[What Came Before]

@ Tony:

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Good call about the First Holy War. Also, anyone who has TTT around them at the moment, read up on Fane, Kian, and Fanimry - one of these shoulds reflect the history of the White Jihads.

[What Came Before]

According to the Eärwa timeline, Angeshraël incites the Four Nations of Men to a “Holy War” against the Nonmen, somewhen after the Breaking of the Gates.

In 2131 Celmemonas abandons his “Holy War,” i.e., the Great Ordeal against the Consult.

Around 3796 the scholastic wars begin, which are also referred to as Holy Wars. At this time, Fane is only 50 years dead, and the various Kianene campaings are only just starting. (Caraskand, for example, is still in the hands of the Nansur Empire.)

[What Came Before]

The jihads that have been refereed to, I believe, could be about the slow but steady growth of the Kianene empire. Their jihads are what the northern three seas probably call the wars that saw the western Three Seas fall into 'heathen' hands. As far as crusades go, I dont think there has been a concerted effort to wrest back control of those lands, so while there may have been wars and such against the Kain, none of them were 'holy'.

Because of difference in faith, one side can be fighting a holy war (or jihad) while the other is simply involved in an everyday nothing-special war. I imagine it has taken the Thousand Temples much longer to get involved in a war, mainly because of the long years of "ineffectual" Shriahs.

[What Came Before]

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I note in the Nautzera section that Nautzera has the same things flagged that DA flagged: the eyes, a sense of unease, rising hackles when Simas comes close.  Additionally, Nautzera gets in a nice bit of foreshadowing where he sees split ink and mistakes it for blood (or correctly sees blood and his mind then 'corrects' it to something more benign.  Nautzera also notes that the 'true' Simas is generally hidden.  Also, it appears that Simas had already been replaced when DA let Inrau go.

I'm trying to think of DA's timeline here--has he only been a spy for two years?  How old should he be at this point in the book (have not consulted TTT appendix), about 35-40?  That means that he let Inrau go two years ago, and I figure that indicates he was teaching at Atyersus for 5 years or so, enough to take on an acolyte.  Releasing Inrau might also indicate his 'demotion' to spying.

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I think DA was recalled to Atyersus to teach after the disaster with Proyas.  I figure DA was teaching Proyas for five years or so, and after DA couldn't keep his dick in his pants and instead went after his royal student was recalled to Atyersus as punishment for ruining the Mandate's relationship with that kingdom and future king.  So Before Proyas, let's say that DA was a spy, which might be the low-level or entry level job that Mandate initiates are given (after all, no one outside of Atyersus knows of them) and he did this for a few years, this is when he met Esmenet.  I imagine he was sent all around the three seas, inclusive of his encounter with Cishaurim before he was assigned the plum job of teaching Proyas.  Judging by the fact that DA was given such an assignment, my guess is that he was being groomed for high leadership in the Mandate, I imagine their plan was to have DA ascend to a high position around the time that Proyas was coronated, and thus bind the two very tightly together in a rare, strong political alliance for the Mandate.  Long term, the Mandate may have been looking at making a transition to being part of one kingdom, like the Spires or the Saik.

I could forsee that making the Mandate a political alliance and perhaps merging them with a kingdom would get them off Atyersus, I think this might be a long term goal of the Consult, and was in fact Simas' plan all along--this is why DA was one of Simas' favorites, someone who was groomed to the position.  Naturally, this means that DA was also being planned to be the clueless dupe in charge, the man who enabled the fall of the Mandate, note how Simas describes him as weak, and Nautzera praises his ignorance.  Perhaps there's something to getting the Mandate off Atyersus that will allow the Consult to finally destroy the Mandate entirely.  How fascinating and ironic that DA's sins against Proyas possibly saved the Mandate and that AK would eventually use and groom DA in much the same way that Simas used and groomed him.

Also, what is Simas looking for in ancient manuscripts?  Is he looking for some clue Seswatha left?  Did Seswatha steal the Inverse Fire like Prometheus?  Does he think Seswatha knows where the Heron Spear is?

[What Came Before]

Lockesnow,

It's mentioned in the appendix of TDTCB that Akka is "a forty-seven-year-old sorcerer".


Madness,

in the appendix of TTT is says under "jihad": "Fanim holy wars. Since the inception of Fanimry, the Kianene have waged no fewer than seven jihads, all of them against the Nansur Empire" and under "White Jihad": "the holy war waged against the Nansur Empire by Fan'oukarji I and the Kianene from 3743 to 3771."

[What Came Before]

started reading chapter three but there is no new topic...

all sorts of interesting little metaphysical stuff.  Hinges of the world.  A description of the onta (which seems to match what Inrau saw in the sun that matched what Celmo saw in the sun), and just tons of red meat for sologdin's binary of the past and present and how it collapses.  Hints of Esemenet's significance and importance.  The insistence on formal titles for Esmi, harlot specifically, prostitute generally, the term whore is not used in reference to the first literal one, much to the dismay of all the readers who want to catch Bakker in a some sort of pointless game of misogyny gotcha.

heh, reading the entry to Esmenet, I kept thinking of two movie titles I know of (but have not see), Beware the Holy Whore and The Mother and the Whore.

We get our next taste of onscreen magic with how DA summons Inrau.  And we get a hint that Sarcellus is more than he seems (and perhaps has some connection to the thing that took Geshrunni's face when Sarcellus declares how he's 'longed' to hit DA for so long.

[What Came Before]

started reading chapter three but there is no new topic...

 much to the dismay of all the readers who want to catch Bakker in a some sort of pointless game of misogyny gotcha.

...

thing that took Geshrunni's face when Sarcellus declares how he's 'longed' to hit DA for so long.

Had to laugh at the first quote there. Glad it hasnt started here, reading Bakker's TPB blog got so tiresome for a while.

And good catch on the second one. Something I've not caught in previous reads. 'Hit' seems oddly specific.

[What Came Before]

started reading chapter three but there is no new topic...
We get our next taste of onscreen magic with how DA summons Inrau. 

So is that what that is? I’ve been scratching my bark over that paragraph for years now. For a long time I assumed it was a cant of compulsion, but Akka later insists (to himself) that no such cant was used.

If you have a good explanation of whatever magic is going on (and why), please elaborate.

[What Came Before]

I don't.  Akka is a liar.  Otoh, he says if he uses a cant it will taint Inrau and he will be discovered, so it must be something else.