Dragaera

Dragaera Digest, Vol 2, Issue 69

Steve Rapaport steve at romlin.com
Mon Apr 10 10:21:23 PDT 2006

>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: "Scott Schultz" <scott at cjhunter.com>
> To: "'Dragaera'" <dragaera at dragaera.info>
> Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2006 08:59:09 -0700
> Subject: Vlad "bred" to carry out a specific assassination?
> Reviewing Issola in light of the current amorphia discussion, a couple of
> statements caught my eye that were made by Sethra in regards to
> reincarnation.
>
> Firstly, page 39, in reference to the Gods and their disposition of souls
> that arrive at The Halls of Judgement:
>
> "As they review the dead, some they have no use for... Others have skills
> that might someday be useful, and those are held in the Paths of the Dead
> against that use, or reincarnated into circumstance where their skills can
> develop."
>
> Secondly, page 41, in reference to Destiny and past lives:
>
> "Think back to your own past, Vlad: I know what Aliera told you about your
> past lives, so consider her words now... Consider those you know of who
> were
> once your family, and those who mattered to you in a time too faded in the
> mist for you to imagine, much less remember. Kieron... remains in the
> Paths
> of the Dead... I, who had some importance in the tribe, am here... trying
> to
> see that nothing upsets the balance. I think we were all, even then,
> marked
> out by the gods. I can't say I like it much, or that you should, but there
> it is."
>
> What Sethra is suggesting here is that it's not an accident that the
> leaders
> of the tribe that became House Dragon and, in Dolivar's case, spawned
> House
> Jhereg, are still around and acting as movers and shakers of present day
> events. Whereas Aliera views Dolivar's reincarnation as an Easterner to be
> sort of a case of mystical irony, Sethra's statements about the true
> purpose
> of the Paths suggests a different interpretation.
>
> If Sethra is right, that the Gods chose Kieron, Dolivar and Aliera-Who-Was
> as important pawns even before the formation of the Empire, then the event
> of Vlad's birth becomes less an accident than a matter of planning.
> There's
> no good reason why a Dragaeran soul should have reincarnated into an
> Eastern
> body. An "odd interaction of reincarnation and genetics" doesn't really
> explain anything; it's just a judgement of observed facts.
>
> Whether it was held in the Paths for the right time or allowed to
> reincarnate a few times until it was needed, the implication is that
> Dolivar's soul was kept and deliberately reincarnated into an Easterner
> when
> the need arose.
>
> Given the short lifespan of Easterners and the possible subsequent loss of
> Dolivar's soul (Eastern souls don't go to the Paths), the need must be
> urgent (when seen relative to the lifespan of a Dragaeran or the
> immortality
> of a God). It's no accident that Vlad is good at what he does; he's had a
> lifetime(s) of experience previously. It's no accident that he has the
> favor
> of Verra. He was "created" by her in a very real sense. It's no accident
> that Godslayer came into his possession. The Gods "bred" him because they
> sensed the impending emergence of Godslayer and they needed someone to
> wield
> it who would learn the neccesary skills quickly and carry it loyally.
>
> Note that I'm not suggesting that the Gods literally said "We need someone
> to carry Godslayer." It's clear that the Lords of Judgement don't see all
> ends, and Verra was rather horrified to find out that Vlad was carrying
> Spellbreaker around. When she DID find out, she must have realized what it
> meant and, perhaps, started to see why this particular servant of hers had
> been neccesary to create.
>
> Now that Godslayer HAS emerged in the hands of a minion who is mystically
> "appropriate" for its intended purpose, I'd expect events to start
> steamrolling toward a conclusion of some kind. Note that "steamrolling" in
> Dragaeran terms might be a decade or ten. It will happen "soon", though,
> unless Godslayer is somehow able to extend Vlad's lifespan beyond the norm
> for an Easterner. The important thing is that Dolivar, Aliera-Who-Was, and
> Sethra are all wielders of Great Weapons in the service of Verra. Kieron's
> Greatsword is nearly as good as a Great Weapon in the way that ancient
> heroic swords tend to be and there's little doubt that he could take it
> back
> if he chose. Whatever purpose the Gods marked these people for, to use
> Sethra's words, would appear to be coming to a head.
>
> The question now is, "Who is the target of _The Final Contract_?" Who has
> Vlad been "bred" to kill and will he prove capable in the end? Assuming he
> survives the experience, what then?



Mod +1 Insightful!   Scott, this is what I've been thinking too, but
expressed much better.  Would you mind
if this speculation showed up on the Lyorn Records wiki?

\Steve the younger