College of Mortality

What’s the point of it? Overpopulation? Then why don’t they just:
a) Regulate reproduction.
b) Exile the excess population to other countries.
c) Chop down the silly jungles, and build more houses for all.

What’s the point of killing the Presbyterate Adventuress, if she didn’t take up Presbyterate place, and came elsewhere?

I don’t think that overpopulation is the point of it.

I think it’s more to do with the self-preservation instincts of a very old, inordinately powerful organisation that doesn’t want anyone to publiclly defy their Rules.

If people did that, they might start getting ideas about immorality for all!

IIRC, they don’t usually kill people. Someone who reaches 1.000 years of age is recruited into the college and gives up their identity to serve as a priest.

The point is, I think, to prevent any Presbyter from becoming immortal. The Presbyterate is of the opinion that living too long is in and of itself a sin, since it allows for the amassment of dangerous amounts of power and knowledge.

[quote=A Dimness]IIRC, they don’t usually kill people. Someone who reaches 1.000 years of age is recruited into the college and gives up their identity to serve as a priest.

The point is, I think, to prevent any Presbyter from becoming immortal. The Presbyterate is of the opinion that living too long is in and of itself a sin, since it allows for the amassment of dangerous amounts of power and knowledge.[/quote]
The College is made up only of past Presbyters; many Presbyterate citizens reach 1000 years. The College allows the Presbyters to be immortal without the visible hypocrisy of ruling past the thousand years normal citizens get.