I have long believed that had Chaos energy not been tainted by the void long ago, we would have a very different viewpoint of the element as a whole. With that in mind, I would choose to side with the trait of randomness, over undeath and destruction. I have never encountered a being of undeath that didn't, at some point, believe that they knew better than the rest of the world about who deserves to live, who deserves to die, and who should be added to their army as undead thrall. I cannot, in good conscience, put an element of undeath in the lead role of keeping the other totems in check, lest we repeat the mistakes of the past.
Binar, I humbly implore you to consider broadening your perception of higher minded undead, as your statement doesn't hold true for all of them. Just talk to Wayside's current Admiral for starters. Now I am not deeply studied in the Earth Magics enough to refute theoretical claims about what the purest form of Chaos represents. I just know that there was nothing demonstrated last weekend that would suggest that Fruity or Buggy would not use necromancy. Especially considering how flagrantly their father wishes to practice it.
The Bat totem practices undead, no matter who will be the totem. We have the unique opportunity to have a say on how that is done. Dismissing the one overt totem candidate believing it will remove undeath from the cycle, I believe is a largely unfounded theory. I find it additionally baffling that Fruity is seen as the better candidate that wouldn't use necromancy when she represents pure chaos and randomness. She is capable and willing to do *anything* at a moment's notice.
Bloody while aggressive, will use necromancy with a distinct purpose. He is the only candidate who's goals mirror our own: the totem cycle should not be under the threat of total collapse again. This is a use of necromancy/chaos that intends to bring balance to life. Now I don't like chaos/necromancy, but I also acknowledge it can not be fully removed from existence. So I'd rather we have someone who wields it rationally and with purpose. We can talk and reason with an undead with principles. It has been done several times before by the adventuring community over the years.
Which brings us to Fruity. Fruity has no set principles. She steals one minute, feels bad about it the next, and then promptly steals again. She says she values one form of competition, then dismisses it in the next breath. Fruity is a wildcard; and while I greatly enjoy wildcard characters in my fiction, they don't belong in a circle that is suppose to be balanced. There is nothing shown from Fruity's actions that would suggest that a similar cataclysmic threat to the totems would not happen again under her tenure, in fact I'd argue there is a greater chance it happening with her than Bloody. Bloody's focus would be with the totem itself. Fruity will interact and affect anything and everything in existence. If we pick Fruity, make no mistake, she will put us in a situation where we will have to defeat her and start the whole totem process all over again.
Now all of that said, I have no doubt that no matter who we pick, they will most likely become a potential adversary down the road. Apprentice DeSylvia and I remarked on this thought privately last weekend. I would rather deal with an adversary I understand than one that I, by her very nature, will never understand.
Sam