On Wed, 5 Nov 2003, David Silberstein wrote: > If Adron thought the Cycle had turned, *why* would he have wanted to > use Elder Sorcery against the Orb? It should not have been necessary; > his military victory would have proven that the Cycle had turned, and > he would have gained the Orb *legitimately*. He was in a hurry to fix Tortaalik's mistakes before they exploded - he wasn't sure that T would in fact yield facing military defeat - he didn't actually have an army capable of taking the Orb anyway. > Regarding Skinter, now: During the Interregnum, the Empire (by > definition) did not yet exist. And thinking as a Dragon, it is force > of arms that will determine whether the Empire *will* exist, and who > will be in charge once it does. [lots of indiscriminate snippage] To my mind, Skinter's rise is perfectly acceptable - his continued opposition to Zerika after she returned with the Orb is not. He's obliged at least to take her claim to the throne seriously. And the events at the end of _TLoCB_ seem to indicate that Skinter's going beyond the pale still further. Adron acted out of provoked rage in an exigent situation, having accomplished great things for the Empire. Skinter's not comparable.