The Unfettered - selfish or what...

[Alan]

May I advert you to

"Uhh - Hey Guys ... frightened."

That was kind of the point I wanted to make. Even as a rider, or a footnote, or an afterthought - I'm not sure it belongs here.

I know passions are riding high on these matters but let's leave them all outside.

[[Syl]]

It's a line in his sig, Alan, and there's nothing wrong with that.

[Mr. Broken]

The Council of Lords didnt get it, any more than the Bloodguard did, the Unfettered realized that the "LAW" was above their petty service, that the forces that bind together reality require not service, so much as understanding, and even then who among mortals can aspire to the understanding of everything. The Unfettered each chose a specific field of study because they alone realized that in one mortal lifetime they could only hope to divine the truth about one aspect of "LAW". The attempt at perfect service from an imperfect servant opens the door to despite. It should also be pointed out that the Council of Lords did not choose the unfettered, I think it would be more accurate to say that the Unfettered rejected the council.

[Holsety]

OH! At first I didn't know what youy meant. Ya, Alan, everything in my posts after the
_____________________
thingy was my signature. So when you see that stuff about the pres candidates it has nothing to do with this whatsoever.

It's not a footnote or afterthought. It's just a forum sig. And it's not a political endorsement either.

((That part of my sig is actually making fun of how obama and clinton are sometimes perceived by people. Sort of pointing out that obama's image seems inflated while hillary is demonized at every opportunity. I DON'T want to turn this into a discussion of the presidential race, just wanted to say that it's not some sort of blatant "I LOVE OBAMA DIE HILLARY" signature. But again the sig isn't part of my post on the TCTC series. It isn't a footnote or an afterthought. It's just a little space where users put funny/interesting things, sometimes pleasing images or banners.))

In rare occasions I could see someone making a point related to current affairs or the real world. There's no denying that Donaldson was, for instance, influenced by the bible and by wagner at least a bit (though the wagner influence is more obvious in the gap...besides the ring I don't know enough about wagner to know if there are clear influences on TCTC). If one can make a really, really good case that TC is supposed to represent George Washington it's worth posting, though I'm highly skeptical that there are any real examples in TCTC of something like that.

Certainly in ASOIAF (a popular fantasy series by George RR Martin) the influence from the war of the roses era, particularly various histories and literary works about Richard III, is blatant and undeniable.

[Relayer]

besides the ring I don't know enough about wagner to know if there are clear influences on TCTC).

There was a good thread about this somewhere, that yes, there are many other Ring-related influences in TCTC, just not as obvious.

Then again, I wouldn't have ever known about any of the influence on the Gap if SRD hadn't mentioned it...

[Alan]

OK - Holsety - fair comments and fairly said.

Not convinced about the George Washington thing - wasn't he one of the people who rebelled against their Lawful Ruler?

(I'm in trouble again - I can smell it. Why am I always in trouble?)

But on that note - getting back to The Unfettered - they may not have been much use on the battlefield, but then nor were Churchill or Roosevelt - they gave their considerable aid just by being there.

I've had the Unfettered who were of direct use to the tale thrown in my face over this and other posts - and I'm still bewildered - where were they when the Lords were desperate?

I know they were there when TC needed them - deus ex machina is not an amazingly new concept.

So, OK, we've had a few of them turn up and be incredibly useful. Nice one.

But whar would the rest of them be up to when Revelstone burned?

[Fuzzy_Logic]

How many Unfettered do you think there are, anyway? There's only half a dozen lords or so, and we see at least 3 Unfettered help out the cause.

[Linna Heartbooger]

Other lords DO "break," like the guy who dies defending Soaring Woodhelven when Mhoram wants him to come back to Revelstone (he was constantly questioning whether he was worthy of his wife). Imagine what would happen if you had a lord who hated his/her job from the start who got nudged into doing it for "the good" of the land. I could easily see someone cracking under despair like Lena's dad and doing terrible damage.

Agreed, Holstey... yes, these were exactly the sorts of possibilities that were playing in the back of my head...

...the Unfettered realized that the "LAW" was above their petty service, that the forces that bind together reality require not service, so much as understanding, and even then who among mortals can aspire to the understanding of everything. The Unfettered each chose a specific field of study because they alone realized that in one mortal lifetime they could only hope to divine the truth about one aspect of "LAW". The attempt at perfect service from an imperfect servant opens the door to despite.

Something Broken, good points! And welcome!

[Blackhawk]

The Council of Lords didnt get it, any more than the Bloodguard did, the Unfettered realized that the "LAW" was above their petty service, that the forces that bind together reality require not service, so much as understanding, and even then who among mortals can aspire to the understanding of everything. The Unfettered each chose a specific field of study because they alone realized that in one mortal lifetime they could only hope to divine the truth about one aspect of "LAW". The attempt at perfect service from an imperfect servant opens the door to despite. It should also be pointed out that the Council of Lords did not choose the unfettered, I think it would be more accurate to say that the Unfettered rejected the council.

Very good point, but without the council of lords the Unfettered would all have eventually been hunted down and exterminated. and the earthpower would not have rewarded their realization. Imagine if Mhoram had chosen the right of Unfettering, I dont believe they understood the earthpower any better than the bloodguard or the Council of lords, they just had a different calling.. if they understood the earthpower they would be called Elohim, no one really served the earthpower or understood it , outside the Elohim.their understanding was limited to harnessing it to service the land and the damage done to it by the desecration and the wars. most of the Unfettered during the 1500 year era of peace probably had chosen that path because there was no danger to the land,(In my Opinion)had the Unfettered known of Fangthanes return they would surely have chosen a different path, Hopefully trying to protect the land & its inhabitants. after all the unfettered did supply a service..the one who could command Animals..or reguest their help.. that was a service to the animals of the land except when he made rabbits go against Urviles, come on unfettered..even the rabbits did their part. and the unfettered woman in morinmoss who saved Covenant..she supplied a service using earthpower also..the power of healing, but healing what..was her calling simply to be there when the ringwielder needed her? that would be implied service to the earthpower on TC's behalf. or was it Cerroil Wildwood who influenced her? I bet she didnt see that one coming.. then you have the dream interpreter im not sure what he understood or if he even used the earthpower,he was more of a psychic psychologist/babysitter. I bet he was pissed when Loerya brought her kids to his cave.

And to Fuzzy logic.. the ratio of Unfettered to lords i cant be sure...but I thought SRD wrote that no one had taken the right of unfettering since Tamarantha gained her lordship, or maybe it was Mhoram..might have to research that one. When the lords were in most desperate times..most of the unfettered were already killed due to helping someone in the land. the last one killed was the lady in Morinmoss..held in stasis by the Forrestal.

[Blackhawk]

I was just listening to LFB and after the unfettered one is killed saving Atiaren and TC...Atiaran tells TC that Unfettered were given the right of unfettering..with the lords blessing..and she also said that there were alot of unfettered... she mentioned some skills they had and a couple of the most interesting ones were that rumors of some had followed Cerroil Wildwoods lore, and some actually learned the lore of the demondim. even after all these years i still find new things now and then.

[Fuzzy_Logic]

Blackhawk -- exactly what I was (ineptly) trying to imply. People were concerned that too many were taking the rights of unfettering. But assuming that, say, a third of the lorestudents took unfettering, then we may actually have met most of the unfettered; there's no reason to think there are tons of them hiding out not fighting.

[wayfriend]

I wouldn't even say that many. Maybe one every generation or more.

[Relayer]

Agreed. The total number might have been significant but there didn't seem to be many at any one time taking the rites. It's likely that few even had the calling or ability to try to become Lords in the first place...

... and some actually learned the lore of the demondim...

Spoiler

Hmmm. The Harrow comes to mind