The bifurcation of all fate in Kaethos
Time is not a river but a circle, and the circle is a fractal — the Mandelbrot set overlaid upon the Bifurcation set. Every soul walks one of three roads around it: the upper path of nothing but good, the lower path of nothing but evil, and the narrow middle way that alone can pierce the fourth-dimensional veil. Bend the curve from 2 to −2 — the same point — and you have travelled the whole circle.
| Upper Path | Lower Path | Middle Path | One Loop |
|---|---|---|---|
| True Orůvian | True Ekalian | True Medinian | One dispensation = 1,000 years |
Overview
The Three Paths are the bifurcation of all fate in Kaethos — the three roads along which every life, and the world itself, can travel. The True Orůvian path is the path of nothing but good, the UPPER path of the bifurcation. The True Ekalian path is the path of nothing but evil, the LOWER path. Between them runs the True Medinian path: the path of balance, redemption, and learning to succor the people — the road to the higher realm, begun in order to free Men from the loop.
Time in Kaethos is a circle, and that circle is a fractal: the Mandelbrot set overlaid with the Bifurcation set. By bending the Mandelbrot from 2 to −2 — which is the same point — one travels the full circumference of the circle until reaching True Medinian, at which point the fourth-dimensional veil can at last be passed. Each loop around the circle is one dispensation, and each dispensation is 1,000 years.
The Orůvian and Ekalian powers war perpetually to control the Kaethotic Singularities, so that they might tip the path toward their own extreme without travelling the full dispensation. The Medinian path opposes both — refusing the pull toward pure good or pure evil in favor of the long, hard work of redemption that frees Men from the loop entirely.
The Three Paths
- True Orůvian — the UPPER path of the bifurcation; the path of nothing but good. Pulled toward by Orů, the Golden Dawn.
- True Ekalian — the LOWER path of the bifurcation; the path of nothing but evil. Pulled toward by Tlas Ekal, the Purple Twilight.
- True Medinian — the MIDDLE way; balance, redemption, and learning to succor the people. The path to the higher realm, begun to free Men from the loop. Only here can the fourth-dimensional veil be passed.
The Circle of Time
- Time is a circle — a fractal of the Mandelbrot set overlaid with the Bifurcation set.
- Bending the Mandelbrot from 2 to −2 (the same point) carries a traveller around the entire circle.
- One full loop = one dispensation = 1,000 years.
- Reaching True Medinian allows passage of the 4th-dimensional veil.
- The Orůvian and Ekalian seek to seize the Kaethotic Singularities to tip the path early, without the full dispensation; the Medinian opposes both extremes.