That's really good Kangaruth. :) That's much more succint and clear.
I just think we need to make it a bit more clear that he is using the Dreamtrails. And about his mind being muddled.
I think the other teams have actually used 850 words, so hopefully we will be able to as well.
Greetings gypsies, misfits, opposing team members, and Moonfairies.
We are here today to persuade you that Maruman is a ghost. This means that the Maruman who walks with us today is a ghost or spirit of his deceased self, projected from the spirit world/astral plane. You may be thinking that this is a ludicrous idea, but we will show that this is actually the most logical conclusion, considering the evidence. We will speak about the reasons why Maruman must be a ghost. We will also tell you how he manages to appear normal to us, and discuss ideas about the afterlife. Finally, we will tell you how Maruman being a ghost ties in with Elspeth's quest.
There is a compelling reason why Maruman is a ghost; cats usually don't live more than 20 years, but Maruman was alive during the Great White.
"Maruman said he 'remembered' the Great White, and though that was impossible, he wove remarkably frightening pictures of a world in terror."Therefore he must surely be dead. But how can Elspeth interact with him? The answer is simple - he must be a ghost. You might think he could be some other supernatural creation that is more long-lived than usual. However, we know that he was once a young cat because this is how Elspeth met him on the Dreamtrails.
"There, to my astonishment, sat a small motley-coloured cat. It took me a moment to realise with shock that it was Maruman, but not Maruman as I knew him, old and scarred. He was whole and young and his two eyes gleamed as he grew wings and sprang into the sky."Therefore he has aged, and aging is strong proof that he was once living.
The kitten is called “Merimyn†not Maruman, but beasts have been known to change their names when they take on new lives – Gahtha changes his name to Galta when he believes himself to be nothing and Smoke is renamed Rasial when she joins the Beastguild. In this way, it is likely that Maruman changed his name when he died and went to the Dreamtrails.
So, now that we've convinced you that Maruman must be a ghost, we must explain how it could be possible. Obviously not every being who dies becomes a ghost or the Land would be overrun by them.
However, the beasts do believe that the states of death and dreams are connected.
“Beasts called death longsleep and believe it to be connected to sleeping.â€Perhaps a beast can choose not to merge with the mindstream and, instead, remain in an extended state of sleep.
"Dreams may have purposes the dreamer cannot fathom. They are the gateways to dreamtrails and may lead also to longsleep," Maruman sent.Maruman is using the Dreamtrails to project himself into Elspeth's world.
Maruman tells Elspeth -
"All that is/was/can be can be reached by dreamtrails. Real are things on them."Maruman has used this to overcome time and reach the future but most other animals do not have the skill or wish to. Maruman has been playing on the Dreamtrails since he was a kitten, where Elspeth sees him, so he is very practised at using them and his presence there is strong. Gahltha tells us
"I/Gahltha am notstrong on dreamtrails. Not as Marumanyelloweyes."Maruman also has a very unique mind. This is obviously because he is projecting himself from the 'astral plane', or the Dreamtrails. Without a body to tie himself down, there are less boundaries between himself and all the other entities and possibilities on the Dreamtrails. Consequently his mind mingles with these things and his mind pattern changes.
Maruman must have amazing strength and skill to give himself apparent form. Senses, such as touch, are processed by the brain. If something (ie. Maruman) sends the right messages straight to your brain you can experience touch without the real life stimuli. Misfit coercers can do this, and so can Maruman. Maruman can penetrate Elspeth’s mind easily, and she is one of the strongest Misfits in the Land.
*quote needed*
Maruman often goes away wandering for extended periods of time, and comes back with injuries, as though he had been fighting.
These are not physical injuries, but injuries sustained on the Dreamtrails, which is where he has been.
Gahtha calls this return to the dreamtrails as going/being “seligaâ€.
"Marumanyelloweyes is seliga, so Gahtha watches"...
I had not recognised the beastword Gahtha had used: seliga. I thought it meant something like "behind" or "back".I frowned into his dark eyes. "Do you/Gahtha know where he/Maruman is?"
"The voices of his chaos/madness call him when they will and he/Maruman must hear them. The strain of guardianship caused the voices to call."When the strain of maintaining the illusion of a physical body becomes too much, he must return to the Dreamtrails and recouperate.
It is during these “periods of madness†as Elspeth calls them, that Maruman is able to foresee the future. The Dreamtrails contain every possibility, past and future, and so give him his prophesies.
So how does this fit in with Elspeth’s quest?
The advantages of Maruman being a ghost are quite obvious. For one, it is the only way he could help Elspeth. He could not have survived long enough to aid her otherwise.
His strange mind, and adeptness at navigating the Dreamtrails are both instrumental in her quest.
Because of the Dreamtrails, Maruman's mind is difficult to navigate. This makes it safe from the Destroyer and H’rayka. The Agyllians’ secrets are safe there and they can even use his mind as a place to communicate
"I/We are Agyllian. [...] I have used the yelloweyes to communicate with you, Elspeth Innle, knowing you would come to his deepest mind. His pain and strange mind make him receptive to us and allow us to use him."And, without Maruman to guide her, Elspeth would never have been able to find the map and message in the doors of Obernewtyn, nor enter Dragon’s mind to find the sign there.
The prophesies that the Dreamtrails give him have also been useful.
In conclusion, the evidence points most strongly to Maruman being a ghost. It is easily explained and there is a lot of evidence which backs up our reasoning. We hope we have convinced you.
Edit: It just occurred to me that we don't really need this bit;
But why Maruman, specifically? Well, he dreamed of Elspeth even before he died and went to the Dreamtrails.
“ But how was it possible that I was dreaming of Maruman as a young cat?
"I have dreamed your face, funaga," Maruman said thoughtfully.â€
The girl with whom he is playing as a kitten appears to be Hannah Seraphim’s child. This is another tie from Maruman to Elspeth’s quest. If Cassy or Hannah foresaw the need to navigate the dreamtrails they would have known Maruman was the perfect guide. And indeed, Cassy did know that Maruman would be with Elspeth on her quest.
“PRESS B AND LET MERIMYN SINGâ€
We're not really saying anything new. I'll cut it out for now, but if you think there's something important there then I'll try and summarise it. :)