(urth) Vodalus & the Old Autarch

[Jeff Wilson]

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. Even if they meet someone, that person may be a cutout for 
that purpose only, with the messages originating from another source. 
Vodalus is doubltess aware of this, so his trust would have to be gained 
by releasing truly secret but verifiable information, and information 
leading to the loss of something with a perceived value too high to be 
considered a willing sacrifice.

The Autarch/Inire at some point had to screw someone over by betraying 
them to Vodalus. This may have involved the Machiavellian form of 
sending a problematic subordinate (like a heptarch who has been 
discovered to have a ruinous secret subjecting him to blackmail but has 
too many family connections to dismiss) to the front, collecting favors 
from the family connections to redirect them elsewhere, then using "the 
agent" to leak the selected details. The subordinate's column is 
ambushed, the rebels get some plunder, "the agent" is vindicated, the 
subordinate is either killed or cashiered for being unprepared, and the 
prince has a stronger position in his own country.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
IEEE Student Chapter Blog at
< http://ieeetamut.org >