I get that vibe RE the bargain too - it's rational on both sides and God knows no-one in this story is holding the idiot ball anytime.

You know, I'm actually looking forward to Fortov being just an asshole. Just because. That purple creeper accident happening no matter what the changes is pretty suspicious. But yes, it's interesting how all 4 siblings are so different and how they have had different experiences growing up. Can't have been easy for Fortov either not being anywhere near as talented as Daimen. Or maybe the dad alone is the asshole exception that proves the rule (weak, fainting son, anyone?)

Spoiler

Hmm if anything it should open more doors. They are obviously capable mind mages (at least in the main branch of the family if they're similar RE family secrets to the Boranovas) and they should be interested in a master mind mage with access to a different tradition altogether (aranean). And since Zorian can detect if Daimen is psychic, the Taramatula should be able to do so as well.

 

It was definitely proposed already, but what are the chances of Fortov being the Red Robe? In a way, he would be a perfect villain for the Zorian. Apparently the least talented of the brothers finally gets a chance to be like his oldest sibling, but lack the morals of his younger brother to not become a bad guy along the way. Not to mention, it's quite a good trick to focus the readers' attention on the one brother when they should be asking questions about the other.

The only probably is their interactions within the loop that were quite natural and repetitive. Unless, it wasn't Fortov, but his simulacrum which the Red Robe can create and Zorian using his own in similar manner is our clue about it.

 

Honestly the only decent one is Kirielle, I mean she's a bratty little kid right now but friendly (an has the Kazinski manipulation) but Zorian seems like he'd honestly be hard to get a long with, Fortov totally did do the purple creeper thing on purpose, an Damien seems like he'd be easy to envy (he may be the modest but kind of bragging type).

It was disconcerting at first to see that MoL fantasy world is backwards just like usual.
I mean the ex-heiress wolf girl, the sending away your troublesome daughter thing (at least it's not lobotomy a la Kennedy style), and Kirielle was totally planned to be the married off to a noble one instead of Fortov. Besides Kael and the witch matrimonial lines

Sorry, but that seems unlikely. Fortov isn't like Zorian he would've had more contact with his family then Zorian. He would have highly relied on Zorian at first and gotten to know his tricks an all.

An he would've went over to Damien too and gotten the orb and would he really have tried to kill Zorian? His simulacrum may have been an evil version of himself (he certainly seems narcissistic enough to have the simulacrum want to be selfish and be 'alive'). Overall though I think his morals are similar enough to his brothers and -like I said they're all annoying in some degrees- that he wouldn't do that.

EDIT: Oh, also Red Robe was evil enough/planning this before the loop since it started a bit before the time loop (though idk Zach may have forgotten that the the loop started slowly shortening a couple of days/ or my pet theory that it stopped and restarted while he was mind messed with Red Robe which would also explains why he hasn't focused all his skills on directly stopping the invasion (I mean maybe he messed around for a few decades and then slowly started piecing together that something was coming while he tore into people stealing from him)) and he and Zorian were at home together during the summer remember? (Though it's a different school year I think since he thought that his parents were leaving the business 'midsummer'.)

Overall I still really like the worldbuilding, I like guessing what countries are based on real-life equivalents but I can't think of Koth..

 

While I agree that it's not very likely, I disagree with your arguments. Fartov may want help from Zorian, but old Zorian wouldn't be very forthcoming with it and there are easier people to approach instead.

There is not enough to judge how he would behave after decades in the loop. The Red Robe has no need for the orb and he never discovered that it's Zorian who is the other looper.

 

Zorian said earlier on that if he hadn't deliberately avoided Fortov in the loops then he would've helped Fortov anyway just because of him wearing him down. Knowing exactly what to say is exactly what Zorian does, why would Fortov not? He's older then Zorian after all so after a while of loops he'd easily surpass him in skills after catching up. He's also a reliable/predictable source and a starting point, so he'd still know more about him even with him having mentors.

Alright, you're probably right there after all Fortov left earlier so he wouldn't easily know about Zorian. I still think knowing about the Emperor's items helped him more easily identify the gate, but I still think it'd make more sense for a twisted simulacrum but that still doesn't work with the timeline (Red Robe planning the Cyoria attack before the loop).

 

I still doubt Fortov would bother with seeking his help since pre-loops Zorian, while talented, was just a normal student a year below him in the academy.

My impression is that the Red Robe wasn't aware of the attack before the loop. Rather he witnessed it in his first repeat and decided to use it as one of the ways to learn dark magic by selling them bits of information that could help with their invasion.

 

I still think he would, Fortov was said to be a really poor student. He'd take the easy way out at first.

I still get the opposite impression that he'd been a little involved even before the loops, how else would he seem to be so trusted? It's the most obvious assumption but I don't in this case Red Robe's identity is some convoluted mess..

 

Fortov being Red Robe was a crap theory to begin with, but now that we know that Red Robe has left the loop, it's dead in the water.

 

It's unclear what happened with the Red Robe's copy inside the loop once he left. There are strong suggestions that it disappeared if he's indeed the ex-student that Zorian suspects, but it could be that after another restart this version just returned to its initial status.

 

That's not what makes it clear that he's gone. The indications of that are a) the Aranea, and b) the way the loop was described by the gatekeeper.

 

Nothing has happened! It's all part of the plan! mwhahahahaha!

 

I'm half expecting Red Robes to be a simulacrum from a Zorian that Zach befriended towards the start of the loop.

 

Considering we don't understand Red Robes's motivations, it's pretty much impossible to predict who he really is.
What is he trying to really accomplish and WHY? What has the story set up so far that builds toward that eventual reveal?

It's probably related back to politics. Zorian has been learning a lot about the different mage families. So I think the reason behind all this is actually blood & politics related. Red Robes has to have been slighted in that way, I think, and is taking revenge...through a very convenient means? Okay, maybe that's a weaker theory when I write it out...

 

-----------------------------------On the subject of Red Robes:

Has anyone ever considered if Red Robes might be a soul entity like a body snatcher?

I refuse to believe that he would be a simulacrum, since simulacrums don't have souls and therefore wouldn't be able to be sent back in time by the 'restarts'. Also, neither Zach nor Zorian showed any hint of soul perception before Red Robes was revealed (and in fact had to spend several restarts to acquire it), which is a prerequisite to casting the simulacrum spell successfully in the first place.

However, what if it was a body snatcher that was attached to Zach when the time loop was triggered? Zach would have the markings placed on his soul and any harmful soul entities would be removed (but not killed, since the Sovereign's Gate is very strict when it comes to 'ethics'). In the process, the soul entity might have gotten some incomplete markings placed on it as well (like what happened with Zorian), which is why Zach has never experienced a ‘restart’ being cut short. It would also explain how Red Robes knows so much about the functions of the ‘markings’ and how he is able to make simulacrums, since a soul entity like it would obviously have a high degree of soul perception.

I don’t know about motives or of its connection to Veyers, but it sort of makes sense from the technical aspects of the time loop.

----------------------------------On the Subject of the Grey Hunter Hunt:

On another note, I think Zach and Zorian are going about their Grey Hunter hunting all wrong. They are trying to get it to come out of its cage and then immobilize it with both magical and non-magical traps, and then killing it without hurting the eggs, which has not worked out so well.

Here's what I think they should do instead:

1) Have Zach use telekinesis on a giant boulder and throw it (like he did when they were facing the invaders when they went with Xvim and Alanic) at the entrance to block it off. Since magic was only used to start its motion, but not maintain it, the Grey Hunter would not be able to sense any mana fluctuations before it blocked the entrance. It would also not be able to sense it through ground vibrations, since it would be flying through the air.

2) Have Zach send more boulders and alchemical reagents flying so that there wouldn’t be any gaps for the Grey Hunter to escape through and so that the Grey Hunter wouldn’t be able to just push the boulder away or drill though it.

3) Have Zorian’s simulacrums (which the Grey Hunter ignores) teleport inside of the cave (they have been there before).

4) Have Zorian’s simulacrums activate alchemical gas bombs that they carry with them (they should be immune to the gases, as evidenced by its ineffectiveness on Red Robes’ simulacrum when they tried to put him to sleep the day all the aranea got killed, and by the fact that they are merely ectoplasmic shells that don’t even eat or drink).

5) The Grey Hunter will not be able to hold its breath (spiders can’t hold their breath, and the aranea already proved this applies to magical breeds of spiders as well when they were incapacitated by the gas released by the Cyorian Web’s ward.

6) Wait for the Grey Hunter to succumb to the effects of the alchemical gas and then collect the eggs and do what they want with the (still alive) Grey Hunter Mother (make it into a familiar, use it for more potions, practice mind magic, etc.)

The only downside is that the gases might have negative effects on the eggs, making Silverlake not accept them.

 

Works on the Aranea = works on the Grey Hunter is a bit of a leap, they're very different breeds of magical spider. I also don't think the Grey Hunter would ignore the simulacrums if there's no other detectable threat nearby.

 

I'd be surprised if pre-loop Zorian can learn to cast a simulacrum in one month.

---------- Post automerged at 04:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:47 PM ----------

Have we ever encountered the Headmaster of Cyoria in the flesh? I've been rereading, and noticed some potential foreshadowing:

The second mention is especially agregious, as the headmaster is the only specific person namedropped.

I don't think the headmaster will be Red Robe, because of the early political mentions (which admittedly could be a guise) and because I expect Red Robe would delete his interactions with Zach so the second quote wouldn't be there (although maybe he only edited more later on, or decided it would be smarter not to). The big evidence for it is that he doesn't show up in any of the 'defend Cyoria' fight scenes, or even the aggressive campaigning that Zorian/Zach do later. That could be because of overseas trips (Damien's continent, perhaps?). Regardless, I'm pretty sure he's a character that will pop up at some stage.

---------- Post automerged at 05:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:58 PM ----------

I've always considered RR to be more personal-focused. That he was prepared to help the invaders but then abandons them/is apparently only erratically involved speaks to him not caring too much one way or another.

Although I'm pretty sure he ignores the invaders early on, I do need to check that our information on that occurs before Soulkill (i.e., before he exits the loop).

 

Never considered the headmaster to be actually important, but now that you mentioned him I'm curious if he's the type who got his position because of his connections or he's actually another archmage teaching at the academy who wanted to be more involved in its politics.

 

The position also lends itself well to grooming and cultivating the next generation of magi. That level of influence is undeniable.

 

Update https://www.fictionpress.com/s/2961893/68/Mother-of-Learning. CLIFFHANGER Also focused entirely on Koth this time round.

 

Zack continues to be endlessly amusing.