Jun-14-2010, 12:36 PM (UTC)
(This post was last modified: Feb-14-2012, 05:48 AM (UTC) by Farseer.)
For some reason, plot holes bother me. I like for everything to tie up nicely. Can anyone comment on the following issues?
So, can you Skill-drain a person to death or can't you? In AQ, we learn that it is not possible to use the Skill to kill another person unless they either choose to die rather than surrender their power, or you exert so much power that you'll burn the Skill out of yourself. Verity explains that Galen must have chosen to die. However, Galen had first attempted to kill Verity by draining him, and would surely not have had much success if draining someone to death were not possible. Did he simply not know that this could not work? Or was Verity so weakened that he could have been killed this way? Skill draining is also used by Justin and Serene to kill King Shrewd. It didn't just take his Skill strength but his physical and mental health. We are repeatedly told that voluntarily giving too much strength to someone via the Skill can kill a person, and in the Tawny Man series Fitz mentions his concern that Thick may die if another coterie member saps much power from him. He then refers to the fact that draining skill strength can be deliberately used to kill someone.
In FF, we learn that Realder's dragon is the dragon part of Girl-on-a-dragon. However, in AQ, the Fool pointed out Realder's dragon as a different one, and Fitz spends some time trying to wake it by calling it's name... okay so I'm being a bit nit-picky with this one.
Repelling seems like such a powerful weapon to use against the unwitted. Also in defence, as Fitz uses it against Galen to prevent his blows from causing damage. Fitz even says that it's use comes instinctively to the witted. I would have thought that it would not only be useful in almost any fight, but pretty much automatic. Yet Fitz and other Witted ones seem to rarely take advantage of it, and throughout the series I wondered why.
I'm guessing there's no good answer to these questions, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.
So, can you Skill-drain a person to death or can't you? In AQ, we learn that it is not possible to use the Skill to kill another person unless they either choose to die rather than surrender their power, or you exert so much power that you'll burn the Skill out of yourself. Verity explains that Galen must have chosen to die. However, Galen had first attempted to kill Verity by draining him, and would surely not have had much success if draining someone to death were not possible. Did he simply not know that this could not work? Or was Verity so weakened that he could have been killed this way? Skill draining is also used by Justin and Serene to kill King Shrewd. It didn't just take his Skill strength but his physical and mental health. We are repeatedly told that voluntarily giving too much strength to someone via the Skill can kill a person, and in the Tawny Man series Fitz mentions his concern that Thick may die if another coterie member saps much power from him. He then refers to the fact that draining skill strength can be deliberately used to kill someone.
In FF, we learn that Realder's dragon is the dragon part of Girl-on-a-dragon. However, in AQ, the Fool pointed out Realder's dragon as a different one, and Fitz spends some time trying to wake it by calling it's name... okay so I'm being a bit nit-picky with this one.
Repelling seems like such a powerful weapon to use against the unwitted. Also in defence, as Fitz uses it against Galen to prevent his blows from causing damage. Fitz even says that it's use comes instinctively to the witted. I would have thought that it would not only be useful in almost any fight, but pretty much automatic. Yet Fitz and other Witted ones seem to rarely take advantage of it, and throughout the series I wondered why.
I'm guessing there's no good answer to these questions, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.