On Mon, 13 Mar 2006, Scott Schultz wrote: > > Even if Sethra is Paarfi's ghost-writer, he still spends a great deal of > time talking about events that he could only have learned about after the > fact. We were talking about events at which S was present. If you want to consider her as just a primary source, then Aliera's no better, and likely less reliable. Anyway this whole part of _Jhereg_ contradicts later parts of the Vladiad unless I'm confused. > As far as Sethra being Paarfi's ghost-writer, I tend to doubt that based on > the section of _Five Hundred Years After_ in which Paarfi goes on at length > about how marvelous Sethra is. I can't see Sethra patting herself on the > back like that. Ever read De Bello Gallico? Maybe S is a jerk. Maybe she's got a sense of humor and finds that passage a hoot. Maybe it's just cold hard fact. > > Why would a usurpation hurry a revolt? > > That's an excellent question. If Paarfi is correct that Mario was aided > by Elder Sorcery then the Princes who might normally take Jamiss' view > (no defense = Cycle turned) would instead view the abnormality of the > event as reason to doubt the turn of the Cycle based solely on the death > of Tortaalik. If Loudin had claimed the Throne and the Orb and been > ratified by the Council of Princes, then it would be a public > acknowledgement that the Cycle had NOT turned. [...] Adron would then be > in the wrong to even start a revolt. He'd have no moral basis for it. The moral basis would be having won. Also, I'm kinda skeptical about there being such a thing as a Council of Princes that decides this sort of issue. If you've got the Orb orbiting your, uhh, orb, then everyone else can stick it. > > And I somehow doubt that the first member of House X+1 to > > claim the Orb upon the House X Emperor's death gets it. > > > > Well, the first member of House X+1 to assert such a claim would be the Heir > of that house unless that House was extraordinarily lax in their > organization. Emperor X dies in his sleep. Lackey X+1 comes in to empty the chamber pot, sees the score, takes the Orb, starts sending out orders.