Guide to Enhiarg

1.11 Character Motivations and Main Conflicts

Thus far we've painted a vivid picture of Enhiarg as a realm. But before moving on to describing the fabulous life of its inhabitants, I'd like to offer a few words that might explain why, given its high level of prosperity, some still find it necessary to move around, at times even leave this corner of paradise.

The Why

The soulcentric nature of the Infinite helped shape in his creatures a very special and respectful attitude toward their souls. Each senses his value, singularity and potential to impact the world and fates of other creatures. Each wishes to lead a full and exceptional life— like only he can, given his unique individuality.

Naerites strive to know more about their soul and cultivate their spirit. And not because they fell victim to propaganda of spiritual values. In the first place, they know for a certainty, literally sense that having a strong spirit is gratifying. Though it can hardly guarantee everlasting happiness, it nonetheless provides a profound sensation that life is unimaginably more fascinating, valuable and insightful; consequently, one feels a far greater sense of confidence and engagement, seeing oneself as an essential piece of something truly grand. Secondly, having a strong spirit is useful; indeed, few would argue that supernatural abilities and resistance to hostile influences are not in and of themselves advantageous. From a utilitarian viewpoint, a spiritually advanced creature is presented rather enticing opportunities regardless of career path chosen or goals set.

Speaking of goals, it bears emphasizing that the vast majority of Naerites are neither obsessed with the notion of making everybody happy-go-lucky do-gooders, nor are they egomaniacs hell-bent on actualizing their precious "I" at the expense of everything and everybody else. Rather, each is writing his own book of life. Some prefer a philosophical parable, others an industrial novel or a traveler's journal, and others still—a book of jokes.

In actuality, many Naerites are driven by one common impetus—a deceptively simple thing known as curiosity. Sure, they know the answers to most "global" mysteries of the Universe (Are there alternate realities? Is there a God? Where do we go after death?), and yet the world is still so full of wonders (Why do knitted socks come undone if you wash them in Serpent's Soup Lake?), secrets and adventures to be seen, revealed and experienced. We have a notion of how a piano is built, but that doesn't mean we know in advance all the melodies that could ever be played on it. Indeed, particulars can be truly fascinating and fanciful, details can be delectable, and, on the whole, Naerites have a knack for exploration and discovery.

To be sure, material goods, vocation and relationships with others haven't lost their value. Naerites still aspire to earn someone else's friendship, love and respect, and to instill in others fear or envy. Some are propelled by a passion for collecting, discovering new potions, spells or basket-weaving techniques. Others thirst for power, wealth, glory... or the desire to help a random stranger whose sorrowful story tugged at the heartstrings.

Perhaps the most distinctive attribute of Naerites is that they are not ashamed of their goals, whatever they may be, even if they aren't likely to blab about them to the first creature they meet.

The Where and the How

To conclude, Naerites want to have a strong spirit. However, achieving it without forming one's own position on the various life issues and, just as importantly, without acting in accordance with said position, is impossible. Those whose spiritual path is not hermitic or related to isolated meditations need other creatures, need problems begging for solutions, need things to desperately want to create, upgrade, modify or destroy. Some will find Naeria fertile with opportunities to apply their talents, while others may deem its territory too safe, prosperous or harmonious to provide their goals the appropriate scale.

An Alae, being a natural diplomat, needs conflicts to mediate, and creatures living in discord with their nature to help achieve inner harmony. Iltejans, inborn appraisers and painstaking critics, travel the Infinite in search of imperfections in all areas of life. Envirze from Anlimor are always on the lookout for new markets and audiences with which to share the delights of contractual relations. Mercurion's dragons, the children of freedom, long to bestow the same to all who may need it, fighting to eradicate slavery and persecution of dissidence, and founding companies that enable the wingless to move through space and discover new worlds.

Souls and Goals

To Naerites, knowledge of souls is at once a burden, fraught with an array of complex and interesting questions, and a blessing, opening up an extraordinary field of activity. And though the Nae strive to care for "the Infinite's particles," their care is by no means universal.

For one thing, Naeria represents but a tiny part of the Infinite. Many Naerites set out to locations beyond the Arrivals' domain, determined to make use of their advanced knowledge of souls. Some are driven by easy profit, power and status. Others pursue genuinely noble goals—to educate, battle superstitions that harm the soul or ruthless deities that conceal the truth about them. In particular, representatives of many nations spawned by the Arrivals play active roles in this massive soul-constructive enterprise. And volunteers are likewise always welcome to contribute.

For another, the very system instituted by the Nae is imperfect. One needn't look further than Nelleyn—a Nae using correctional bodies to suppress his "children's" aggression and ground their desires. Another striking example are the priests of Veindor the Merciful and their gross misinterpretation of his doctrine, which stripped away its versatility and transformed a teaching designed to liberate souls into one that enslaves them.

The protagonists of The Cat Who Knew How to Cry , Talia and Ynon, attempt to fix the situation by introducing amendments to the Animated Objects Act.

The novel depicts a point of collision between the Nae and their sympathizers with a force that not only hardly yielded to theirs in sheer scale, but, far more importantly, deftly exploited the defects in their created world order, picking expertly at existing rifts. The main (apparent as of this time) difference between the forces of the Infinite and those of the Masters, the servants of their adversary, lies in their diametrically opposite view on the validity of magical interventions into the soul, attempts to remold it, manipulate and bereave it of innate individual properties (which the Masters present as shackles, restrictions, and means of control).

The world order instituted by the Nae is set to undergo a serious stress test. Will its pillars fess up to past mistakes and change where change is desperately needed? Or will their arrogance, stagnation, intractability and pride bring about disaster, transforming the prosperous cities of Enhiarg into clichéd mysterious ruins—monuments to grandeur long gone, to be discovered by adventurers from faraway realms on their travels...