Kevin's Watch

I just had this thought. I started a thread called something like "My Command would be..." The general opinion, which I agree with, is that there is absolutely no Command that should be considered safe enough for anyone to actually make.

So why's it there???

I'll tell you why. The EarthBlood is one of the "banes of destruction" that Despite "buried deep in the Earth" when the Creator was creating. Can anyone justify the Creator putting it there? Can anyone think of a reason that Foul wouldn't want it there?

Fist!

You just gave me a powerful lot to ponder! I'm gonna go now and find what I can!
Thanks!

Great thought!!
I always thought earthblood was a bit suspect, like it wasn't really good for anything..?
I'll go read TIW right now...

I think it is clearly stated in TIW that the earthblood has dominion over all things that are a natural part of the earth's creation. This implies that earthblood is also that, but that is never said.

The strongest argument for earthblood being a 'natural' power is that it was included in Kevin's Lore. If it had been a bane, would not the old lords who first discovered it (Damelon Giantfriend?) have blocked access to it? I think they would have.

Considering the name "Damelon's Door", I guess he probably had something to do with it. Maybe he discovered it, but didn't understand it enough to know what to do about it, as Amok's existence shows that Kevin did. Although Kevin might just have been honoring Damelon with the name.

Anyway, isn't it possible that Despite could make a bane that the Lords couldn't recognize as being made by him? After all, he was able to hide his own true nature to such an extent that Kevin, himself, make Foul a Lord. It should be possible to make some tool of his appear to be a natural part of the Earth. The Illearth Stone may not have fooled anyone, and maybe Despite never intended it to. But wouldn't it be fun to make something that the people thought was of benefit to them, that ended up royally screwing them? We know how he likes to have them do his work while thinking they are opposing him.

Maybe it was too powerful even for Foul? Something that he and Kevin/Damelon agreed on, that they left it there. Otherwise, why wouldn't Foul make an attempt at getting at the earthblood?

Amok says that anything from outside the arch isn't effected.
That means Foul, Covenant, White Gold.

I believe Amok speculated that the weight of Melenkurion Skyweir pressing down on that point caused the very blood of the Earth to be squeezed out.
Whatever it's purpose - it could not be used by Foul, as he cannot (or will not) use Earthpower (he couldn't use the Staff, could he?). It is also near impossible to learn of it's existence - We do not even know how they came to know it, although Foul must have known himself (He intended the Law of Death to be broken as part of his plan - fulfilling his own prophecy in LFB).
It seems to me it is just some natural occurence, in places of great power, things like that happen - Glimmermere, Mount Thunder, and the Skyweir.

Certainly it should be possible to make banes that the lords could not recognize as that. But I do not believe that this is the case here.

What I wanna know is ... could the Earthblood have been used
to heal the damage caused by the Sunbane?

Good question. My first thought is that it might be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to word the Command correctly.

I guess it might be possible for Sunder to have said, "Return the state of the Land to what it was when Thomas Covenant was last here." Or something like that.

But maybe the Command would have to be specific in every detail. Detail that nobody could possibly know, and wouldn't be able to speak in anything less than... what... a century?

Doesn't Skywier come crashing down in TIW making a 2nd attempt at the Earthblood impossible? I may be wrong.

"Remove Foul's influence from the Earthpower"
(Probably has a flaw)

Great Topic F&F!

Seems to me Earthblood is almost like the creator's "essence" within the Arch of Time. Only the creator (& his brother LF to some extent) can know all possible ramifications of a single action, such as Elena breaking the law of death. Foul used it to his advantage, but in the end, didn't the breaking of the LoD come to benefit the creator's intent (Hollin's "resurrection" and TC's victory over Foul)?

So why's it there???

I am here to serve the creator's intent!

:earthy

Earthblood wrote:Great Topic F&F!

I figured you'd like it.

Earthblood wrote:Seems to me Earthblood is almost like the creator's "essence" within the Arch of Time.

Could be. Maybe this Creator can't create without leaving a trace behind.

Another thought I just had is that maybe you can't make Earthpower without EarthBlood coming along for the ride, even if you didn't want it. Like you can't have sound without the possibility of sounds so loud that you go deaf.

Earthblood wrote:Only the creator (& his brother LF to some extent) can know all possible ramifications of a single action, such as Elena breaking the law of death. Foul used it to his advantage, but in the end, didn't the breaking of the LoD come to benefit the creator's intent (Hollin's "resurrection" and TC's victory over Foul)?

Well, they all did the best they could with what they had to work with. Fortunately, the good guys used the LoD better.

Earthblood wrote:

So why's it there???

I am here to serve the creator's intent!

*whew*

Didn't Amok say that the Power of Command could do anything, but there may be unforseen hazards. Such as if you commanded that Mount Thunder to move it would move, but in the process of moving it might crush thousands of living beings?

Yeah, Amok said that the unforseeable consequences were the main reason Kevin didn't use the PoC.

...but surely all these hazards you bring up relating to the Ward are simply related to the language being used. The language of the land (English) is very imprecise but it's conceivable to have a language (spoken or thought) which is extremely precise, in which the Ward's full power could be used.

Weeeeeell... I don't know if that's possible. Elena could have said, "Kevin, come back from the dead and destroy Foul. But let no other being who ever lived and died be able to be brought back to any semblance of life as a result of this Command." But that would be two commands, wouldn't it? How could she have possibly brought Kevin back without damaging the LoD? If she had another person who was willing and able to drink with her, that person might have immediately commanded the LoD to be restored.

But remember, Amok spoke of the danger of not being prophetic enough to foresee consequences. Yet Covenant, as wild magic incarnate, would possess the necessary prophetic abilities. Think again of the white gold song:

And with the one word of truth or treachery he will save or damn the earth.

The Power of Command is a "word". Yet we learned in One Tree, the Elohim are the Wuurd. Could it be that use of the living staff of law would provide enough prophetic sense to ultimately restructure the earth & the Land? Could the rumored destruction of the universe be restored by the living Wuurd or Power of Command?

Just a thought.