Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2002 08:26:08 -0500 (EST)
From: Michael Straight 
Subject: Re: (urth) More on Silk-Horn's eating habits

On Tue, 19 Feb 2002, Andy Robertson wrote:

> I think it is possible that when Horn went to Green he was sucked dry by an
> inhumu and thereafter merely thought he was human.

I don't think the inhumu soul-stealing works that way.  

For one thing, there's no other evidence of an inhumu gaining memories (or
even much personality) from the person he/she's drained.  Fava feels the
urge to appear like an old lady after she drinks from Mora's grandmother,
but she doesn't show any signs of taking on the grandmother's memories or
personality.

Secondly, if there's any sense in which an inhumu gains personality from
someone who has been drained of blood, it is in the second generation.  
Krait is drawn to Horn, and is so much like a son to him--extending to the
love/hate relationship, because his mother drained Sinew.   I guess you
could say that Horn was drained by an inhumu who subsequently had children
and that one of those children then had adventures on Green thinking he
was Horn (and somehow getting hold of Horn's neighbor ring) and then sent
his hybrid soul into Silk, but that seems to be wandering pretty far into
fan fiction territory.

The strongest objection to this idea is that, based on the actions of
inhumi when they spirit travel and gain human bodies, an inhumu spirit in
Silk's body would revel in eating and having sex and doing all the other
human things it was unable to do in its reptilian body.  If there were an
inhumu in there, Silk would be eating more, not less, so you'd need some
other explanation for why he's not eating.

To me, the "Silk is used to fasting, but Horn isn't" explanation is the
simplest.  

-Rostrum


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