Sev's family tree

Mr Thalassocrat · 31 Jan 2011, 13:04 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: thalassocrat08 at gmail.com (Mr Thalassocrat)
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2011 23:34:31 +1030
Subject: (urth) Sev's family tree
In-Reply-To: <AANLkTimOG5JNn0cceJ31ff9ND9a58QqtizbRNnWu00zf at mail.gmail.com>
References: <AANLkTimOG5JNn0cceJ31ff9ND9a58QqtizbRNnWu00zf at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <AANLkTi=EnK0FaVnLeKmTRMoqnDPJqYTVHJKMdsWdmTQK at mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 3:57 PM, I wrote:

> An interesting question is what CF?s gene line contributed to the making of
> Sev.  Disposition to twin-birth doesn?t seem to get you anywhere, on my
> picture ? the twins we know of look pretty accidental, and from the point of
> view of the story, I think they are mainly marker-clues for puzzling out the
> family tree.  There doesn?t seem to be any evidence for remarkable memory,
> Sev?s other extraordinary characteristic apart from the New Sun stuff, in
> CF?s close family.
>

But maybe there's a story to spin here. Ouen claims to have a good memory,
so there's a plausible starter hint that Sev's remarkable memory has a
genetic basis. I can't see anything pointing to Dorcas (and, on my theory,
Fechin) as the source.

But look again at CF. Sev's first impression is that the guy's eyes are so
lacking in focus and intelligence that he might be blind. Later the
description has him "as abstracted as ever before his fire". Shortly after
that CF starts with his Fechin story, including a detailed description of
events of a day presumably 60-70 years in the past.  At the conclusion of
the night's events, CF surprises Sev by pointing out Agia's exit hole - so
it seems he is not simply demented.

Now recall Sev in the inn at Saltus, when Vodalus' henchmen come for him.
This is the first time (I think) that Sev enlarges on his memory, revealing
that his rememberings are sometimes so powerful that he can waste "hours and
days" on them, "drugged and drunken." When Vodalus' men break into his
room, Sev is completely abstracted, will overwhelmed by the "tyranny of
memory".

"He sleeps", says one of the Vodalarii. "His eyes are open," says another.

To spin the story: maybe CF is in the same kind of memory fugue when Sev
first meets him, perhaps reliving the day with Fechin even as he describes
it to Sev.
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