[Dragaera] _Iorich_ random brief comments (no more spoilers!)

[Jerry Friedman]

--- On Fri, 2/5/10, Damien Sullivan <phoenix at ugcs.caltech.edu> wrote:
> On Fri, Feb 05, 2010 at 11:10:54AM
> -0800, Philip Hart wrote:
> > On Thu, 4 Feb 2010, Jerry Friedman wrote:
[Why don't Vlad and Aliera just kill the members of the
Jhereg Council?]
 
> >> Their replacements will just have more reason to
> kill Vlad?
> >
> >> It appears to take a /lot/ of killing to
> discourage the Jhereg--for  
> >> instance, they're willing to start a Dragon-Jhereg
> war when they're at  
> >> the bottom of the Cycle.
> 
> But see, there's a difference between normal 'war' -- lots
> of killing of
> the underlings, occasional killing of leaders, new leaders
> may have
> incentive to keep on fighting to punish the offender or
> avenge the dead
> -- and reliable killing of leadership.

I'd think Jhereg conflicts have a lot of killing of
leadership.

> The world mostly hasn't seen
> that so there's not much real analogy to point to. 
> Vlad and Aliera
> working together could find anyone and punch through any
> sorcerous
> defense and likely kill rather large degrees of mundane
> defense.

I don't think we know that they could take on the whole
Jhereg.  Vlad needed help against one meeting of the Left
Hand.  We don't know what sorcerous and mundane defenses
thee Jhereg could mount together.  Furthermore, as we saw
in /Jhereg/, even dragonlords with Great Weapons aren't
immune to assassination.  Even furthermore, the
Empire could get involved.  For all we know, Zerika has
already told Aliera and Morrolan that killing the
Dragon Councillors would have drastically harmful
effects and she doesn't want them to do it.

Also, Aliera, Morrolan, and others may simply not be
willing to get actively involved in an internal Jhereg
conflict that Vlad got himself into.

> Replacement leaders: they could continue trying to kill
> Vlad, and have a
> 99% chance of getting killed in turn, or make peace and
> live.  Do they
> really care about the "good of the Organization" against a
> nearly
> certain chance of being killed and maybe having their soul
> destroyed?
> Since when are Jhereg that self-sacrificing?

Since they started fighting wars with each other.  The
only way the Organization can work is if lots of people
are willing to die rather than be intimidated.

> Ok, maybe since they're
> basically criminal Dragons, per my genetics post, but
> otherwise...
...

I meant to say before--it's not just your genetics
post.  I think Steve is interested in stories about
intrigue and people who like to fight, especially
in preference to dishonor.  Thus his stories are full
of Dragons who can plot (contrary to a remark in
/Yendi/ Aliera is the only one who can), Yendi who can
fight, a Lyorn who deceives, Tiassa who can do both,
Jhereg who can do both, half-breeds who can do both,
and Easterners who can do both.  His Jhereg aren't only
like Dragons--they're like the majority of the other
characters.
 
Jerry Friedman