Joram MacRorie

[BishopCullen]

I have read the series dozens of times.  I am very curious as to what took place in 948 that lead to the death of Joram MacRorie and so very many others.

[Braniana]

So are we all.  It's on KK's announced list of books she plans to write, and my fingers are crossed it'll be the next Deryni book after CM #3 and the HD rewrite.

[derynifanatic64]

The Codex seems to hint that a vicious plague swept through Gwynedd in 948.

[BishopCullen]

Agreed.  That's what took the life of Bishop Alfred of Woodbourne in 948.

[vvincent1]

Isn't 948 the year that Marek of Festil tries to reinvade Gwynedd again? It sounds like a combination of events occur around that timeframe, with the plague just being one of them.

[BishopCullen]

Very true.  Many major and minor characters die in 948, either due to the plague or Marek's aborted invasion of Gwynedd.

[the Bee]

Do you suppose Marek could have been waging an early form of germ warfare?

[Elkhound]

An interesting bit of speculation.  I suppose a Healer could do it, although I can't imagine how any would.  I have visions of the Gabrielites--or even the Varnarites--having vapors over the very idea.  Of course, Torenthi healers might have different canons of ethics.

[Historian]

In mundane history there was a case of an entire besieging army being decimated by the flu and food poisioning. Not to mention leaving the bodies outside a city, or flinging them over the walls. Plus rats and mice are carriers of lots of illnesses. Blankets used by people who died of the pox were given to others, who then died of it. An early form of germ warfare, perhaps unknowingly, but there. And it could have been a flood or drought year, bringing famine. It will be interesting.

[Adam]

While I agree that I would love to hear what happened to the so many characters that died. I have to assume it was more due to the war than the plague. The Joram led moevemnt would definately not have stood still to see all the sacrifice of his family go to waste with another festillic King.

[tenworld]

I have always imagined 948 as ending with some major magical duel that culminated with a number of good deryni including Joram dying in a sacrificial act to eliminate or stop a group of bad deryni (from destroying Rhemuth or some other major target like a large group of humans.

A plague would be a factor in creating the circumstances the led to the duel with some of the characters dying of it, and armies being decimated.

Even involving Camber perhaps to the point that he (or his manifestation) was too weak to interact until the time of DR.  Also the reason the Camberian council evolved into the wimpy form that we first meet.

:)and leaving room for the secret inner council to start, perhaps consisting of survivors of the duel who wished or had no choice but to vanish from human sight.

[mikebell90]

Boy, I don't want to appear rude, as a first post, but I think doing 948 is an awful idea, though it's likely to happen given Katherine's interviews on the matter.

Here's the problem, and IMO it's been a problem with HofSC and with the CM trilogy too:

1. We know too mcuh
2. We know it ends for the most part badly
3. It ends up being in many ways just a death march.

Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed Harrowing. I then took 10 years to read King Javan's Year - because heck, what's the point. We know Javan is doomed. And makes very little of a meaningful difference. I still have yet to read TBP, but the synopsis on Wikipedia makes it sound similar in tone.

As for CM, I've read In the Kings Service, and it felt like a litany of "and this trivial thing happened. Then this. And a brief moment of hope. then such and such died. Then such and such". Sigh

I like KK, I've read all of her books (including the Adepts), with the exception of CM and TBP. But since the beginning of the 90s, with the exception of KKB, we are treading water here, I feel. I still enjoy the books, and like the characters, but I always just feel detached, and sad when reading them. They feel like they've become just a litany of doom....

[Braniana]

Certainly no argument that a book on 948 would be a 'bad' one to read.  Definitely would be depressing to watch all those well-beloved characters die.  But I do hope that KK does write it.  While we do know the skeleton of what would happen, we know almost nothing about how it happens.  Do the characters die of old age, in the Plague, in the Festillic invasion?  I'm just as interested in the how and why as I am in the what and when.
Regarding KJY and TBP, I can empathize.  I actually discovered TBP first, and the sought and read all the other Deryni books.    I'd encourage you to go ahead and read it, mikebell.  While it has a lot of sad/depressing parts, there are some uplifting ones, as we see that things can and will change, and that everything the brothers have endured won't be for nothing.  KJY was actually the last of the 'previously published' books that I found.  And in the 9 years I've known the series, and the 5 or so that I've owned KJY I've never been able to bring myself to read it all the way through.  I usually don't get much past Javan's coronation (the farthest being Father Faelan's fate).  I know that it's due to having read TBP first, and knowing what Javan's fate [can't bring myself to actually read it, as he's a favorite character].  Maybe one of these days.
While the CM books haven't been as good as some of the others, I've still enjoyed reading about another period in Gwynedd's timeline. 

[mikebell90]

>>and knowing what Javan's fate [can't bring myself to actually read it, as he's a favorite character].

Yep, certainly a problem. I mean, he's the most effectual and coolest character in the first two books. It's really hard not to just scream!

[mikebell90]

Re: 948

Strikes me a bit like a car crash. You know bad things are going to happen. You watch fascinatedly. Sigh.

Ok, well, just to help out KK, I'll name her next trilogy and novels for her

KillingFord the Trilogy

Volume I: We meet lots of people we like
Volume II: They all die
Volume III: We attempt to pick up the pieces. Some people fail and die. A couple struggle on.