From: David Cake (davidc@cs.uwa.edu.au)
Date: Thu 01 Aug 1996 - 17:37:58 EEST
>The Fortunate Succession mentions Proxies which appear to be automata
>of some description. The Lunars learned it from Sheng Seleris who
>apparently learned it from the Kralori. Think of Guardians carved from
>Jade and you can't go wrong.
While Peters idea is enchanting (tireless machines performing the
duties of the Emperor while he retires to his palace), I doesn't really
agree with the text of TFS. The Silver, Bronze, Brass and Bone Proxies
actually appear to be merely Imperial flunkies delegated some of his
magical duties. Its unclear from the description of their creation, but
when Ignifer decides to remove them its described as
"When the bureaucrats refused, he [Ignifer] personally led groups of people
through the capital to whip the false Proxies out, and then to hunt them
and their friends down through swamp, city, and mountain. Ignifer took back
command which had rested in the hands of the Proxies."
I think all we are looking at in the Proxies is a weak Emperor
delegating some of duties/ power to his attendents, and then a more active
Emperor taking it back.
But the Lunars do seem to have stone soldiers, as pictured on the
cover of Tales. Are these the same as the Full Moon Corps? Though I think
their creation predates Sheng.
And Peters idea is also pretty cool anyway. Regardless of whether
they are the Lunar Proxies, jade automata may well exist in Kralorela,
created by mystic sculptors. It fits well with my very dim understanding of
what sort of things are achievable using mysticism, along with poems of
power, pictures that move, cooking that empowers, etc.
Cheers
Dave
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