Dragaera

The Nature of the Issola (Was RE: Dragaeran games and s-words...)

Tue Jun 13 09:42:02 PDT 2006

>> An Issola who has learned the game throroughly will no doubt play
>> honte, right up until the point where it is appropriate to play
>> hamete.  And will then surprise you.
>
>I  think not.  It is *never* appropriate to play hamete; a correct 
>response always leaves one worse off.  One would have to assume one's 
>opponent a fool, and that seems a most unlikely assumption for an Issola.

I don't think it would be assuming one's opponent a fool. Rather, it would
be taking advantage of the opponent's assumptions that the Issola in
question is exactly what he appears to be. 

The thing to remember about the Issola is that they'll be unflaggingly
polite and disingenuous, right up to the point where they kill you. "Issola
strikes from courtly bow" is, I think, more than just a literary allusion to
a stork-like bird. I'd guess that an Issola can be as ruthless and sneaky as
a Jhereg when it's "appropriate". 

A Dragon playing against a Yendi would expect hamete play; perhaps even
become suspicious if the Yendi was NOT playing that way. Against an Issola,
he'd be much more likely to fall prey to his assumptions that all Issola are
courtiers and seneschals rather than strategists and tacticians. The point
of hamete, if I understand it correctly, is to appear to be making a mistake
while actually laying a trap for the opponent. The Issola wouldn't have to
believe his opponent a "fool"; just gullible or "bigoted" in the sense of
being stuck on a stereotype and therefore unable or unwilling to entertain
the notion that his opponent might actually be a talented strategist.

I shouldn't be at all surprised to learn that most handovers of the Orb to
House Issola occur as a result of a bold political strike or outright
assassination. Yes, the Orb supposedly doesn't brook assassination but
Dragaeran history (as related by Paarfi) shows that the Orb has changed
hands many times under questionable circumstances, where it's unwillingness
to protect the Emperor was taken as the sign that the Cycle had turned.

While the Issola we've been introduced to have all seemed to be genuinely
nice and pleasant people, I think it's reasonably clear that the average
Issola retainer wears his congeniality as a mask, much like a Yendi wears
whatever personality he's decided is fashionable today. Issola are the
ultimate passive-aggressive opponent, and the most deadly since they're the
ones you're least likely to suspect of betrayal unless you happen to be
savvy enough to see them for what they are instead of what they represent
themselves to be. The fact that many, maybe most, Issola ARE what they
appear to be simply makes it that much more difficult, and therefore deadly,
when the truly dangerous members of the House get down to the business of
eliminating you from the game.