In the novella "Child of Chaos", Damian has an argument with Lucian about him executing Ygerna. And I do agree that Damian does have a bit of a point. Just because the Divine is generally a force for good, it doesn't mean he's perfect, an can't make mistakes. A flawed hero/god-figure is more interesting than a perfect one.
There are mistakes, and there are flaws that indicate deep-rooted problems. I'm sure some argue that hitler was a nice guy, except he made few mistakes, like killing off millions of innocents...
Ooops, just makes him more interesting... As for the description of Lucian being "generally a force for good"? If he had not kill Ygerna, then I feel it is unlikely Damian would have jumped to the side of the Black Ring to lead them against all humans.
In fact if Lucian had done the right thing and exposed her actions to Damian and let Damian decide her fate (including honoring his request to allow her to live), it would have cemented Damian's loyalty AND Ygerna's (assuming Damian still wanted her, which it sounds like he would). But by holding a 'tribunal' execution of Ygerna 'ASAP' w/o Damian's input...that was guaranteed to alienate him, no matter what he would have chosen to do with her.
However, Damian's actions after that point have just gotten worse and worse. He is NOT a good guy, and Ygerna is not a naive innocent.
Ygerna may not be naďve, but 'guilty'? Of what? Teaching Damian magic? Um, seems like alot of people in this world know magic on either side of any dispute. That's no biggie. I don't see anything she willing did that deserves death. As far as Damian? From what we see in the game, his actions prior to her death indicate nothing that would qualify as evil, as far as I remember. In all of his action, it seems he's responding to 'being attacked' by someone who has somehow won the love of the people, who don't know of his misdeeds.
Rhode is a fanatic. She truly believes that all dragons are evil, this belief is unshakable. At the time Rhode confronted the new Dragon Knight, the Black Ring had been quietly hiding out for 50 years. It wasn't an active threat. People are flawed, and sometimes good guys aren't on the same side.
That may be true, but can you show me
any female fanatics from history that would instantly murder their apprentice/acolyte (who is more than willing to continue friendship and who really wants to be helpful -- i.e. someone who is not being antagonistic or defiant)? Are any of them considered 'leaders', or are we talking about someone who's insane or a criminal (or both)? As someone else pointed out -- I *wasn't* already a dragon. In fact, what powers did I supposedly have that would be a threat, at all, at that point? I *WASN'T* a dragon -- I'd been, perhaps, 'tainted', but there was nothing about me that was different from before -- I hadn't killed anyone, I had no special powers (other than those gotten via being a dragon slayer).
The only thing possible that she could possibly have against me was some 'invisible aura', that most people couldn't see anyway. That's a reason for wanting ME dead? *IF*, I was willing to not go on a rather arduous quest to find my own dragon stone & tower, it doesn't seem that I'm any different from her or the other students, other than having had some 'dream', and now having a taint on my aura.... Certainly nothing that would have warranted her wrath and desire to terminate me.
I would claim someone with such violent bigotry would be very unlikely to rise to the top of a 'good order' (the slayers) -- way too mentally unstable. Second, I can't think of any historical figures with similar tendencies who were female and would be hard pressed to come up with any examples period, who were not leaders, first, and then who later 'degenerated' (often due to external factors, like a disease or environmental poisoning).
It just felt 'off'..../unbelievable.
