The Worlds of Katherine Kurtz

The Deryni Series => The Chronicles of the Deryni => Topic started by: whitelaughter on October 27, 2017, 06:23:50 AM

Title: Moorish Magic
Post by: whitelaughter on October 27, 2017, 06:23:50 AM
There's a throw away line at the start of the Duel Arcane in Deryni Rising that Clarissa's Moorish mercenaries are watching the duel closely as they are also magically capable.

Is this explored further anywhere? Indicated whether Moorish magicians are Deryni, or some other magical tradition?
Title: Re: Moorish Magic
Post by: DesertRose on October 27, 2017, 09:53:13 AM
I don't have my books handy, but it seems like al-Rasoul is both Moorish and Deryni.

I would imagine that Charissa's mercenaries are probably Moorish Deryni (possibly from a different tradition/training style), but I would also imagine that, given the outcome of the Duel Arcane, those mercenaries either aren't still living to say one way or another, or they removed themselves with the quickness to some place beyond Kelson's reach.

I don't think KK goes into it any more anywhere else, though, although it seems like there are elements of Liam's investiture that may have Moorish/Islamic origins.  (I could be remembering incorrectly, though.)
Title: Re: Moorish Magic
Post by: Evie on October 27, 2017, 10:16:55 AM
Quote from: DesertRose on October 27, 2017, 09:53:13 AM

I don't think KK goes into it any more anywhere else, though, although it seems like there are elements of Liam's investiture that may have Moorish/Islamic origins.  (I could be remembering incorrectly, though.)

I think Liam's investiture had elements of both Moorish origin and Greek/Russian Orthodox religious tradition, though it's been a while since I read KKB, so I might be remembering incorrectly also.
Title: Re: Moorish Magic
Post by: whitelaughter on October 28, 2017, 04:43:54 AM
Thanks for the info :)

I would also imagine that, given the outcome of the Duel Arcane, those mercenaries either aren't still living to say one way or another, or they removed themselves with the quickness to some place beyond Kelson's reach.
Surely a duel is covered by a temporary truce?  Given that the duel was to determine the rightful ruler of the kingdom, the mercenaries could simply acknowledge that Kelson is rightful ruler, and promise to carry word of his victory to the southern kingdoms. It's not like they will care who rules the northern barbarians...
Title: Re: Moorish Magic
Post by: DesertRose on October 28, 2017, 09:16:42 AM
Quote from: whitelaughter on October 28, 2017, 04:43:54 AM
Thanks for the info :)

I would also imagine that, given the outcome of the Duel Arcane, those mercenaries either aren't still living to say one way or another, or they removed themselves with the quickness to some place beyond Kelson's reach.
Surely a duel is covered by a temporary truce?  Given that the duel was to determine the rightful ruler of the kingdom, the mercenaries could simply acknowledge that Kelson is rightful ruler, and promise to carry word of his victory to the southern kingdoms. It's not like they will care who rules the northern barbarians...

Hence the option of having removed themselves with great speed.  :)

And while I'm sure that Kelson himself at fourteen probably wouldn't have killed Charissa's mercenaries (or even ordered someone else to kill them) outright, that doesn't mean that the Council, for example, would have looked kindly upon them, although I can see, say, Vivienne informing them that they'd best shake the dust of Gwynedd off their boots soonest for their own continued good health.  ;)

While these guys are one-off characters with basically no development (because it isn't really necessary for the plot that they have personalities, just that they be present), I would think that at least some of them would hear that warning, tell any less-bright fellows (who didn't catch the implications) that it's time to leave, and thus all gotten the hell out of Dodge, as it were.  :D

Or, given that they're mercenaries, maybe the ones who caught the Council's meaning departed posthaste (perhaps for Tolan to attempt to collect any payment still owing?) and left anyone so lacking in subtlety as to fail to understand to whatever fate the Council had in mind.
Title: Re: Moorish Magic
Post by: Rahere on October 28, 2017, 06:43:52 PM
In the real world, Muslim magic is perhaps the most intensively studied subdomain of the subject, it seems to have greatly turned around talismanic and tablet forms of intervention.
Title: Re: Moorish Magic
Post by: DesertRose on October 29, 2017, 09:36:57 AM
Quote from: Rahere on October 28, 2017, 06:43:52 PM
In the real world, Muslim magic is perhaps the most intensively studied subdomain of the subject, it seems to have greatly turned around talismanic and tablet forms of intervention.

Now that's a research rabbit hole into which I have yet to fall!

Rahere, do you have any links to good sources on that?  (I'm not challenging you, BTW; I seriously would like to know more, and I can certainly Google on my own, but I like to get recommendations of reliable sources on this sort of thing when I can.)