: Ugh...isn't it obvious? He can't just meet with Alric, he
: would then forfeit any relationship with the Dark and
: would have all the Fallen Lords on top of him. Plus,
: Balor is the most powerful being alive and he would
: not be pleased. So, the meeting is fixed and planned
: like a capture, and its done very well.
OK...so the Deceiver CAN secretly mobilize an army (we're talkin two levels' worth of units, from "The Five Champions" and "Out of the Barrier") to capture and hold an Avatara...but he CAN'T secretly meet in person with Alric to give him false information. See the problem here?
: Would Sadam capture the President of the US and not guard
: him to the extent that five marines could be dropped
: behind enemy lines and rescue him? If Sadam thought
: that the US was planning a large military invasion, he
: would still guard the Prez extremely well.
: If Balor was to capture Alric, he would make sure that at
: least a Shade was guarding him, if not the immediate
: transportation of Alric to Rhi'Anon where Balor would
: guard him personally, thousands of miles from any
: legion soldier.
: I know if I captured my enemy's leader, I'd guard him
: myself along with a full army.
First, there is a shade ("Out of the Barrier"). Second, you fail to address the theory I offer. Balor probably expected an attack over the Cloudspine. By waiting on top of the mountain, he gets the ultimate height advantage. Why let the Light cross the mountain, their greatest obstacle? Military strategy would dictate not that you let the enemy get as close to their target as is possible, but rather preempt the attack.
Also, Balor just may not have forseen something like paratroops...it might be unprecedented, he just may not be familiar with Dwarven technology (he's been out of the picture for a thousand years), he may just not have been thinking, he may have been overconfident.
Also, you're making lots of assumptions as to what an appropriate guard force is. We don't know to what extent the resources of the Dark exist...and we do know that the makers of Myth had to make it possible to win. Isn't it possible to say that the Dark tried to prevent your rescue of Alric, but, against all odds, you triumphed through trickery? (i.e., sending in a couple commandos instead of a full army). Aren't we getting into the same argument that we did over the Great Devoid? I hate to sound repetitive, but just because the makers of Myth make it possible for you to win doesn't mean that they were attempting to communicate to you that the Dark is letting you win. Let's face it, the entire storyline of Myth is the Light triumphing against all odds, in their darkest hour—not because the Dark has a death wish, but because you're one lucky bastard.
