Dragaera

(Orca spoiler)

Thu Jan 5 08:59:10 PST 2006

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Jon_Lincicum at stream.com>
To: "Maximilian Wilson" <wilson.max at gmail.com>
Cc: "SKZB List" <dragaera at dragaera.info>
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 9:39 AM
Subject: Re: (Orca spoiler)


> Maximilian Wilson wrote on 01/04/2006 10:06:08 PM:
>
> > On 1/4/06, Jon Lincicum <lincicum at comcast.net> wrote:
> > > At the same time, I'm not sure I can conceive of Sethra being in any
> way
> > > shape or form interested in secretly being Paarfi... Not that there's
> > > anything not to like about Paarfi, understand, he just doesn't strike
> me
> > > as the type of person that Sethra would be willing to put with.
> >
> > This begs the question [wicked look]: what aspects of being Kiera does
> > Sethra most enjoy? Having friendships, breaking the law, the challenge
> > of high-tech (magic) theft, not killing people?
> >
> > Max
>
> I could only say it's for the reasons she gives at the end of Orca, in
> response to Vlad's question of "Why Kiera? Or rather, Sethra, why Kiera?"
>
> I somehow doubt it's the lawbreaking aspect. She's had plenty of
> opportunities to do that as Sethra.
>
> Having friendships certainly isn't a problem for Sethra, either (see
> Morrolan, Aliera, StY (pre-Yendi), Tazendra, and most notably Tukko).
>
> I think challenge is the key.
>
> When you've lived 200,000+ years and are a neigh-unto invincible sorceress
> and general who can defeat any army on the battlefield, and contemptuously
> annihilate the greatest Dzur Heroes who come charging up your mountain,
> you probably are looking for ways to relieve your ennui. Being Kiera, and
> limiting herself to that persona, gives her challenges in ways she
> probably hasn't experienced as Sethra for the better part of the life of
> the Empire. (I'm still dying to know what Sethra was like in the really
> early days of the Empire. Was she always this badass? Or did she start out
> as a naieve little sister to some important Dragonlord who helped found
> the Empire?)
>
> BTW: Did Sethra say that Kiera never killed people at all? Or just that
> she wouldn't kill people in order to keep her true identity a secret? I
> forget the exact phrasing she used... (Which could be important,
> considering the first time Vlad met her (in /Taltos/) she was
> participating in an assassination...)
>
> Majikjon


I don't believe that she was participating, IIRC correctly she was at
another table and saw what was going on (the assassin intimidating Vlad, and
came over to interfere.

Jeff