Anaris - To answer your question quickly...take a look at any island's list of characters; there are large numbers of historical/mythological/etc names. Realms and RP's are rife with references to everything from Charlemange and King Arthur to Braveheart and Monty Python...and everything in between. There are no completely original ideas in Battlemaster (even in Outer Tilog, which adds a touch of Tim Burton and Matt Groening) - this is a medieval world, so we are all influenced by books, movies, etc, whether or not anyone will admit it.
There is a realm of f**king elves that takes less heat than Daishi - if no one knew that the founders of the religion enjoyed the Battlemaster game, not one person would think that "Armored Gods" were "robots." Undeniably true.
As to why no one usually defends Daishi...most don't care about what people like Chenier and Indirik have to say. I just like to remind them that they are wrong from time to time. Of course, then that just gives them an excuse to talk...on second thought, maybe I will quit defending Daishi too.
