Pike's ghost

Lee Berman · 01 Dec 2011, 14:03 · from 2011-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2011 09:03:15 -0500
Subject: (urth) Pike's ghost
Message-ID: <SNT123-W6546734A52F17378C2F8BDCFB10 at phx.gbl>

>David Stockhoff: The words for the suite would be universal for all autarchal suites, 
>wouldn't they? I am not sure what battle you mean. But I agree that the 
>suite has not been much used since the first autarchs. The decor and 
>furnishings are plainly space-age and have "Typhonic era" written all 
>over them.

Good question on the secret words. I was always under the impression that there was a
complex collection of words which were unique to each Autarchial gateway to secret 
places.

It would be more efficient if there was only one word for all of them. But in UotNS, on
Flood Day, when Severian is in the secret passage which takes him to the throne room (and
allows him to encounter his mother and Agia (the assassin), he notes that many Autarchial
lovers were given the secret words to allow trysts and those lovers gave the words to their
own paramours, and so on. Thecla's cadre having access to the Antechamber supports the idea 
that some of the secret words were given out, and thus it would be better to have distinct 
words for each secret portal.

Yes, I don't think we are really given enough information to know for sure if any autarchs
had used that suite. We know it wasn't used much and, as you say, the information we do get 
supports larry's theory that the Mandragora and the rest date back to Typhon's time.

Please be understanding of my personal style.  In here and in the real world it is part of
my personality to address people in the manner in which they prefer to be addressed. I 
respond to most people here in a cordial and scholarly fashion because that's what they like.

I respond to Gerry in a belligerent, carping, condescending tone because that's what he
likes. Thus the reference to "battle". I don't really enjoy writing that way, but I am 
willing to adopt Gerry's tone and tactics when responding to him, in consideration of his 
feelings. I take pride in being a good host and I don't want Gerry to feel unwelcome here
just because his communication style differs from others.

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