The Chronicler Recommends: Fahrenheit 451 & Babel
Welcome Readers,
In this first edition of The Chronicler Recommends, it felt fitting to take inspiration from the Durmand Priory—the center of all knowledge in Tyria.
The Durmand Priory was established in the year 1105 AE of the Mouvelian Calendar by Krytan historian Durmand.
Durmand was a renowned historian who recorded the stories of heroes and villains of his age alike such as Gwen Thackeray, Saul D’Alessio, Turai Ossa and Master Togo.
It is only logical to assume that Durmand founded the Priory as a continuation of his legacy and for his followers to safeguard the past of Tyria for future generations.
As the decades and centuries passed, the Durmand Priory would grow and became one of the three founding Orders of the Pact which would go on to fight the threat of the Elder Dragons.
“Knowledge is useless if it is not used.” - Steward Gixx
Enough of the history lesson, let’s dive into why the Durmand Priory is fascinating: its standing within Tyrian culture, the near hegemony of its control over knowledge and its ability to conceal select pieces of information from the rest of the world.
The Durmand Priory is one of the cornerstone of Tyrian culture as the originator of the New Krytan language which unified the races under a single language. This linguistic unification of the continent ensured a free flow of ideas and wisdom throughout the lands. From the farthest regions of the Shiverpeak Mountains, the deep jungles of Maguuma and the plains of Ascalon, all who could write and read this new language could access the knowledge of distant lands and learn their customs and culture. As such, the Priory grew to become a place where someone of any culture could join and share in this wealth of knowledge.
“I am the last of the dwarves. Most of my people have gone down into the depths of Tyria to fight the Elder Dragon Primordus. I have remained here to help the Priory.”
- Ogden Stonehealer
However, as knowledge aggregates so does the desire to accumulate more. The Durmand Priory is composed of teams of Explorers, Scholars, Arcanists, Magisters and Archons. Their roles vary within the organization, but their goal is ultimately to acquire, study, and safeguard tomes, magical phenomenon, and magical artifacts. Sometimes, by any means necessary and with little regard to the cultures they belong to. On one hand, members of the Durmand Priory may be required to secure an artifact that turns innocent civilians into corrupted dragon minions (E.g. The Sanguinary Blade), while on the other hand tasked with forceably “commandeering” holy artifacts from cultures that are deemed “barbaric” or “evil” as these artifacts will serve the “greater good” instead (E.g. The Eye of the Ocean). The Durmand Priory does not appear to follow any code of ethics and often works in grey areas with methods that are questionable to say the least. Which bids the question: How far are they truly willing to go?
“Your power is only equal to the sum of your knowledge.” - Durmand
Furthermore, the Durmand Priory headquarters contains a library known as the Secret Collections which is only accessible to certain members and protected by ever-changing wards. These collections are where the most valuables tomes and artifacts are found: Histories about the secrets of the world, apocryphal religious tomes about the theorized nature of the Gods, artifacts that lets one visit places long gone, always-occupied laboratories where dissections are performed, body parts of deceased magical creatures and much more. While some of this information may be somewhat known by the inhabitants of Tyrian, much of it is kept secret by the Priory and not shared with the wider world. Due to this knowledge being kept under lock and key, few are the researchers that have had access to this location. Few are those that may have turned the pages of The Map of the All and read the prophetic words of The Apostate concerning the consequences of killing the Elder Dragons:
“Should the energies become imbalanced, the world will tilt and all beings will fall off it into the void.” - The Apostate
Could the near fall of Tyria into the Void have been prevented if these collections had been more widely accessible or would it have precipitated the actions of nefarious forces towards this goal?
None can know.
The Durmand Priory has brought good to the land of Tyria and a new age of enlightment. But, behind this veil of progress and good deeds hides latent darkeness: dubious practices, grey areas of ethics and a desire for information control. In this quest for knowledge, some may ask if the Priory has done more harm than good to Tyria, but this preambule is unable to answer this question. However the Durmand Priory’s story unfolds is yet to be determined, but the following authors may shed some light on the possibilities.
Farenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury’s 1953 classic Fahrenheit 451 portrays a future where books have become illegal to own. If one is found with any literature in their domicile, the Firemen are alerted to burn their house to the ground. Literature is perceived as divisive and incompatible with societal peace.
“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon. Breach man’s mind. Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man? Me?” - Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Follow the story of Montag as he wrestles with his duty as a Firemen and his inate curiousity of what may be found inside books. Explore a disturbing society where entertainment and happiness are paramount to anything else, where books are banned, yet the elite of society can quote verses and prose. Discover a world where knowledge has been deemed dangerous for the public and only a few remember the days of old.
“We do need knowledge. […] The books are to remind us what asses and fools we are.” - Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
As per our introduction to the subject, Fahrenheit 451 can be seen as a path where the Durmand Priory’s knowledge is seen as too much of a danger. And with so much knowledge aggregated in a single building, it would be easy to light a match and see it all burn down.
Babel
by R.F. Kuang
R. F. Kuang’s 2022 Babel also known as Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution deals with the control of knowledge. Who benefits and who suffers from it’s creation, acquisition, and distortion.
Delve into Kuang’s alternate history of 1830’s England where magic is intrinsic to life and is generated through silver and linguistic translations. By associating terms with similar meanings, significance, or linguistic roots, translators capture meanings that are “lost in translation” and pull from these meanings magical effects such as house heating, water purification, and vehicular transportation
“Translation means doing violence upon the original, it means warping and distorting it for foreign, unintended eyes. So, where does that leave us? How can we conclude except by acknowledging that an act of translation is always an act of betrayal?” - Babel, R.F. Kuang
Furthermore, Kuang’s novel explores the means by which a wealth of knowledge, academics, and translators from around the globe have made their way to Oxford to contribute to this economy of linguistics. How the pillaging of other cultures’ intellectuals and its bolstering of colonialism are a blight upon the world.
“How does all the power from foreign languages just somehow accrue to England? This is no accident; this is a deliberate exploitation of foreign culture and foreign resources. The professors like to pretend that the tower is a refuge for pure knowledge, that it sits above the mundane concerns of business and commerce, but it does not. It’s intricately tied to the business of colonialism. It is the business of colonialism.” - Babel, R.F. Kuang
Follow Robin Swift, Ramy, Letty and Victoire as they attend Babel and discover the world they truly live in. The path each student will take following their studies in Oxford is for you to find out.
Babel offers us a view into another future for the Durmand Priory. A path where knowledge is paramount and the suffering of others is not only a side effect, but a feature of the system. As through suffering, greater knowledge is gained.
In conclusion, Bradbury & Kuang’s works are fascinating illustrations of how knowledge could be used, abused and destroyed by the powers that be in order to get what they want.
Understanding these extreme fictional scenarios is a good way to see when these patterns begin to emerge in every day life.
I hope this post has inspired you to buy these books (visit your local bookstores!) or borrow them from a library.
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Keep an eye out for our next post on March 26th!