: Well, although the word "chosen" might not be
: used, I suspect that Alric might well send an avatara
: as a taskforce commander to oversee important missions
: like the defence of the Gjol.
For a rear guard action... hmmmm.
Probably. But in game we get the idea the warrior captain leads the rear guard.
: Now, reasons in favour: 1) He speaks to Murgen inside the
: Tain, and seems to be talking to him on roughly equal
: terms, even out-wising him on one occasion ("I
: asked him if doing so would also set free everything
: else which had ever been imprisoned in the Tain, but
: got no response.") And while Murgen seems to know
: more about the Tain than the Journal Writer does, this
: is hardly surprising: Murgen was the most magically
: proficient of the Nine, and it's unlikely that anyone
: who wasn't a Fallen Lord knew more about the Tain than
: he did.
Wasn't Rabican supposed to be the most magically proficient of the Nine not Murgen?
: 2) He thinks he knows better than the wise and ancient
: Jmen.
Where are we getting this from?
: 3) Myth 3 states that there were three Avatara in the
: Tain.
Myth 3 goofs on the timing of Alric's rescue in relation to entering forest heart... among other things.
I'm not sure that's enough proof to be a reason.
: 4) He's often dispatched as the leader of absolutely
: vital taskforces, and therefore is almost certainly in
: a position of vast trust and responsibility in the
: Legion hierarchy (of course, I'm assuming here that
: the Journal Writer and the player are usually the same
: person).
An avatara would probably be defending a pass or something, in other words, stratgic stuff... the JW's commands (if you are right that the player and the JW are usually the same person) tactical stuff.
: 5) We never see a specific "Journal Writer"
: unit. He obviously has a dream of invisibility. (just
: kidding! More likely he's operating behing the scenes.
: Except for Rabican, and, to a lesser extent, Alric,
: the Avatara don't seem to really go for a hands-on
: approach.)
To a lesser extent Alric?
He's the only avatara we actually see in game.
: 6) "Which makes them something like the Three
: now." Alric, Durak and the Journal Writer,
: presumably, assuming he isn't counting Maeldun, who
: was crippled, dying, and of absolutely no use as an
: Avatara at the time.
"Them" not "us"
If he were an avatara I would think he would write that line "Which makes us something like the Three now."
Of course that assumes (quite reasonably I think) that all avatara in the West belong to the Nine.
Also, Durak is a maybe on if he is an avatara.
: That's all I can think of for the moment. If I think of
: any more, I'll tell you.
I don't agree with your reasons, as my comments show, but you bring up some good points.
Thanks for the food for the thought.
Seraph
