On Thu, Jan 27, 2005 at 06:42:27AM -0500, Jose Marquez wrote:
> We're assuming that the only way to become Undead is via the Sethra
> Lavode route: you have something important you need to do, so you have
> to leave the Paths to do it. This method was presented to us as a means
> of getting out of the Paths, not as a means to become Undead . . .
A good point.
It reminds me of some other questions about Dragaeran vampirism, too.
Does becoming a vampire via the die -> soul to the Paths -> return as
vampire sequence require the body be sent over the Falls? I would think
so, as 'traditional' vampirism includes the reanimation of the corpse.
Do we know if Sethra's body went over the Falls or not? I have vague
memories of Sethra saying so, but couldn't locate the refs.
At what point did the Falls become part of Dragaeran tradition? In
particular, were they in use at the founding of the Empire and was
Keirons body sent over them? If so, it would seem possible that he
could be returned as a vampire even after all those years. This has
the narrative advantage that he could return as an adult rather than
growing to adulthood long after Vlad dies.
'Reincarnated' also doesn't mean the memories are available. Most folks
don't have the faintest idea who they're reincarnated from, tho finding
out can't be *too* difficult or they'd never have gone to the effort of
casually probing Vlads past identities. Nor do we have solid data on
just how much of a past life is recallable. Knowing who you were is a
far cry from having full memories of the past lives.
Finally, my wisecrack about being promoted out of the wheel of Karma
after being an Easterner was just a wisecrack. But the Necromancer has
dropped pretty strong hints that the souls of Easterners simply go some
other direction (remember, to her it's all engineering). This leads me
to think that there may be a different place for Easterners, from which
reincarnation may or may not be possible - or from which reincarnation
can go elsewhere but not to Dragaera. And it's quite possible that even
when a non-great Morganti weapon 'consumes' a soul, it's not really eaten.
It simply goes to a place from which it can't be reincarnated on Dragaera.
Or it's torn apart (cf Issola) and becomes grist for other things --
maybe the source of Eastern or 'new' souls? I suspect the Necromancer
already knows the answer to that one, and nobody's thought to ask.
It's probably to Steve B's benefit to keep this all as undefined as
possible, so he's got flexibility for future plotting.
Steve S
--
"There's a lot of my personality in my characters. I think that's why
smart-asses are over-represented."
Christopher Moore, in http://www.chrismoore.com/world_domination.htm