Welcome to The Hall of Blue Illumination, the podcast dedicated to the world of M.A.R. Barker’s Tékumel.  In this episode, our estimable hosts continue their discussion of The Book of Ebon Bindings.  Points referenced include the significance (or the absence thereof) of humanity’s interest in the nature of the gods, the power of secret names, the existence of thieves and underworld communities, and ultimately, why a demon lord (and its evocators) might have good reason to fear an ancient planetary defense battery on one of Tékumel’s moons!

Show Notes:

[00:00:58]  Before the episode started, our hosts discussed several starting points.  Ultimately, rather than decide on one, they decided to discuss them in turn for us.

[00:01:18]  Victor begins by mentioning the excerpt from Pavár’s Scrolls, quoted by Tsémel Qurén hiKétkolel in the The Book of Ebon Bindings. (BEB p. 6).  Pavár indicates that while some have pointed to humanity’s questioning nature as a sign of its superiority over other beings, it might also be said that this shows our limitations.

[00:02:15]  The cosmos doesn’t care if humans ask why, and even if it did, humanity couldn’t understand the answer.  It’s almost Lovecraftian.

[00:02:37]  It’s a healthy reminder that looking for the “why” of things in Tékumel is fraught with peril.

[00:02:56]  Often in roleplaying games, people say they want verisimilitude, but they really also want predictability.  Yet the real world isn’t predictable, and doesn’t necessarily make sense.

[00:04:10]  James wonders if this doesn’t reflect players’ desire to understand the world so that they can “game” it, rather than blindly stumble their way through.

[00:05:50]  The gods are the gods.  You can’t expect to fathom their ways.

[00:06:10]  Tékumel (the setting) predates the game.  Scott notes that the world of Tékumel reminds him of the ancient world, where everything was much more mysterious and less settled.

[00:06:59]  Tékumel is very alien to us, even the humans who live there.  Modern people in the real world generally aren’t used to looking at things in the same way the Tekumeláni do.

[00:07:30]  It’s much more “anthropological.”  Players want to operate out of a rational mindset, but these societies are more traditional and culturally static.

[00:09:44]  The day-to-day experiences of most people in the Five Empires is rather mundane and routine.  But adventures exist beyond the pale, and this situation doesn’t always apply to them.

[00:10:33]  Ultimately, this comes down to the differences in “game” Tékumel and “real” Tékumel.  (see HOBI #13)

[00:11:02]  Anyone down for a session of “Tékumel – Papers and Paychecks, Adventures in Tsolyáni Accounting”?

[00:11:50]  A second entry point: Tsémel Qurén hiKétkolel’s discussion of names, and the magical power of names. (BEB p. 11 in the 1978 ed.; p. 10 in the 1991 ed.)

[00:12:49]  Where does one receive their secret name?  Good question.  Victor speculates that a secret name is something taken up by the sorcerously-inclined.  It may be something one discovers when he or she ascends to a certain level of the priesthood.

[00:13:27]  Secret names aren’t often discussed in game Tékumel, but they seem incredibly important from Tsémel Qurén hiKétkolel’s discussion of them.

[00:14:24]  Of course, demon summoning isn’t something done lightly.

[00:14:41]  If a practitioner wanted to summon a demon in a game, a plot point might revolve around discovering one’s secret name.

[00:15:00]  Different temples would certainly have very different rituals related to the revelation of one’s secret name.

[00:15:46]  Scott suggests a