Where did Bannor's commitment lie?

[lorin]

Not sure this has been brought up before, but I couldn't find it in a search. Something has been tickling my brain. When Elena was battling Kevin's specter, why didn't Bannor aid Elena? Was the Bloodguard's vow to protect the Lords or was Bannor's commitment to Covenant? It seems to me Bannor's first commitment was to the Lords and therefore he would have placed himself in defense of Elena, not leave her alone to battle Kevin in order to save Covenant.

[High Lord Tolkien]

He was assigned to Covenant to the death. Only if he thought that TC was about to betray the Land or the other Lords would he have stopped protecting him. That's just how it worked.

[Thorhammerhand]

Also the fact that TC wasn't fighting KLw IMHO

[jackgiantkiller]

He does try and distract kevin by shouting 'Kevin hold' this gives Elenor a chance to defend herself

[Thorhammerhand]

But he does nothing else.

This I think is the essence of the question, surly, as a bloodgaurd he should have died before letting Elena die. So why didn't he?

[High Lord Tolkien]

But he does nothing else.

This I think is the essence of the question, surly, as a bloodgaurd he should have died before letting Elena die. So why didn't he?

He was assigned to Covenant.

[lorin]

He does try and distract kevin by shouting 'Kevin hold' this gives Elenor a chance to defend herself

Wasn't that First Mark Morin? Not sure.

[Krazy Kat]

Maybe Bannor's practicality saw that it was pointless to do combat with a spectre. He did compel Covenant to use the power of his ring to help Elena. She was able to burn Kevin with staff-fire which means wild magic would have defeated Kevin, I think.

Bannor is a mystery to me. I see him as being loyal to High Lord Kevin's lore first (or at the very least, the seventh ward), and then Covenant. Why didn't Bannor protect Covenant in the Catacombs of Mt.Thunder when he was attacked by a loremaster? It was Quann who saved Covenant, not Bannor!

[wayfriend]

What HLT and others said. Also:

Morin jumped to Elena's aid. He was effortlessly crushed by Kevin's spectre. Surely, this left Bannor to realize that this was a battle he could not fight, that only Elena could fight.

And Covenant.

The Bloodguard gripped him with compelling fingers, and shouted at him through the tumult, "Save her!"

"I can't!" The pain of his reply made him yell. Bannor's demand rubbed so much salt into the wound of his essential futility that he could hardly bear it. "I cannot!"

"You must!" Bannor's grasp allowed no alternatives.

"How?" Waving his empty hands in Bannor's face, he cried, "With these?"

"Yes!" The Bloodguard caught Covenant's left hand, forced him to look at it.

On his wedding finger, his ring throbbed ferrule, pulsed with power and light like a potent instrument panting to be used.

Bannor wasn't just standing slackjawed. He just didn't have a course of action, except one: motivate Covenant to do something.

[Edit]Okay, Krazy Kat already said that.

[lorin]

What HLT and others said. Also:

Morin jumped to Elena's aid. He was effortlessly crushed by Kevin's spectre. Surely, this left Bannor to realize that this was a battle he could not fight, that only Elena could fight.

And Covenant.

The Bloodguard gripped him with compelling fingers, and shouted at him through the tumult, "Save her!"

"I can't!" The pain of his reply made him yell. Bannor's demand rubbed so much salt into the wound of his essential futility that he could hardly bear it. "I cannot!"

"You must!" Bannor's grasp allowed no alternatives.

"How?" Waving his empty hands in Bannor's face, he cried, "With these?"

"Yes!" The Bloodguard caught Covenant's left hand, forced him to look at it.

On his wedding finger, his ring throbbed ferrule, pulsed with power and light like a potent instrument panting to be used.

Bannor wasn't just standing slackjawed. He just didn't have a course of action, except one: motivate Covenant to do something.

ok, trying to frame my thought here. If what you say is true, that Bannor's first loyalty lay with Covenant, then my question is answered.

If, on the other hand, Bannor realized that he was unable to assist Elena, that the power surpassed him and chose instead to remove Covenant to safety, then whether or not his aid to Elena was futile should not matter, that fulfillment of his vow to the death was all that was important.

But assuming that what you and HLT are saying is right, that Bannor's first loyalty was to Covenant, then it all makes sense. And I yield to your expertise in this subject, for sure.

[jackgiantkiller]

yes ur right it was Morin. but dont you think Bannor is compimising the bloodgaurds refusal to use wepons and power? by trying to get T C to use his ring? doesnt TC jump in a cavan and nealy get killed and so the vow is again comprimesed, also at the end of LFB bannor puts covernants hand and ring to thestaff ov lore and says we are the bloodguard we cannot permit this end and summons the fire lions

[wayfriend]

Let's not forget, Covenant is ur-Lord. The Lords themselves placed Covenant first before the Lords. So I don't see any conflict between serving Covenant and serving the Lords - serving Covenant is serving the Lords - serving the ur-Lord, in fact. And in doing so, they are following the very orders of the Lords that they serve.

Yes, Haruchai don't use weapons, nor lore. But it's not like they are against weapons or lore in general. Bannor himself said, "Yet the Lords desire lore. They do work of value with it." Work of value means more than toleration, it means a recognition of usefulness. The Bloodguard are not stupid, and they recognize what a situation calls for. Brinn had no compunctions against using ropes to fight the eels, for example. I would go far as to say that "sufficiency" demands using whatever weapon is at hand if not using a weapon is insufficient.

TC jumped into the crevice after Elena, and Bannor, his bodyguard, followed. I don't see anything wrong with that. The Bloodguard have never prevented the Lords they protect from taking on perilous tasks. Nothing here tarnishs any Vow.

Krazy asked about the catacombs. Quaan reacted quickly to that attack because it seemed that the ur-vile would attack Prothall. I think this was simply a matter of everyone was surprised, and Quaan just happened to be the first to be able to deal with the ambushing ur-vile.

[Borillar]

This is sort of unrelated, but it's always bothered me tremendously that Brinn described First Mark Morin as having "failed", despite the fact that he pushed Elena out of the way to safety at the cost of his own life.

[Relayer]

I understand you, but that's the Haruchai way. Nothing less than saving Elena's life, and preventing her from being Corrupted (perhaps even more so), would be considered success.

[Darkdenubis]

I guess the Bloodguard Vow and the very nature of the Haruchai prevented Bannor from simply using the Blood to command Kevin back to the grave.

He might have mentioned it to TC though.

[Thorhammerhand]

But the Blood of the Earth,

Spoiler

is/

was a manifestation of power (which you will remember, is the one thing that the Bloodgaurd do not partake of in any fashion).

It is also possible that he knows that he would be unable to enforce his command indefinitely, the law of death has been sundered, so even if he of TC, there would have been no way to stop LF from re-awakening HL Kevin. Catch 22. Fun, joy and lamentations.

Ahh Good clean fun

[Ur Dead]

Was Bannor the number 2 man within Bloodguard leadership?

If so when the First Mark died shouldn't it fallen to Bannor to protect the High Lord??

[Thorhammerhand]

Not while TC was present, TC was Bannor's personal charge. After he (TC) had left, Bannor probably guarded Mhoram until the Bloodgaurd abandoned their vow.

[stonemaybe]

I think what everyone here is saying in a roundabout way, is that Bannor was chicken, and used TC as an excuse not to get his arse kicked by dead Kevin.

[Borillar]

I understand you, but that's the Haruchai way. Nothing less than saving Elena's life, and preventing her from being Corrupted (perhaps even more so), would be considered success.

I don't have the book in front of me, but I seem to recall that Tuvor was not considered a failure despite the fact that his act didn't save High Lord Prothall.