Dragaera

How does someone get a link to the Orb

Mark A Mandel mam at theworld.com
Sun Jun 29 16:21:12 PDT 2003

On Fri, 20 Jun 2003, Philip Hart wrote:

#I don't understand how anyone can actually launch a successful coup
#against an Emperor able to use the Orb, which I believe gives one the
#ability to fry anyone linked to it.

This is the second or third time in the current thread that I've seen
this power attributed to the Orb. Is this correct? The only similar
thing I remember is from a conversation between Vlad and (Aliera?
Kiera?). Vlad is surprised to learn that any citizen of the Empire can
use his or her (sorry, Steve!) link to the Orb to contact the Emperor
directly, but the Emperor can fry the person if he thinks his time is
being wasted.* That attack might well use the current or just-used link
through the Orb; we're not told so, but it's a reasonable possibility.
It is certainly not the same as being able to fry anyone who has an Orb
link.

To the left, the stated danger in _Issola_ that if the Jenoine got
control of the Orb, they could use it to control everyone who has an Orb
link does suggest that the Emperor could, indeed, fry anyone linked to
it, as you say.

* I started to make the Emperor references gender-neutral in that
sentence and quickly saw the merit of Steve's position.

-- Mark A. Mandel
   http://world.std.com/~mam/Cracks-and-Shards/
   a Steven Brust Dragaera fan website