Konrad wrote: > In a message dated 2/19/2003 6:31:14 PM Eastern Standard > Time, "Dr. Elmo" <dr.elmo at whiterose.org> writes: > > > I have a minor question, and perhaps this is addressed in a > > FAQ somewhere that I can't find, but: > > If it isn't, it should be. I've seen it asked several times > in the past. > > > This question involves complete spoilage for a revelation > > in ORCA. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > In TALTOS, Vlad is coerced into going to Dzur Mountain > > because Sethra needs him for a job and she can't leave Dzur > > Mountain right then (because of an impending Jenoine > > problem that we don't learn about until later). > > > > Vlad gets his courage up in part because while tasting > > Fenarian brandies, Kiera comes into the bar and tells him > > that she's got his back. > > > > In ORCA, we learn that Kiera is a disguise for Sethra, a > > way for her to go out and about and have a bit of fun > > without being (ominous drumbeat) Sethra Lavode. > > > > This raises the obvious question: How can Kiera encourage > > Vlad in Adrilankha when Sethra can't leave Dzur Mountain? > > My take is that Sethra can't be seen to leave Dzur mountain; > its neccessary for people to believe she's still there. That > prevents her from leading a siege, but not from disguising > herself and visiting a bar. To the left, although we know that Kiera and Sethra are the same person, we have absolutely no details on precisely what the mechanism of the 'disguise' is. We have no clear proof, for example, that Kiera and Sethra _cannot_ be in two different places (or in fact the same one) at the same time. Recall, Sethra was supposedly offered God status, no? That being said, I'd agree that at least part of her problem with leaving was the keeping up appearances one. > Of course, I think that whole book was just a scheme by > Sethra (or Verra) to put M&A in Vlad's debt. Surely Morrolan > was competent enough to lead such a siege were that a viable > option. Sethra is the only character whose "House" seems quite as fluid as Vlad's. Never put past Sethra anything one might expect of a Yendi. Recall, she is playing a _long_ game. Here is where I don't buy that Vlad is smarter than Sethra. Sethra is merely playing many more moves out than Vlad does. I don't think She's as used to paying as close attention to the near term perhaps as Vlad does by necessity, but I think they are fairly closely matched. I am eagerly awaiting her volume of Viscount.