Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1999 21:33:04 -0500
From: John C Wright
Reply-To: The GREYtalk Discussion List
To: GREYTALK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
> Certainly, although the case is made below concerning the amount
> of human forces available to Drax, and the description of Rel ASTRA goes
> to some length to imply many instances of neutrality amongst its
> inhabitants. As well, nowhere has it been expounded in print as to how
> long Drax had possession of the _crook_.
In response to my comments about the investigation of the _crook_ powers, I did state it would take an exorbiant amount of time to safely learn all of its secrets. Drax had at most a bit over a decade, using a rough timeline of 575 the _crook_ is retrieved from Isle of the Ape and lost....and then recovered by 587 and used in the ceremony to drive out the fiends. Assuming of course, that the ceremony requires more than a simple setup (especially when driving out all of the fiends world-wide), and also assuming that Tenser doesn't lose the _crook_ the day after it is recovered, then Drax has in all likeliehood perhaps 8 years of time with the _crook_. Ample time to learn many of its powers, but far from enough time to learn them all. Remember that simple identifying and legend lores are not likely to reveal much if anything about artifacts.
>
> >Providing that Drax did learn something though, he knew that although he
> could
> >call on fiendish aid from the fiend-sage, he had nowhere near the amount
> of
> >fiends to rely upon as Iuz and Ivid did. In addition, by having his
> military
> >primarily human and led by humans, Drax would be in an advantageous
> position
> >should all other fiends be sent away. Iuz's armies would be undermined,
> Ivid's
> >armies would be leaderless in many places, as well as lacking his
> shock-troops.
> >
> >This was almost entirely a win-win situation for Drax. By bartering the
> item
> >away to a force that he knew would use it for the removal of fiends,
> Drax got
> >just what he wanted out of the item, and a crateful of powerful magic to
> boot.
> Excellent logic in display here, until one reaches the timeline
> as prepared by Master Moore within "GH: tAB". Throughout the text (truly
> beginning on p. 27), Rel Astra is painted in bold colors as a "Free City"
> bent on expanding its defensive capabilities against a far-stronger
> Overking Xavener (UKoA). From the events presented, were this truly
> Drax's intent and mindset, he appeared to have taken leave of his
> faculties whence the time to act was upon him. In short, I'd given grave
> considerations to Drax's position in the original theorization, with this
> but one undermining issuance against his primacy in the matter.
Failed to act when the time was upon him? Do you mean he failed to act when the fiends were cast out? If so, we must look at the repercussions which occured as soon as the fiends were cast out. Almost immeadiately, the city of Rauxes was under siege by all the contenders to the throne. This is most likely a result of Ivid having half of his intellect, or a portion of his ability driven from him by the power of the _crook_. (This is based on many rumors as to a possible demonic/devilish bloodline, both in the online Ivid the Undying supplement, and the very well-written (yet non-canon) History of the Great Kingdom)). Drax, being the manipulator that he is, and preferring defense over offense, held back and waited for the dust to settle (he knew he was not the only one wanting the Overking dead...but he did know he was the one person he wanted to most survive the fall of the Overking). Now the dust has
settled and he has expanded his region of influence slowly, but fast enough that he is still a very powerful force to be reckoned with.
John Wright
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