Jonathan Palfrey asked Lois McMaster Bujold:

In the World of the Five Gods, we know that a sorcerer who kills with magic will lose his/her demon to the Bastard. Imagine that the sorcerer uses magic to weaken a component of a bridge; the bridge collapses and people die. Does it make a difference whether the collapse happens immediately, 5 seconds later, 5 minutes later, 5 hours later, 5 days later? Apologies if this is already answered somewhere.

Lois McMaster Bujold
I don't at this time have an answer to this, and neither does Pen, which makes him properly cautious. It is said, obliquely, that abortions for ectopic pregnancies are allowed to sorcerer-physicians. Similar medical triage where you can save one person but not both, likewise, I expect.

When Pen set the harbor on fire in "The Orphans of Raspay", it is also unknown if anyone died later of injuries received in the chaos, but it's possible some did.

The thing about the Bastard's rules, as contrasted with, probably, the Father's, is that they are not mathematically certain, but rather are ad hoc individual judgements, every time and for every case, which no one who is not an omnisentient god could possibly duplicate.

It is possible to tell for sure if one has violated the... guideline, because one will suddenly be demonless and stripped of one's magical powers. Being as-it-were pardoned would be harder to tell. I think one requirement for fault is intent, premeditation; deaths occasioned by accident, likely not, considering how accident-prone demon-powered sorcerers are. In your example, did the hypothetical sorcerer intend for people to die? Then he will likely shortly be out of luck (and out of demon.)

Ta, L.

flag