# Vodalus and the Autarch *The Urth list — 1 messages, 1 voices, 31 Jan 2002* > Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright > in each message remains with the person who wrote it. > Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original > archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than > retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact. --- ### Dan'l Danehy-Oakes *31 Jan 2002, 16:41* Thinking about it, the relation between Vodalus and the Autarch is ... interesting. It is implied at some points that Vodalus serves the Autarch. At others, it's implied that the A. serves V. (he's clearly a member of V's organization). This peculiar relationship will continue in Severian's reign, as he is a sworn Vodalarius; even after V. is replaced by Agila, I think it continues. There's this ongoing dynamism - a conflict between the tyrannical government and the rebels in the forest, on the surface, but underneath they're engaged in an actively symbiotic relationship. Perhaps this gives the people the illusion of a choice of sides? Oddly though, the relationship reminds me a great deal of the relationship between Bokonon and "Papa" Monzano in Vonnegut's CAT'S CRADLE... ---