View source for Post:The Long Way Home - 7/18/2008 - 1:49:50

{{Post
|a=DR-ARMIFER
|t=The Long Way Home
|d=7/18/2008 1:49:50 AM
|n=196
|f=The Necromancers (25) \ Necromancer Ideologies (9)
|c=r
|p=If damnation is unique to {{PRel|Necromancer}}s, then so is the concept of divine redemption. Even if the holy men were mentally capable of looking past a Necromancer's polluted soul to seek some goodness in it, they lack the theological framework to understand what the {{PRel|Redeemed}} want. There are no shades of grey in the religion of the {{PRel|Category:Immortals|Immortals}}: there are the faithful masses, and there is the enemy.

When a Necromancer starts down the long way home, he is invariably alone with his gods. Whether he will progress from Redeemed Necromancer to a purified and whole man brooks no intercession. He and he alone must demonstrate that he is worthy of his suffering.

Most Redeemed prove to be unworthy. The Immortals are perfectly willing to wait until the Redeemed's final breath to render their verdict. Since redemption supposedly secures the Necromancer's place on the Starry Road already, the notion that he must wait until the very end to gain the "real" benefit can grind at any Redeemed. Combine that with the Immortals' simple, harsh treatment of any "slips" the Redeemed commit and the utter contempt society still holds for them. It's easy to see how many Redeemed grow bitter and eventually believe that they are the butt of a divine joke.

Rejection of despair and grief thus becomes an important part of the Redeemed's survival skills. Whether the gods are merciful or malicious, the result is that the truly Redeemed are those who learn not to just be good people, but become good at being people. They are philosophically minded, spiritually whole, emotionally stable, and physically fit. Far from the tragic figures and violent zealots that dominate the ideology, the greatest among the Redeemed are some of the most healthy personalities on the planet.

It takes a long time -- often too long -- for the Redeemed to understand that their greatest reward is not divine rebirth at the end of the long road home, but the chance to realize their goodness and inner strength in their redemptive suffering. No matter how many sanctums they set ablaze or bloody penances they inflict on themselves, the Redeemed never run fast enough to escape their past. With enough personal growth, they may not have to.

-[[Armifer]]
}}