[Dragaera] random thoughts on recent (or not) Texts

[Jon Lincicum]

----- Original Message -----
> From: "Alexx Kay" <alexx at panix.com>
> To: "Howard Brazee" <howard at brazee.net>
> Cc: dragaera at lists.dragaera.info
> Sent: Monday, November 7, 2011 11:34:36 AM
> Subject: Re: [Dragaera] random thoughts on recent (or not) Texts
> 
> In terms of raw text, I'd have to agree that this is a lie, and the
> attempts to make it not be one are sophistical. That said, if SKZB
> were
> to decide that it would be Cool that Sethra never lies, it would be
> easy
> to retcon this instance as a mistranslation.


My view is that Sethra views lying the same way that she views any other battle tactic. She has the wisdom to know the danger in lying when there is a chance that the lie is likely to be discovered, and how this can end up being worse than if the truth had simply been told outright in the first place, however damaging that might be. 

As such, she avoids direct lying; not out of any moral compunction, but simply because the alternatives when a lie goes wrong are worse than if it is not told. It's likely she's been doing this for long that the habit has become very highly ingrained in her character. 

There's a passage in /Dragon/ where she talks to Vlad about the value of sneak attacks, night attacks, and other tricks in warfare that she says she will use "whenever she feels she can get away with it".

She is clearly not above lying if she feels she can get away with it.

Majikjon