wamydia wrote: > --- Jerry Friedman <jerry_friedman at yahoo.com> wrote: > >>--- Jim Millen <J.Millen-99 at student.lboro.ac.uk> >>wrote: >> >>> >>>>-----Original Message----- >>>>From: Jerry Friedman >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>Spoilers for _Dragon_... >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>...is this considered necessary, by the way?... >> >>I think so. Some people may join the list without >>having read >>all the books. > > > Alot of the lists I have been on have a rule that > spoiler space is only in effect for a certain period > of time after a book's release. A typical time period > is two months. I would suggest something like this > would be reasonable for us as well if everyone is > feeling that we need some kind of guideline. > >>> >>> >>> >>>...wasn't sure, but thought I'd best preserve >> >>space... >> >>> >>> >>>...that should do it. >>> >>> >>> >>> > > <snip description of A, M, and StY > knock-down-drag-out> > >>>Aliera and StY commence duelling. Vlad contacts >> >>Morrolan, asks him to >> >>>teleport in, >> >>But why, and why not ask him *not* to bring >>Blackwand (or to leave >>it sheathed)? >> > > I think it's because Vlad had every intention of > Blackwand making physical contact with the sword that > StY stole at this time. He knew what Fornia was > expecting to happen to the sword because he had Daymar > mindprobe him on the battlefield, but at that time he > didn't want Pathfinder to be revealed because he was > afraid that Fornia or one of his minions would end up > with it. In typical Vlad fashion, once he found out > who actually got the sword after the war was over, he > just figure "ah, screw it -- let the dragonlords worry > about it." Later, when StY started bugging him about > trading A for Kieron's sword, he finally decided it > was time to find out what was up with that stolen > sword for sure. A and StY starting a fight in his > living room was a good opportunity since he needed M > to help break things up before they destroyed his flat > anyway. > > >>>After some period of time - almost certainly only >> >>minutes, if that - >> >>>Morrolan arrives on the scene. This is going on >> >>the deduction that they >> >>>can't have been fighting for that long, as there >> >>is still intact >> >>>furniture at the end of it. <g> >> >>Why does Morrolan show up so obediently? >> > > I believe Vlad makes a comment at some point about M > "knowing when it is a time for action" or something > like that. I assume that this is also the case here. > We've seen this happen before (I'm thinking when V was > trying to stop Norather from leaving Castle Black to > hunt Jhereg) -- V yells psionically for M to show up > somewhere and help him out and M does it. I assume it > is because M knows V doesn't just go around randomly > yelling "fire" in a crowded theater -- in other words, > he knows that V wouldn't phrase things urgently if > things weren't urgent. > > > >>Makes sense, but how *does* one person with a sword >>break up a >>swordfight? Beating down their weapons? Magic? I >>guess he doesn't >>have to actually cross blades with StY if he uses >>Blackwand's magic. > > > So far, I have the theory that M started to duel with > StY and, when Blackwand touched StY's sword, it caused > Pathfinder to be revealed. I can easily buy that this > caused some kind of magical shock and knocked StY > silly because she happened to be holding Pathfinder. > > > > >>>StY's lack of success despite possession of >> >>Pathfinder could be >> >>>explained by shock at the blade's revealing or by >> >>Aliera and Morrolan >> >>>simply being better than her. >> >>They'd have to be a *lot* better. >> > > >>From V's many descriptions, I have to guess that > either M or A alone would be at least as good as StY. > Both of them on her at once would be twice as good as > StY. All in all, though, I think it is a moot point. > I don't think StY ever got a chance to use Pathfinder > on anyone because she was knocked out by some kind of > magical shock when Pathfinder was revealed. I can see Morrolan teleporting in, yelling the equivalent of "Stop this at once," not getting the response he wanted, scowling, and then stepping into the middle of a Morganti vs. Greatsword duel. I think maybe he'd be trying to protect Aliera from the Morganti blade by making sure it couldn't harm her, and I think Blackwand would immediately respond to a Morganti blade attacking its master and shoot out some of those black rays that zapped the Jenoine in Issola, stunning/knocking out StY without leaving any marks. I'd imagine Aliera would normally be displeased by her cousin interrupting her fun, and would possibly challenge him to a duel, but she is again deflected/distracted by the pretty new toy she has acquired. Also, I don't think Concealed Pathfinder would particularly help StY; it didn't help Fornia, either. I think if there was a way of tapping Pathfinder's abilities while it was concealed, only Baritt knew how to do it. I don't think he anticipated his death and concealed Pathfinder then, as Sethra mentions his probable use of Pathfinder (defying the Empire and making it stick) without anyone knowing what the source of his power was. Jose -- Jose Marquez \ Cthulhu 2004 jhereg69 at earthlink.net \ Why vote for http://home.earthlink.net/~jhereg69 \ the lesser evil?