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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5696 Posts |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Jan 2008 : 22:49:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Alaundo
Well met
This is a Book Club thread for the short story entitled "Mercy's Reward", by Mark Sehestedt, from the Realms of War anthology.
Please discuss herein.
Loved it.
I relish any opportunity to read about the Vil Adanrath. Loved the Native american feel he gave them in Frostfell, and enjoyed seeing them again! |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2450 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2008 : 05:59:08
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Ditto. I really like Haerul in this, even though he's got a small part. The fact that his very presence terrifies those who know the Wastes is great.
One thing I did have a problem with is that I thought the Tuigan were exaggerating when they said the big guy was an evil spirit. It wasn't until he showed up again at the end that I realized he was something more than human. And even then, he could have just been a druid. Not very likely, given what he was doing to wolves, but still possible. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Mark S.
Forgotten Realms Author
60 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2008 : 14:12:51
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Thanks for the kind words, guys. Much appreciated.
Hoondatha, regarding your point of the Tuigan calling the bad guy "an evil spirit." It wasn't an exaggeration so much as a different way of looking at the world. Reading through things like THE HORDE and other stuff over the years, it's seemed pretty evident to me that the Tuigan were heavily (and almost exclusively) based on the Mongols and Huns, who had a much more shamanistic/animistic outlook on the world than Westerners. So in calling the bad guy an "evil spirit," they probably didn't mean it literally as we Westerners would understand. They see everything in the world as "spirit" on some level. Most ancient cultures didn't really make the distinction between the material and the spiritual that we do today.
As for exactly what Vurzhad was... probably not a druid, no. In game terms, I'd guess he's probably closest to the Arcane Hierophant (Races of the Wild, pp. 108-113) --- a blend of elemental and arcane power.
Thanks again, guys! |
Edited by - Mark S. on 30 Jan 2008 14:17:28 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2008 : 14:18:51
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Hello Mark!
I have not bought the 'Realms of War' yet, but the following question, being anwered in the positive, might very well convince me to do so! Therefore I have to ask:
Is your story in this Anthology somehow connected to your novel 'Frostfell'?
From the questions/comments herein it seems to be so.
Ergdusch |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 30 Jan 2008 14:19:46 |
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Mark S.
Forgotten Realms Author
60 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2008 : 15:01:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Ergdusch
Is your story in this Anthology somehow connected to your novel 'Frostfell'?
The storyline isn't connected, but some of the characters in Frostfell are in this story.
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2450 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2008 : 18:28:03
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Hmm, I don't think I articulated my point correctly.
What I was trying to say was that I was confused as to whether Vuzhad actually was a "spirit" (which I'll define as "something not of the natural world"), since to that point he seemed to be a normal, though large, man. I was half-convinced that the Tuigan were lying about what he was to make their defeat more palatable. There was none of the fear of the otherworldly and powerful that you had in Frostfell when they realized they were facing a "vildonrat" (which remains one of my favorite parts of that book).
Looking over your post again, I see what you're saying. Unfortunately, I don't think there's enough room in a short story to articulate something like that, since we readers come with a more "western" idea of an evil spirit, and most of us also come with a D&D idea as well. I don't have a simple solution to offer you, but I did want to point out that that was a point where you lost me in the story, where I had several ideas that were all very different than what you meant, and that reconciling them took a bunch of effort once we got to the end of the story. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2008 : 23:00:08
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| I enjoyed this one. Good to read about the Lythari again and Mr. Sehestedt's take on the Tuigan (which we didn't get to see in his novel Frostfell.) My only nitpick is that the protagonist really didn't get to make any choices in course of the story. We get to see him freeing the Lythari, but this happens in flashback, and it was hinted at in the start of the story. |
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2008 : 23:02:39
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Oh also, the descriptive language was beautiful.
"every star seemed a diamond relecting distant fire." |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2008 : 01:00:59
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| I loved this story! It was one of my favorites. I found it to be pretty suspenseful through and through, and like the protagonist I was never sure of what was going to happen next. And of course, it was a pleasure to see the Vil Adanrath again. I find them fascinating. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Mark S.
Forgotten Realms Author
60 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2008 : 22:33:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Hoondatha
I was half-convinced that the Tuigan were lying about what he was to make their defeat more palatable. There was none of the fear of the otherworldly and powerful that you had in Frostfell when they realized they were facing a "vildonrat" (which remains one of my favorite parts of that book).
They weren't lying. They have a healthy fear and respect for the shu t'met (as they call them), and Vurzhad was hardly the only one roaming that part of the world. They're absolutely terrified of the "vildonrat" (as they call them). They have experience with both shu t'met and vildonrat, but the vildonrat do something that the shu t'met don't: They travel in packs.
quote:
Originally posted by HoondathaLooking over your post again, I see what you're saying. Unfortunately, I don't think there's enough room in a short story to articulate something like that, since we readers come with a more "western" idea of an evil spirit, and most of us also come with a D&D idea as well. I don't have a simple solution to offer you, but I did want to point out that that was a point where you lost me in the story, where I had several ideas that were all very different than what you meant, and that reconciling them took a bunch of effort once we got to the end of the story.
Good point!
quote:
Originally posted by RodOdom
My only nitpick is that the protagonist really didn't get to make any choices in course of the story. We get to see him freeing the Lythari, but this happens in flashback, and it was hinted at in the start of the story.
That's a very good point. Although in my mind Gethred wasn't the protagonist. Holwan is the true hero of the story. He's the one who gives his life for duty. Gethred's act of mercy in freeing the wolf was motivated more by desperation than true altruism.
A thousand thanks to everyone for their kind words and criticism. It has not fallen on deaf ears. I'm staying off the messageboards throughout Lent. See you after Easter!
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avaz
Acolyte
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - 08 Feb 2008 : 19:14:17
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| Extremely enjoyable story. Vurzhad was pretty scary and came across as pretty unstoppable and primal. |
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Kyrene
Senior Scribe
South Africa
758 Posts |
Posted - 04 Aug 2008 : 07:06:29
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quote:
Originally posted by RodOdom
My only nitpick is that the protagonist really didn't get to make any choices in course of the story.
I actually thought this was a strong point of the story. We are never sure if Gethred will make it or not. What this did show was how strong an impact one random act of kindness can have. I loved Frostfell and I liked this little gem a lot too. |
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Realms of War: "Mercy's Reward"
