Am I crazy? (SPOILERS)

For some time now I've suspected that the legendary Seijin Kody was a PICA of one of the Archangels.

I especially suspected that Kody was the PICA of Archangel Schueler once we learned of Schueler's involvement with the Wylsynn family.

Yet, David Weber posted a snippet that contained the following description of Kody.

Quote from HFQ Official Snippet #1

Despite himself, Merlin blinked at her chosen comparison. Seijin Kohdy was deeply embedded in Safeholdian folklore, but unlike the double handful of “attested” seijins recorded in The Testimonies left by the Adams and Eves who’d survived Shan-Wei’s Rebellion and the War Against the Fallen, there was no historical record of him at all. Not only that, but while the seijins of The Testimonies were all sober, focused, intensely disciplined warriors for God, Archangels, and Church, Seijin Kohdy swirled through the tales about him like some sort of traveling conjurer or laughing vagabond. Or an Odysseus, perhaps. His times had been anything but humorous, yet the vast majority of those tales related as much to his craftiness, his ability to gain his objectives by guile and subterfuge as much as by the deadliness of Helm Cleaver, his magic sword . . . and to his humor, his weakness for attractive women, and his fondness for a glass of good whisky. Indeed, “Seijin Khody’s Premium Blend,” one of the most popular Chisholmian blended whiskies, was named for him, and its label featured not simply the magical sword which was inextricably bound up with his name but also an artist’s impression of Khody himself . . . with not one but two scantily clad barmaids sitting on his lap.

The stories about him were full of laughter and warmth, stories about someone who was very, very different from the officially recorded seijins, and Merlin had come to the conclusion that he was, in fact, a fictional creation. A construct, fashioned by later generations from the legend of the “real” seijins and seasoned with more than a dash of the trickster DNA so many of Old Earth’s mythologies had treasured.

End Quote

While this picture of Kody might reflect a different side of Schueler that his Book and what the Key of Schueler shows, it appears to match a different Archangel. That is, Archangel Andropov.

Quote

The Order of Andropov occupies a sort of middle ground or gray area between the great orders of the Church and the minor orders. According to the Holy Writ, Andropov was one of the leading Archangels during the war against Shan-wei and the Fallen, but he was always more lighthearted (one hesitates to say frivolous) than his companions. His order has definite epicurean tendencies, which have traditionally been accepted by the Church because its raffles, casinos, horse and/or lizard races, etc., raise a great deal of money for charitable causes. Virtually every bookie on Safehold is either a member of Andropov’s order or at least regards the Archangel as his patron. Needless to say, the Order of Andropov is not guaranteed a seat on the Council of Vicars. The order’s color is red, and its symbol is a pair of dice.

End Quote

So am I crazy to suspect that Seijin Kody is somehow associated with the Archangel Andropov?

What I found more interesting was a later passage in the snippet regarding Seijin Kohdy.

*SNIP*
“Interesting you should bring up Seijin Kohdy,” he said after a moment. “Especially since I don’t recall him being mentioned in the official list of seijins who served the Church and the Archangels.”

“No, he isn’t,” she agreed, and her expression was suddenly much grimmer, her tone darker. “All of those ‘official’ seijins are saints of Mother Church, and he’s not listed there, either . . . now.”

“Now?” Merlin’s deep voice was gentler than it had been.

“Now,” she repeated.
*SNIP*

This implies that contrary to Merlin's belief, Kohdy was not a fictional character. It also seems to indicate that she has knowledge of Seijin Kohdy that Merlin does not and that whoever Seiin Kohdy was, he did something the CoG does not approve of.

Very Very Good Point!

Henry Brown wrote:What I found more interesting was a later passage in the snippet regarding Seijin Kohdy.

*SNIP*
“Interesting you should bring up Seijin Kohdy,” he said after a moment. “Especially since I don’t recall him being mentioned in the official list of seijins who served the Church and the Archangels.”

“No, he isn’t,” she agreed, and her expression was suddenly much grimmer, her tone darker. “All of those ‘official’ seijins are saints of Mother Church, and he’s not listed there, either . . . now.”

“Now?” Merlin’s deep voice was gentler than it had been.

“Now,” she repeated.
*SNIP*

This implies that contrary to Merlin's belief, Kohdy was not a fictional character. It also seems to indicate that she has knowledge of Seijin Kohdy that Merlin does not and that whoever Seiin Kohdy was, he did something the CoG does not approve of.

Another interesting point I just caught in re-reading the snippet is where she mentions she has studied seijins "for many years." As we know, Merlin is the first seijin on Safehold in hundreds of years. Despite that, she seems to have studied seijins *BEFORE* he appeared. Since she is a very intelligent, well informed woman I wonder *WHY* she seems to have given special attention to tales of seijins.

Hmm. Title of next book is Hell's Foundation Quiver according to the COGA the ruler of hell is Shen Wei and other than Merlin the arrows in her quiver were the reeducated colonists like the Knowles. Why do I get the felling we will meet the results of more of these arrows, and that Seijin Kohdy was the son of such a couple, perhaps given a battle steel sword?

Poker

You might well have picked the right archangel but I doubt he was PICA. The description of Khody's reliance on cleverness argues against having the brute strength of a PICA. I am sure he had all sorts of other tech tools to fuel those stories. Perhaps Aivah even has some of those tools that survived the years since Khody's/Andropov's death.

You may be correct but a few thoughts.

1) I read the passage as saying he "used cleverness" as well as his "magic sword".

2) Even Merlin doesn't use his full PICA strength in situations where he wants to leave witnesses. So Kody likely (if a PICA) didn't always use his full strength and speed.

3) We didn't get a time frame for the "adventures of Seijin Kody". If they are after the Archangels "returned to heaven", then Seijin Kody can't be a flesh & blood Archangel.

4) Seijin Kody is said to have done things that Merlin might do but a regular human even with Federation gadgets might not be able to do. Remember Kody is "said" to walk though walls but that may refer to his ability to enter places (like Merlin) without being noticed.

Of course, I may be all wet.

PeterZ wrote:You might well have picked the right archangel but I doubt he was PICA. The description of Khody's reliance on cleverness argues against having the brute strength of a PICA. I am sure he had all sorts of other tech tools to fuel those stories. Perhaps Aivah even has some of those tools that survived the years since Khody's/Andropov's death.

Well Aivah did imply that he was listed once as an official seijin just like those still on the list from the War of the Fallen. That suggests that the change in the Church of God to the Church of God Awaiting is remembered by at least one group that does not totally agree with it. Perhaps that was the cause of Aivah's group separating from whatever faction that took control of the newly formed CoGA?

Good Point

PeterZ wrote:Well Aivah did imply that he was listed once as an official seijin just like those still on the list from the War of the Fallen. That suggests that the change in the Church of God to the Church of God Awaiting is remembered by at least one group that does not totally agree with it. Perhaps that was the cause of Aivah's group separating from whatever faction that took control of the newly formed CoGA?

I always had a feeling there was more to Kody then meets the eye. He just keeps popping up and the legends are just to numerous and persistent in his "magical" abilities to be pure coincidence.

This snippet pretty much confirms it, and that he pissed the Church off that they "stripped" him of his Senjin hood, either after the fact, or during his lifetime. Also they did it in a way that didn't become general knowledge.