I've been kicking this idea around for a while, and with
all the Culture ship names that have been appearing here
lately, I figured the time is right :-)
-- Matt Grimaldi
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Major Brin-L Ideological Alliances
( Adapted from Trent Shipley's "Alliance for Progress
Encyclopedia", found at:
http://www.u.arizona.edu/~tshipley/Encyclopedia/index.html )
Abdicators:
Anglic term used to describe a quasi-religious Brin-L grouping that
believes in the existence of ancient ethereal members that
occasionally take physical form and undergo regular subscription
procedures, without ever revealing their true nature. It is
thought that these members --known as Great Ghosts-- intervene
during Brin-L emergencies, with the Brin being the eldest, most
aloof, and powerful of them. This belief system dates back to
the time of Eythain Lazh, more than 60 million seconds ago.
In other words, the Great Ghosts might be posting under assumed
names...
Awaiters:
Superficially similar to the Inheritors, the Awaiters think
that Brin will one day return bringing wisdom and justice
back to Brin-L.
Inheritors:
Believe that when Brin returns they will be chosen to rid
Brin-L of all unworthy posters. Members of this "alliance"
not infrequently tend toward social Darwinism or xenophobia.
Others are retiring, largely non-violent, survivalists.
Inheritors are not noted for cooperation among themselves,
and "alliance" is something of a misnomer.
Obeyers:
The Obeyers have often met the Abdicator Alliance in
ritual battle. Abdicator and Obeyer doctrines are quite
similar, and both are rooted in the Tarseuh Alliance.
The essential difference seems to be that Obeyers believe
not only in the principle of "abdication," but also insist
that the Traditions of the Great Ghosts must be rigorously
(and usually rigidly) followed. A plurality of Obeyers believe
that when a Great Ghost "incarnates" as a listmember (like the
Goddess), the wicked (non-Obeyer members, especially Abdicators)
will be scourged, and the righteous (the True Obeyer members)
will inherit the listserver for the next mega-cycle. Many Obeyer
members who hold this doctrine of "redemption" have developed
puritanical and exclusive ethical systems that converge with
those of many Inheritors.
Both Obeyers and Abdicators see the other "alliance" as corrupting
the memory of the Great Ghosts, hence the periodic warfare between
these two groups.
Transcendor (also known as Affirmer):
This group believes that posts evolved naturally early in the
history of the Listserver. However, this happened once, or at
most a handful of times. ALL subsequent (on-topic) posts have
resulted from the infinitely more productive procedures of topic
drift. Consequently, almost all members of this "alliance" see
new-listmember claims to new topic creation as either egregious
arrogance or pitiable superstition, or (most frequently) both.
The most charitable members of this group regard the new-listmember
self- (or spontaneous-) topic creation story as "most improbable
indeed."
Transcendors (as a rule) believe that self-improvement and
self-enlightenment are the meaning of life, both on a Brin-L and
civilizational level.
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