Howard Brazee <howard at brazee.net> wrote: Philip Hart wrote: >>>Note that S has a long list of enemies - or rather, a short frightening >>> list - and she's in the first-up-against-the-wall position. >>Dunno, she's not without her resources. Unless she _decides_ to lose, which >>is possible, I guess. >Or to graduate. 200,000+ seems like a really, really, really long time. Maybe she is just tired of the daily grind and wants to retire... I see her more as the ultimate altruist than a power-hungry, NEARLY all-powerful being. Wasn't she offered Godhood already only to decline? The blessing/curse of immortality is a pretty common theme in Sci. Fantasy, and I would wager that Sethra, if asked in person about her status while sufficiently liquored up, would start whining how she can't find ONE person who is able to step up and fill her shoes so that she can retire. I mean, if she could come back as a vampire, why couldn't Vlad?