>> Lalia is human land AFAIK.
>Officially Lalia is a Blank Land
Not any more (makes little difference in practice).
>> I would dump the childhood association with Harandos. Garundyer's
>> power and insight comes from within himself, not because he's a
>> childhood pal of a Grey Sage who has a copy of "how to to be an
>> Orlanthi Hero in 20 easy lessons".
>No! I don't see Harandos as being the giver of insight or any power,
>but certainly a friend of Orlanths, perhaps only a few years older.
If Harandos is not a "giver of insight or power" then it makes little sense for Garundyer to have him on his Iron Council. This is a council of heroes, not childhood buddies of Garundyer. Compare the Knights of the Round Table. King Arthur doesn't stack it with people he played hide-and-go-seek with at the age of two, but Knights of proven ability. The Iron Council should likewise be such an organization.
>> >Here, in this ravine, they
>> >disturbed a wyrm. [...] The wyrm, however, was seeking only to be left
>> >alone - - and killing children does not make for a quiet life.
>> Ormsland is a land packed with barbarian dragonewts who eat humans.
>I'd be surprised if a few degenerates don't exist. Certainly I see
>Ormsland having more than its fair share of dinosaurs.
That's not the point. If the dragonewts of the land regularly eat humans then why would Orlanthi single out a wyrm if it ate someone wandering around in its lair?
>> >Amazed
>> >by the human's virtue (Garundyer never acted against the wyrm once
>> >the wyrm began to aid him) the draconic beast became quite enamoured
>> >with the youth, and taught him three secrets.
>> Garundyer should not have any draconic secrets. Orlanthi don't need
>> them. Secondly he comes from Alakoring's land which is so vehemently
>> anti-dragon.
>[...] I don't think being friends with a wyrm is an
>awful thing, it is quite interesting, and adds colour to his youth,
>and a wyrm is not a dragonewt.
I never said a wyrm was a dragonewt, I said "draconic" meaning anything to do with Dragons, which wyrms must assuredly are (why do you think they called the EWF the Empire of the Wyrms' Friends?) If Garundyer is buddies with a Wyrm and know some of his secrets, then his name would be mud in Lankst which is not the case.
>> Why should Orlanthi settle their differences? The feud that destroyed
>> Harmast's family was started by a divorce. Given Owain's grieviances,
>> I expect him to be haunting Garundyer to the end of time, not simply
>> kiss and make up in the next sentence.
>If this were to be a book, or a novel, Owain's hatred would occupy a
>vast portion of it,it was no small hatred - but this was just a
>selection of brief notes.
Given that you wrote these notes to convey to us your impression of Garundyer, the fact that your conception of him has Owain acting somewhat unOrlanthi is independent of your presentation style.
>I think that having Owain befriend him
>about fifteen years later is good because (a) I like the idea that
>one of Garundyer's Heroic fighting companions is crippled
A more Orlanthi way would have Owain be one of Garundyer's companions who dares to suggest that they retreat before an onslaught of Telmori. Garundyer would then say "What? Without a scratch" and kneecap Owain for his impertinence.
>(b) it
>shows that Garundyer has not as many internal problems within Lankst.
But Orlanthi do not settle their internal problems by forgiveness.
>Certainly Garundyer has been set up as THE Lanksti Hero, liked and
>loved by all. I mightn't go the whole way on supporting such an idea,
>but I think Owain's forgiveness is a sign of Garundyer's worth - and
>he IS a worthy person (to an orlanthi, anyhow).
Why would Orlanthi forgive? It does nothing to Garundyer's reputation if Owain forgives him. OTOH if Owain musters twenty armed men to ambush Garundyer in revenge and Garunbdyer killed them all, then his reputation would soar. Garundyer is liked by Orlanthi because he acts according to _their_ norms, not christian ones.
>> But why mention the spear if he loses it in
>> an anticlimatic battle?
>As for the battle being
>anticlimatic, I think this quite harsh considering that I did say it
>was just in note form,
As I said before "you wrote these notes to convey to us your impression of Garundyer". If an episode does little or nothing to help us understand how you see Garundyer then it can be safely left out.
>Okay, the children managed to flee, saved by one of the
>adults who held the Telmori off. If you want to add colour, Garundyer
>would probably have tried to stay, forced to rout only by the
>authority of his father.
A father's authority does not have the same force in Orlanthi society as it does in, say, Japanese or Roman society. Garundyer could have quite happily disobeyed pop in these circumstances with little or no shame.
>> Surely Garundyer should do this epic deed [kill a Telmori Shaman]?
>While I see the childhood hero elements within Garundyer I don't
>think it suitable for a nine year old to slay the evil shaman - far
>better for an ally to do it in his name. If this were a myth, a
>legend, then perhaps, but reality doesn't always follow the heroic
>monomyth that you'd imagine.
Yet Garundyer is felt to be an epitome of an Orlanthi Hero while he is still alive. Hence I do feel it appropiate for him to kill the Telmori Shaman.
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