Streams of Silver - Chapter Ten
Apr. 12th, 2020 02:30 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 time, the villains all officially teamed up. And I'll give Mr. Salvatore credit that they do all seem considerably more competent than Akar Kessell. It's pretty obvious that the scheming/backstabbing will be their undoing, but in the meantime, I can actually believe these people will cause our "heroes" some stress.
And I admit, as annoying as I find Catti-brie's plot right now, I am happy she actually has one. And unlike certain other ladies in distress *cough*Alix*cough*, Catti-brie's reactions do make coherent sense.
We rejoin our formidable four as they leave Longsaddle. Thank god. They're refreshed by the visit and have a strong pace. Regis estimates three or four days to their destination, with Wulfgar concurring three, if the weather holds. I was a little puzzled by Wulfgar's sudden knowledge, but they did all look at a map during their last chapter as I recall.
Drizzt is a killjoy of course:
Drizzt shifted under his cowl. However pleasant the morning might seem to them, he knew they were still in the wilds. Three days could prove to be a long ride indeed.
I think that Mr. Salvatore intends these little asides to show us how Drizzt is wise and contemplative, and more cautious than the others. But honestly, it just makes him really fucking annoying.
Bruenor asks Regis what he knows about their destination: Nesme. Regis only knows what Harkle told them, though as a traveler, he can put the information in a useful context better than the others. It's a "fair-sized place" of traders, but they live on the edge of the Evermoors, and are therefore cautious.
I don't know what the Evermoors are, but I think that's one of those famous Forgotten Realms setting pieces, so I won't begrudge the lack of explanation here. It's the sort of thing I'd bitch about in a stand alone novel, but these are meant to tie-in to the game setting and assume familiarity. It's like fanfiction, or television/movie tie-in fiction in that way. It just happens that my groups tend to play home brewed settings so I don't really know much of this beyond the occasional computer game.
Anyway, Wulfgar is intrigued by the Evermoors because Harkle didn't really talk about them, except to shake his head and shiver. How useful. Bruenor thinks it can't be worse than the Icewind Dale. Regis is less convinced though, as he's heard tales of the "Trollmoors" and the northern cities all praise the Nesme folk's bravery in keeping trade routes open. Bruenor suggests that the tales might be self-aggrandizement from the Nesme folk themselves. Regis doesn't argue.
This is actually pretty interesting world building, credit where it's due. And there's some good character beats in this. Bruenor is being a bit stupid, in my opinion, by immediately dismissing the idea of danger. But at the same time, he's the one with the most investment in the quest. He's also the oldest and most jaded of them. (...well, maybe. Drizzt's age in Icewind Dale vs. his age as established later on is complicated. But at least if we take his age as established for most of the series, Bruenor is the older and in a later stage of life than Drizzt is.) It makes sense that he's not as impressed by stories as the more cautious Regis, and more adventurous Wulfgar.
Unfortunately the weather doesn't hold:
By the time they broke for lunch, a high haze veiled the sunshine. Away to the north, a black line of clouds had appeared, rushing their way. Drizzt had expected as much. In the wild, even the weather proved an enemy.
...yeeeeah. God forbid Drizzt ever be wrong.
Anyway, rain and hail hits. There's a nice little atmospheric bit about hailstones clinking off of Bruenor's helm. There's lightning and mud and of course Drizzt annoying the goddamn shit out of me:
"This is the true test of the road!" Drizzt yelled to them through the howling wind. "Many more travelers are defeated by storms than by orcs, because they do not anticipate the dangers when they begin their journey!"
I'll stop showcasing Drizzt's dialogue/narration when he stops being a fucking pill.
Anyway, Bruenor dismisses it as summer rain, but as though the gods themselves are punishing him for doubting the great Drizzt, his pony suddenly goes down, almost crushing him. Regis's also goes a bit nuts, but Regis dives out of his saddle and rolls away. Drizzt manages to keep his horse calm for a while, but eventually it jerks him to the ground. And then Wulfgar stumbles back toward them, dazed and droopy eyed and blood covered, before he keels over. So all the horses are gone then?
Regis saves the day, quickly finding them some shelter in what was probably an old wolf den. Drizzt and Bruenor drag Wulfgar inside. He's groaning, so he'll probably be okay, and the others manage to build a barrier of dirt and packs to protect against flooding. Drizzt guesses they'd only managed to travel ten miles before the storm, which disheartens Bruenor.
They leave the next day, which isn't raining, but there are still heavy clouds. Regis wants to stay behind until they're SURE the storm is past, which seems reasonable to me, but Drizzt points out that most of their provisions are gone, and they'll be stuck with dried bread until Nesme. "Hilariously", Regis is the first one out.
I hate suggesting this, but why not go back to Longsaddle and re-supply?
But anyway, Drizzt has spoken and Drizzt is always right. They venture out. Soon they find Wulfgar's horse and the mystery of what exactly happened to him is answered: his horse was struck by lightning. Wulfgar basically just walked that shit off. Wulfgar is pretty awesome. And I don't mind saying that because the narrative actually lets the kid have flaws.
Anyway, they walk for a miserable couple of days. Wulfgar is the "savior of the party's morale" by carrying Regis on his back (he claims he needs the weight for balance, and even manages to convince Bruenor to ride for a short time, with the same excuse.) I love Wulfgar so much. He also manages to be cheerful about the bad weather, claiming it's keeping away insects and orcs, and is ensuring they'll have water for months. He even does a cool hammer trick by timing the time between flash and thunder, and hitting a blackened tree with Aegis Fang JUST as the thunder hit.
Drizzt also silently approves of Wulfgar:
Drizzt, accepting this whole ordeal with his customary stoicism, silently applauded his young friend and knew again, even more than before, that they had made a wise decision in bringing him along. The drow understood that his own duty in these rough times was to continue his role as sentry, keeping his diligent guard despite the barbarian's proclamation of safety.
I'm probably being unfair to Drizzt, but does the narrative HAVE to make him sound so pompous EVERY SINGLE TIME?
Happily the weather finally clears, and Bruenor takes the lead again. He reminisces about his early life in Mithril Hall, where the dwarves made a living trading in crafted items but keeping the best to hang in the Hall of Dumathoin. He thinks about how Aegis-fang, Wulfgar's hammer and Bruenor's greatest work, might have hung in that hall too, sealing Bruenor's immortality in the legacy of his people. He has no regrets though, when he sees how well Wulfgar swings the hammer.
Ooo, cultural stuff! I like this!
Happily, the gang discovers they'd actually traveled farther than they thought. There's some banter about the quest and their individual motivations. Drizzt even joins in for once, letting Bruenor tease him a bit with how he tricked him into coming along. (And filling in the backstory for any readers who didn't read Crystal Shard). He also has an interesting insight into Wulfgar's motivation: he thinks he's running away from Catti-brie.
...is he? Obviously Bruenor's words get him thinking about Catti-brie, but he hasn't really thought about her at all before now. And Catti-brie hasn't really thought about him, as an individual either. Salvatore is going to have to do a bit more to sell me on them as a couple. Like anything.
The mood turns serious when Drizzt asks Bruenor what he's discerned about Regis's motives for coming along. Bruenor admits that he doesn't know, but he's basically figured out that whatever Regis is leaving is worse than this. Regis's own thoughts are how Entreri is a world away and he has no intention of dwelling on the danger that he's happily avoided. For now.
They reach the Dessarin, a big river, and cross it and continue toward Nesme. Eventually they encounter a battle. Riders against some kind of monster that Wulfgar can't identify. Our heroes jump in to help.
Apparently the monsters are three feet tall, with six foot long arms that they whack people with. I don't recognize them, but possibly a Forgotten Realms aficionado might. While the Bruenor and Wulfgar jump in, Drizzt is more cautious. He observes a bridge of logs, presumably made by the monsters. I kind of miss the gung ho blood thirsty Drizzt from Crystal Shard, but I admit, this behavior seems more compatible with the characterization that Salvatore seems to be going for. He finally acts, attacking a tree, but noting that his scimitars are not that useful against them.
It does save the rider though, and Drizzt changes tactics, diving at the creature's feet, and kicking it into the water. The downside is the rider then sees Drizzt clearly and freaks the fuck out, screaming Drow.
Reminder, Drow at this point in the setting are UNIVERSALLY evil and they only come to the surface to destroy settlements to a man. So this dude is not being unreasonable, really. Though it admittedly sucks for Drizzt. He manages to deflect the dude's axe, but still takes the flat to his head.
Regis, who had remained hidden, calls for Wulfgar, who grabs for the rider's bridle and pulls both horse and rider down. The poor dude's leg is crushed. And honestly, I don't think that's entirely fair. I mean, yes, Wulfgar is right to save his friend. But again, this reaction is NOT real world prejudice and is not unreasonable. So Wulfgar protects Drizzt, the creatures are routed, and Bruenor yells at the riders who are now circling Wulfgar and Drizzt for their poor welcome.
Wulfgar points out that the rider would have died if not for Drizzt, but the spokesman for the group says that as "Riders of Nesme", their lot is to die in the field. Okay...but you could still be grateful for the assist. The first dude's fear was reasonable in the heat of the moment, but now you can see that Drizzt is one dude and not apparently a threat.
Anyway, there's a pissing contest that happens when the gang reveals that Nesme is their destination. Finally the team figures that Nesme is a lost cause and they'll go straight on to Silverymoon. The riders taunt after them, and it's the sort of thing we're clearly supposed to see as them being racist dicks, but again, I mean...it'd be NICE if they gave our heroes the benefit of the doubt, but they don't have to. They're not attacking our heroes, which is good, but they also don't really have any responsibility to allow them into their town either.
They are kind of being cowards, being so afraid of ONE dude. But that's their right.
Anyway, during the back and forth taunting, Drizzt is concentrating on one quiet dude in the back. He'd apparently slipped his bow down and inched his hand toward his quiver. Drizzt decides, as they're leaving, that he's going to send a message. He quickly spins his own bow from his back and shoots an arrow into the dude's cap, parting his hair, and sticking in the tree behind him.
Drizzt accompanies the action with a warning about how he'll accept their "misguided insults", but he won't tolerate attempts to injure his friends and if they make another move against the group, they'll die.
It's hard to say whether or not that was the right thing to do. The quiet dude may have been just readying in case things went bad, or he might have been ready to shoot them in the back. Drizzt's read on the situation wasn't unreasonable, though I feel like that's not really the best way to make friends. But who would pass up the chance for a good Robin Hood moment?
Drizzt does note the irony that while he is shunned and threatened because of his race on one hand, on the other, the mystique makes intimidation very easy, and generally helps to dissuade a lot of enemies. That's fair.
Anyway, they're going to go straight into the Trollmoors. Bruenor is confident, Wulfgar not so much. And we're told that Harkle DID tell them a bit about this place. Nothing good.
We now skip to Dendybar, the evil wizard, who has summoned and dismissed Morkai the spirit. There's not much point to these two paragraphs, except to remind us that scary people know where they are. And our villainous team will probably get to Silverymoon first.
It's a pretty good chapter, really. Some nice set pieces along the journey. Regis and Wulfgar both had some good moments to shine. Drizzt's race is an obstacle again. We got some nice Dwarf cultural stuff from Bruenor. Not too shabby.
And I admit, as annoying as I find Catti-brie's plot right now, I am happy she actually has one. And unlike certain other ladies in distress *cough*Alix*cough*, Catti-brie's reactions do make coherent sense.
We rejoin our formidable four as they leave Longsaddle. Thank god. They're refreshed by the visit and have a strong pace. Regis estimates three or four days to their destination, with Wulfgar concurring three, if the weather holds. I was a little puzzled by Wulfgar's sudden knowledge, but they did all look at a map during their last chapter as I recall.
Drizzt is a killjoy of course:
Drizzt shifted under his cowl. However pleasant the morning might seem to them, he knew they were still in the wilds. Three days could prove to be a long ride indeed.
I think that Mr. Salvatore intends these little asides to show us how Drizzt is wise and contemplative, and more cautious than the others. But honestly, it just makes him really fucking annoying.
Bruenor asks Regis what he knows about their destination: Nesme. Regis only knows what Harkle told them, though as a traveler, he can put the information in a useful context better than the others. It's a "fair-sized place" of traders, but they live on the edge of the Evermoors, and are therefore cautious.
I don't know what the Evermoors are, but I think that's one of those famous Forgotten Realms setting pieces, so I won't begrudge the lack of explanation here. It's the sort of thing I'd bitch about in a stand alone novel, but these are meant to tie-in to the game setting and assume familiarity. It's like fanfiction, or television/movie tie-in fiction in that way. It just happens that my groups tend to play home brewed settings so I don't really know much of this beyond the occasional computer game.
Anyway, Wulfgar is intrigued by the Evermoors because Harkle didn't really talk about them, except to shake his head and shiver. How useful. Bruenor thinks it can't be worse than the Icewind Dale. Regis is less convinced though, as he's heard tales of the "Trollmoors" and the northern cities all praise the Nesme folk's bravery in keeping trade routes open. Bruenor suggests that the tales might be self-aggrandizement from the Nesme folk themselves. Regis doesn't argue.
This is actually pretty interesting world building, credit where it's due. And there's some good character beats in this. Bruenor is being a bit stupid, in my opinion, by immediately dismissing the idea of danger. But at the same time, he's the one with the most investment in the quest. He's also the oldest and most jaded of them. (...well, maybe. Drizzt's age in Icewind Dale vs. his age as established later on is complicated. But at least if we take his age as established for most of the series, Bruenor is the older and in a later stage of life than Drizzt is.) It makes sense that he's not as impressed by stories as the more cautious Regis, and more adventurous Wulfgar.
Unfortunately the weather doesn't hold:
By the time they broke for lunch, a high haze veiled the sunshine. Away to the north, a black line of clouds had appeared, rushing their way. Drizzt had expected as much. In the wild, even the weather proved an enemy.
...yeeeeah. God forbid Drizzt ever be wrong.
Anyway, rain and hail hits. There's a nice little atmospheric bit about hailstones clinking off of Bruenor's helm. There's lightning and mud and of course Drizzt annoying the goddamn shit out of me:
"This is the true test of the road!" Drizzt yelled to them through the howling wind. "Many more travelers are defeated by storms than by orcs, because they do not anticipate the dangers when they begin their journey!"
I'll stop showcasing Drizzt's dialogue/narration when he stops being a fucking pill.
Anyway, Bruenor dismisses it as summer rain, but as though the gods themselves are punishing him for doubting the great Drizzt, his pony suddenly goes down, almost crushing him. Regis's also goes a bit nuts, but Regis dives out of his saddle and rolls away. Drizzt manages to keep his horse calm for a while, but eventually it jerks him to the ground. And then Wulfgar stumbles back toward them, dazed and droopy eyed and blood covered, before he keels over. So all the horses are gone then?
Regis saves the day, quickly finding them some shelter in what was probably an old wolf den. Drizzt and Bruenor drag Wulfgar inside. He's groaning, so he'll probably be okay, and the others manage to build a barrier of dirt and packs to protect against flooding. Drizzt guesses they'd only managed to travel ten miles before the storm, which disheartens Bruenor.
They leave the next day, which isn't raining, but there are still heavy clouds. Regis wants to stay behind until they're SURE the storm is past, which seems reasonable to me, but Drizzt points out that most of their provisions are gone, and they'll be stuck with dried bread until Nesme. "Hilariously", Regis is the first one out.
I hate suggesting this, but why not go back to Longsaddle and re-supply?
But anyway, Drizzt has spoken and Drizzt is always right. They venture out. Soon they find Wulfgar's horse and the mystery of what exactly happened to him is answered: his horse was struck by lightning. Wulfgar basically just walked that shit off. Wulfgar is pretty awesome. And I don't mind saying that because the narrative actually lets the kid have flaws.
Anyway, they walk for a miserable couple of days. Wulfgar is the "savior of the party's morale" by carrying Regis on his back (he claims he needs the weight for balance, and even manages to convince Bruenor to ride for a short time, with the same excuse.) I love Wulfgar so much. He also manages to be cheerful about the bad weather, claiming it's keeping away insects and orcs, and is ensuring they'll have water for months. He even does a cool hammer trick by timing the time between flash and thunder, and hitting a blackened tree with Aegis Fang JUST as the thunder hit.
Drizzt also silently approves of Wulfgar:
Drizzt, accepting this whole ordeal with his customary stoicism, silently applauded his young friend and knew again, even more than before, that they had made a wise decision in bringing him along. The drow understood that his own duty in these rough times was to continue his role as sentry, keeping his diligent guard despite the barbarian's proclamation of safety.
I'm probably being unfair to Drizzt, but does the narrative HAVE to make him sound so pompous EVERY SINGLE TIME?
Happily the weather finally clears, and Bruenor takes the lead again. He reminisces about his early life in Mithril Hall, where the dwarves made a living trading in crafted items but keeping the best to hang in the Hall of Dumathoin. He thinks about how Aegis-fang, Wulfgar's hammer and Bruenor's greatest work, might have hung in that hall too, sealing Bruenor's immortality in the legacy of his people. He has no regrets though, when he sees how well Wulfgar swings the hammer.
Ooo, cultural stuff! I like this!
Happily, the gang discovers they'd actually traveled farther than they thought. There's some banter about the quest and their individual motivations. Drizzt even joins in for once, letting Bruenor tease him a bit with how he tricked him into coming along. (And filling in the backstory for any readers who didn't read Crystal Shard). He also has an interesting insight into Wulfgar's motivation: he thinks he's running away from Catti-brie.
...is he? Obviously Bruenor's words get him thinking about Catti-brie, but he hasn't really thought about her at all before now. And Catti-brie hasn't really thought about him, as an individual either. Salvatore is going to have to do a bit more to sell me on them as a couple. Like anything.
The mood turns serious when Drizzt asks Bruenor what he's discerned about Regis's motives for coming along. Bruenor admits that he doesn't know, but he's basically figured out that whatever Regis is leaving is worse than this. Regis's own thoughts are how Entreri is a world away and he has no intention of dwelling on the danger that he's happily avoided. For now.
They reach the Dessarin, a big river, and cross it and continue toward Nesme. Eventually they encounter a battle. Riders against some kind of monster that Wulfgar can't identify. Our heroes jump in to help.
Apparently the monsters are three feet tall, with six foot long arms that they whack people with. I don't recognize them, but possibly a Forgotten Realms aficionado might. While the Bruenor and Wulfgar jump in, Drizzt is more cautious. He observes a bridge of logs, presumably made by the monsters. I kind of miss the gung ho blood thirsty Drizzt from Crystal Shard, but I admit, this behavior seems more compatible with the characterization that Salvatore seems to be going for. He finally acts, attacking a tree, but noting that his scimitars are not that useful against them.
It does save the rider though, and Drizzt changes tactics, diving at the creature's feet, and kicking it into the water. The downside is the rider then sees Drizzt clearly and freaks the fuck out, screaming Drow.
Reminder, Drow at this point in the setting are UNIVERSALLY evil and they only come to the surface to destroy settlements to a man. So this dude is not being unreasonable, really. Though it admittedly sucks for Drizzt. He manages to deflect the dude's axe, but still takes the flat to his head.
Regis, who had remained hidden, calls for Wulfgar, who grabs for the rider's bridle and pulls both horse and rider down. The poor dude's leg is crushed. And honestly, I don't think that's entirely fair. I mean, yes, Wulfgar is right to save his friend. But again, this reaction is NOT real world prejudice and is not unreasonable. So Wulfgar protects Drizzt, the creatures are routed, and Bruenor yells at the riders who are now circling Wulfgar and Drizzt for their poor welcome.
Wulfgar points out that the rider would have died if not for Drizzt, but the spokesman for the group says that as "Riders of Nesme", their lot is to die in the field. Okay...but you could still be grateful for the assist. The first dude's fear was reasonable in the heat of the moment, but now you can see that Drizzt is one dude and not apparently a threat.
Anyway, there's a pissing contest that happens when the gang reveals that Nesme is their destination. Finally the team figures that Nesme is a lost cause and they'll go straight on to Silverymoon. The riders taunt after them, and it's the sort of thing we're clearly supposed to see as them being racist dicks, but again, I mean...it'd be NICE if they gave our heroes the benefit of the doubt, but they don't have to. They're not attacking our heroes, which is good, but they also don't really have any responsibility to allow them into their town either.
They are kind of being cowards, being so afraid of ONE dude. But that's their right.
Anyway, during the back and forth taunting, Drizzt is concentrating on one quiet dude in the back. He'd apparently slipped his bow down and inched his hand toward his quiver. Drizzt decides, as they're leaving, that he's going to send a message. He quickly spins his own bow from his back and shoots an arrow into the dude's cap, parting his hair, and sticking in the tree behind him.
Drizzt accompanies the action with a warning about how he'll accept their "misguided insults", but he won't tolerate attempts to injure his friends and if they make another move against the group, they'll die.
It's hard to say whether or not that was the right thing to do. The quiet dude may have been just readying in case things went bad, or he might have been ready to shoot them in the back. Drizzt's read on the situation wasn't unreasonable, though I feel like that's not really the best way to make friends. But who would pass up the chance for a good Robin Hood moment?
Drizzt does note the irony that while he is shunned and threatened because of his race on one hand, on the other, the mystique makes intimidation very easy, and generally helps to dissuade a lot of enemies. That's fair.
Anyway, they're going to go straight into the Trollmoors. Bruenor is confident, Wulfgar not so much. And we're told that Harkle DID tell them a bit about this place. Nothing good.
We now skip to Dendybar, the evil wizard, who has summoned and dismissed Morkai the spirit. There's not much point to these two paragraphs, except to remind us that scary people know where they are. And our villainous team will probably get to Silverymoon first.
It's a pretty good chapter, really. Some nice set pieces along the journey. Regis and Wulfgar both had some good moments to shine. Drizzt's race is an obstacle again. We got some nice Dwarf cultural stuff from Bruenor. Not too shabby.
no subject
Date: 2020-06-23 06:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-06-23 09:01 pm (UTC)