[Dragaera] They should be protecting Vlad much better (Hawk spoilers)

[Scott Schultz via Dragaera]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dragaera [mailto:dragaera-bounces at lists.dragaera.info] On Behalf Of
> Rast via Dragaera
> Sent: Monday, October 27, 2014 10:40 PM
> To: dragaera at lists.dragaera.info
> Subject: [Dragaera] They should be protecting Vlad much better (Hawk
> spoilers)
> 
> What am I missing?

Well, you're missing that nobody on your list is actually under any kind of
direct control. They're all loose cannons. They have agendas, yes, but they
are all free to pursue their agendas however they see fit. Verra does not
control Sethra. We don't know her exact relationship to Morollan but there's
not reason to think of it as different from her relationship to any other
"high priest" sort of figure amongst her followers. Telnan is answerable to
Sethra by dint of being what amounts to her apprentice, but he seems to be
pretty autonomous despite that.

The Powers That Be operate mostly by taking a hands-off approach and letting
the Empire run itself, except for fairly exceptional circumstances. Even
then, we've seen where the Lords of Judgement are not perfect and their
meddling can have consequences (which is no doubt why they meddle as little
as necessary).

Vlad is a free agent because he has no value otherwise. His value is in his
personal character. For better or worse, that character is developed by
living his life as he will.

As for Verra, I'm reminded of Vlad's audience with her in _Phoenix_  where
she tells him what he needs to do in Elde Island and ever the smart ass, he
asks her "What will *YOU* be doing?", to which she replies, "Watching over
your family, as I have always done."

Whatever his destiny, and whatever he becomes, Verra is doing her part
behind the scenes  as the Lords of Judgement tend to do things. She can't
accomplish those things by using blunt force. Rather, she does it by
finesse. Who can say whether Verra had a hand in steering Vlad and a
pleasant Issola bard with an open mind into each other's paths? I think it's
safe to say that whatever her desired ends, that she would accomplish much
more by doing that than by "locking up an asset" and treating it as an
asset. An "asset" is the last thing that Vlad wants to be and his nature is
such that he would deliberately destroy everything around him just to spite
Verra if he thought his life was being managed in such a fashion. We even
have hints of just such an event in Hawk, where Vlad makes the oblique
reference about discovering his "destiny".