[Munghole]

What do you think? Is Iskaral Pust a pretend insane genius like Tehol and Kruppe? Or is he just a very powerful imbecile? Did his encounter with Kruppe change your opinion from one side to the other (It did mine)?

If he isn't pretending, or at least conscious, of his ailment, why would Shadowthrone have him as High Priest and Magi?

[alt146]

I think it's an act. I mean, he's gotten a lot of stuff right (including getting into the high priest's pants) so I dont think he's actually as stupid as he leads people to believe. The scuffle with Kruppe didnt change my idea of him at all, Kruppe is even smarter

And it really doesnt matter either way, he's still just as funny.

[Mcflury]

It's obviously an act. I can't understand someone would start to doubt it about it...

I mean, after all, isn't Shadowthrone (the God of Iskaral...) not doing exactly the same thing? Always acting like a lunatic, but all the time having great plans and stuff?

Kruppe vs Iskaral was a weird fight indeed. For a second there I was thinking/hoping the two would finally show their true magical skills and would unleash a tremendous show of magic usage (a bit like Iskaral did against that demon in dunnow-what-book-again, the one that made Icarium and Mappo split up in the first place; yet another proof by the way why Iskaral is not truely an idiot, the display of his skills there was too scary to be unleashed by a madman) but then they just start fighting like girls... in fact that's an even greater display of how incredibly smart they are. Both of them refuse to show how strong they actually are until they really have no other option.

Shadowthrone knows his Magi is perfectly sane by the way, elseway he would've never let Iskaral try and get Dragnipur. Also, Shadowthrone wouldn't really be as stupid to let his whole rulebook of shadow thingy being written be a crazy man...

Ah well, there's proof enough that Iskaral isn't the idiot he pretends to be, as is the case for Kruppe and Tehol too. They all know perfectly what they're doing... they just decided upon covering it up with the mantle of lunacy.

[Urb]

I always thought this bit put it nice and clear as crystal:

bantam paperback page 776 said:

Iskaral Pust, squatting a few paces away, sputtered. 'Muddy the puddle, oh yes! Yank his loyalties this way and that - excellent! Witness the strategy of silence - while the intended victims unravel each other in pointless, divisive discourse. Oh yes, I have learned from Tremorlor, and so assume a like strategy. Silence, a faint mocking smile suggesting I know more than I do, an air of mystery, yes, and fell knowledge. None could guess my confusion, my host of deluded illusions and elusive delusions! A mantle of marble hiding a crumbling core of sandstone. See how they stare at me, wondering - all wondering - at my secret wellspring of wisdom...'
'Let's kill him,' Crokus muttered, 'if only to put him out of our misery.'
'And sacrifice such entertainment?' Fiddler growled. He resumed his place at point. 'Time to go.'
'The blathering of secrets,' the High Priest of Shadow uttered in a wholly different voice, 'so they judge me ineffectual.'
The others spun to face him.
Iskaral Pust offered a beatific smile.

[Ain't_It_Just_]

Remember when he drove off Dejim Nebrahl in BH. He isn't a pushover in power, anyway. Whether he is hiding his genius or is plain stoopid is unknown.

[Mcflury]

Honoustly Ain't it, it'd be rather silly of you if you really believe he is stupid. We can argue about Iskaral being mad or not, fair enough, but stupid he is not by all accounts.

[Shadowthrone]

He is definitely insane... as is his god. But that doesn't mean that he isn't clever.

[teholbeddict]

I would say it's definitely an act much the way Shadowthrone often likes to put on act. There's real some genius there at times and obivously we've also seen some displays of power. I loved the confrontation between Kruppe and Iskaral a perfect pairing of two people who seem like less than they actually are!

This post has been edited by teholbeddict: 10 November 2008 - 03:24 AM

[Shadowthrone]

teholbeddict, on Nov 9 2008, 07:23 PM, said:

I would say it's definitely an act much the way Shadowthrone often likes to put on act. There's real some genius there at times and obivously we've also seen some displays of power. I loved the confrontation between Kruppe and Iskaral a perfect pairing of two people who seem like less than they actually are!

What is stopping Shadowthrone and Pust from being insane geniuses? I am pretty sure it isn't an act and it doesnt have to be.

[teholbeddict]

Shadowthrone, on Nov 9 2008, 09:30 PM, said:

teholbeddict, on Nov 9 2008, 07:23 PM, said:

I would say it's definitely an act much the way Shadowthrone often likes to put on act. There's real some genius there at times and obivously we've also seen some displays of power. I loved the confrontation between Kruppe and Iskaral a perfect pairing of two people who seem like less than they actually are!

What is stopping Shadowthrone and Pust from being insane geniuses? I am pretty sure it isn't an act and it doesnt have to be.

I'm talking about it being an act as far as him not being an idiot, in response to the original question in the thread. Most people just immediately write Iskaral off. I'm actually agreeing with you, they are insane geniuses, but they are not idiots.

[Ain't_It_Just_]

He called himself a "clever idiot" once, which is close to the truth.

[Blend]

I wouldn't really say that Iskaral is an idiot, perse... He is absolutely and definitely insane, however. I honestly don't believe that he is aware that he is constantly speaking what's in his head, or at least just how much he does it. The few glimpses we've seen of Shadowthrone, though, paint him as pretty insane too, what with the random giggling and such, so it seems right to me. I definitely think that Kruppe and Tehol are just brilliant and in no way insane, just absolutely brilliant. Eccentric, maybe?

[Mcflury]

I'm pretty sure Iskaral knows he's constantly saying his thoughts out loud. I mean, he uses it to stop people from trying to hurt him quite a lot after all. I'm pretty sure ST uses his giggling, blurring out,... all to make others think he's losing his grip on reality. Iskaral is just mirroring his god as good as he can, so he too pretends to be a crazy, stupid motherf*cker

Kruppe is not insane, quite obviously, but Tehol might as well be. The whole chicken-soup thing and his skirt thingy reeks of insanity after all... (and probably reeks of much worse things too, but let's not get into that now )

[Shadowthrone]

Haha Tehol is an interesting case. I think he is like Kruppe, brilliant and, as others have said, eccentric. The towel thing... well he is an exhibitionist, I don't think he cares what people think of him. As for the soup... well everyone needs to eat but Bugg must be an excellent chef

[Jude]

I find Tehol the most normal of the three. He's the one that would have the most successful time carrying on a conversation. He actually does it alot in midnight tides and even in RG, though I did find him a tad weirder in that book than he was in the earlier one. Also, when we get into his head, I find he has way more logical and "normal" thought patterns and motivations for doing things than the other two. Pust and Kruppe seem almost unable to help themselves in their insanity/eccentricity. Tehol seems like he's being eccentric just to get a reaction out of everyone else. That said, I would Rank Tehol as someone who is masking his genius with insanity where as I would put Kruppe and Pust as two who are, as mentioned above, genius and insane at the same time, though Pust is alot more insane than Kruppe. Kruppe is just a little socially retarded.

[Aral Fayle]

Hahaha I love Iskaral Pust. I always get a good laugh out of reading his segments. As for act or idiot it's pretty hard to tell at times. Also much <3 for Urb with the quotation, totally forgot about that scene which pretty much shows how I thought of him.

[Mcflury]

Jude, on Nov 11 2008, 07:48 PM, said:

Kruppe is just a little socially retarded.

This is brilliantly put and exactly the trueth. At least it's how I think about it too.

PS: socially retarded people like Kruppe are enormously funny

[Spindle]

Here's a crazy idea that no one seems to have thought up yet. Given how Shadowthrone and Pust are so very similar, would it be impossible that they're the same person? I know it's highly unlikely, given what we've read, but I suppose it could be technically possible. When Shadowthrone said pust had written the rules of Shadow, it made me wonder if maybe Pust was just a shadow of Shadowthrone or something crazy. Maybe he's possessed like Cotillion did to Apsalar?

Either way, you guys have it right. Pust/Kruppe are pretty much crazy and smart at the same time, while with Tehol, I'd say it's more of an act.

[Mcflury]

I think it's fairly safe to say ST is not the same person as Iskaral Pust. For one: if this was the case, it'd be even more silly of ST when he pretended Iskaral was going after Dragnipur to use it for himself. I can udnerstand this idea crosses your mind, but I'd find it very disturbing if it lingered

[Spindle]

Mcflury, on Nov 12 2008, 09:12 AM, said:

I think it's fairly safe to say ST is not the same person as Iskaral Pust. For one: if this was the case, it'd be even more silly of ST when he pretended Iskaral was going after Dragnipur to use it for himself. I can udnerstand this idea crosses your mind, but I'd find it very disturbing if it lingered

I think that only supports the idea. I don't think Cotillion would of agreed with Shadowthrone having Dragnipur, nor would anyone else. Iskaral Pust going for it, would see almost harmless with all the others after it. Perfect cover for Shadowthrone to get even more power - which is what he's always after right?