All Comments on 'A Dream of Empire Ch. 016'

So we can assume that Alanna heard the complete conversation between Talos and Tanya and may have even adviced Talos. Poir Tatianna getting ensnared by the two of them.

Re Combat Enchanteress, trying to resurrect the thoughts. (lesson: always take notes :-)

Ideally, conflicts, including potential battle and mayhem, could often be entirely steered into something non-violent. Opposing forces transformed. Surrenders negotiated without lethal combat. Alliances, truces created. Sort of reverse-Clausewitz: policy is a continuation of war with a subtraction of violent means. More tactically, any hierarchical organization, even a raiding party, has structure that can be disrupted; internal dissent amplified, personal animosities towards leadership exploited, etc. She would be able, with practice and training (and study), to very quickly and reliably determine these structures and their in-the-moment weaknesses. Perform improvised transformative manipulations. (Does the Law of Consent apply if the subjects don't notice the changes because they're too subtle for the subjects to notice? Also, enchantresses are surely very talented at acquiring consent.)

If actual combat is required, it's easy, but possibly boring, to go down the straight-up mind-control route, like in the movie Push (2009). In one battle scene a woman is controlling a bunch of men as slaved semi-autonomous gun platforms. (She can also change/implant memories.) I'm sure there are other such shows and movies since.

But more generally, the thoughts were roughly things like the opponents suddenly deciding to switch sides for reasons that make sense at the time. Why are they fighting? Are their motivations sufficient? What exactly are their emotions of the moment (love? lust? apathy? depression? crippling fear? bliss?). They might suddenly forget that man-with-sword is behind them, or in front of them for that matter. Or better, wonder why they have their sword out, and then holster it. Or daydream so hard about their love/lust/desire objects that they do not pay attention to their surroundings. If Alanna shares Talos' point of view, then she knows the tactical situation around him at least to the extent he does, or more, and can improvise such changes on a tactical level. Speed would be important. Combined with that custom spell that Tatiana does that eliminates some of the motion-time (? somehow without disrupting Talos's already excellent physical combat speed and timing, and luck), any actual mayhem, if it came to that, would be entirely one-sided.