Quote Originally Posted by Lyth View Post
It was never a competition to begin with. Amaurot is long gone. Humanity is in the present.
Kind of a relative concept given our very flagrant use of time travel. "The past" "the present", and "the future" are not so distinct.

Creation magic is not something that you use passively. Remember that this is the true form of summoning magic. It takes a lot of active concentration to use, because you need to hold the form of your creation steady in your mind's eye.
Except that isn't what was happening. Their creation magic was actively "wrested from their control" and dread forcibly "siphoned from their minds". It isn't the case that they were just engaging in it's use in an afflicted area and out popped a monster, something was using their own magics against them against their will.

The common person never speaks out against the Convocation while you're in Amaurot,
We clearly do see "the common person" arguing about the bureaucracy's policies and the ideals of conformity though, as tokino quoted previously.

And it's worth remembering that, despite being part of its supreme leadership, Azem was unpersoned simply for refusing to tow the party line.
It's my understanding that Azem chose to leave the Convocation. Hence being a defector rather than an outcast. Afterwards they simply didn't refill the seat.

It's also worth noting that the way that the survivors of Thavnair warded off their Final Days was exactly as you described. They mastered their fears through their spirituality, by reciting the teachings of their old gods.
The Ancients had no gods in which to place their faith. And I very much think you would argue that when they created one to put their faith in, that was them choosing to turn away from their despair rather than confront it.