On Tue, 14 Mar 2006, S. Hall wrote: > > >From: Philip Hart > > > >I have the sense that you revolt, and if you win, well, then, the Orb > >comes to you. Whether the other guy has to admit defeat first I don't > >know, though I rather doubt it, as why would he do so if he's a partisan? > > how could he not admit defeat though? Quite simply. You just took the palace, and the painter you hired is standing around waiting to do your portrait just as soon as you clap that Orb on your noggin - but the guy won't give it up! And every time you try to snag it your fingers blister. And your archers keep shooting arrows at him but they keep missing. I would guess that there's an apocryphal story told about Emperor E, who refused to hand the Orb over. Everyone knew the Cycle had changed but him. No one could take the Orb from him, but neither could he force the empire to obey him, and little by little his House lost power and little by little everything he did got harder and harder, until walking across the room felt like dragging an anchor through a forest, because the Orb kept trying to pull away - until finally he couldn't keep his footing and the Orb started orbiting the other guy with Emperor E still attached, and he just got older and older and shrinking and shrinking until one day someone sneezed and blew him out the window and that's when Emperor F's reign began.