[Karsa Orlong]

JDP: Having leprosy unfortunately does have to define who TC is, that's the whole point, if it stops defining who he is in his own mind even for a few minutes then he dies, period. His (initial) reaction to the land, in context with that leprosy, is also a necessary and thoroughly realistic one. Of course, Donaldson is the absolute master of developing characters, and Covenant evolves massively during the course of the series, but even his initial character to me shows Donaldson's intimate understanding of human psychology and is far from being a "tool to serve the storyline".