Streams of Silver - Chapter Seventeen
May. 30th, 2020 03:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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i_read_whatSo last time, our heroes met a really old dude and discovered the best way to find a lost city is through Post Traumatic Stress flashbacks.
In the meantime, god knows what our villains are doing. I think that's a bit of a problem in this book. The villains aren't incompetent, like Akar Kessell, and there's theoretically a decently high stake...albeit we really haven't had the chance to get to know Catti-brie before this book. That's a failing of Crystal Shard. The problem is, the villain plot feels almost like an afterthought.
I feel like the least Salvatore could have done was let them spring their trap. Or heck, maybe instead of Alustriel arbitrarily keeping Drizzt out, we could have had Sydney and Entreri convince the people of Silverymoon that Drizzt, as a drow, is evil. Admittedly, that sort of duplicity isn't really Artemis Entreri's style, but this was his introduction, so it could have been. The trap could have been effective in one sense, as they're believed, but a failure in another, since Drizzt and company were driven off instead.
At least I'd have felt like the villains did something.
So our heroes are traveling. Bruenor is still having the mother of all flashbacks, and is described as "Glassy-eyed and walking both in past and present". I feel like this isn't healthy, and Drizzt at least should be wise enough to see that. He's certainly been a killjoy about other things.
The characters are happy though, because they "apparently beat[] their worst enemy: time". Um, since when was there a time constraint on this mission? I mean, it makes some sense that having the search in the dead of winter wouldn't be feasible, but this has literally never been mentioned until now.
Bruenor is actually a bit more lucid though, which is better than I thought. He's understandably foul-tempered and yells at Regis, in particular, who can't keep up. We're told that Drizzt does manage to convince Bruenor to avoid Nesme, and he thinks they're why Alustriel kept him out of the city.
At camp, Wulfgar asks if Bruenor's increased obsession is because of the potion. Drizzt thinks it's more stemming from Bruenor having been forced to relive his worst experiences. Wulfgar notes that Bruenor is afraid, and thinks Bruenor's pushing too hard. Regis, in particular, can't keep up.
I think that's a really interesting insight from Wulfgar, who, at least by stereotype, ought to not have much patience with fear. Drizzt reassures Wulfgar, but privately, he's concerned too. Not about Regis, "[t]he halfling always found a way to come through better off than he should."
Fuck. You. Drizzt. Where were YOU when Regis went in, completely unarmed, to face down a god like wizard? Oh, yeah. You were napping on a goddamn cliff. I might be angry that Regis has revealed himself to be a gross rapist, and if you criticized him about THAT, I'd be on board. But Regis deserves his glory.
And if he doesn't deserve his glory, who does? Drizzt? That's what Crystal Shard implied, even though it was a team effort in the end. So much for Drizzt's modesty and humility.
Anyway, Drizzt is worried about Bruenor. He remembers how Bruenor had been when he crafted Aegis-fang (Wulfgar's hammer), and the acknowledgement that he could never outdo that work led to Bruenor not putting hammer to anvil again. He worries that finding Mithril Hall will mean Bruenor's glory will have past.
...that's a really absurd concern on the level of "what will the Dragonriders do if Thread doesn't exist?"
Drizzt goes to talk to Bruenor. They discuss future plans when the Hall is found. Um, rebuilding it? Re-establishing the kingdom? I feel like there's a lot of work and purpose built into the premise. Bruenor seems to agree, pointing out that he's King by right.
Drizzt points out that there was a reason Bruenor's entire clan fled, and asks if just they four are to defeat it. Bruenor, pressed, says that they'll send word to Icewind Dale and the rest of Bruenor's kin will come. He'll even call for the other dwarven cities for help. Drizzt decides to stop upsetting Bruenor with these questions.
So they make it to Dwarvendarrow, which is made up of dwellings made of great slabs of stone laid together like a house of cards. Bruenor remembers this place and is overcome. He knows the way. They decide to camp here and proceed in the morning. They should only be half a day away.
Now we rejoin our villains, who are giving chase. Bok apparently has been doing very well at keeping up. They make it to the ruins only a few hours after Bruenor and company left.
Catti-brie is watching and planning, and she's noticing that poor, likely doomed, Jierdan is seeming unsure of himself. Eventually they get to a strategic point and plan an ambush. Meanwhile, Catti-brie has managed to steel herself, but pretends to be frightened. Jierdan is ordered to stay with her, while Entreri, Bok and Sydney set up their trap.
Catti-brie starts working on Jierdan, telling him that Sydney's lost respect for him, Entreri has replaced him, and this is his one chance to prove himself. He actually falls for it, smacks Catti-brie to the ground and runs after Entreri.
Catti-brie pretends to be knocked unconscious, but she calculates her movements so that she can get her tied hands down around her legs and in front of her. Sydney doesn't notice.
So Jierdan challenges Entreri. Sydney orders Bok to stop the fight. Meanwhile, Catti-brie manages to get behind her, and whacks her in the back of her neck. She flees, hoping to get close enough to yell a warning to her friends. Sydney manages to redirect Bok after her, while the men continue to fight.
There's a pretty great taunt exchange here:
"You shall insult me no more!" Jierdan cried above the clang of steel.
"But I shall!" Entreri hissed. "There are many ways to defile a corpse, fool, and know that I shall practice every one on your rotting bones."
I don't think that sort of thing is really Entreri's style, but the taunt is a good one. Jierdan lasts longer than I'd have thought, but he's no real match for Salvatore's second love. He can't really understand why Sydney hasn't interfered by now, and when he goes to look, he sees Sydney on the ground. Jierdan sees this as a way to stop the duel while saving face. Entreri on the other hand, doesn't duel. When Jierdan turns around, he gets a jeweled dagger in the back.
Meanwhile, Bok is chasing Catti-brie. It's faster than she is, but she's quick to look for options. One comes to mind when she finds a slender stump of a tree on a cliffside. She manages to get the rope binding her over the stump, and jumps down, uprooting it and causing the cliff's loose stone to start crumbling. She manages to get out of the way, while Bok ends up buried. The chapter ends here.
Well, at least the villains are finally doing something. And Catti-brie's made up for her lack of plot in Crystal Shard, by being the only character facing any kind of stakes in this book. I was annoyed at the start of her story here, because while I'm not opposed to a character having a weakness, I know full well that Salvatore would never portray any of the men that way. But I am glad to see that she's overcome it. I'm proud of her.
In the meantime, god knows what our villains are doing. I think that's a bit of a problem in this book. The villains aren't incompetent, like Akar Kessell, and there's theoretically a decently high stake...albeit we really haven't had the chance to get to know Catti-brie before this book. That's a failing of Crystal Shard. The problem is, the villain plot feels almost like an afterthought.
I feel like the least Salvatore could have done was let them spring their trap. Or heck, maybe instead of Alustriel arbitrarily keeping Drizzt out, we could have had Sydney and Entreri convince the people of Silverymoon that Drizzt, as a drow, is evil. Admittedly, that sort of duplicity isn't really Artemis Entreri's style, but this was his introduction, so it could have been. The trap could have been effective in one sense, as they're believed, but a failure in another, since Drizzt and company were driven off instead.
At least I'd have felt like the villains did something.
So our heroes are traveling. Bruenor is still having the mother of all flashbacks, and is described as "Glassy-eyed and walking both in past and present". I feel like this isn't healthy, and Drizzt at least should be wise enough to see that. He's certainly been a killjoy about other things.
The characters are happy though, because they "apparently beat[] their worst enemy: time". Um, since when was there a time constraint on this mission? I mean, it makes some sense that having the search in the dead of winter wouldn't be feasible, but this has literally never been mentioned until now.
Bruenor is actually a bit more lucid though, which is better than I thought. He's understandably foul-tempered and yells at Regis, in particular, who can't keep up. We're told that Drizzt does manage to convince Bruenor to avoid Nesme, and he thinks they're why Alustriel kept him out of the city.
At camp, Wulfgar asks if Bruenor's increased obsession is because of the potion. Drizzt thinks it's more stemming from Bruenor having been forced to relive his worst experiences. Wulfgar notes that Bruenor is afraid, and thinks Bruenor's pushing too hard. Regis, in particular, can't keep up.
I think that's a really interesting insight from Wulfgar, who, at least by stereotype, ought to not have much patience with fear. Drizzt reassures Wulfgar, but privately, he's concerned too. Not about Regis, "[t]he halfling always found a way to come through better off than he should."
Fuck. You. Drizzt. Where were YOU when Regis went in, completely unarmed, to face down a god like wizard? Oh, yeah. You were napping on a goddamn cliff. I might be angry that Regis has revealed himself to be a gross rapist, and if you criticized him about THAT, I'd be on board. But Regis deserves his glory.
And if he doesn't deserve his glory, who does? Drizzt? That's what Crystal Shard implied, even though it was a team effort in the end. So much for Drizzt's modesty and humility.
Anyway, Drizzt is worried about Bruenor. He remembers how Bruenor had been when he crafted Aegis-fang (Wulfgar's hammer), and the acknowledgement that he could never outdo that work led to Bruenor not putting hammer to anvil again. He worries that finding Mithril Hall will mean Bruenor's glory will have past.
...that's a really absurd concern on the level of "what will the Dragonriders do if Thread doesn't exist?"
Drizzt goes to talk to Bruenor. They discuss future plans when the Hall is found. Um, rebuilding it? Re-establishing the kingdom? I feel like there's a lot of work and purpose built into the premise. Bruenor seems to agree, pointing out that he's King by right.
Drizzt points out that there was a reason Bruenor's entire clan fled, and asks if just they four are to defeat it. Bruenor, pressed, says that they'll send word to Icewind Dale and the rest of Bruenor's kin will come. He'll even call for the other dwarven cities for help. Drizzt decides to stop upsetting Bruenor with these questions.
So they make it to Dwarvendarrow, which is made up of dwellings made of great slabs of stone laid together like a house of cards. Bruenor remembers this place and is overcome. He knows the way. They decide to camp here and proceed in the morning. They should only be half a day away.
Now we rejoin our villains, who are giving chase. Bok apparently has been doing very well at keeping up. They make it to the ruins only a few hours after Bruenor and company left.
Catti-brie is watching and planning, and she's noticing that poor, likely doomed, Jierdan is seeming unsure of himself. Eventually they get to a strategic point and plan an ambush. Meanwhile, Catti-brie has managed to steel herself, but pretends to be frightened. Jierdan is ordered to stay with her, while Entreri, Bok and Sydney set up their trap.
Catti-brie starts working on Jierdan, telling him that Sydney's lost respect for him, Entreri has replaced him, and this is his one chance to prove himself. He actually falls for it, smacks Catti-brie to the ground and runs after Entreri.
Catti-brie pretends to be knocked unconscious, but she calculates her movements so that she can get her tied hands down around her legs and in front of her. Sydney doesn't notice.
So Jierdan challenges Entreri. Sydney orders Bok to stop the fight. Meanwhile, Catti-brie manages to get behind her, and whacks her in the back of her neck. She flees, hoping to get close enough to yell a warning to her friends. Sydney manages to redirect Bok after her, while the men continue to fight.
There's a pretty great taunt exchange here:
"You shall insult me no more!" Jierdan cried above the clang of steel.
"But I shall!" Entreri hissed. "There are many ways to defile a corpse, fool, and know that I shall practice every one on your rotting bones."
I don't think that sort of thing is really Entreri's style, but the taunt is a good one. Jierdan lasts longer than I'd have thought, but he's no real match for Salvatore's second love. He can't really understand why Sydney hasn't interfered by now, and when he goes to look, he sees Sydney on the ground. Jierdan sees this as a way to stop the duel while saving face. Entreri on the other hand, doesn't duel. When Jierdan turns around, he gets a jeweled dagger in the back.
Meanwhile, Bok is chasing Catti-brie. It's faster than she is, but she's quick to look for options. One comes to mind when she finds a slender stump of a tree on a cliffside. She manages to get the rope binding her over the stump, and jumps down, uprooting it and causing the cliff's loose stone to start crumbling. She manages to get out of the way, while Bok ends up buried. The chapter ends here.
Well, at least the villains are finally doing something. And Catti-brie's made up for her lack of plot in Crystal Shard, by being the only character facing any kind of stakes in this book. I was annoyed at the start of her story here, because while I'm not opposed to a character having a weakness, I know full well that Salvatore would never portray any of the men that way. But I am glad to see that she's overcome it. I'm proud of her.