LakePei Lost

This is an idea that's been germinating in my head for a while. And by while, I mean probably since the second book was released.

The concept: An in-universe epic poem, or perhaps a play, that shows Shanwei's rebellion and action in a sympathetic light (while still showing Langhorn to be in the right).

Were my writing skills strong enough I would attempt it myself. Instead, I present the concept:

Part 1: The Archangels arrive and working together in harmony build Safehold; their leader is Langhorn but the one who knows most of the work is Shanwei, who is in effect his second. God arrives and proclaims the work good, and leaves Langhorn in charge.

Here we see that the Archangels Kauyung (Commodore Pei) and Shanwei are in love, it is here we also see that love and nuturing are features of Shanwei; she is a mother figure to Langhorn's father.

Part 2: Humans are born and raised in accordance with God's Plan. The divisions between Langhorn (who wants to follow the plan of God strictly) and Shanwei (who wants to deviate to improve the lot of man) grow stronger as Shanwei continues to ignore Langhorn's warnings.

This also splits Kauyung from Shanwei; Kauyung is the Knight of God, protector of the Archangels, and is the sworn liegeman of Langhorne. Shanwei convinces him she is right, but "I cannot act against my liege."

Part 3: "More in sorrow than in anger", Langhorn unleases the Rakurai onto Shanwei and her followers after they refuse his commands for the final time. A few Archangels who followed Shanwei survive and take word to Kauyung, who delivers a speech to the audience about torn between love and duty, and finds "Without her the Light of God has gone from my life", and strikes down Langhorn and the other Angels until he himself 'dies' from his wounds.

---

Much like Paradise Lost, this would take the roles and acts of the Archangels and humanize them; Shanwei fell into error not for evil's sake, but out of a misguided sense of love for humanity, counter to the commands of God. Kauyung is portrated as a man, acting as a man would, torn between love and duty, and while he can live seperated from her love, his rejection of God and betrayal of Langhorn is over her death. Since we know how the story ended, we see the rosy beginings in the first act in that tragic light, with a glimpse of how things may have been otherwise.

Now, while you and I reading the book, and a few characters in Safehold know this is utter nonsense, think about it from an in-character native Safeholdian viewpoint, and the themes that they would see. The tension between duty and love would be the core of it, but from a propaganda standpoint, it elevates Shanwei, Kauyung, and their fellows from the source of pure evil, to evil acts with good intents.

Now, lacking access to the literary tradition of Safehold, I can't say if these concepts are unique or similar to already existing ones, but based upon my reading the Empire of Charis would, culturally, be more equivalent to the Age of Enlightenment in England, from which period Paradise Lost comes from.

We already see the importance of the individual stressed within the Church of Charis, as well as the encouragement of things like the Royal College, so the trigger conditions for the *literature* are there, if not already triggered. In addition, literacy is highly held in most of Safehold...

Anyhow, this is just some idle speculation, thrown together in a bad post, made over the course of a few years with too much time to kill.

Thanks for reading, your thoughts would be appreciated.

This is actually really good! Although I don't think they could make it in time before the end of war. But after the time skip RFC is planning... I can imagine the play being the prologue, introducing the world after time skip to us.

summercat wrote:An in-universe epic poem, or perhaps a play, that shows Shanwei's rebellion and action in a sympathetic light (while still showing Langhorn to be in the right).

An Oratorio, I believe, would be the traditional form for this kind of subject.

This does not seem "practical." There is no visible tradition of freedom of the press or of the arts on Safehold. Certainly this will get you the Punishment of Schuler anywhere in GOF territory. Maybe the Charis side might sponsor it but right now such open heresy would be impolitic. And longer term the textev hints at a more direct approach to putting down Langhorn.

niethil wrote:

summercat wrote:An in-universe epic poem, or perhaps a play, that shows Shanwei's rebellion and action in a sympathetic light (while still showing Langhorn to be in the right).

An Oratorio, I believe, would be the traditional form for this kind of subject.

As Merlin/Owl is such an effective forger, would it not be possible for several copies of the Poem and/or Oratorio to be "unearthed" in the archives of several cathedrals and monasteries in various parts of Safehold?

Covered in dust and apparently dating back to a couple of hundred years after the "Main Event" - as though "published" at the time of composition and then "Suppressed" by HMC although missed by the Inquisition which would have destroyed all copies available to it when the content was ruled to be anathema.

For the record, my thoughts on this was something being written during the current timeframe of the novels - that is to say, a current event.

Not something historical, or from the past. Yes, Safehold has no shown tradition of freedom of the press or creative writing, but our POV characters up to this point have primarily been interested and focused on the practical, the legal, and the theological.

There isn't enough to really infer what state Safehold's various literary traditions are in, but it is stated (Or at least infered) that Charis has a high literacy and education rate (or at least higher than most mainland realms), along with much of the social and economic movement enjoyed by the English during the Enlightenment and the Italians during the Renaissance.

With the Church being removed from a position of authority to stop literary development within the Empire of Charis, as well as the rising trading/middle class and increasing prosperity of the society as a whole, we should be seeing - something.

I don't even know if Shakespearan-style plays are a thing in Safehold, much less Charis.


---editeditedit---

Addendum: I'm not thinking this would be something officially proclaimed or supported by Empire and Kingdom of Charis, but a private non-aligned entity.

Hellfire, I can see the setup being more akin to two writers getting drunk and trying to challenge each other with scenarios to write, and one hangover later, the core of the work would have been done.

"Hah! I bet you can't write a story about Shanwei's fall that makes everyone sympathet-hic!" "Pssssh your on!"

I had a similar idea as a sort of sub rosa introduction of the idea. Indeed, I'm reminded of something Mark Twain had said once that he thinks that Lucifer has been much maligned and that he would like to hear his side of the story too.

I also had two thoughts: first, in OAR, Merlin notes that "There was wealth, art, and literature in Charis. In many ways, the kingdom reminded Merlin of what Nimue had read of Old Earth's England in the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries." Second, the previous novels mention Tellisberg's "Round Theater" which is "Supported by the Crown but independent of it, and renowned not only for the quality of its productions but for its willingness to present works which satirize Charisian society, industry, the aristocracy, and even the Church." These two elements together could be used to present a number of subversive plays in this respect. For instance, a play which satirizes the Group of Four, in which you have an actors portraying Traynair as a puppet muster who walks around with a puppet that looks like the Grand Vicar, a fat guy who plays Clyntahn in a ridiculous fashion, a child actor that plays Maigwair and the straight man who plays Duchairn. By the same token, a play such as the one presented here could theoretically be made on stage in the Round Theater and most people would be likely to dismiss it as simply "outrageous" and "disrespectful". But others might pay attention.

Such a play might have been shown safely outside of Charis prior to OAR but I doubt that Clyntahn has a sense of humor so who ever put on that play now outside of the Empire of Charis would be in big trouble.

thanatos wrote:I had a similar idea as a sort of sub rosa introduction of the idea. Indeed, I'm reminded of something Mark Twain had said once that he thinks that Lucifer has been much maligned and that he would like to hear his side of the story too.

I also had two thoughts: first, in OAR, Merlin notes that "There was wealth, art, and literature in Charis. In many ways, the kingdom reminded Merlin of what Nimue had read of Old Earth's England in the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries." Second, the previous novels mention Tellisberg's "Round Theater" which is "Supported by the Crown but independent of it, and renowned not only for the quality of its productions but for its willingness to present works which satirize Charisian society, industry, the aristocracy, and even the Church." These two elements together could be used to present a number of subversive plays in this respect. For instance, a play which satirizes the Group of Four, in which you have an actors portraying Traynair as a puppet muster who walks around with a puppet that looks like the Grand Vicar, a fat guy who plays Clyntahn in a ridiculous fashion, a child actor that plays Maigwair and the straight man who plays Duchairn. But the same token, a play such as the one presented here could theoretically be made on stage in the Round Theater and most people would be likely to dismiss it as simply "outrageous" and "disrespectful". But others might pay attention.

Anywhere the authority of the Inquisition is absolute. If LaMA is any indication, the church's physical power will begin to wane even in places like Dohlar and Desnair.

DrakBibliophile wrote:Such a play might have been shown safely outside of Charis prior to OAR but I doubt that Clyntahn has a sense of humor so who ever put on that play now outside of the Empire of Charis would be in big trouble.

thanatos wrote:I had a similar idea as a sort of sub rosa introduction of the idea. Indeed, I'm reminded of something Mark Twain had said once that he thinks that Lucifer has been much maligned and that he would like to hear his side of the story too.

I also had two thoughts: first, in OAR, Merlin notes that "There was wealth, art, and literature in Charis. In many ways, the kingdom reminded Merlin of what Nimue had read of Old Earth's England in the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries." Second, the previous novels mention Tellisberg's "Round Theater" which is "Supported by the Crown but independent of it, and renowned not only for the quality of its productions but for its willingness to present works which satirize Charisian society, industry, the aristocracy, and even the Church." These two elements together could be used to present a number of subversive plays in this respect. For instance, a play which satirizes the Group of Four, in which you have an actors portraying Traynair as a puppet muster who walks around with a puppet that looks like the Grand Vicar, a fat guy who plays Clyntahn in a ridiculous fashion, a child actor that plays Maigwair and the straight man who plays Duchairn. But the same token, a play such as the one presented here could theoretically be made on stage in the Round Theater and most people would be likely to dismiss it as simply "outrageous" and "disrespectful". But others might pay attention.

It depends on "how much it has waned".

Considering the number of people involved in the production of a play (both back-stage and otherwise), IMO even a weakened Inquisition could cause plenty of trouble for people involved in the play.

Of course, the secular leadership might decide to lessen possible annoyance toward them on the part of the main Church by cracking down on things like this while challenging the authority of the Church elsewhere.

thanatos wrote:Anywhere the authority of the Inquisition is absolute. If LaMA is any indication, the church's physical power will begin to wane even in places like Dohlar and Desnair.

DrakBibliophile wrote:Such a play might have been shown safely outside of Charis prior to OAR but I doubt that Clyntahn has a sense of humor so who ever put on that play now outside of the Empire of Charis would be in big trouble.