| From: | "I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY...IT'S BETTER TO BURNOUT THEN TO FADE |
|---|---|
| Subject: | My final word on slavery (unless new information is supplied) |
| Date: | Mon, 19 Apr 1993 15:22:51 -0600 |
in astral space before they are summoned. The question is are they forced
into working forthe mage and if so are they concidered inteligent enough
that this is entraping them against their will. The idea of the military
draft was used as an analogy to summoning. This is a fairly absured notion.
I've never see a recruting post in astral space in all the games I've played
a mage. Also the draft was concieved of as a way to defend our nation, it
is a responsibility that comes with living in this country. If we need
warriors then then men of this country are obligated to answer to the draft.
The spirits have no such obligation to the mundane world.
Draft point dealt with.
How summoning works. This is one can really affect how this issue
is concidered. For shamans it's easy. The ask, bargan, plead, for the
assistance of nature. For mages it's different. The most rational
analogy that I can think of is from the movie 'Fire In The Sky'. A big
light flashes on to the elememtal and poof, he is standing before a mage
who is happy that the drain didn't kill him. Seems like a kidnapping, almost.
(Incidently, drain is a big indicator that the mage was useing great power
to get the elemental here, but if it really wanted to be here it would just
appear andask the mage what his beef was.) Then the mage says I'm going to
be able to call on you for X number of services, go home until I call.
Poof, elemental is home. Doesn't seem so bad, kind of like indentured
service. Except that indentured servents volinteer. Here is a comparision,
Slaver kidnapps a person from his home, sails him to the new world, makes
him do a job, sails him home, comes back again later andtakes him again,
makes him do another job, sails him home. Comes and takes him a third,
and final, time, person gets killed in an accident.
Even though the person in question was home most of the time, the time
he spent away he was a kidnapped slave. Now he died in slavery, (bansihment
or physical damage in astral space), opps, so sorry. Well time to get a new
one. The only big diffference in this example is the travel time in astral
space is pittifully small.
Now, this is still not entirely bad if the entity summoned doesn't
have human intelligence. As far as I can tell this would mean that summoning
watchers, as the Grimthingie states that watchers are none-to-smart. But even
these imbicils of astral space can understand and speak english (or the
language of who ever they need to talk to). So summoning a elemental or a
greater elemental would be even more of a crime. (A force 1 elemental may
only have an intel of 1 but the same rings true for most trolls I've seen)
Then there is the great ally spirit, bound for _LIFE_ to the summoner,
unless it escapes. Then their are free spirits. Not inteligent Nightstalker?
Chapter four of the Grimthingie II opens up with a quote from a free spirit
being interviewed. The Quote goes like this: "Living in the material world
would be a real drag if it weren't for people. You guys are just so darn
funny!" And I think that the description of free spirits being "non-player
characters with free will, its own goals and tastes, and everything else that
makes a _character unique_."(emphisis added) is claim enough to intelligence.
And I could see a court case where a free sprit killed a mage who was
trying to find out its true name(if the spirit decided to go) being ruled
in the spirits favor as selfdefense.
Well, that should hold this debate up longer.
]<<<<<
BurnouT
Russ Hutchison
stu524636420@***.colorado.edu
