Intergalactic Summit

I was planning to devote one lecture to each symbol, but as I worked on the next section, I realised that it made more sense to treat the next two side-by-side.

The Imperial Seal and the Royal Seal are closely linked in meaning, and to understand the implications of each is best done in comparison. As always, we begin with the raw symbology.

1. In both symbols, God and man have been reunited after the Separation. The reunion is imperfect, however, as represented by the fact that the two halves are not connected in a circle, but merely overlap.
2. In the Imperial Seal, God is above man in two fashions; the symbol is higher, and where the two symbols overlap, God overrules.

There is a good reason why this is the symbol of the Amarrian Empire; within it lies the very basis of its culture, beliefs and hierarchy. The downward curve of man represents the ‘pyramidal’ hierarchy of the Empire, going from the commoners, through the nobility, up to the Emperor (or, for that matter, Empress) at the top. God touches man, providing His inspiration, guidance and law, ultimately at the pinnacle of society.

Now let us consider the Royal Seal. As some of you may know, it first came about when King Khanid seceded from the Empire; when the Council demanded explanation for his actions, his only reply was what was to become known as the Royal Seal. It should be noted that he himself has never expressly stated that the following interpretation was his intention, or that it applies to the political landscape of the Kingdom.

1. The obvious first thing that we can see by looking at the Royal Seal is that it has been inverted. Man has been placed above God. Note, however, that God still supercedes man where the two intersect.
2. Both symbols have also in their own right been inverted. In the first Three, God pointed down and man up.

The usual interpretation – and the one taken by the Empire, which has resulted in the Royal Seal being an unwelcome one – is that although God is more important than man, man’s law is more important than God’s law. This, it was inferred, was Khanid’s defence for his actions; he had not broken man’s law, and thus he considered himself faultless.

There is a line of thought that the Symbols represent not just a chronicle of the Empire’s rise, but a warning of its fall. The Kingdom is a perfect sign of how things could go if the rule of God were allowed to fade; although much of the Kingdom operates in much the same way as its neighbour, there is an underlying secularity in places. On more than a few occasions, the Kingdom has been accused of illegal slaving, the use of Trans-Cranial Microcontrollers, and the concept of slavery as a tool of education and reformation is rather less common than in the Empire.

It can also be argued that the Empire itself has started to follow this path. As Mr Baracca has been espousing in his own thread, the Empire’s atrocious record when it comes to the treatment of slaves and the of the institution of slavery is a reflection that it has strayed from its core philosophies; in that respect, it can be said that the central foundations have been inverted – to the Fourth, the Royal Seal – and perhaps further.

This, however, begins to cross into the territory of the Fifth and final accepted (although not final overall) of the symbols, the Second Separation, which I shall consider in my next lecture.

I will not hesitate when the test of Faith finds me, for only the strongest conviction will open the gates of paradise. My Faith in you is absolute; my sword is Yours, My God, and Your will guides me now and for all eternity.
- The Scriptures, Prophet Kuria, Paladin's Creed


The context, perhaps, is more important than the symbolism which is perhaps lost in this instance.

It is a statement on the Empire and the reason he left. A tradition was invoked that Khanid did not agree with, one created by men. One that has, in recent memory, been circumvented yet again by Her Majesty Jamyl I. I doubt there is any educated man or woman alive that cannot see what Her Majesty truly is. I for one do not care. It seems the Heirs do not care, and are perfectly willing to accept her rule without challenge. Ask yourself why that is. It is not God's will, it is that of the Heirs.

Before I go further off topic, I will simply say this. Looking at these symbols as some sort of portent is simply superstitious nonsense. They are used to illustrate aspects of scripture, yes, but they are nothing more than that: Illustrations. Instead of pointing these symbols out as some sort of prediction or warning, would it not be more prudent to attempt to make changes within the Empire? Perhaps point out exactly why individuals would look to these symbols as warnings, with examples of what will perhaps lead to the Empire's fall? Treatment of slaves is but a small portion of what is wrong with the Empire.

To know the true path, but yet, to never follow it. That is possibly the gravest sin.
- The Scriptures, Book of Missions 13:21

As my mother used to say, "Perception, in political matters, is as important as truth."

Why correct a perception that works to your benefit, hmm?

People like to claim (not without good reason in many cases) that the Empire is stagnant.

Perhaps so, with heads of state that can live for several hundred years before - and after - they take their positions of power. Now imagine what happens when you allow them to make use of clones and rejuvenate themselves in such a manner, instead of only allowing them access to life-extending cybernetic augmentation?

The Succession Trials force an internal impetus for change on the Empire every so often. This isn't an inherently bad thing - in fact, I would be concerned if the Empire were solely dependent on external forces to cause such changes.

I will say that, somehow, Jamyl Sarum ended up with a weapon of staggering power that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Without it, the Elder Fleet might easily have conquered a large part of the Amarr Empire. What are the odds that such a weapon would fall into her hands. Not the Thukkers, not the rest of the empire, her particular followers. I would say that is an act of God. Whether you think that it is an act of insane luck or an act of God seems to hinge on whether you have faith or not. I simply don't see how anyone who believes in the will of God could see it as anything but a miracle that she got her hands on that technology. The odds were completely infintesimal that it would be her somewhat small band of loyal followers that would uncover that technology at that particular stage in history rather than any other faction in the rest of the cluster. You are entitled to debate the point, but that seems like the definition of a miracle to me.

Still, I think we arrived at the same conclusion to the Empress's reign for different reasons. Those different reasons mean I may have a different way forward from the secession trials. As Morwen pointed out, it has had a good effect on our culture that Imperial power can be contested by the participants once and only once. If secession trials are not to be continued, I think it is still good code that losing one of those tiny elections should also mean you will never hold the throne. That somewhat checks the internal issue of rivals scheming for years against the power of the throne. The fact that they were dying did, at the very least, mean they were sure about their method for figuring out a power figure. I think something similar might be necessary to make sure those who lost the power struggle do not continue trying to usurp the throne with a proxy. There may be a political mechanism for that. Questions like that are one of the reasons I went the ministerial rather than legislative road. I would prefer to let professional lawyers sort these sorts of things out.

Still, I would say that God has spoken fairly directly on the issue. If He thought she was unclean, I highly doubt He would have provided such dramatic means to to the throne for her. I'm interested to see where the dust settles as far as the law is concerned.

That was an interesting perspective on the symbols, thank you for it. My only real qualm is that I do not really think we can read treatment of slaves into such old symbology.

Regarding Amann Karris: It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the traitors line up to publicly condemn themselves.

Public condemnation does not concern me.

I am not a traitor, and if the only defense you have to my statements is this, then I am perhaps in not as bad a position as you believe. We can discuss any misunderstandings or misconceptions between us in private, but I would rather not further draw this thread away from it's initial topic.