Gaius and the Plume

[DSOK]

After playing The Way and lurking here for a long time, I have finally sucdumbed and registered.

I wanted to raise one question that I think nobody else has asked. It relates to Gaius.

Now, Gaius is quite an odd fellow, as he himself admits. Yet near the end of Episode 5, I got the distinct impression that he was really a quill pen, because he knows of Lyrra's death without having been present to witness it. Knowing the dead/alive status of somebody by telepathy is obviously a special ability, even on The Way. Otherwise, why would Rhue be wasting time hunting for Serena's name in the Guided's book?

Yet Gaius knows of Lyrra's passing, and he does not learn this the same way he learned of Ballar's demise. There, he touched the killer (Kloe) and learned the truth about a death he had already heard about. In Lyrra's case, Gaius knows of the death even before Rhue arrives and has merely surmised that Rhue was responsible. (This assumes Gauis is being completely honest, which there are many good reasons to doubt, but the argument remains, in a weaker form, even if he's lying. After all, he doesn't get to touch Rhue.)

So what's going on? I suggest that Gaius may be the "quill" that writes that fabled book. This would be consistent with his possible relationship with the book's owner (in whose throne room he is found). It could also have other implications, about whether he's the Phantom Slasher, Harbinger, etc., but these are less transparent. So I was wondering what anyone else thought of this idea.

[Impossible]

Ooh, a new person who doesn't waste my time or spam, AND types easy-to-read messages.

Interesting idea, definitely, but there are a few possibilities as to how he knew. Unless he needs to be touching someone to read their mind, it could be that. He could have some way of sensing when someone dies, or he may have felt Lyrra in Rhue's aura. I guess we'll just have to wait until E6...

[fwacho]

Those are some interesting ideas. The Newbie's thoughts will be most welcome indeed.

[Christophomicus]

Wow... I wish I could have been so smart on my first post...

Good theory though.

Damn Lun and his evil ways of making us think! Every theory we think of will be wrong!

[Telephalsion]

Gaius might not be just the quill, he might be the book himself.

[DSOK]

Gaius might not be just the quill, he might be the book himself.

This had occured to me as well, but it seems a bit less likely. For one thing, the book and pen are mentioned as separate items, although that's just in folklore.

If he is the quill and/or book, this may frame his statement about kiling somebody with Rhue in a rather different light, although I can't see at the moment any consistent explanation based on this theory that avoids Gaius and Rhue/Midian having actually been together. Gaius expects to be recognized by Rhue, after all.

(But he doesn't seems to expect to be recognized by Traziun, a point which I have wondered about a great deal. Like Rhue, Gaius might not have a completely accurate understanding of his own past. His aura might have gotten mixed up with Rhue's somehow, so when Gaius speaks of the two of them killing somebody, it might have been only a single assassin, whose personality is now split between two or more bodies.)

[Amgard]

Yes, I've toyed with that theory. It's nice but with one small problem.

There's two books.

True, there may be another person much like Gaius (who if Gaius is the Book of Death) he may be the book of life. Unfortunately, we've met NO ONE who can fit that description (Especially not Rhue, so their friendship is ruled out)

It could be someone yet to be introduced. The "Quill" himself may be the Phantom Slasher. Then again, his motif is too random to make him a sort of Death-character.

Then again, I'm more fond of the "Gaius is playing the Guided" theory, since it has more evidence.