| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Copper Elven Vampire |
Posted - 27 Jul 2011 : 02:12:06
Re-reading TrOtAw trilogy again (#3 times reading book 1.)and wondering if Melagaunt truly was as polite and indifferently helpful while he played his part in the book? or did he have an alterior motive? Was he as evil as his brothers, or because he wasn't a Shade (the only one of the royal line)did that somehow give him a way to see through eyes other than Shars? Thanks. Villian or Anti-hero? |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Dennis |
Posted - 02 Aug 2011 : 16:01:11
He's dead. Otherwise, Telamont would not have needed Galaeron to pass on the phaerimm-knowledge that Melegaunt had surreptitiously implanted in the innocent elf. But, as many said, there's no such thing as "utterly dead" in D&D. I for one would be glad to see him again. Though the explanation for his resurrection/hibernation/recuperation must be considerably plausible. |
| Kilvan |
Posted - 02 Aug 2011 : 14:12:10
Slightly off-topic: Are we sure he died in RotAC? His faked death could have been the cherry on his plan to turn Galaeron to the dark si... errr... the shadow weave! IIRC, they never found the body (it was utterly destroyed I think), so no body = possibly no death. Maybe Telamont approved/ordered of this, so he kept him hidden afterwards.
Just a thought.
But for the OP, Melagaunt was certainly a villain, and a good one. Knowing that all his motives were weaved around manipulation and lies, that made him the more/only 3D character of the trilogy. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 02 Aug 2011 : 08:14:04
quote:
Originally posted by Kno
what people did he kill?
I thought that was rather obvious. |
| Kno |
Posted - 02 Aug 2011 : 08:02:02
what people did he kill? |
| Dennis |
Posted - 30 Jul 2011 : 15:01:02
If I were Netherese, would I view him as a hero? No, I would not---that is, if I were a "good" Netherese... Not when I know that there are possible, less harmful ways to set me and my brethren free from the endless, pervading shadows of the Plane of Shadow. What Melegaunt sought and employed in summoning Shade back to the Prime was unquestionably evil. And it might be the easy way, as the good ways are most often the difficult ones.
Would I see him as a hero knowing he killed thousands of innocent lives for us, and knowing that he needed not to if he explored and used some safer means? No. |
| Diffan |
Posted - 30 Jul 2011 : 14:31:12
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
quote:
Originally posted by Thelonius
So from the sight of Toril people he would be qualified as a mass murderer, manipulator and liar. But analizing only his actions, training Galaeron and sacrifing himself to bring back Netheril he could be labelled as hero-patriot, perhaps?
A real hero does not deceive nor kill thousands of innocent people.
But that's just from one point of view. If you've lived in/on Shade-Enclave for your whole life and see it's return to Faerūn at the hands of Melegaunt, I'm pretty sure you'd view him as a hero. Even if you were to later learn that his actions might have been the cause of thousands of deaths (being that the ends justify the means). Would a person, hearing that, feel sorry? Sure would. Would it undermine the fact that your no longer stuck in a perpetual plane of darkness, death, and violence? Nope, not one bit.
This debate reminds me of a Sig from one of the WotC-Boards posters DoctorBadWolf. It says: Being good means committing the same sins but finding better justifications for them. and it's SOO true, lol. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 30 Jul 2011 : 12:08:35
quote:
Originally posted by Thelonius
So from the sight of Toril people he would be qualified as a mass murderer, manipulator and liar. But analizing only his actions, training Galaeron and sacrifing himself to bring back Netheril he could be labelled as hero-patriot, perhaps?
A real hero does not deceive nor kill thousands of innocent people. |
| Thelonius |
Posted - 30 Jul 2011 : 11:28:41
Somehow after reading TrOtAw saga Melegaunt remained quite undisclosed to me. I still have to read it again, it is in my to-reread list. But somehow he left me a good for the netherese-nonunderstood for the rest taste. He is, ofc a hero for Netheril, someone who sacrificed himself to recover his homepeople from the Shade. He also trained and upgraded Galaeron's skills to a high degree; though putting him in extreme danger. He is a kind of great mentor-manipulator, not a big difference from Ghost-Obi-Wan if you ask me. So from the sight of Toril people he would be qualified as a mass murderer, manipulator and liar. But analizing only his actions, training Galaeron and sacrifing himself to bring back Netheril he could be labelled as hero-patriot, perhaps? |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 30 Jul 2011 : 05:41:19
quote:
Originally posted by Firestorm
Villain. Melagaunt's bio in Lords of Darkness makes it very clear that what he lacks in natural magical ability he makes up for with guile. It states that he has a knack for false empathy and deception and that he is a formidable manipulator.
No doubt the author took this into account when writing the book.
Pretty sure it's the other way around -- novels first, then the sourcebook. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 30 Jul 2011 : 02:42:08
Melegaunt was a good, if not an excellent, diviner. He seemed to have "prepared" Galaeron quite well for the Summoning. So, I guess, he must have divined his own death. Perhaps from the very start he already knew that loosing the phaerimm, stirring chaos in the Sword Coast, and summoning his home city were suicide missions... A villain who could lay down his life for a greater cause...Now that's something we don't regularly see. |
| Firestorm |
Posted - 30 Jul 2011 : 02:26:54
Villain. Melagaunt's bio in Lords of Darkness makes it very clear that what he lacks in natural magical ability he makes up for with guile. It states that he has a knack for false empathy and deception and that he is a formidable manipulator.
No doubt the author took this into account when writing the book. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 27 Jul 2011 : 12:46:52
Yes, you have the right of it, Diffan. He wouldn't kill people for the fun of it; much like his father. But just because he didn't revel in killing didn't excuse him from villainy. Non-Netherese people, for him, were mere tools---to be used to further his father's goals. He avoided killing people, or creating circumstances that would have them instantly killed (Heh, he even helped his little "band" in surviving the Dire Woods and Wulgreth's wrath). However, his wily manipulation of sentient beings (not just humans and elves), regardless of whatever harm it might bring them, for reasons all but "selfish," branded him a villain.
And of course, he's nice. One of my favorites, in fact. He shouldn't have died. Had he survived, I could imagine him bridging the presently widening gap between Brennus and Rivalen. He'd be furious at his father and Rivalen, no doubt. But I don't think he'd like to see his family fall apart. |
| Diffan |
Posted - 27 Jul 2011 : 12:11:03
..........but he's so nice!!
But yea, I think he had alterior motives to do what he did for the greater good of Netheril (which means, worse for everyone else). Do I think he's evil in the murderous sense? No, I don't think he would kill people just for the sheer fun of it and probably only when necessary. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 27 Jul 2011 : 02:37:49
He's a villain, no doubt.
He manipulated Galaeron to do as he wished. And that "accident" which breached the Sharn Wall was "staged," so the Realms in the Sword Coast would be busy helping Evareska rid the phaerimm while Shade transformed Anauroch to reestablish their empire.
He was simply too charismatic (the reason Telamont chose him for the job) that sometimes it covered his not-so-good intentions.
Also, in the short story Darksword, it appeared to me that he was responsible for the monsters' attack at the Vasans...And his motive clearly was so the Vasans would be left no other choice but to use his darkswords, be in his debt, and ultimately, be in his service. |
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