bsharp's Inire theory

Jeff Wilson · 08 Jul 2008, 04:25 · from 2008-July.txt.gz

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From: jwilson at io.com (Jeff Wilson)
Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:25:36 -0500
Subject: (urth) bsharp's Inire theory
In-Reply-To: <001401c8e0ac$56ba3620$a3ce4a0c at rclackey.stic.net>
References: <001401c8e0ac$56ba3620$a3ce4a0c at rclackey.stic.net>
Message-ID: <4872EC40.1010609 at io.com>

Roy C. Lackey wrote:
> Dave Tallman wrote:
>> Still, Inire is of a "short-lived race" (Citadel XXXVIII), and the B,F,O
>> Hierodules are said to live "a score of years, like dogs" (Sword XXXIII).
>> There has to be a connection. Probably both are creations of the
>> Hierogrammates from the same original life-forms. Their shorter lifespans
>> may have made it easier to accelerate their evolution. Multiple types of
>> Hierodules seem to have been made, with different roles.

It seems like a stretch for Inire to serve the Autarchs for a thousand 
years when he only lives for 20 himself, even using time travel to skip 
over the boring parts but still create the Second House and the 
Botanical Gardens.

> Immediately before reading the letter, Sev spoke to Rudesind of Inire: "We
> know your master is what the people call a cacogen, and that for whatever
> reason, he is one of those few who have chosen to cast their lots entirely
> with humanity, remaining on Urth as a human being. The Cumaean is another
> such, though perhaps you did not know that."
> 
> Fuel for the fire. Obviously, Inire is an alien of some sort, not a human
> being. But he is capable of taking on the form of one.

Don't the heirodules already have humanlike faces, under their "scary 
alien" masks? I don't see Inire as a shapeshiter so much as an actor, he 
puts on a hood and robe to hide his nonhuman proportions and carries a 
walking stick for support in Urth's gravity and passes as a wizened old 
man. Urthers see the hood, the robe, a few sparkly doodads of vague 
function, hear the archaic speech he learnt from colonials long 
departed, and call him "Father Inire" on the assumption he's a priest; 
he doesn't deny this as he is most certainly a servant of the higher 
powers in heaven/Yesod.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
< http://www.io.com/~jwilson >

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