Streams of Silver - Chapter Four
Feb. 29th, 2020 12:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kalinara posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
i_read_whatSo last chapter, my favorite character became an attempted rapist, while two others decided robbing and assaulting a woman was totally okay. This book hasn't ruined Wulfgar yet, but it's probably only a matter of time.
So we start off at the "Hosttower of the Arcane", which admittedly has a great description:
A landmark of wonder marked the very center of the City of Sails, a strange building that emanated a powerful aura of magic. Unlike any other structure in all the Forgotten Realms, the Hosttower of the Arcane seemed literally a tree of stone, boasting five tall spires, the largest being the central, and the other four, equally high, growing out of the main trunk with the graceful curving arc of an oak. Nowhere could any sign of the mason be seen; it was obvious to any knowledgeable viewer that magic, not physical labor, had produced this artwork.
We're told that each tower has a wizard who is responsible for watching and influencing the happenings in the direction they overlook. And hey, we're finally going to find out what's going on with the mysteriously knowledgeable guard, Jierdan.
Jierdan is working with Sydney, a younger mage in the Hosttower. She's female! Whoa. We're told, rather needlessly, that she's not a pretty woman and cared little for appearances, instead focusing on her ambition. She wants the title of Wizard.
Dendybar is also in this scene. We may remember him from Crystal Shard, where he was one of the wizards that manipulated Akar Kessell into killing his master. They question Jierdan about what our intrepid heroes are doing (presumably aside from almost raping someone). Jierdan is losing the mages' good will because he doesn't actually know where our heroes are now, on account of having lost sight of them after the bar fight.
Jierdan does not point out what I'm thinking, which is that he'd probably have a better shot of finding them if he were able to do that as opposed to reporting. He does tell us that he has the gates and piers monitored. Which won't do any good, given that they're already over the wall. I kind of feel sorry for Jierdan, so far he seems competent.
When he leaves, the mages discuss their intentions. Basically, they're looking for the Crystal Shard. The last they'd heard, Drizzt had fought and beaten Akar Kessell, so they figure he has it. This makes me roll my eyes even more at his saintly misunderstood sighing about his lack of recognition. No, dude, people know about your deeds. They just think you're an annoying dick.
Anyway, eventually Dendybar kicks Sydney out so he can start some kind of ritual. It sounds very impressive. What he actually does is summon the ghost of Morkai the Red, his predecessor. He has to be careful, he doesn't want Morkai to know what's going on, for fear that the information will spread "across the planes". He decides he wants to know what business Drizzt has in the city, and sends Morkai out to find out as much as possible in two hours.
So we follow Morkai out: he learns a lot. Apparently he likes the human world, and used to look in on the Ten-Towns. So he actually already knows much of our heroes. Of course he does. Anyway, he's not inclined to actually give Dendybar any useful information, so he dances around the subject a bit before cryptically explaining that they each have their goals and purposes. But even with this dancing about, he does end up revealing that Bruenor's looking for his homeland and Regis is on the run from Artemis Entreri, though he doesn't actually know why.
There is one thing that he does successfully keep from Dendybar though: Catti-brie has joined up with a group of traders, hoping to catch up with Drizzt and company. Huh, she actually might get to do something after all.
So now we join Catti-brie. She's left information about Entreri with Cassius, and Cassius will be warning the dwarves. She didn't want to wait for Clan Battlehammer to organize a chase: she's seen Entreri fight and figures that if the dwarves went after him in a frontal assault many more would die.
Really, Salvatore? I know, I know, Entreri is meant to be a match for Drizzt, but we're not supposed to be in "A Thousand Orcs" territory yet. A whole frontal assault of dwarves should be able to take one guy, even a tricky one.
Anyway, Catti-brie also acknowledges that she has some selfish motives too: when he took her captive, she'd been frightened and unnerved. She's humiliated by her reaction, and is afraid that the memory of that humiliation will haunt her and prevent her from moving forward. She intends to find her friends and work with them to take Entreri out.
That seems reasonable. And hey, she's actually getting to do something! It only took a whole damn book to get here, but better late than never.
So we start off at the "Hosttower of the Arcane", which admittedly has a great description:
A landmark of wonder marked the very center of the City of Sails, a strange building that emanated a powerful aura of magic. Unlike any other structure in all the Forgotten Realms, the Hosttower of the Arcane seemed literally a tree of stone, boasting five tall spires, the largest being the central, and the other four, equally high, growing out of the main trunk with the graceful curving arc of an oak. Nowhere could any sign of the mason be seen; it was obvious to any knowledgeable viewer that magic, not physical labor, had produced this artwork.
We're told that each tower has a wizard who is responsible for watching and influencing the happenings in the direction they overlook. And hey, we're finally going to find out what's going on with the mysteriously knowledgeable guard, Jierdan.
Jierdan is working with Sydney, a younger mage in the Hosttower. She's female! Whoa. We're told, rather needlessly, that she's not a pretty woman and cared little for appearances, instead focusing on her ambition. She wants the title of Wizard.
Dendybar is also in this scene. We may remember him from Crystal Shard, where he was one of the wizards that manipulated Akar Kessell into killing his master. They question Jierdan about what our intrepid heroes are doing (presumably aside from almost raping someone). Jierdan is losing the mages' good will because he doesn't actually know where our heroes are now, on account of having lost sight of them after the bar fight.
Jierdan does not point out what I'm thinking, which is that he'd probably have a better shot of finding them if he were able to do that as opposed to reporting. He does tell us that he has the gates and piers monitored. Which won't do any good, given that they're already over the wall. I kind of feel sorry for Jierdan, so far he seems competent.
When he leaves, the mages discuss their intentions. Basically, they're looking for the Crystal Shard. The last they'd heard, Drizzt had fought and beaten Akar Kessell, so they figure he has it. This makes me roll my eyes even more at his saintly misunderstood sighing about his lack of recognition. No, dude, people know about your deeds. They just think you're an annoying dick.
Anyway, eventually Dendybar kicks Sydney out so he can start some kind of ritual. It sounds very impressive. What he actually does is summon the ghost of Morkai the Red, his predecessor. He has to be careful, he doesn't want Morkai to know what's going on, for fear that the information will spread "across the planes". He decides he wants to know what business Drizzt has in the city, and sends Morkai out to find out as much as possible in two hours.
So we follow Morkai out: he learns a lot. Apparently he likes the human world, and used to look in on the Ten-Towns. So he actually already knows much of our heroes. Of course he does. Anyway, he's not inclined to actually give Dendybar any useful information, so he dances around the subject a bit before cryptically explaining that they each have their goals and purposes. But even with this dancing about, he does end up revealing that Bruenor's looking for his homeland and Regis is on the run from Artemis Entreri, though he doesn't actually know why.
There is one thing that he does successfully keep from Dendybar though: Catti-brie has joined up with a group of traders, hoping to catch up with Drizzt and company. Huh, she actually might get to do something after all.
So now we join Catti-brie. She's left information about Entreri with Cassius, and Cassius will be warning the dwarves. She didn't want to wait for Clan Battlehammer to organize a chase: she's seen Entreri fight and figures that if the dwarves went after him in a frontal assault many more would die.
Really, Salvatore? I know, I know, Entreri is meant to be a match for Drizzt, but we're not supposed to be in "A Thousand Orcs" territory yet. A whole frontal assault of dwarves should be able to take one guy, even a tricky one.
Anyway, Catti-brie also acknowledges that she has some selfish motives too: when he took her captive, she'd been frightened and unnerved. She's humiliated by her reaction, and is afraid that the memory of that humiliation will haunt her and prevent her from moving forward. She intends to find her friends and work with them to take Entreri out.
That seems reasonable. And hey, she's actually getting to do something! It only took a whole damn book to get here, but better late than never.