The Secret: a new theory

Adam Stephanides · 21 Apr 2001, 13:01 · from whorl-v0012.mbox · original

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From: Adam Stephanides <adamsteph at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: (whorl) The Secret: a new theory
Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2001 13:01:06
Message-ID: <whorl-v0012-0691 at digest.urth.net>
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on 4/20/01 5:50 AM, Nicholas Gevers at vermoulian at yahoo.com wrote:

> Following recent discussions of the Secret of the
> Inhumi, including reactions to my own theorisings, I=E2=80=99d
> like to propose a new and more comprehensive
> hypothesis as to what the Secret really is, and how,
> as many people have reasonably questioned, knowledge
> of it can be used as an offensive weapon against the
> inhumi.
>=20
> The resolution to the problem, I now argue, is another
> much-questioned feature of TBSS=E2=80=99s plot: astral travel.
> Why can Horn travel astrally when in the company of an
> inhumu? Surely because the Neighbors bestowed a
> strictly passive astral travel capability on the
> inhumi (we know that when the Neighbors left Blue for
> parts unknown, they took inhumi with them; so the
> inhumi must be able to travel astrally WHEN WITH
> Neighbors; Horn has the Neighbors=E2=80=99 favour, shares some
> of their power, and so can travel astrally when the
> inhumi component of the partnership is available.) So:
> if the humans of Blue behave benevolently towards each
> other, they will retain the Neighbors=E2=80=99 favour; when
> they have inhumi captive, they will thus be able to
> travel at will to Green; they now know how and where
> the inhumi breed; and so they will be able to
> annihilate the following generations of inhumi in the
> cradle. That is how the Secret can be used immediately
> and aggressively, as Horn demonstrated in attacking
> the City of the Inhumi in IGJ; safeguarding the poor
> and helpless from the inhumi is also important, but is
> a secondary and defensive weapon.

Against this theory:

1) There is no evidence that any humans can travel astrally except in Horn's
presence.

2) There is no evidence that the Neighbors will grant humans the power of
astral travel if they love one another.

3) Both Fava nor Juganu talk freely about where the inhumi breed.  If this
knowledge could be used to annhiliate the inhumi, it's not likely they would
do this.

4) Horn said that the Secret could (if it were feasible) be used to reduce
the inhumi to vermin, not to wipe them out altogether.

5) The idea of astrally travelling to Green and killing the inhumi children
has no real connection with Krait's secret (which, as a later post of yours
makes clear, you accept is the real Secret).  Even without Krait's secret,
it would be clear that killing all the inhumi children would wipe out the
inhumi, and the Secret doesn't tell the humans how to do this.

6) Horn says that the Neighbors knew the Secret, but could not use it.  If
the Neighbors, who were physically on Green, couldn't kill all the inhumi
children, it's doubtful that humans could.

> If we accept this, the presence of astral travel in
> TBSS acquires justification; and a further point comes
> to mind: an explanation of why the Gaonese bury the
> inhumi instead of killing them outright.

I had thought that the Gaonese believed that by burying inhumi alive, they
were killing them outright.  But I don't have OBW with me.

--Adam

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