The Sorcerer's House Questions (Major Spoilers)

Gwern Branwen · 31 Mar 2010, 00:55 · from 2010-March.txt.gz

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From: gwern0 at gmail.com (Gwern Branwen)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:55:04 -0400
Subject: (urth) The Sorcerer's House Questions (*Major Spoilers*)
In-Reply-To: <z2v1bf4dd41003301701xbe0a027dn2e1c361a697af388 at mail.gmail.com>
References: <z2v1bf4dd41003301701xbe0a027dn2e1c361a697af388 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <cbf55b101003301755j5bcb436fn3dea21525abf1e25 at mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Mar 30, 2010 at 8:01 PM, Dave Tallman <davetallman at msn.com> wrote:
> Thomas Bitterman
>>
>> This just begs the question.  The only record we have of them seeing any
>> of
>>
>> this is from the letters that Bax has.  These are the very letters that
>> are
>> being called into doubt, at least the supernatural parts.
>
> No, I am bringing in all the independent witnesses against your theory. To
> support it, you have to say that the challenge note from George, the letters
> from Madame Orizia, and the second letter from Doris are all forged or
> edited by Bax. And I say that oversteps the bounds of the suspension of
> disbelief. About the only letters admitted as factual at this point are
> those to and from Shell, and letters from Millie.
>>
>> Windows into Faerie, werewolves, vampires, visions of the future, astral
>> projection, triannuluses (triannuli?), houses that grow and rearrange -
>>
>> these are all harder to swallow than lucking into money.  Not everything
>> he
>> says is false, just the stuff about Faerie.
>
> All right then, what is your rational explanation for him "lucking into
> money"? Was a deed to a house just handed to him? If so, why? And then he
> just happens to inherit a valuable chunk of real estate?? Please show
> in-story clues to what really happened.

If I had to construct a 'real' story along those lines, I'd go with
something like this:
1. Bax moves into the mansion
2. when he tries to regularize his squatting, he goes to Martha and
using his smooth wiles on a lonely old woman, cons her into letting
him stay under the perfectly normal custodial arrangement
3. He thoroughly searches the house, and discovers the eccentric
previous owners had had valuable collections. Bax didn't lie about the
gold coins, but he found many more. Gold is very valuable, after all,
especially collectibles. Bax has modest needs. Alternate scheme: he
takes out a mortgage.
4. He embarks on his elaborate con/murder scheme of George.
5. Mischief managed.
6. He forges Murrey's will - she also had the Skotos Strip. (Why not?
She seems to have tons of real estate in general.) Alternate scheme:
he gets her to sign that over as well / forges her signature.
7. Murrey vanishes like George.

Note how much violence to the narrative we have to do.

-- 
gwern

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