Shadowfire: The Annotated Aztlan (faqs and rebuttals)

POWER PLAYERS: The Annotated Aztlan
Rebuttals to and questions about the theory as it has been presented

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Full text of Aztlan annotations

There is no proof that Mynbruje survived the Fourth World (that is, he hasn't shown up yet in the Sixth.) Minor detail, but worth noting.
- Ancient History

There is, however, proof that some or all of the Passions did survive into the Sixth World: Harlequin indirectly confirms a piece of TT shadowtalk on the issue. [provide quote] Both the Tir sourcebooks preceded Aztlan in publication, and are so referenced at the beginning of Aztlan by Captain Chaos: "Shadowland didn't bother to go to these paranoid lengths when we busted the scoop about the two Tirs". (10)

Thus we know that at least some of the Passions do still exist. Additionally, the entity appearing to Harlequin at the beginning of Harlequin's Back (also predating Aztlan and referenced therein) may be Vestrial, another of the Passions. Whether Mynbruje specifically did survive is not stated, unless we count the Aztlan annotations as such statement. We do know that Mynbruje is not the Passion most likely to be killed by another: that would be Lochost, by Dis (ED).

No spirit has been confirmed to exist in the Matrix (the actual Matrix, not the fiber-optic cables.) Again, minor detail (if Mynbruje survived he certainly could manage the feat by possessing someone's body) but worth noting.
- Ancient History

However, we have been told that a spirit of light has entered and accessed Matrix information (The Lucifer Deck). We also know that the Matrix is not so much a physical entity as a shared illusion: in a very real sense it exists only in people's minds [reference about half a dozen SR novels as well as SR rulebooks]. We are told that Mynbruje moves from mind to mind (find quote) ... and in many ways the Matrix is nothing else.

Umsondo is an African word referring to the color of the cattle of the tribespeople of South Africa. This, and his rather odd comment on the Rain Queen, lend more credence toward an Azanian than a Passion.
- Ancient History

"African" is an extremely general linguistic adjective for such a wide diversity of languages, but that is really just nitpicking.

Umsondo linguistically also has Spanish connotations, which would be much more relevant to the discussion at hand. I include a short excerpt from ED because of its immediate relevance here:

Most observers assume that what we know of the Passions holds true for the world outside Barsaive. It would be odd indeed if the universe interacted with our world in different ways from place to place. Yet ours is an odd world, and perhaps the universe's connection to it does change. The Passions we know in Barsaive may not exist on the other side of the globe; other Passions as yet unknown may take their place. More likely, men and women in distant lands know the same Passions but call them by different names. (ED 314, emphasis mine)

The comment on the Rain Queen is not at all odd coming from Mynbruje if we consider that it comes in response to Harlequin's statement that "some of us have Greats as sworn enemies," to which UMSONDO answers: "The Rain Queen is not all of her kind." In that context, it responds specifically to Harlequin's own stated opposition to some Greats (it is UMSONDO's statement which suggests that at least one of those is the Rain Queen): and thus could be taken as advice to Harlequin, warning him not to over-generalise in his judgements.

It is also worth noting that USMONDO's emphasis is not on the nature of the Rain Queen as such, but on comparison to other Greats. An Azanian would have a much tighter emphasis: why compare to other Greats at all?

Some wordplay on (um)sondo/sonde:

SONDE:

That which is sent; a message or messenger; hence, also, a visitation of providence; an affliction or trial. [Obs.] Ye have enough, parde, of Goddes sond. - Chaucer. Source: Webster's on-line, also Online Plain Text English Dictionary

Any of various devices, esp. a radiosonde, sent aloft by rocket or balloon to measure atmospheric conditions. Source: Wordsmyth

(After all, one of the things we keep being told in Aztlan about Tenochtitlán is the relevance of its high altitude. And ... "Wordsmyth"? :D)

SONDO: [Spanish]

I sound, from the verb sondar. Other meanings: explore, fathom, sound, plumb, search, probe.

Note that most of these would have the same connotations as in English: ie. the idea of testing an idea to discover its truth. This becomes even more evident within the Portuguese translation of I investigate. (The primary language of Brazil -- now part of Amazonia -- is Portuguese.)

UM: [as verb prefix, article, or connectable noun]

Separable or non-separable prefix (with the verb) indicating some degree of stress, absoluteness, redoing, or that it is about what is described ie. to re-explore, or to Explore in an absolute sense [German - sorry, difficult to describe]
Indefinite prefix or suffix indicating some relation with the root [Esperanto]
The quality of being, ie. insightful-ness [Tolkein's Black Speech ... all right, so he stole it from European patterns]

Indefinite article sometimes used in the context of names or something unknown, ie. a, some, also sometimes as one or unity, or that which is perceived or known or inferred to have its own physical existence (living or nonliving), or even as person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, human, soul [Portuguese]

I think I'm moving most of what I just wrote into the actual commentary ... somewhere.

Mynbruje's ideals are Empathy, Compassion, Justice and Truth. Unless he's slumming in Azania these days, why would he "conceal" himself as "Umsondo" to people who already know him?
- Ancient History

(You forgot Knowledge. ED p.22. And you are still working on an a priori assumption that UMSONDO should be Azanian.)

But do I really need to ask anymore as to why this should be considered concealment at all? It wasn't to me. Why would it be to Harlequin and those who know Mynbruje from before? JUNGLE CAT, however, might not: in which case using a Spanish word to describe one's nature (Spanish being the language of Aztlan -- and could UMSONDO possibly have chosen a clearer word to define his purpose here?) would be much more informative than an ancient Barsaive-specific name which, by itself, means nothing. It would be in the Passion's interests for his nature to be recognised by those to whom his presence is most relevant. JUNGLE CAT would be primary among these.

We both agree that Umsondo has some special status among the Immortal Elves, if not also the Great Dragons. His title of "Watcher" implies as much, as well as the deference he's given. The details of this position or status are left deliberately hidden, however, and while they may be the subject of conjecture, there's no evidence that points to Umsondo as Mynbruje simply from respect.
- Ancient History

There is also no evidence, from what you draw alone, that it does not. Absence of positive evidence does not imply negation of hypothesis. Only negating evidence does that.

It's interesting that you would point out an implicit respect being given to USMONDO by those present ... because if there is one thing those we have identified relatively for certain as being immortal elves do not give to each other, it is unquestioning respect. The respect of a worthy rival, perhaps (and then only after it has been earned, qv. the continual reaction to LADY OF THE COURT): but never, never the respect owing to someone whose judgement might be found superior to their own. So here we have a piece of negative evidence that points directly toward USMONDO not being an immortal elf, or perhaps an elf at all.

I'm still wondering how you pulled "Umsondo is Mynbruje" out of your ass.
- Ancient History

Well, considering that there are no direct statements anywhere that UMSONDO = [choose your poison], there can be no proof, only evidence to support one hypothesis or another: and thus anything speculated would have to be drawn out of one's ass :D

As a rule I hate bringing up Occam's Razor, since it is so often misconstrued to indicate that the simplest explanation must be the true one ... but in this case it might have some use in its original intent: identifying the simplest possible hypothesis that fulfills the known facts. Thus I choose whenever possible to hypothesise an existing canon entity already directly identified as existing outside this context and who could reasonably exist within this context given other evidence, rather than come up with some new individual (even if such an individual belongs to a canon group). The name as a Spanish-Portuguese conflation fits within this simplest possible explanation: why seek other languages when we are reading about a Spanish-Portuguese linguistic environment?

And, within Dunkelzahn's original criteria, who could be more representative of the interest of determining Truth, Knowledge, and Justice?