#6 The Rules

As Encantado, we can do a lot of things many races can’t. We can tap into magic, and manipulate thoughts, we can live for many years, we have powers that most can't even fathom. Things come easily to us, and this is why a government was so important to the founding Elders. This is why rules were put into place. The Elders felt that we needed something to help direct our race, and prevent the corruption that is so prevalent amongst those who hold great power.

There are three main rules, and some subsidiary rules that have emerged over the years. Charles Drake, my grandfather, spent decades of deliberation with other great thinkers to create a set of three rules to govern our gifted society. In order to choose the ideal form of government they studied history, and the human race. They found monarchies to be lacking, morality to be missing, and all and all a definite lack of a good governing system. Too many wars, too much needless bloodshed, something Encantado take very seriously. And so, rather than a sole ruler, we have a governing counsel made up of five percent of the population, and a set of simple rules to live by that apply to everyone, along with some subsidiary rules to better define the three main rules.

Charles Drake and his “cronies” determined that the rules of society should be created to address the concerns of a society.

The first concern of so limited a society as ours is that of secrecy. If humans, who are numerous, and can reproduce almost at will, were to learn of the abilities of the Encantado, they would surely try to capture them, kill them, rule them, or use them for ill. And, so keeping the identity of the Encantado race a secret is not only important, but critical to its continuation. Men are easily corrupted, and more than a little power hungry. Thus the first rule was made: No Encantado is to reveal the existence and secrets of the Encantado to other races.

The second concern of our race is that of continuation. This concern was addressed by implementing the three stages of life. During the deliberation the three stages of life where created and forged into existence with some very powerful magic. This forces each Encantado to choose service of the race (which through continued knowledge helps to prolong and protect it), or sacrifice of one life for another to keep the world in balance. The Elders recognized that the universe requires balance, and that our society should as well. The belief in making everything equitable was applied in this instance. The stages of life are not determined by a set date, age, or event in one’s life, rather by their personal readiness. When you reach a maturity of mind, you hit the different stages, and at those stages are asked to make choices, such as the oath. Thus, some Encantado do not come of age for hundreds of years, while others may come of age at 30 or 40. The third stage of life, where the choice of death or service must be made, works in much the same way. It is a process that occurs when someone reaches the limits of their potential, or hits the point when they no longer find joy, or simply wish service or death.  Thus, the second rule was made: Each member of the Encante must live the three stage life, and choose death or service in the third stage.

The third concern was that of living alongside a very different race, and learning how to respect their society, and not interfere with the happiness of their race. In other words, the concern was how to live morally among those who are so easily manipulated, and so inferior to the intelligence, life span, and ability of the Encantado. This created the largest dilemma for the Elders, as forcing morality is not something they were willing to do, but they also did not want to see our race become despicable enough to toy with other races.

Thus the creation of a third rule: Upholding a moral obligation to inferior races.  With the third rule there are two parts, or portions that must be followed. The first is the idea that “ignorance is bliss,” humans must remain ignorant to the perfection of the Encante, or their longing for it would ruin their race. Thus, when Encantado interact with humans they must do it under the guise of being human themselves, or commit to keep the human with them until the end of their life span, should they wish to bring them to the Encante. Of course, there are a few other options, none of which are recommended. One being death, the other being memory loss. While the Encantado have a set of morals, they are very different from those of the human race. To an Encantado, killing a human is much like killing a rodent or insect would be to humans. They respect that they are living beings, and deserve life, but they also know that humans reproduce quickly, and they dot the planet. However, despite the insignificance of the death of humans, it is still looked down upon, mostly because it opens the doors of the mind to the possibility of death as a solution to problems, and the counsel feared it might lead to death of Encantado. Killing an Encantado is unheard of, and repugnant.

The second portion of this rule is that of cultivating talents in order to help the humans advance. For the betterment of mankind, society, industry, and technology, the Encantado are to shadow and influence moral men of influence in the human race to suggest advancement through thought. In addition, one of their responsibilities is to ensure that the paths chosen by humans would lead to a better life, not a poorer one. As an Ecantado, you are able to see things from a wider perspective. Thus, the long, as well as the short-term consequences are more easily discovered. If one could see the effects of their actions, they would be more careful in their choices. Thus, the Encantado are burdened with the task of ensuring political leaders, and “great” thinkers among humans lead and think the way they ought to ensure the best results for all races. Some of the biggest tragedies to the human race over the years have come from the neglect of the Encantado assigned to a leader. My Grandfather always thought our biggest failure was allowing Adolf Hitler to slip under the radar, the Encantado assigned to him was slacking in his duties, and his family has a black mark because of it to this day.

So, the rules of the Encante are

1.     Keep the Encantado a secret.

2.     Choose service or death.

3.     Remember your moral obligation to inferior races.

While straightforward, and considered simple, they are deceptively so, as the reasoning and thought put into the creation of the rules was complex, and involved the greatest minds of our race. While everyone in the Encante knows the rules, and knows how they are to uphold them, the reasons behind the rules, and the implications of breaking the rules are far beyond most understanding. The Elders created these rules with years of insight and wisdom, as well as trial and error to back them up. This alone may be the downfall of the rules. Without true understanding, can anyone follow them completely?