Kevin's Watch

Fist and Faith wrote:He would have had to give them a song and a dance about something or other.

Um... didn't he...? I seem to have forgotten exactly why they let him send them away... But of course they wouldn't have known what he was up to, and if he gave them a totally innocent reason to accept the Ward, then they might have accepted it. And remember how they fought to prevent Elena and Covenant from learning of the Power of Command? They would likely fight even harder to hide the Ward they would possess in this scenario... However unlikely it may be... LOL! Good point, though!

Fist and Faith wrote:What about Kasreyn?

If I remember correctly (and I just read this for the umpteenth time last week lol), Kasreyn couldn't defend himself against Findail. Covenant put Findail on the spot... Help defeat Kasreyn or tell Covenant everything. So Findail killed Kasreyn, in the middle of his own laboratory surrounded by his greatest power. Covenant couldn't touch him because the wild magic was absorbed, amped, and sent back out. But Findail easily defeated him. Case closed. Good try, though! Hehehe!

Heh. Yeah, Findail certainly cleaned his clock. But he really wasn't expecting that attack. I wonder if he might have done much better if he was ready for it. I mean, he was doing just fine against wild magic!! But maybe his gold was only good against that.

Even better question... What miracles could the Lords have wrought using Lore as powerful as Kasreyn's? Alas, if that power were used for good...

Good question. Although some would say that Sandgorgon's Doom WAS using it for good. Those babies killed 200 Giants, after all!!!

Peace Rockbrother... Remember the Oath. LOL! But yeah, Sandgorgon's Doom was kind of good and bad. I mean, it was good for the Bhrathair because it finally gave them a chance to live in peace and work toward creating life in the desert. But at the same time, I believe it was as Linden guessed... that the Sandgorgons weren't so much a destructive force; they just destroyed whatever came between them and whatever their obscure goals were. Nom somewhat proved that the Sandgorgons could think and reason by listening to what Covenant said and actually bowing to him in thanks for his freedom. Of course, Covenant had to beat him down first, but I know some people that are just as stubborn so we won't go that route. Also, the Sandgorgons destroyed each other in their frenzy to try and escape the Doom. Their numbers dwindled each year. The Lords and the people from the past eras of the Land would never have imprisoned a race of creatures in such a way, not even such evil creatures as the Cavewights or the ur-Viles. It violates the Oath of Peace with its very nature, and therefore, to me, is corrupt. So once again, it's a matter of perspective, to be argued either way. But it is a fitting way to point out that perhaps in all the Earth there is no Lore which could effectively be used without violating the Oath of Peace. Earthpower itself has the power to be a destructive force, so why should humans be any different?

rillinlure wrote:

Fist and Faith wrote: He would have had to give them a song and a dance about something or other.

Um... didn't he...? I seem to have forgotten exactly why they let him send them away...

He charged them by the Vow. Even without a primary obligation to obedience, they had to listen to that.

rillinlure wrote:But of course they wouldn't have known what he was up to, and if he gave them a totally innocent reason to accept the Ward, then they might have accepted it. And remember how they fought to prevent Elena and Covenant from learning of the Power of Command? They would likely fight even harder to hide the Ward they would possess in this scenario...

It seems very unlikely, imho, that either Kevin would have asked this of the Bloodguard (he knew, though they didn't, that his command to go to the mountains was already one they wouldn't accept if they had known the real score; why would he compound his impositions on/guilt toward them even more?) or that they would comply if he had asked. The "summon or succor" command to Korik's mission was at least within the realm of things the Bloodguard would naturally choose to do (help their friends the Giants). A command to preserve a Ward "just because the High Lord said so," when neither the Vow nor the lives of any sentients are directly at stake in the command, seems too far outside their ethos. Some Bloodguard said of lore in the First Chronicles, "We do not touch it or serve it or save it..."

If Kevin had required this of them, the moral conflict over it would have eroded the Vow faster than much else; some equivalent of Korik's tale would have happened generations sooner, is my guess.

Durris wrote:Some Bloodguard said of lore in the First Chronicles, "We do not touch it or serve it or save it..."

Ah, touche. I had forgotten that. My argument is now null and void.