Some would agree with me, others disagree, but there was really slim evidence to support either side. But while it's fun to imagine Roger as such a character - it makes him seem far more interesting than he really is - according to the evidence in FR Roger may or may not be quite up to the level of Magnificent Bastard.
Most of the evidence I had gathered came from events under Melenkurion Skyweir at Earthroot.
As I recall, I had reconstructed those events in such a light that Roger appears to be more Magnificent than he really is. For example, did Roger remove his own mask to reveal The Truth? At this point in time, I see no reason why not. He used his Kasty hand to create his own "glamour," but he is not of the Land's Earth so he should not have been affected by Linden's Command.
However, I have also stated that Roger was trying to keep Linden out of Andelain until the moment was ripe. If that's the case, then Roger is not only evil, he is suicidal. In fact, according to Esmer (if he is correct), no power on Earth, either good or evil, either for or against the Earth's destruction, desired Linden to go to Andelain.
Roger had a plan, no doubt, whether it was his own or not is secondary, although I doubt that he conceived of the plot to bring the Demondim to the gates of Revelstone. But what we do know is this:"Do you comprehend nothing? We fear you.
"We fear what you may attempt with the krill. All the Earth fears it, every discerning or lorewise being among the living and the Dead. Even those who crave the destruction of life and Time fear it. The Harrow fears it, though doubtless he will feign otherwise. We cannot perceive your purpose. We know only your grief and your great rage. Thus we are assured that your intent is dreadful beyond any estimation. It will be
no mere Ritual of Desecration. With Loric's krill, you will strive toward an end too absolute and abominable to be endured.
After Linden retrieved the Staff, it became necessary to lead Linden away from Andelain and Loric's Krill.
One possible plan would be to lead Linden into the past and attempt to manipulate her into creating a paradox. This attempt was made at Earthroot. Some people disagree with my depiction of events there, but I hold it all to be valid except for (some of) my interpretation of events. But discounting my interpretation does nothing to negate the validity of the depiction."For one thing, you brought this on yourself. All of it. If you hadn't gone to get that damn Staff—and if you hadn't told Esmer you wanted to visit Andelain—nothing that's happened since would have been necessary. You forced us to intervene. Once you had the Staff, we had to keep you out of Andelain."
For example, it is definitely the case that Roger withheld attacking Linden after Linden drank the Blood of the Earth and then attacked Roger and the croyel. She was so weakened by Roger's counterattack that she had left herself wide open.
Instead they chatted, and kept chatting until Linden had recovered enough strength for another battle, this time instigated by Roger. Indeed, this led Linden to ask herself after she emerged from Rivenrock, "Why didn't they just kill me?"But Roger held back. His desire to crush her entailed something more than mere death.
The answer to this question was revealed by the Mahdoubt. They didn't just kill her because this would not have aided their plans. Their plan reflected motives used by Donaldson in the Second Chrons: to manipulate Linden to use enough power with white gold to do away with Time itself.
Why didn't this work? Because Linden had no need to avail herself of white gold. Observe:"By that hurt, they sought to gain the surrender of white gold. And if they could not obtain its surrender, they desired the lady to exert the ring's force in the name of her suffering under Melenkurion Skyweir, either for their aid or against their purpose. In such an outcome, the Staff of Law and the EarthBlood and wild magic would exceed the lady's flesh, and Time would be truly endangered. Her foes could not have believed that she would find within herself force and lore sufficient to oppose them without recourse to white gold."
Roger had not predicted Linden's battle tactics. Normally Roger and the croyel are at least and probably more than equal to Linden's strength with the Staff. The text indicates that they shrugged off all her attacks previously to the immersion of the Staff in EarthBlood. Without this, they would have continued to goad her until she was forced to avail herself of white gold.Bracing her Staff in the trough of EarthBlood, she shouted in her son's name, "Melenkurion abatha! Duroc minas mill! Harad khabaal!"
Instantly her fire was multiplied. It seemed to increase a hundredfold; a thousand— She herself became stronger, as if she had received a transfusion of vitality...He had not expected her to fight so fiercely.
Instead, Roger and the croyel were forced into flight. Rather than, as I previously stated, goading her out of the mountain using themselves as the proverbial carrot on the stick, they were forced to flee for their very lives.
According to this new interpretation, one which is not held together with bits of string and glue but using evidence from the text itself, is Roger still a Magnificent Bastard?
"Unlike the Chessmaster, who seeks to control every single minute aspect of a situation, the Magnificent Bastard plays the odds and wins regularly."
Hmmm, I don't think he wins that regularly, although I do think he plays the odds. He is a Trickster, no doubt, as well as a Manipulative Bastard. But Roger is really kind of a loser.
Or, maybe not.