Character Study of the Week: Daoshen Liao

[Grey]

I take distracted to mean that Sun-Tzu literally didn't know until it was too late. Too many Mask reports coming in and he saw only those relating to the Republic and missed the ones about his own son, along with those about the Capellan March, Andurien and anyone else who bushwacked him over the years.

Like I kept saying, crazy does not mean ineffective, Daoshen has definite capability and skill that his insanity has not hampered. The divinity thing is a double edged sword, it certainly encourages him to make moves others wouldn't because they're too risky, and succeed because others think they're too risky, no one would possibly do them, and not prepare accordingly.

It also means that inevitably he's going to make such a move and his logic will be "I'm divine and cannot fail" at just the wrong moment. Basically it creates a blind spot that must be exploited at some point as a matter of plot.

[Maelwys]

Well, it might be interesting to see how he handles failures. I'm not sure he's really been given a major one, except for when Oriente kind of screwed him over a bit, and even that was sort of perfunctory.

Another note for his craziness...isn't it getting kind of boring in Chancellors? I'm not saying its really hampered them that much, but what, the last 4 have been insane, if we include Daoshen?

[Stormlion1]

Daoshen is a product of his environment. The environment called for a God, and he had a aunt who thought she was a Goddess and a Father who was treated like a God. Its not to see how he ended up as he is. The fun part though is when Daoshen goes the way of the Dodo, Danai who isn't anything like him will rule the CapCon. But is she the leader that he is? I think not.

[Grey]

Crazy in Capellan Chancellors is a recurring theme, however there have been almost as many mad Davions and Kuritas (looking at Caleb Davion, Leonard Kurita, and quite a few others), and no small amount of nut cases in other nations (Thomas Calderon being the next most recent for example), it's just that the Chancellors have all been portrayed in recent fiction while the others still largely exist as historical figures, while Caleb, after many generations of mixed but mentally stable rule, seems like an anomaly.

Add to that Kali's influence and her line still being around and it's a hard thing to shake. With luck the next heir will help divert the cycle a little.

[Maelwys]

Well sure. Other houses have had crazy leaders in the past. But if you want to declare Sun Tzu and Daoshen crazy (and I'm pretty sure Sun Tzu is, though he's functional), then every leader the Cappies have had since storyline has started has been crazy.

Mind you, potentially high functioning and not always hindered by it, but potentially crazy.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

You know, one thing that always confused me was just how lax Sun Tsu was regarding Kali given just how many times she went and did something.  Really, I'd have figured that after her stunts in the Jihad he'd have gone for a slightly more secure place to keep her (like a nice little secluded dungeon on Warlock or something).  Not keeping her where she'd have access to his son.

[Kidd]

I just got my hands on a copy of Principles of Desolation and I must say, the level of crazy was toned down to more believable levels. Whereas Sun-Tzu believed his imaginings of Romano in his head was the beginnings of true psychosis, for Daoshen's case Ilsa Centrella states that he did not start off believing he is a god, he was playing a role tthat grew a bit out of hand.

It is a nice touch, and the fusing of the whackjob cultist Capellans with the way more down to earth Canopians is a pretty interesting direction to take this Successor State - and House Liao-Centrella.

[Nav_Alpha]

You know, one thing that always confused me was just how lax Sun Tsu was regarding Kali given just how many times she went and did something.  Really, I'd have figured that after her stunts in the Jihad he'd have gone for a slightly more secure place to keep her (like a nice little secluded dungeon on Warlock or something).  Not keeping her where she'd have access to his son.

I always assumed Kali was a bit more deniable asset than anything else. "Oh, my wacky sister has gone and launched genocide? YOLO!"
Sunny is cold enough that he can "accidently" excuse most of her sins because they actually help him but would willingly kill her if she ever slipped her leash.
Honestly, he had to know exactly what she was up to. She just doesn't strike me as subtle enough to get away with all that on her own

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

She was working with the WoB during the Jihad.  I'd have thought that would have crossed a line.

[SteelRaven]

She was working with the WoB during the Jihad.  I'd have thought that would have crossed a line.

It really, really should have but so should have Kathrine killing her own Mother then trying to kill both of her brothers. Sometimes you give family more slack than you should. 

[Frabby]

She was working with the WoB during the Jihad.  I'd have thought that would have crossed a line.

I would rather say she played the big game with the WoB, on even terms. Pretty much everybody did that to a point prior to the last Whitting conference. She didn't become a WoB pawn or minion. Instead, she seduced St. Jamais to get Manei Domini technology, grow her own Cyborg Warrior Houses, and when the CapCon was actually in danger she upset the WoB plan by having one of her Warrior Houses wipe out the other and cause general mayhem on the WoB side. It destroyed both her Warrior Houses... but the technical knowledge, gadgets and perhaps part of the infrastructure remained behind in her hands.
It's nuts, but it benefitted the CapCon in the end. I think Sun-Tzu had a problem with her because he could not completely control her, not so much because of her actual actions. When it comes to prices to be paid, the Liaos never shirked away from sacrificing... well, anything or anyone, really.

[Grey]

Kali is complicated to say the least. Her brand of crazy is not straightforward, and is something I'll cover at a later date.

In terms of her still being free despite so many charges from so many nations of, well, whatever they wanted to name, it's part plot (she's the kind of effective crazy that's too good to get rid of) and part nobility. Sabotaging lunatic she may be Sun-Tzu still considers her family and thus someone he has to protect lest the Liao image suffer. That's politics.