A Simple Question

[Worm of Despite]

I’ve always wondered: if the Law of Death is broken, why can’t Elena or Foamy come back to life?

I mean, when talking about Covenant coming back, SRD stated in an interview something along the lines of the Law of Death had been broken. So, what about the other Dead aside from Covenant? I doubt they will return to the Land. SRD wouldn't recycle characters like that. *Shrugs* Don't tell me I've made another speculation thread! S**T!

[Fist and Faith]

Who says they can't? They were among Covenant's dead, and now that the Law of Life is broken, they should be able to actually do stuff. (Although I'm sure SRD will do something that prevents stuff like that. )

[Ryzel]

The law of death was what kept the dead from interacting with the living world. There is probably other laws which keep them dead, as it were.

[Furls Fire]

The Law of Death brought the Dead among the living...but they could not "act". When Sunder broke the Law of Life by killing Caer-Cavaral it allowed for the restoration of Hollian and her baby. But it also allowed Covenant to "act" in Kiril Threndor against Foul after he allowed him to kill him. Covenant knew going in that he was going to sacrifice himself to Foul. He knew, if he wasn't banished, that he could prevent Foul from breaking the Arch just by standing in front of it.

White Gold Wielder, Chapter 21, Restoration pg. 471 (hardcover):

"Caer-Cavaral made it possible. Hile Troy." An old longing suffused his tone. "That was the 'necessity' he talked about. Why he had to give his life. It was the only way to open that particular door. So that Hollian could be brought back. And so that I wouldn't be like the rest of the Dead--unable to act. He b roke the Law that would've have kept me from opposing Foul. Otherwise I would've been just another spectator.

"And Foul didn't understand. Maybe he was too far gone. Or maybe he just refused to believe it. But he tried to ignore the paradox. The paradox of white gold. And the paradox of himself. He wanted the white gold--the ring. But, I'm the white gold too. He couldn't change that by killing me. when he hit me with my own fire, he did the one thing I couldn't do for myself. He burned the venom away. After that, I was free."

I do see an inconsistency here tho. When Elena broke the Law of Death and summoned Kevin to destroy Foul, he actually "acted". It could because of the "Power of Command" that forced him to obey. But, he comes back and attacks Elena because Foul commands him to destroy her, by the power of the Illearth Stone. Yet, he's dead. Once the "Command" of Elena's failed...he should have just faded away. That's if i'm understanding the Laws. Maybe the Stone overpowered it, as it did Elena and the Staff of Law in TPTP.

[Fist and Faith]

I agree. I'd say that the PoC, then the Stone, had enough umph to give Kevin power to act. I imagine anybody who had died could be summoned, but, without any other source of power, they'd just be a spectator. Which Covenant explained Caer-Caveral changed.

The inconsistency I see is that Elena gave two commands:
1) Kevin, come back to life.
2) Kevin, go fight Foul.

[Furls Fire]

ooooooooo...yes...how could I have MISSED that!! Unless you get more then one command?

I think it's time I dig out the Illearth War again and go over that part...hehehe

[Fist and Faith]

Actually, I don't see where it says you can only give one Command. Only that you have to use it swiftly, and you couldn't survive more than a single swallow. But if you aren't limited to one Command when you drink... Well, the possibilities!!

[amanibhavam]

Another question: now, that in the Last Chrons TC is the keystone of the Arch of Time, it means that he can be everywhere in Time, right? That means if the story goes back to pre-Kevin, TC will be there 'cause he is the keystone, right? Couple this with the fact that LF now will corrupt Time itself...

[Fist and Faith]

Good thoughts. I would have said it was doubtful, that the Arch/Covenant can only go in one direction. But if Foul is going to corrupt time, you know Covenant's gotta be chasing him through it!

[Furls Fire]

oh oh oh...here's an interesting thought...what if Covenant is actually Berek??? halfhand and all...if Foul corrupts time...maybe he was thrown back. WOW think of the possibilities of THAT paradox. Isn't Berek the one that told of the White Gold wild magic paradox?? Or was that Damelon...I'll have to look in LFB and see. Maybe not Berek himself, but maybe he was THERE? If Foul corrupts time...History would most likely change. And not for the good. With Covenant being the Arch of Time, Covenant himself gets corrupted and that is how he destroys the universe. Because we KNOW that is going to happen. Ohhhhh the possibilities...my head has just been spinning since I read about the reading!! So...excuse the babble folks

[Nav]

I don't think Elena actually used two commands. She used the PoC to resurrect Kevin, but she only asked him to fight Foul. Being the all round nice guy that he was, Kevin obliged and was promptly on the recieving end of a sound ass-kicking.

I wonder if the fact that Covenant died after the Law of Life was broken, whereas the others were still bound by it when they expired, might be relevant.

[CovenantJr]

I seem to remember Kevin raging at Elena that she was making a terrible mistake, but he was powerless to resist. And when he came back, under the influence of the Stone, he yelled something along the lines of "You fool! The Despiser mastered me as easily as a child!"

As regards the number of commands, I always thought of it as one command - "Attack Foul", which naturally necessitated Kevin's return from beyond the grave, rather than his return being a command in itself

[Fist and Faith]

It's definitely two Commands.

"Come! I have tasted the EarthBlood! You must obey my will. The walls of death do not prevail. Kevin son of Loric! Come!"

"Fool! Desist! Do not do this!"

"Kevin, hear me! You cannot refuse! The Blood of the Earth compels you. I have chosen you to meet my Command. Kevin, come!"

Then, after Kevin appears:

"High Lord Kevin, I Command you to battle and defeat Lord Foul the Despiser! Destroy Fangthane! By the Power of the EarthBlood, I Command you."

Maybe you can give as many Commands as you can speak before the EarthBlood burns out of your system.

[Furls Fire]

You beat me to it Fist!! I was just going to post those! LOL

[Fist and Faith]

The speed of the Haruchai is legendary!

[Furls Fire]

*rolls her eyes*

[kastenessen]

The Law of Death has always been a mystery to me as it maybe should. But if it is so that it was the PoC that brought the dead Kevin back to life. What brought Elena back and fighting with TC at the Colossous. I have always seen her as a spectre at that point. She is dead and is definitely interacting with the living. And it is here that the SoL is finally destroyed. I'm still wondering, what is the Law of Death...

[Furls Fire]

Elena was not acting of her own free will as Covenant did in Kiril Threndor to oppose Foul. Elena was enslaved by the Illearth Stone. So she was merely Foul's puppet at the Colossus. The Law of Death kept the door between life and death closed. When it was broken when Elena summoned Dead Kevin with the Power of Command, that freed the Dead to walk among the living. Tho, they could not act. When Caer-Cavaral sacrificed himself to bring Hollian back to life from the dead, HE broke the Law of Life, which then enabled the Dead to act of their own free will. The implications of that, I'm sure we have not fully seen. Perhaps we will in the next Chrons.

[kastenessen]

I guess you're right. It's something like the raver's attack on revelstone by conjuring up the ancient dead into creatures made of sand. The power of the stone is so mighty that if you can do that you can of course control one person. But it is still not possession is it...

[Furls Fire]

No, it was more like enslavement...like a puppet. Foul held Elena's "strings"...he used her to wield the Staff of Law because he could not touch it himself. Elena and the Staff are what kept the Land under his winter. Once the Staff was destroyed, the winter began to fail. And Elena was no longer useful so she faded back into Death. Ultimately, the destruction of the Staff allowed Foul to use the Earthpower itself to regain his strength, and led to the corruption of the Sunbane.