SofTs Official Snippet #7

dan92677 wrote:

DrakBibliophile wrote:
And Leeana has to have moved on from Kalatha - she was a leader of 75 for them in WMC, but the commander of the City Guard for Kalatha was only a 300, so to be a leader of a 1000, she had to have moved up to a larger venue. Also, at the end of WMC, it appeared that was going to be tagged as the war maid's delegate to the King's Great Council, not a bar owner in Belhadan.

Balcartha is(was) a commander of 500, as of war maid's choice...[/quote]
Sorry misremembered. Still not a commander of 1000.

Peter2 wrote:I guess it's possible that this is the Ken Houghton of Sword Brother, but I think the odds are probably against it. I don't remember any mention of any excessive scarring in that story.

But I do remember something else from it. KH's lost wife was Gwen, and Bahzell's & Leeana's daughter is Gwynna. I wonder if the similarity is intentional? Just a thought . . .

The name itself is the biggest plus to it being him. Why would Himself pick such a name if there wasn't any connection? Though it still could be the Norfressa Universe version, since a prime tenet of the War God universe is a multiverse concept where the same notable mortal souls exist in all of them. Only the Gods (and perhaps Wencit) are aware of all the Universes and exist as a singular consciousness, but it's strongly implied that even though mortals aren't aware of other universes they exist with the same personality construct in each... or at least the strong, important ones with powerful personalities do.

Of course, this could all be a red herring and it has nothing to do with him.

Or....that a person's soul exists in the bodies of all his/her possible universes. Once the Choice is made for a given thread of options, the soul exists only in the body manifesting the Chosen outcome.

That state of affairs argues for some sensitivity of one's alternate selves. It would also explain what happens to souls of universes that never materialize. Like the possible universe where Vaijon was killed in the ambush that almost killed Tellian in WMC. That possible reality became never manifested. Leading to the ambush, that reality was just as possible AND real as what was instantiated in WMC.

If the souls inhabiting those bodies in all those possible universes were separate, where did they go once their universe did not manifest?

Assuming my hypothesis is correct then sense of deja vu is the soul's recognition of experiences in the alternative worlds where the also have bodies.

NervousEnergy wrote:

Peter2 wrote:I guess it's possible that this is the Ken Houghton of Sword Brother, but I think the odds are probably against it. I don't remember any mention of any excessive scarring in that story.

But I do remember something else from it. KH's lost wife was Gwen, and Bahzell's & Leeana's daughter is Gwynna. I wonder if the similarity is intentional? Just a thought . . .

The name itself is the biggest plus to it being him. Why would Himself pick such a name if there wasn't any connection? Though it still could be the Norfressa Universe version, since a prime tenet of the War God universe is a multiverse concept where the same notable mortal souls exist in all of them. Only the Gods (and perhaps Wencit) are aware of all the Universes and exist as a singular consciousness, but it's strongly implied that even though mortals aren't aware of other universes they exist with the same personality construct in each... or at least the strong, important ones with powerful personalities do.

Of course, this could all be a red herring and it has nothing to do with him.

thanks RFC; very interested to see what lies behind this 'selective amnesia' - who might have caused it and why; on the face of it seems to be from the 'good guys' and yet clearly no Wencit (why should be selectively erase memories of someone he is going to be working with). Exciting!

Bahzellstudent wrote:thanks RFC; very interested to see what lies behind this 'selective amnesia' - who might have caused it and why; on the face of it seems to be from the 'good guys' and yet clearly no Wencit (why should be selectively erase memories of someone he is going to be working with). Exciting!

Actually there is a clue in the snippet as to why. If this individual remembered everything, he might know or do something that would screw up a lot of plans, and he might well have agreed to the selective memory wipe (with the promise that he'd get it back), because it was important.

I am re-reading Windrider's Oath. In Chapter 37 Dahlaha speaks with Varnaythus just after Kaeritha leaves Thalar Keep. Varnaythus thinks the following.

"Varnaythus knew that as well as Dahlaha did; what amused him was the obvious twinge of fear she'd felt at the words "Bloody Hand." However fitting they might be, Varnaythus knew the song the cognomen derived from...and who its author was."

One suspects that Brandark's threat to the dark involves wizards. That suggests that Bradark serves Semkirk to some degree. I wonder if we get an insight to just why Brandark is such a threat to the Dark in SotS?

PeterZ wrote:I am re-reading Windrider's Oath. In Chapter 37 Dahlaha speaks with Varnaythus just after Kaeritha leaves Thalar Keep. Varnaythus thinks the following.

"Varnaythus knew that as well as Dahlaha did; what amused him was the obvious twinge of fear she'd felt at the words "Bloody Hand." However fitting they might be, Varnaythus knew the song the cognomen derived from...and who its author was."

One suspects that Brandark's threat to the dark involves wizards. That suggests that Bradark serves Semkirk to some degree. I wonder if we get an insight to just why Brandark is such a threat to the Dark in SotS?

I think you are reading way too much into this line. Given the success rate of Bahzell, only an idiot dark wizard wouldn't feel a twinge of fear at the possibility that they would run into the "Bloody Hand" and his horsie.

fallsfromtrees wrote:

PeterZ wrote:I am re-reading Windrider's Oath. In Chapter 37 Dahlaha speaks with Varnaythus just after Kaeritha leaves Thalar Keep. Varnaythus thinks the following.

"Varnaythus knew that as well as Dahlaha did; what amused him was the obvious twinge of fear she'd felt at the words "Bloody Hand." However fitting they might be, Varnaythus knew the song the cognomen derived from...and who its author was."

One suspects that Brandark's threat to the dark involves wizards. That suggests that Bradark serves Semkirk to some degree. I wonder if we get an insight to just why Brandark is such a threat to the Dark in SotS?

I think you are reading way too much into this line. Given the success rate of Bahzell, only an idiot dark wizard wouldn't feel a twinge of fear at the possibility that they would run into the "Bloody Hand" and his horsie.

I don't know... Putting the aside comment about 'who its author was' tagged on the end and set doff by ellipses gives it weight. WRO has several hints from servants of the dark that Brandark is a considerable threat to their success, not just collateral damage in the fight against Bahzell. I really missed him SWord Brother, although Walsharno's voice sort of fills that spot in the narrative.

He had better turn up in The Iron Ax Inn before too long- Bahzell in a tavern without the little man just doesn't feel right!

PeterZ wrote:I am re-reading Windrider's Oath. In Chapter 37 Dahlaha speaks with Varnaythus just after Kaeritha leaves Thalar Keep. Varnaythus thinks the following.

"Varnaythus knew that as well as Dahlaha did; what amused him was the obvious twinge of fear she'd felt at the words "Bloody Hand." However fitting they might be, Varnaythus knew the song the cognomen derived from...and who its author was."

One suspects that Brandark's threat to the dark involves wizards. That suggests that Bradark serves Semkirk to some degree. I wonder if we get an insight to just why Brandark is such a threat to the Dark in SotS?

fallsfromtrees wrote:I think you are reading way too much into this line. Given the success rate of Bahzell, only an idiot dark wizard wouldn't feel a twinge of fear at the possibility that they would run into the "Bloody Hand" and his horsie.

Polyglot wrote:

I don't know... Putting the aside comment about 'who its author was' tagged on the end and set doff by ellipses gives it weight. WRO has several hints from servants of the dark that Brandark is a considerable threat to their success, not just collateral damage in the fight against Bahzell. I really missed him SWord Brother, although Walsharno's voice sort of fills that spot in the narrative.

He had better turn up in The Iron Ax Inn before too long- Bahzell in a tavern without the little man just doesn't feel right!

Iwonder if if fact Brandark hasn't already done a lot ot damage to the Dark. I suspect that the "Lay of Bahzell Bloody Hand" has done a lot to help soften Norfressa hatred of hradani, simply by portraying one of them in a very good light. I this case, the publicity has actually helped ease the tensions between the races, and that has in and of itself done damage to the Dark. I am sure that there is more to it than that, but he has already put a pretty stiff boot to the Dark.