The Purity of Service; How did the Haruchai lose it.
Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 12:14 pm
(I post this thread here because it pertains to the change in the Haruchai that occurs between our leaving them at the end of the 2nd Chrons and their appearence in the 3rd as 'The Masters'. In respect to those of us who haven't read an ARC could I ask that those of us who have to take special care if making points that are dependant upon knowledge that can only be 'got' from TLD. Thanks Guys).
I'm just reading Milton's Paradise Lost and of course one of the most noteable quotes occurs early in Book I when Satan say's "Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven". This got me to thinking of the Haruchai, who in both the first and second Chrons not only truly understood the value of servive (they always reminded me of the 47 Ronin) maintained, but also the loss of honour that failure of service entailed. Never once was there ever the sugestion that once their service was proffered, they would themselves want to take up the burden (and responsibility) of descision making. The essence of the Bloodguard was pure unadulterated (and uncompromising) service. Then along comes TC and in what he thought was a benevolent gesture decided to give the H something to serve that for once would not let them down - so he gave them Revelstone. That the Giant-wrought eddifice would repay their steadfastness with a mirrored reliability of it's own was never in question - but somehow even that relationship became distorted and the Haruchai we seeemerging as the Masters in the 3rd Chrons seem to have lost entierly that ethos, that motivating spirit of service without (I was going to say judgement, but that is wrong - the H were always capable of judgement, they just kept their judgements to themselves)...without ambition to rule thrown in. [Monarchs always 'serve' their country - this was not the H's type of service untill series 3].
What was it that changed in them? These were a people whose collective knowledge of the past was unequeled, whose respect for their forefathers was held, generation to generation in the highest awe and yet they metamorphosed from their ideals to the point where even Brin (was it?) was aghast at what they had become. What does this tell us about them, about how they changed and about the value of service compared to Mastery.
(Thought; was Staves display of emotion at his son's death even related in a way to to some quintessential change deep within the Haruchai motivating spirit.)
I'm just reading Milton's Paradise Lost and of course one of the most noteable quotes occurs early in Book I when Satan say's "Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven". This got me to thinking of the Haruchai, who in both the first and second Chrons not only truly understood the value of servive (they always reminded me of the 47 Ronin) maintained, but also the loss of honour that failure of service entailed. Never once was there ever the sugestion that once their service was proffered, they would themselves want to take up the burden (and responsibility) of descision making. The essence of the Bloodguard was pure unadulterated (and uncompromising) service. Then along comes TC and in what he thought was a benevolent gesture decided to give the H something to serve that for once would not let them down - so he gave them Revelstone. That the Giant-wrought eddifice would repay their steadfastness with a mirrored reliability of it's own was never in question - but somehow even that relationship became distorted and the Haruchai we seeemerging as the Masters in the 3rd Chrons seem to have lost entierly that ethos, that motivating spirit of service without (I was going to say judgement, but that is wrong - the H were always capable of judgement, they just kept their judgements to themselves)...without ambition to rule thrown in. [Monarchs always 'serve' their country - this was not the H's type of service untill series 3].
What was it that changed in them? These were a people whose collective knowledge of the past was unequeled, whose respect for their forefathers was held, generation to generation in the highest awe and yet they metamorphosed from their ideals to the point where even Brin (was it?) was aghast at what they had become. What does this tell us about them, about how they changed and about the value of service compared to Mastery.
(Thought; was Staves display of emotion at his son's death even related in a way to to some quintessential change deep within the Haruchai motivating spirit.)