<< I am in favour of it being a pharaoh like possession of a body, with that persons soul moving on, while the Emperor remains singular. If this is the way it turns out, then this should appease everyone methinks and reconcile the two views. >>
I can't speak for anyone else, obviously, but it would at least partially appease me, as its pretty much what I think happens. It seems to me that during the interregnum between Masks, a number of candidates arise who may not necessarily believe they are the Red Emperor (although some might) but at least believe they can become him. I don't mean 'become' in the sense that Argrath becomes King of Dragon Pass, though, but a rather weaker sense, which I'll explain below. To clarify, I think that what occurs is similar to the way that Pharaoh reincarnates, but with two key differences:
We all agree (I think) that the RE has a soul which consists of many parts, such as Antirius, Vrimak, etc. Most of these are indeed retained and constant from one from one Mask to the next, although some may become stronger or weaker depending on the Goddess' design for this period of the Empire's history. But one part - one among many, but a part nonetheless - is that of the person whose body the RE currently inhabits. That inevitably has an effect on Imperial policy (not the deciding effect, but a noticeable one nonetheless) which explains why people are willing to put themselves forward as the new RE. The Egi select the ultimate vessel from the candidates available, based on various criteria, but they (since Sheng, anyway) have to work with what they're given. Thus, people can sincerely believe that they are the one who the Goddess wants to be chosen as next RE, without the latter being genuinely different people, and until the Egi make their ruling, there isn't any way of saying they're wrong.
It seems to me that this still allows for all the possibilities that Martin wants, while not ruling out any others. If there's something it doesn't provide for, I don't know what that is - but I'm willing to be enlightened.
Forward the glorious Red Army!
Trotsky
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