Does Doug realize that he is, potentialy at the very least, A Paladin?
Does he realize that he might get home faster if he prayed to Wetter Hexxe? At the very least it would provide a Signal Beacon for his goddess to home in on.
Doug is most definitely not a
traditional paladin - he has to much of a chaotic streak in him courtesy of The Rabbit, et. al. That being said, if he is a paladin of some deity, I don't think it would be Hexe - just because she's his team leader doesn't mean that he follows and spreads her ideals all over the place. I don't know enough about what Hexe specifically stands for in her Goddess nature, but I expect that it's not exactly the same as Doug's ideals...
A true paladin is a champion for a cause in the service to (usually) a deity, and usually defined as also standing for Law and Order. Doug may prefer to work with the rightful authorities, but it seems to me that he's not above pulling a fast one on them if it's in his best interest, even if it's not strictly necessary. Plus, in some ways Doug is too subtle to be a paladin - most of them are not very good at subterfuge...
All of this is just my opinion - whatever Bob says goes
Offsides
Drunkard's Walk Forum Moderator and Prereader At Large
I'll tell you this... Neither Helen nor I have ever considered that there was that kind of linkage between Hexe and Doug. In fact, the first time Helen saw the passage with the Three where the Child says "Your soul is already pledged to Another", and I explained that was the effect of Doug's loyalty to Hexe, she was rather disconcerted by the idea that Hexe was receiving even that much ... well, "worship" isn't the right word. "Devotion" maybe.
Helen has never fully explained Hexe's motives for incarnating, but from what she has said, I suspect that Hexe is an iconoclast among the gods, actively seeking intimate understanding of the human condition and rejecting things like worship, sacrifices, etc. Some of it she can't fully escape -- there is the "ancient covenant between mortal and god" mentioned in chapter 12, for example, and that binds her to a degree -- but she doesn't actively accept any devotion and actively discourages anything that resembles worship. This is why she couldn't "home in" on Doug despite being summoned (accidentally) through the covenant -- she refuses to set up the "channels" that normally connect a worshipper to a god and which would allow her to know where he was at all times if she cared to. Trust me, she doesn't care to.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Here's your simple justification for the tie: Hexe's your team leader, and given the nature of your team you would follow her into hell if that's where she led you with good reason. You don't worship her, but she definitely "owns" part of you, and being a Goddess it takes the form of your soul being pledged to her.
There's really nothing to be disconcerted about. It's just a natural extension of her being your commander, and having been such fo a long time. If it makes her feel any better, tell her to think of it like a recruit and their DI
Offsides
Drunkard's Walk Forum Moderator and Prereader At Large
Quote:
If it makes her feel any better, tell her to think of it like a recruit and their DI
Sort of 'You might as well give your soul to Wetter Hexe, because your ass belongs to the United Nations Warriors International' ?
It doesn't quite ahve the same rign as the USMC original"How can I be this kick ass strong?! Powerful! Handsome! Charismatic! Gorgeous! Oh, Gods... Why do you burden me with
such a heavy
karma!"
- Dark Schneider, Bastard!!! #20
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
I gotta send Helen a link to this thread.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.