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Redemption in New Eden

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Jason Galente:
Hey! So one of the themes of my character is redemption, and in general, redemption to me seems to be a concept that underpins a lot of the good aspects of real human society today. It's a theme in a lot of cultures and religions, including perhaps most notably, Christianity. But I noticed that the New Eden counterpart, the Amarr faith, doesn't have themes of redemption in it, or it doesn't seem to. That got me to realizing that there don't seem to be many notable examples of redemption as a theme in New Eden's cultures, which may help to explain the breadth of pathology in its subcultures and piracy. New Eden seems very fatalistic and dark.

So, what are some good examples of redemption (or the distinct lack of this necessary psychology) in the lore? Or in your characters?

Note: Apologies if this is in the wrong section.

Ché Biko:
Isn't Otro Gariushi sort of redeemed? And that crew member in All These Lives Are Fit To Ruin sort of tried to find redemption in a twisted way, maybe.

Ché has tried to redeem a few people (including himself), with varying levels of success.

Veiki:

--- Quote from: Jason Galente on 25 Jun 2017, 14:54 ---
So, what are some good examples of redemption (or the distinct lack of this necessary psychology) in the lore? Or in your characters?



--- End quote ---

There is the Caldari tea maker ceremony which is an absolution of shame in death.

As for my own characters, Veikitamo is always seeking her own redemption. A veteran Caldari capsuleer who lost most of her comrades who went through the same training program she did since childhood, and especially at the battle of Iyen Oursta she has always felt the shame and guilt of having been a survivor when those she did care for, and the only ones who could understand her are now gone.

As such, she seeks not to redeem herself in the eyes of others but in the eyes of her comrades. She feels no guilt or shame in the blood she sheds or the lies she speaks because her path to personal redemption is simple: keep loyal to her oath sworn with comrades now lost, to swear to uphold and defend the legacy of Matias Sobaseki as it exists in Kaalakiota.

That is, and always has been her motive factor and to that end she will say anything and do anything with the resolve and determination of a true believer in that what she does serves a higher purpose, and releases her from the only sin she considers never to commit - a failure in duty and violation of her oath.

To that end, in the pursuit of what she considers her path of redemption from a personal shame, she cannot be reasoned with, she cannot be bargained with, she won't stop in seeking it until she is dead.

Samira Kernher:
Amarr has very strong themes of redemption, actually. It comes in the form of the Reclaiming. The center focus of the Amarr religion is the return to a state of perfect unity with God, as God and Creation were one divine whole that then fell apart, and the purpose of the Amarr Empire is to restore that perfect state (seen in the symbolism of the three major Amarr signs). That is the Reclaiming. While it's most strongly associated with reclaiming the fallen races, the True Amarr as well are viewed as capable of sin and that they must strive constantly to keep themselves from falling. Even True Amarr do acts of penitence (like self-flagellation) to cut out the bad and make themselves worthy of God. Redemption in Amarr typically focuses heavily on punishments, in the belief that the self must be completely broken down, so that evil is stripped away, and then be remade in God's light.

In addition, the story of Amash-Akura is a redemption story. He was God's chosen and blessed with divine immortality and wisdom. But when Amash-Akura cast aside the sefrim, essentially rejecting God, God forsook him and commanded him to redeem himself on his own merits. Amash-Akura did so, and while he was never given his immortality back, his redemption earned himself a place in heaven.

[spoiler=References]
--- Quote ---To many Amarr, the Reclaiming is a sacred duty passed down by God to the Amarr people, charging them with shepherding the lost and faithless back into God's grace. It is a burden placed on the Amarr to never falter, to never show cracks of sin, and always do God's work in the mortal world.

-The Reclaiming article
--- End quote ---


--- Quote ---The great Amarr Empire was founded to cultivate the spirit of man.
To do so the enemies of the outside had to be defeated and the enemies of the inside controlled.
- The Scriptures, Book I 1:14
--- End quote ---


--- Quote ---So the Lord sent forth the Chosen,
to bring forth the light of faith
And those who embrace his love
Shall be saved by his grace
For we are his shepherds in the darkness
His Angels of Mercy.
- The Scriptures, Book of Reclaiming 4:45
--- End quote ---


--- Quote ---Only through many hardships
Is a man stripped to his very foundations
And in such a state
Devoid of distractions
Is his soul free to soar
And in this
He is closest to God
- The Scriptures, Book of Missions 42:5
--- End quote ---


--- Quote ---12 And all this time the emperor Amash-Akura did not age one day and was as healthy and strong as the day he came of age. The Scepter gave him vigor and the Crown gave him acumen and his rule was wise and fair.
13 Then Molok the Deceiver sundered the lands and the people suffered floods and plagues conjured by him. Molok turned the people against the sefrim and people who once sang their praise now abhorred them.
14 The emperor saw that all was not good and summoned the sefrim and said unto them, The people are in great distress, what remedies dost thou have?
15 And the sefrim answered, My Lord, the land has split against thee, thou must make war upon thine enemies to reclaim what is justly thine.
16 And the emperor asked, Wilt thou aid us in this perilous endeavor?
17 But the sefrim answered, No my Lord, we are here only to guide and to guard, it is forbidden to us to aggress upon any man.
18 Then be gone! The emperor said in anger, for his foes were formidable.
19 And the sefrim, no longer in the emperor’s favor, returned whence they had come that very day. And the moment they left, the sun went black and people cried in anguish, for this was an evil omen.
20 And that night God spake unto emperor Amash-Akura in his sleep, saying, Thy folly is great, Amash-Akura, thou hast rejected those I sent to thee in thine hour of need. Thou must redeem thyself to me by thine own merits.
21 And next day Amash-Akura had aged all his days and his hair was white and his skin wrinkled. But his spirit was high and his will resolute. God had charged him to take back his empire.
22 For five years Amash-Akura battled his enemies, wielding Scepter and Crown, and he did triumph in the end. Molok the Deceiver was brought before him in chains and sacrificed on the altar of God; the very next day, the emperor died in his bedchamber, his task fulfilled.
23 And that night the sky turned red and the people were again happy that God was content with them and the new emperor.
-The Scriptures, Chapter I of the Epitoth
--- End quote ---
[/spoiler]


The quest for penitence and salvation is certainly at the core of my RP with Samira. Her upbringing as an Amarr slave, at the front and center of the Reclaiming, has indoctrinated her to the point that she finds it almost impossible to see anything positive about herself, she believes that she is a horrible sinner and so must work harder than any True Amarr to prove herself worthy of God. She often comes across so zealous in RP because she feels she has to be and show that she is perfect in her faith, and her occasional emotional outbursts come from her psyche inevitably snapping under the load. In Samira's case the quest for redemption is taken too far, she punishes herself but doesn't forgive herself, and a major part of her character arc has been in the struggle to learn to let go of her shame (in the last year this has mostly revolved around trying to find acceptance of her Minmatar heritage).

Sakura Nihil:
To echo Samira's point, isn't one of the aspects of the Amarr Empire that yes, conquered peoples will be enslaved, but through work and repentance of generation after generation, the previously "impure" are brought into the concord with God?

Also, one might argue that Nation is a means to redemption... to give oneself over fully to Nation, to be cleansed of your previous sins and failings and to be reborn anew.  Something like that simultaneously fascinates and scares the hell out of me, but I think it counts.

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