Subject: MysticismWhat we call mysticism as practiced by ancients was nothing more than an explanation of odd and (in those days) unfathomable events interwoven with ritual ceremonies.
The shamans (wizards, warlocks, druids, etc.) among the ignorant ancients perpetuated the idea of mysticism. For well intentioned shamans, the folklore that developed from mysticism served the purpose of illustrating and conveying a culture's idea of morality or ethics. The more ambitious among the shamans were fully capable in their day (as are some in this day and age) of manipulating reality and commoners' minds to serve their personal ambitions, including their thirst for social status or political power.
THE MIST OF TIME is not intended to be hardcore fantasy. It is intended to be told in the context of its time (500 AD)when ignorance was rampant (no Romans) and strange events were couched in mystical terms.
For example, the story relates how the Cauldron was spirited away by the Mist... or so it seemed to the Celts. Is it not possible that Talisien waited until the right moment and signaled henchmen to steal the artifact under cover of night and fog when the last torch died, then claim it to be the work of the Mist? The result would be the same in the eyes of the Celts and would be told by witnesses the way the Celts saw the event that day.
And goblins? Couldn't they simply be a strange people with different facial features called goblins by others for lack of any other classification? Wouldn't Mongols seem to be goblins to a people who had never seen them before and had the concept of goblins embedded in their folklore? Not that they were Mongols who Aurelius discovered... Just a strange people he had never seen before that he called goblins knowing no other name to apply.
So as we develop this story, may I suggest we follow the rule of "pragmatic" mysticism as opposed to mimicing pure fantasy. In other words, let each event that seems mystical to our story characters be constructed in such a way that in this day and age a concrete, factual, non-mystical explanation could serve as a viable alternate description of the event.
If we are in agreement, I will post this convention on mysticism and fantasy to the Story Elements section above.
[This message has been edited by Civis Romanus (edited 10-01-2001 @ 04:45 PM).]