The words of Red Tiger
Last updated: 1998-02-08
In the text everything within {} is comments by the author. Some parts
of the text may not be quite up to date with my thoughts on the subjects.
From the Scrolls of Past Masters and Solemn Erudition kept at the
monastery of Three Towers and Rose Trees. {The scrolls are written
on grey silk with dark red ink and enchanted for preservation}.
These are the collected writings of the honourable and well
spoken mandarin Ih Talwor, called Red Tiger (Tiger for his martial
prowess and personal valour, Red for his uncommon colour of hair).
Red Tiger was renowned for his knowledge of civil law and the
art of waterworks. He was also an authority on classical poetry
and an excellent martial artist, bing a master of both the
long sword and unarmed combat. On his 100th birthday he retired
from active service as a mandarin and entered our humble
monastery to live out his remaining days as a monk and write
down his learning. Thirteen weeks before his 109th birthday he
met with the Silent Swordsman and left us to dwell in the
innermost halls of the Palace of Waiting. {The god of Death is
not worshipped as such in Kralorela, but seen as a Grim Reaper,
which is honoured but has no cult. He may or may not be the
same as Humakt.}
... {Many wise things on civil litigation and irrigation of
rice paddies, essays on classical Kralorelan poetry etc.}
...so I was convinced that I could in this fashion reach the
noble Imin Long, the August Dragon, who roams ways which are
unknowable by man, but sometimes gives councel and judgement.
I fasted and meditated for three days before girding my iron
sword and donning my travelling shoes. I received two Poems of
Power from the Exarch to help me gain entrance to the Place
of Possibilities and to endure the presence of the Dragon.
{The Poems of Power are something like one-time use divine
spells, but possibly of draconic nature. The Place of
Possibilities is the hero plane.}
On 1-day, Week of the Journey's End, Month of Being I stood
where the stone arch of the Bridge of One Way ends. There I
meditated for an hour and then I started walking along the arch
the bridge would make while reading the first Poem of Power.
As I walked I could see that I was walking on the single cable
which spans a great stretch, but it felt like a cobbled street.
When I reached the far end I was no longer on the bridge, but
standing on a mouintain path. The path winds in a spiral up to
a high pinnacle.
On the way up I had to fight three different monsters. I defeated
all, but was wounded in the arm. When I came closer to the top I
sensed the presence of the Dragon. When I cleared the final slope
and reached the flat top of the peak I read the second Poem of
Power to endure the dragon's presence. I stepped into the light
of his grandeur and bowed as before the Emperor. He greeted me
and asked my business. I said:
"To ask for wisdom and judgement as only dragonkind can give"
He answered:
"It will be yours. You will receive five answers and your
judgement"
I asked:
"What is life?"
He answered:
"Life is the illusion that anything has a beginning"
"What is death?"
He answered:
"Death is the illusion that anything can cease to be."
I asked:
"What is chaos?"
He answered:
"Chaos is the illusion that entropy gives freedom."
I asked:
"What is order?"
He answered:
"Order is the illusion that the absence of entropy gives
safety"
I asked:
"Is illumination then the solution?"
He answered:
"Illumination is the illusion that chaos and order exist, so
they can be reconciliated. Illumination is insignificant when
you have seen through the illusion and found the paradox of the
Void."
I said:
"I thank you for your answers and will now take my judgement"
He said:
"You are a good man who strives to serve your empire and learn the
wisdom of dragons. You will receive good health and sound thinking
so that you will never judge falsely."
...
After my audience with the exalted Imin Long, the August Dragon I
meditated for many hours on the paradox of the Void. Like all imperfect
humans I have great difficulties to grasp the concept of the Void as
the root of all existence. The ensuing paradox that all is nothing seems
as an unsolvable formula, and perhaps it is. I got the first spark of
_my_ {the emphasis is important} reconciliation with the paradox when
a traveling merchant accused of using forged weights told me the old
parable of the onion: "Life is like an onion, you peel off layer after
layer, and in the end you find that in the center there is nothing".
What I recognized was that existence has no purpose in or of itself,
the only meaning comes from what you put in it yourself. Thus the Void
is the basis of existence. {So, is Red Tiger a proto-existentialist?}
But the paradox bends back on itself: this is _my_ revelation and I
cannot transfer it to those who hear my voice or read my writing;
everyone must find his own revelation and fill existence with _her_
purpose.
...
...
In my duties as a mandarin I have been forced to leave the Empire and
travel to less fortunate lands. I am fortunate enough to spend my last
days in a monastery with a large library. I have thus been able to
compare other travelers' notes of the Outside {untranslatable word
meaning the world outside Kralorela} with my own observations. I have
thus understood why Kralorela is the only state {another difficult
which implies both the physical land, its inhabitants and the magical
energies which support it/them} to live through all difficulties in
unscathed splendour.
Look at the Outside: in the far west of Genertela and on the islands
beyond live the people of Malkion. They have no Dragon Emperor to
guide and support the state and they have renounced hte gods. Their
myths speak of the Cosmic Dragon, under the name the Invisible God,
but they cannot see the power of dragons. They make false divisions
in all things: castes of people, birth-life-death-afterlife, even
their magic is artificially divided in schools and inflexible spells.
This is because they have never known the concept of the void. In
place of real understanding through revelation they have reached
false conclusions through thought and speculation. Of the western
peoples the most fanatic, the people of lost Brithos claim to be the
oldest people on Glorantha, the only men not descended from beasts.
The rock carvings in sunken Goropheng say against this theory. The
people of Brithos were rebels who left the Empire before the time
of Shavaya, thus they have never known dragon magic or the revelation
of the Void. {I might have my references wrong here, I never
remember if it was Shavaya or Daruda who brought dragon magic to
Kralorela. Anyway, Red Tiger is obviously a mite annoyed at the
Brithini. His reference to the rock carvings in Goropheng are less
then reliable as he knows nothing of their actual age.}
East of the followers of Malkion live a large number of people who
worship the gods and many lesser spirits. They have no Dragon Emperor
so they are divided and the states are weak. By putting the gods
above the state, not knowing of the Power of Dragons they live in
constant strife, and many nations have disappeared in the wars. In
the age of empires they made two attempts to emulate the greatness
of our empire, but both failed. In the first attempt no one knew the
secrets of the Void or the power or dragons, so they vainly tried to
create a new god instead of seeking to see through the illusion. The
turned into an abomination and the result was only the empty attempt
at wisdom called illumination. In the second attempt the dragons were
petitioned for help and the leaders knew of dragon power, but they never
understood the Void. When they could have found the revelation and
instituted a new dragon empire the leaders instead sought personal
gain and lost the favour of the dragons.
The failure of putting the gods above the state is easily seen:
before time the Rebel Storm killed Yang Long, the Sun Dragon because
the storm gods were not part of the Whole which stems from the Void.
Now, the Rebel Storm is assaulted by the Red Moon for the same reason.
In the first war the world almost perished. What will come of the war
of Storm and Moon no one knows.
In contrast, Kralorela has lived through all disasters brought upon the
world by the lack of knowledge on the Outside. In the age of darkness
the peoples Outside struggled alone to survive, while we lived securely
under the guidance of the Dragon Emperor. When the false dragons invaded
our state emperor Yanoor called on the Silent Swordsman before his
alotted time to save the souls of the Waiting from being sucked up in
the usurpers' unholy magic. {Yanoor committed suicide, according to
Red Tiger the spirits of dead Kralorelans waiting in Vithela for the
emperor would have been used to fuel god learner magic otherwise}. The
Exarchs could then retreat to Ignorance and work to awaken the dragons.
So wise is the Kralorelan way that the power not flows through the
emperor only, but his Exarchs could through long diligent work wake
the dragons of the land, so they repelled the usurpers upwards, where
they were destroyed by the dragons of the sky.
Now when the war of heroes is approaching the emperor Godunya will
protect us.
...
...
The honourable mandarin Chan Ang, called Master Two Brush
because he can write with both hands at once, head of the large
school in nearby {city name unreadable because of a ripe plum having
been crushed when the scroll was rolled} ... me to write a text on
ancient history. This is what I wrote of the Beginning {this word
is hard to translate, it could mean creation, beginning or
transition}.
First was the Void, which is nothing and everything. That is the
first manifestation of the paradox.
Second was Ea Long, the Cosmic Dragon, which sprung from the Void.
This is the second manifestation of the paradox. It felt the
obligation to create the possibilities and thus dismembered
itself. Its parts formed the following:
Third were the Great Beings {this words denotes very powerful
entities, encompassing deities etc}. From the Cosmic Dragon's
soul the true dragons were created. They came first, and they are
closest to Ea Long in concept. From its mind sprang Brightness
{Aether}, which is not a true dragon, but is of draconic nature,
because the mind is close to the soul. Brightness is thus also
known as Ringten Long, the Bright Dragon. From its breath sprang
Storm {Umath}. From its blood sprang Ocean {Zaramaka}. From its bones
sprang Earth {Gata}. From its innards sprang Darkness {Nakala}.
The Western people {could also be read ignorants, or even inferior
men} debate in which order these were created. This is not of
significance since time did not exist then. {It is interesting
to note that Red Tiger holds the true dragons as older than the
primal elements. He also contradicts himself here.}
Fourth were the descendants of the Great Beings. The children of
Brightness are the dragons of the sky: Yang Long the Sun {Yelm},
Tien Long {Dayzatar, I haven't invented another name yet} the Sky
and Arun Long the Fire {Lodril}. The children of Storm are the
unruly gods and spirits of the air. The children of Ocean are
the fearsome gods of the sea. The children of Earth are the gods
and goddesses of the land on which we all live. The children of
Darkness are the spirits of envy and hunger, lurking at borders.
...
This is the story of the Beginning which is taught by imperial
wisdom. Those who are devout worshippers of the children of the
Great Beings have other stories. Thus the priests of Yang Long
say that he is the emperor of the universe, just as Godunya, our
ruler of blessed wisdom is the emperor of Kralorela. They also
say that his name is Yang Ti, Sun Lord. They are still good
citizens of the empire and perform divine miracles with the
power of their patron. This implies that both stories are true;
my story is true for me and you who are learning the blessed
wisdom, the story of the priests is true for the followers of
the gods. That many truths exist is another manifestation of
the paradox. {Kralorelan society is said to accept and
incorporate various, even conflicting, viewpoints and myths.
This is an attempt to illustrate that}.
...
...
The realm of magic can be likened to a pool of water. A child is
afraid of the pool, because he knows not what lurks under the
surface. A wise man knows that the water in the pool comes from
the same source as the water he drinks. Thus the pool is present in
the man, and the man is present in the pool. When you see that,
there is nothing to be afraid of.
...
Excerpt from the textbook on history and myth which Red Tiger wrote
for the school master Master Two Brush:
...
As was explained in the last chapter, the parts of the world is
creatde from the parts of Ea Long, the Cosmic Dragon. The world thus
_is_ the Cosmic Dragon. The parts are important, because they
define the world so that we may know it. Ultimately all of
existence springs from the Void, but in order to reach spiritual
enlightenment we must strive to understand the world around us. We
can never understand the Void if we cannot interpret what we see as
knowledge is a prerequisite for insight. {Perhaps not the most
orthodox Kralorelan view. More radical mystics would probably say
that knowledge hinders insight, but Red Tiger was a pragmatic man
if nothing else.} All the parts have a name and a sign {rune}. These
you can learn, but all parts also have hidden meanings which you
find through insight.
The most easily explained parts are called the Fundaments {more
known as the elements}. The sky was formed from the Cosmic Dragon's
mind. The peoples of the west {west of Shan Shan} say that fire
is the essence of this fundament. That is part of the truth. The
earth was formed from the bones of the Cosmic Dragon. The ocean
formed from the Cosmic Dragon's blood. The air formed from the
Cosmic Dragon's breath. The underworld was formed from the Cosmic
Dragon's innards. The westerners say that darkness is the essence
of the underworld. The Fundaments are easy to grasp because they
correspond to places like the sky dome and the ocean, and to
things you see every day, like fires and shadows.
More difficult are the Moving Forces {This word is diffcult to
translate. It could also be interpreted as agents of tension. These
are the combined powers.} The Moving Forces were formed from the
emotions of the Cosmic Dragon. The first Force is Passion {fertility
and death}. The second Force is Conscience {truth and illusion}.
The third Force is Ambition {movement and stasis}. The fourth
force is Temperance {harmony and disorder}. The fifth force is Hope
{luck and fate}.
...
This text is a transcript of a lecture given by Red Tiger
to a class of students. It was recorded by the student Lan Tan Kong
using a dancing peacock quill, so we
can be reasonably sure that these are the exact words of Red Tiger
himself.
In order to understand the superiority of our Kralorelan
way, it is necessary to know something of how other peoples
live and die. What I will relate to you today are the words
and views of priest of the Sky from the Sun Land {Teshnos}.
I will not waste much time on the journey there. There are
two ways to go the Sun Land. By land you have to pass the
Death Jungle. This is a very bad place, dangerous as few
other regions to us men. The only humans who live there are
Beast Men. Otherwise the jungle is populated by Forest Men
{embyli} among whom there are many worshippers of the Sky,
which might sound reasonable, but the Forest Men have never
acknowledged the Emperor or the wisdon of the dragons.
By sea you have to pass through the waters patrolled by the
amazon pirates. This is dangerous too, but if you travel
with skilled sailors the amazons can be avoided, for their
vessels are small and can be outrun by a swift ship.
I chose the sea trail and left the Land of Splendour on a
ship manned by sailors from the Fragment Land {the East
Isles}. These were Haragalans, which are the best traders,
but excessively proud.
The Sun Land is very hot. The heat and an ancient curse
combined make the people there slow and inactive. Still
they do have many learned men and philosophers, so the
indolence seem to be restricted to physical activity,
while their mental and spiritual capacity is good.
In the Elephant City I talked to the high priest Garindan,
the High Guardian of Rubies. This is what he said about their
beliefs of life and death:
"All life comes from our life flames {a concept I have
borrowed from
Peter Metcalfe}
and it goes in
circles, or perhaps rather in a spiral. All spirits strive to
progress to the sky, and when they have achieved that,
to progress through the different skies.
The lowest spirits are those of beasts. A beast spirit
can never reach the sky. But if the beast has lived as
well as it could in its ordained place, it can be evolve
and be reborn as a human.
Some reborn beasts have progressed, but failed in the
last judgement. These are reborn as humans of the Night
caste. The Night people are thus little more than beasts.
As to whether a Night man can evolve and be reborn as
a true man, the opinions vary. It is my belief that they
can if they bear their burdens gracefully and work hard
since they partake of the first fire of Calyz {sex used not
only for procreation but also for pleasure}, but esteemed
philosophers like high priest Ashoka, the Eye of the
Falcon, thinks that they can either be reborn as a Night
man, or devolve and be reborn as beasts.
When a beast has evolved and been reborn as a true man,
the man child is born to the Morning caste. These are
the basest of true men and thus handle heavy and dirty
work, like tilling the soil. The Morning men must
worship Solf, the underground fire, because he like
them is base and gross.
The Morning men may partake of all three fires of
Calyz which make them the most tainted of true men.
The spirit of a Morning man who has lived an exemplary
life will go to the Underground Sky of Solf after death.
There the underground fire will cleanse it from he taint
of soil. Then the spirit is reborn as a man of the Noon
caste.
The Noon men are the warriors and rulers. They must
worship Somash, the fierce sun. Since the Noon men
are our warriors they bear the taint of blood. They
may partake of the first and the second fire of Calyz
{sex for pleasure and the use of fire for metal working},
but many say that they must use the first fire sparingly
to preserve their energy since fighting takes so much
of it.
The spirits of good Noon men go to the Fiery Sky of
Somash after death. The pure sky fire will cleanse
them from the blood stains so they can be reborn as
men of the Evening Caste.
The Evening men are the most holy, the priests and the
philosophers. They must worship Zitro Argon, the
unreachable lord of the far sky. Zitro Argon is pure
and so are the Evening men.
They may partake of the first fire of Calyz but most
Evening men do not, but have sex only in order to have an
heir. Some philosophers say that they should abstain from it
altogether.
When an Evening man who has lived exemplarily dies, his
spirit will go to the Crystal Sky of Zitro Argon where
it will remain forever in the perfect light of purity."
As you can see, the Sun people live and die somewhat
like our ancestor probably did before emperor T'hah Hanwuti
{Thalurzni} ordained afterlife in the Right Way.
This is the second last text by Red Tiger's hand, written
the day before his death at age 108 (the last one being a
short poem). This text is kept at the monastery of Three
Towers and Rose Trees, in an enchanted cedarwood box
locked with a cobra sign. Only those students which have
progressed far towards enlightenment are allowed to read
it, as the masters think that it may distract those with
less evolved understanding.
I learned of the eighth bridge of our great emperor Ga
Dong Ah while meditating. My consciousness had sunk past
the Three Stages of Reduction and I was ready to emerge
on the other side of the veil. As my third eye opened, I
was so startled that I almost went back up the Ladder of
Consciousness. As I gazed upon the Final Station {that is
the literal translation, the phrase can be embellished as
the dragon beyond non-existence}, I saw the span of a stone
bridge reach out in a perfect arch.
When I had regained the appropriate state of mind I aproached
and started to walk the bridge. It was built of perfectly
cut green and blue jade. The surface stones were all perfect
hexagons. I proceeded with appropriate humility, for a bridge
in this place must be an offering beyond human mind.
The bridge ended halfway past the peak of it's arch. There,
an elderly man was slowly extending the bridge stone by stone.
When I approached he turned towards me and met my gaze with
a benign smile on his golden face. I have never had the honour
to see the glorious Dragon Emperor, but I knew immediately
that standing before me was the exalted Ga Dong Ah. Beyond
him was mist, but through the mist I could glimpse a shore
and golden tower roofs. Then I knew that the bridge would
reach the Heavenly Kingdoms.
I knew that he knew that I knew and then he turned back to
his work. I turned also and walked back across the bridge
and up the Ladder.
A dancing peacock quill
writes down the exact words of one speaker at the cost of 1 MP/minute.
The user must specify which speaker's words to transcribe if more than
one person is talking.
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