Why can shaylar and jathmar not go home?

PeterZ wrote:I never said they were never going home. I said that Arcanans assumed they coul refuse to repatriate them and make it stick. One way or another Shaylar and Jathmar will make the Union of Arcana suffer immense pain. That insight into Sharonan tech Gadriel had will be the centerpiece for what those two will throw at the Union. Turmoil will be an understatement.

Once our kidnapped heroes hit their strides, Arcana will be begging them to leave.

That insight is the thing I'm most looking forward to in the next book.

thanatos wrote:At present, the only Sharonians who know that Shaylar and Jathmar are alive are those who escaped the treachery of the negotiations (by way of their interrogation of Rithmar Skirvon) and the Fort Ghartoun POWs (by way of their Andaran mutineers and saviors). And both groups are now joined in one place behind enemy lines as it were.

Another sign that I need to find time to reread the books. I remembered that the negotiation team knew, thanks to their talents, that the Arcanans were lying about the death of Shaylar.
However my vague recollection was that they still thought she was dead; but that the Arcanans were lying about when and how she died (or was killed). (Cue visions of dying being questioned under torture)

And did they even ask about Jathmar since they'd seen him die in front of Shayar's eyes?

Jonathan_S wrote:And did they even ask about Jathmar since they'd seen him die in front of Shayar's eyes?

The Sharonians took one of the arcanans diplomats prisoner and they've learned a few things from him.

Some of the posts in this forum have been speculating that the Arcanans (Mythalans especially) will kill the Nargras rather than return them.
That's not going to happen while the Olderhan family has anything to say about it. It's the whole point of the shardon customary obligation.

Shaylar and Jathmar are functionally members of the noble Andaran house. They have many of the rights and responsibilities of Arcanan citizens because of it. If they choose to set up shop making technology for sale in Arcana, set up schools teaching their scientific method, they can gift Arcana with "interesting times" as the Chinese might view it.

They target garthan citizens of Andara and teach them they need not rely on magisters. Sure the technology will not work best in Arcana, but it will work better elsewhere. As a matter of fact, it will work better closer to the front in those frontier universes.

As more and more garthan come to believe and learn to rely on Sharonan technology, the hold magisters/magistrons have on them will be reduced. The supremacy of Arcanan magic will fade in those outlying universes. The relative reach of the Sharonan war machine will increase and approach Arcana more closely.

On the flip side, unicorns and other augmented animals will be adopted by Sharonans. These animals will be more greatly adopted in the frontier worlds. That will also tend to extend the reach of Arcanan magic towards Sharona.

The true contest will be which society can deal with the disruptions best. The society that manages the disruptions better can better sustain a war to the death and so will likely have the whip hand in any negotiations that will happen.

Jasak's father, the Duke, hopes that things will work out so that Jathmar and Shylar can be returned home. There is textev for that.

Also, don't forget Velvelig and his merry band, including those Arcanans. I can see their actions creating some good will amongst the Sharonians as well as doing something to counter Sharonian ideas that all Arcanans are treacherous.

I can also see the good Duke going out to see what has been going on and once he tumbles to the notion that the mul has been up to something, it wouldn't be surprising if the Sharonians have someone new to deal with which would introduce a new dynamic to the whole situation.

Don

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