Ashes of the Tyrant - Chapters 10-12

[Chad]

Happy Monday everyone, and welcome to the thread for the next section.

[Erin]

Let's see...

So Havilar's real secret: I have to admit, I didn't know exactly what this was when I started. I knew from the beginning that Havilar had some big trauma in her past, something that she's always turning away from, something that makes Farideh extra-protective. As the books went on, I'd discarded a lot of possibilities. I thought it was just going to be "Arjhani left" by the time I got here, but in turning that over...it didn't properly explain everything that had come before. And it didn't feel like Havilar entirely.

I don't, for the record, think she tried to kill herself. But I think the circumstances made her doubt herself and more, made her doubt that her family believes and trusts her, such that certain aspects of her personality are solidified around this.

The ancestor story here...is really blatantly Spartacus, I know. :p It was originally just going to be a draft that I worked away from. But I wound up really liking it.

Shetai was a character I originally came up with to be the villain in Brimstone Angels, before I was told to set it in Neverwinter. I'm glad I found a spot for the devious paelyrion, :)

[Jon]

Again, the introductory Ancestor story. Again, the nice addition to the sense of depth that the Vayemniri have as a culture. I am never going to get bored of these things. Although, the ending of the scene was indeed Spartacus, that isn't the first reference that came to mind. Monty Python's Life of Brian came to me first: "I am Esham-Ana! And so is my wife!" It actually made me giggle. Sorry.

I think you were right to expand on the shadows in Havi’s past, Erin. I had always felt that there had to be more to her feelings about Arjhani than just his leaving. Kudos to you for finding a way to pay it off in a satisfying fashion.

Havi's sparring session was both enjoyable and gut-wrenching by turns. It was nice to see her be able to hit something again, even if it was (mostly) sparring, rather than prowling around, on edge, looking for answers and throwing up… but her meeting with Arjhani, while not unexpected, made me even more annoyed with him. As I said before, he is totally lacking insight. Still, it set the stage nicely for Havi to actually confide in Brin which gets a hearty “YAY!” from me.

The scenes featuring Mehen and his dealings with clan politics, and his own place in them, are rapidly becoming favourites. My first 4E character was a Dragonborn Paladin named Knohj Wigsplitter (yes, yes, I know) who survived 30 minutes into my first ever 4E game (Keep on the Shadowfell) at which point we met with the, now famous, Irontooth TPK. After that experience, I rather went off them as a species. Scenes like these have me itching to play one again.

Shetai was interesting. I thought that the Erinyes’ reaction to… it was an excellent way to set the atmosphere before Lorcan arrived. The exchange with the Paelyrion was not overly threatening in itself, so having had the sense of threat established beforehand definitely helped me to grok this scene. I often wish that we had illustrated editions of Erin’s books. This is one of those times, I would have loved to see an image of the desperately insouciant Lorcan standing-small before the pale bulk of this Baatezu. There was mention of nobody managing to demote Shetai… I have to wonder what kind of actions precipitate being promoted to that state?

Fari’s meeting with Ilstan went about as well as I was expecting. The shift to untranslated Draconic as we moved to Ilstan’s POV was a very nice touch. It was nice to see something I suspected being vocalised by Fari: What if Ilstan is being lied to? A more terrifying thought is: What if he isn’t? Either way, Fari getting Dahl’s note made me seven shades of happy… finding her in Lorcan’s arms again, at the end of the chapter, most certainly did not.

Question for Erin: Were you always sure that you would take them to Djerad Thymar?

I don’t remember having had many chances to visit Dragonborn cities since they were introduced in 4E. So I was wondering whether any part of this was an intentional desire to remedy the lack, or was it was purely because the story itself required it?

[Erin]

I wasn't sure--I can vaguely recall toying with the idea of having Uadjit be sent as an ambassador to Cormyr and having Arjhani go with her--but probably by Adversary I knew I'd like to.

I did a document for the RPG team that collected everything that had been said in the novels and games about dragonborn in Faerun, plus everything that had been implied, plus things I thought should be included to fill holes (no "watch" to speak of, no industries, only one city, etc.). By the end of that, I really wanted to write in Djerad Thymar...and I think I also had convinced everyone who saw that thing that it might be dangerous to stop me. ;)

Your comment reminds me though: There's translating in this chapter!

Kallan, akison? (Kallan, yeah?)
Wushzarath sathi? (What's up, man?--literally, "What's at your back?" and a word that approximates "dude.")
Sjath vethkeshka, (Doing well.--literally "Still have a shadow!")
Irth Verthisathurgiesh Farideh. (This is Verthisathurgiesh Farideh.)
Thyr irth? (Is she?)
Ariverthisathurgiesh. (Verthisathurgiesh claims her)
Irth ir-okhuir tuorth. Irth renthizhath munthrarechi. Akison? (She wants to see him. She speaks Common. Got it/Yes?)

Ir tuorth arcanish. Um, lefanthish. Ya lefanthish. Deshkrouth?(He wants magic. Um, a wizard. I'm a wizard. Is it okay?)
Thrik. Thrik. Ghorosh ir Verthisathurgiesh ir svent-sinti! (No. NO. The last Verthisathurgiesh almost killed him!)

[Jon]

Thanks for the response, Erin. I am not surprised that constructing the RPG team primer helped compel you in this direction. When constructing campaign material, I have often found that when I compile Realmslore (for background on characters or distant references) for my group I am increasingly drawn to setting further adventures in that location. Somehow the lack of details draws you in. Maybe that is why I also like storytelling that doesn't always give you all the answers.

Thanks also for the translation. I was using the language resources on your blog to fill out the general sense of the discussion from that scene but it was slow going.

My apologies if you get this question often, but how do decide how well a prospective element fits with the Vayemniri culture? When you look at the possibilities for filling a vacuum you perceive in the lore of the Realms... how do you, personally, decide which is the best fit? Especially with one that seems to be one that is so... traditionalist (living in Japan has suggested more than a few parallels).

[Erin]

Usually it's the case that there are a few pre-determined details that suggest the shape of what comes in between. Plus the question of what serves the story.

The ancestor stories for example: to begin you have the very basic story outlined in the FRCG. "Dragonborn were created in Abeir to serve the dragon tyrants, who they eventually overthrew." You know the limitations Abeir and Dragons place on them--no gods, little magic, very tough and wily masters--and you get an idea of what fighting the system might look like--a team effort, clever tactics, victory bit by bit and hard won. Which points to some traits that would be prized culturally.

Then you have the clans and they'd have slightly different takes on those values. Kepeshkmolik, Yrjixtilex, and Verthisathurgiesh are the most important clans in this story, and Uadjit, Kallan, and Mehen best exemplify those. So the three ancestor stories ought to point at traits that these clans value and that these characters exemplify. So the Deaths of the Elders in Raurokh is about obedience to your elders and order, which Uadjit is the best at. The Many Esham-Ana is about how openness gains allies and strengthens the group, and Kallan achieves a lot more by just being a friendly dude. And the last story, The Tale of the Crippled Mountain is about being clever, using teamwork and any resources, and being willing to make sacrifices for the greater good, which sounds pretty Mehenish.

(And I just realized something thematic about The Devil You Know. So thank you for asking!

[Justin]

I'm running a bit behind. But then I accidentally blew into chapter 13 without noticing, so while I'm behind, I'm not as behind as I thought. :)

Anyway, Havi's story: I guess I was surprised that this was all it was, given how much shame she felts over it. I mean, she was a pre-teen (or something close, I forget exactly), and made a stupid, irrational decision that almost got her killed. I didn't get the feeling it was a suicide attempt either, just a decision that she made despite knowing better. She was a kid, and kids do stupid, poorly-considered stuff. I'm surprised as a twenty-something that she still thinks that Brin might think differently of her for something she did so long ago. Granted, maybe it doesn't feel like that long ago for her, given the stasis-time jump in the Adversary, but she's a grown-up now. ;)

Other quick hits:
* Loved the over-protective Mot. "What are you doing with our Chosen?"
* Also love that standard clean-up for a public vomiting in a Dragonborn city is to torch it with their firey breath. As I'm sure we've said before, this book basically is defining dragonborn culture for the Forgotten Realms, and it's loads of fun.
* Chapter 11, racing through the crypts: I was surprised they weren't more cautious given that the demon might still be about. I guess there were more people milling about in these tombs than I was imagining, but it seemed weird to not be particularly concerned about encountering that demon again when Fari and Kallan were investigating.

Anyway, I'll see if I can at least get caught up with the 13-15 thread before 16-19 drops on Monday!
-j

[Erin]

You have the right idea there--this was only six or seven years ago for her, and it's something that's dramatically shaped her relationship with her family ever since. Mehen and Farideh on some level don't trust her--if Brin didn't trust her, that would wreck her. So she's coped by just pretending really really hard that it didn't happen. This might be the first time she's said these things out loud.