The Knights of the Moebius Table
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 10:37 am
(a partial follow-up to The Heroes of Ynnraile post)
The Moebius Table, according to legend, is the invention of Gwynnlir Wintersong. She gathered the three greatest sages of Ynnraile to determine how the Barony should be governed. The first sage was the smartest man in Ynnraile, the second was the wisest man in Ynnraile, and the third was the most educated man in Ynnraile.
Turning to the first sage, she asked "O smartest man in all of Ynnraile, how should my barony be governed?"
The smartest man in the barony thought for a while, and said "You should gather the bravest and most virtuous knights in the land, and sit them at a long table, with yourself at the head. Then you can discuss all of your decisions with the land's warriors."
This sounded like a good idea to Gwynnlir, but she turned to the second sage, and asked "O wisest man in all of Ynnraile, what do you think?"
The wisest man in the barony thought for a while, and said "The first sage's idea is sound. But if you sit the knights as he suggested, the knights will become competitive, each fighting for the spot closest to the table's head. Just as the table as several sides, they themselves will take sides, and the council will split into factions. Instead, you should make a Round Table, so that all of the knights can sit around it and consider themselves equal."
This sounded like a very good idea to Gwynnlir, and she was on the verge of calling her council the Knights of the Round Table, but then she remembered the third sage, and asked "O most educated man in Ynnraile, what do you think?"
The most educated man in the barony thought for a while and said "The second sage is right - the table should not have sides. But even a round table has two sides - the top and the bottom. Here's what you should do..."
After many years of work, the greatest carpenters in the land fashioned a table to the third sage's specifications - the Moebius Table of Ynnraile. It is unwieldy, inconvenient to use, and it doesn't really reduce factionalization that much, but it has long since passed into legend. It is the deeds of the Knights of the Moebius Table fill the histories and songs of the Barony.
The Moebius Table, according to legend, is the invention of Gwynnlir Wintersong. She gathered the three greatest sages of Ynnraile to determine how the Barony should be governed. The first sage was the smartest man in Ynnraile, the second was the wisest man in Ynnraile, and the third was the most educated man in Ynnraile.
Turning to the first sage, she asked "O smartest man in all of Ynnraile, how should my barony be governed?"
The smartest man in the barony thought for a while, and said "You should gather the bravest and most virtuous knights in the land, and sit them at a long table, with yourself at the head. Then you can discuss all of your decisions with the land's warriors."
This sounded like a good idea to Gwynnlir, but she turned to the second sage, and asked "O wisest man in all of Ynnraile, what do you think?"
The wisest man in the barony thought for a while, and said "The first sage's idea is sound. But if you sit the knights as he suggested, the knights will become competitive, each fighting for the spot closest to the table's head. Just as the table as several sides, they themselves will take sides, and the council will split into factions. Instead, you should make a Round Table, so that all of the knights can sit around it and consider themselves equal."
This sounded like a very good idea to Gwynnlir, and she was on the verge of calling her council the Knights of the Round Table, but then she remembered the third sage, and asked "O most educated man in Ynnraile, what do you think?"
The most educated man in the barony thought for a while and said "The second sage is right - the table should not have sides. But even a round table has two sides - the top and the bottom. Here's what you should do..."
After many years of work, the greatest carpenters in the land fashioned a table to the third sage's specifications - the Moebius Table of Ynnraile. It is unwieldy, inconvenient to use, and it doesn't really reduce factionalization that much, but it has long since passed into legend. It is the deeds of the Knights of the Moebius Table fill the histories and songs of the Barony.
