From: m.driussi@genie.com
Subject: (urth) "The Autarch's Face"
Date: Sat, 11 Jul 98 21:27:00 GMT

raster,

Right, Appian is playing so many roles he rivals Kokkor Hekkus of THE
KILLING MACHINE!  Thea would certainly recognize Appian--after all,
Thecla-in-Severian does--so does he therefore always meet Vodalus
alone, in dark rooms?

This leads to the thread that "Vodalus is really Appian's
selected heir (or one of them), as opposed to Baldanders (self-made
man) and Severian (selected by someone else)."  Vodalus does seem to
be "in on" a game of some sort; even though at the same time he seems
naive and flashy.

There is a bit of trouble in offering the Phoenix Throne to an
exultant, however.

Back to the coin, I think having Tzadkiel's face on it would be like
having a Liberty dime, that is, a coin with Liberty depicted on it as
a lofty goal or guiding principle.  Let alone a momento of the Trial.
And a way to avoid being recognized by any citizen with a coin.

Tangent alert: hey, what do you think--maybe "Empires of Foliage and
Flower" is actually set in what we know of as the Commonwealth!  The
Yellow Empire could be the Greco-Roman "Northwest Area" we all know
and love so well; the Green Empire might be the Persian zone I keep
envisioning as being to the east beyond the mountains (homeland of
people with names like Abdiesus).  The Yellow Empire uses gold coins
(like the Commonwealth); the Yellow Emperor travels incognito because
of security reasons.  So "Xanth" would be House Absolute or the city
of the Monarch, and "Vert" would be a Persianesque city like
Ctesiphon or Vathek.  Then the war is over and the empires united, so
that Persian troops could fight alongside the Europeanish city
legions at Orithyia.

Just a thought.

=mantis=

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