(urth) Vodalus & the Old Autarch

[Mr Thalassocrat]

On Tue, Aug 10, 2010 at 7:05 PM, Jeff Wilson <jwilson at io.com> wrote:

> On 8/10/2010 3:21 AM, Mr Thalassocrat wrote:
>
>> Recent posts about what Sev might or should have discovered about his
>> mother/sister/himself at the end of BOTNS remind me of something which
>> has bugged me for a long time: How come Vodalus didn't know that his
>> agent was actually the old Autarch?
>> Thecla-in-Sev recognises the old Autarch; his profile is on the coinage;
>> clearly his appearance isn't some kind of big secret.
>> But Vodalus doesn't make the conenction. How likely is that?
>>
>
> In both real and fictional espionage, it's not unusual for turncoats to
> remain unmet by the other side's leader, especially if he is not his own
> spymaster.


I guess Vodalus may never before have met the old Autarch, but he certainly
doesn't seem to have any trouble accepting him as his agent when they do
meet, after Agia et al pluck Sev and the old Autarch from the Ascians. I
suppose Vodalus might have regarded a password or something, as sufficient
to establish bona fides.

But note how eager Vodalus is to get a description of the Autarch from Sev
(which Sev makes up, based on the appearance of Talos in the Autarch role in
his play). Don't you have to assume that he must have been similarly anxious
to get descriptions from others who had met the old Autarch in the past? Eg,
from Thecla, if not from Thea herself (who has certainly spent time at court
during the old Autarch's reign).

Given that, Vodalus seems to have been simply dense, not to have at least
suspected his agent of being the Autarch, after Agia delivers Sev and the
agent to him. This happens in response to the message sent by the old
Autarch after he and Sev crash, saying that the Autarch is with him (to
induce Vodalus to come and rescue them from the Ascians). The message is
enough to make Vodalus suspect Sev of being the Autarch, but he appears to
have no such thoughts about his agent.

Not a big deal, probably, and you can easily make up explanations, but still
odd, IMO.
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