What do the Disciples represent in this setting? Are they traditionalists, revolutionaries or apocalyptic radicals? What is their vision of the world and society? Are thy accepted in Aurora or marganalised? They are an underground group here - is it the same in Aurora? How could they become so strong? After all they must tap into a nerve to do so."

Vis chuckled and shook his head. "It is as you say - Aurora is not actually paradise, though it often seems that way during a short visit. In truth, the government there is quite unstable, and the Disciples can be partially blamed for that."

"They are still viewed as an apocalyptic cult, but - while they are still secretive - they are great in numbers and have gained quite a lot of influence through fear. If a politician or noble attempt to campaign against them, he ends up dead along with his family, and his estate crumbles. Thus, most are too afraid to do anything and seem to think that if they just ignore the problem, it will sort itself out. Perhaps if enough of them banded together, they might make a difference, but they are too busy either feuding or dealing with their own affairs. As for the Disciples, they see society as largely corrupt, and as I understand it, they hope to march behind Ignaius as he obliterates human civilization to the point where those few of us who survive must begin again in a world that has been scorched and must also regrow."

"I wonder what they will do, if they find their precieved enemies marching behind Ignaius and giving them the choice to join him and change their ways - or face his damnation. I expect a group of them to denounce Variel as a fake and band behind the claim that they still have to wait for the 'true Ignaius' to return. But I hope that some will convert to us. And I hope for the support by those, who see it as a chance to proof thsoe cultists wrong. We may need our own vision and platform to do this. What is it that the Desciples denounce as 'corrupt'?"

Vis looked somewhat thoughtful. "I cannot say for certain how they will react. While you have hopes of training them, it seems to me that their plan is to train Variel. Their bliefe may be that Ignaius is simply misguided and does not understand his purpose, and I am willing to wager that they will use force to get him to comply until he 'learns' the right way."