On Tue, Aug 19, 2003 at 02:49:35PM -0500, David Dyer-Bennet wrote: > Matthew Hunter <matthew at infodancer.org> writes: > > > I think this is a fair criticism. We haven't really had any > > truly menacing characters in Dragaera. Personally, I would like > > some, though it might substantially change the tone of the > > series. Maybe Vlad needs a recurring antagonist? The Jenoine > > might be slated to fill this role, but I don't think they would > > do it necessarily well. > > I dunno. I think Sethra, and Aliera, and Morollan, and Vlad are > *really* menacing character. *I* sure wouldn't want to argue with > them about anything too important. Yeah, that was my reaction too. I wonder if this is really a question of tone. If you just listed the various characteristics and actions of those people and other characters in a straightforward fashion, they'd seem pretty menacing, but Vlad doesn't like to seem impressed and Paarfi, well, let us say perhaps that Vlad is given to understatement and Paarfi to overstatement, which may cast an unmenacing light on these people. -- Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet (pddb at demesne.com) "I will open my heart to a blank page and interview the witnesses." John M. Ford, "Shared World"