I’ve read The White Order/Colors of Chaos/Magic Engineer several times, and I think the way the conflict is depicted from two viewpoints is brilliant (and sad and all too realistic). I’ve thought a lot about whether Cerryl is a bad guy (propping up a questionable regime) or a good guy (mitigating the harms caused by the White Order). I would love to know what you think. (and yes, I know you might say it doesn’t matter what you think, it matters what I think. I’ve thought long and hard for years and I suppose I would say Cerryl did the best he could with limited options – at least until he gained a lot of power. But still – I would dearly what you think, and why. And if you reject the premise of my question, why. Thanks much! and great work!

Actually, I think Cerryl is, on the whole, a “good guy” doing the best he can to survive and to reform the White Order, for at least the time while he holds power. Given the make-up of the White Order, there’s effectively no way to make such reforms without more force and ruthlessness than would be ideal… but that, too, is the nature of many circumstances in life.