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i_read_whatSo last chapter, we actually got to see some of our heroes: Regis, the comically stupid halfling, Drizzt, the most famous character in Forgotten Realms history before he became big, and Bruenor, who is way too awesome for his book.
We haven't had much chance to actually get to know them beyond broad strokes, since Drizzt and Regis spent most of their sections navel gazing, but the banter between Bruenor and Drizzt was promising. And I didn't hate any of them. It seems like there's quite a lot to build on here. Another chapter of interaction and I could probably really get invested.
So of course, Chapter Four involves none of our heroes (...possibly). Instead we join a bunch of Viking stereotypes far north of the Ten Towns.
Look, I realize that in a book in a pre-established setting like this one, one of the first things a writer has to do is establish the villain and the stakes. But thus far, we've had one prelude and two chapters devoted to antagonists, and just one for the heroes that we're actually supposed to care about.
And so far, none of these adversaries are particularly compelling.
So as mentioned, we start this chapter "Many miles north of Ten-Towns". There is, to be fair, some lovely atmospheric description of the tundra, the bite of the wind, the icebergs in the Sea of Moving Ice, and so on.
This is where the tribes who usually follow the reindeer south have remained.
The leaders of the barbarian tribes are all meeting in a deerskin hall called Hengerot, or "The Mead Hall". I'm trying to figure out what a deerskin hall would actually look like. One very large tent, I guess? We're told that this is a "place of reverence, where food and drink were shared in toasts to Tempos, God of Battle."
I realize the barbarians are nomadic, but this sounds like a sacred site of some sort. Not just a one-time gathering point. So you'd think they'd have built some kind of permanent structure? But it's possible I've misunderstood.
We're told that King Heafstaag of the Elk Tribe is the last to arrive, and everyone's gathered together in Hengorot. We're told that while barbarian tribes often war with each other, they don't in Hengerot.
Barbarians are also very tall: standing a full head or more above the average inhabitant of Ten-Towns. This amuses me already, since the lead characters we've met so far are a dwarf, an elf and a halfling: already kind of short compared to a normal human. Wulfgar is going to be a GIANT compared to them.
Anyway, we're told that the Barbarians despise the people of Ten-Towns for being weak, wealth-chasers "possessed of no spiritual value whatsoever". Gee thanks.
We're introduced to a King named Beorg, and his guest, a mousey southerner named "deBernezan". Both Beorg and deBernezan are nervous for different reasons. deBernezan, because he's a foreigner among xenophobes, and Beorg, because he has the grand ambition to conquer Ten-Towns, enslave the surviving fishermen, and live well off the wealth they harvested from the lakes.
...Oh yeah, but the people of Ten-Towns are wealth-chasers. Okay. What does Mr. Salvatore have against fishermen?
That said, Beorg isn't simply being a dick, he sees this as an opportunity for his people to "abandon their precarious nomadic existence and find a measure of luxury they had never known". Which, okay, I can appreciate a little depth in my antagonists, but is there any reason the tribes can't do that now? Without the death and conquest? The Ten-Towns already welcomed a drow, would they really be opposed to a bunch of giant viking stereotypes?
We switch over to Heafstaag, who we're told is "intrigued" by the proposal. He seems to respect Beorg, noting that they've fought twice "on the field of honor with no victory to show for it" Heafstaag is intending to go along, as long as he has an equal share of leadership. Though he's less enamored of the notion of giving up nomadic ways, he's willing to allow Beorg his fantasies. "Let the plunder be taken and warmth secured for the long winter before he changed the original agreement and redistributed the booty."
Okay, I have to admit that while I did complain about getting yet another antagonist chapter so soon, the Barbarian Tribes are, so far, much more interesting than the distant demon and pathetic wizards we had before. While they are blatant Viking stereotypes without any of the more interesting traits, they do have at least a few layers.
Beorn is an idealist looking for a new life for his people, albeit one that's probably going to prove to be too big of a radical change. Heafstaag seems to be cunning and pragmatic. Both men know they're probably going to have to turn on the other after their initial goals are met.
We get a glimpse of one of the practices of the Tribes, and it seems a little nonsensical, but okay. Basically, it's the "Challenge of the Song". In which they sing refrains to Tempos, and it's considered a measure of the tribe's strength. They sing at a crescendo pitch and seek to drown out the others.
Apparently this has led to actual battle. I suppose this sort of thing makes a bit more sense in a world where bards have magic and Gods often make their presence known to the populace, but this seems a bit much. Anyway, the Wolf tribe (Beorg) and the Elk tribe (Heafstaag) are the last ones standing, and the challenge stops when Heafstaag's standard bearer comes in to blow a note on a whalebone horn.
We're told that the standard bearer is a youth, tall and proud, with "observing eyes that carefully weighed everything about him and belied his age"
While I don't know this for sure, I'm guessing from this clumsily notable description, that we're meeting Wulfgar, who will also end up being one of the main protagonists (and who was originally intended to be the main character of the story.)
I suppose that I can understand the original drive to have the Barbarian Wulfgar as the lead character, if I remember that we're talking about thirty years ago. After all, we had Conan and Red Sonja given life on the movie screen. The Nehwon stories of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are as much of an influence on early D&D as the Lord of the Rings. It's just unfortunate for Wulfgar that Mr. Salvatore gave his sidekick a much more compelling and interesting story.
Anyway, the meeting continues. We see yet ANOTHER impromptu competition in the listing of titles. Everything is a competition to these guys. No wonder they're always fighting. Heafstaag's list of titles and accolades overshadows pretty much everyone else's of course.
Poor Beorg gets overshadowed a lot in this meeting: by Heafstaag's herald bearer, by Heafstaag's size (Heafstaag, by the way, is very Odin-esque, with a missing eye and a crippled left hand), and Heafstaag's titles.
Anyway, there are more social graces. Heafstaag is appalled to see a weakling southerner in his presence. We get some cheerful misogyny when Heafstaag tells us "His place is with his own, or with the women at best.
Anyway, deBernezan is finally given the opportunity to justify his presence: basically once the Barbarians conquer the towns and take the wealth, they'll need someone who understands the southern marketplace.
Heafstaag doesn't approve of traitors and seems about to kill him, but deBernezan doesn't flinch (Beorg prepared him well), and gets a good line about "An honest man accepts all judgments of his chosen kings." He's accepted. And Beorg and Heafstaag agree to lead together and start the celebration.
There's some more indignity for deBernezan though, as we're told that if either of the leaders noticed the "puddle between his feet", he'd be dead. It seems really odd that anyone could miss that, really. Or miss the smell. We do get a good character beat when the "young standard bearer" (who is probably Wulfgar) notices the mess with amusement but chooses not to say anything.
Honestly, I'm not sure why Mr. Salvatore doesn't just name Wulfgar here, since we know he'll be important later. And this is a good moment for him. It'd be easier to remember if his name was attached.
We haven't had much chance to actually get to know them beyond broad strokes, since Drizzt and Regis spent most of their sections navel gazing, but the banter between Bruenor and Drizzt was promising. And I didn't hate any of them. It seems like there's quite a lot to build on here. Another chapter of interaction and I could probably really get invested.
So of course, Chapter Four involves none of our heroes (...possibly). Instead we join a bunch of Viking stereotypes far north of the Ten Towns.
Look, I realize that in a book in a pre-established setting like this one, one of the first things a writer has to do is establish the villain and the stakes. But thus far, we've had one prelude and two chapters devoted to antagonists, and just one for the heroes that we're actually supposed to care about.
And so far, none of these adversaries are particularly compelling.
So as mentioned, we start this chapter "Many miles north of Ten-Towns". There is, to be fair, some lovely atmospheric description of the tundra, the bite of the wind, the icebergs in the Sea of Moving Ice, and so on.
This is where the tribes who usually follow the reindeer south have remained.
The leaders of the barbarian tribes are all meeting in a deerskin hall called Hengerot, or "The Mead Hall". I'm trying to figure out what a deerskin hall would actually look like. One very large tent, I guess? We're told that this is a "place of reverence, where food and drink were shared in toasts to Tempos, God of Battle."
I realize the barbarians are nomadic, but this sounds like a sacred site of some sort. Not just a one-time gathering point. So you'd think they'd have built some kind of permanent structure? But it's possible I've misunderstood.
We're told that King Heafstaag of the Elk Tribe is the last to arrive, and everyone's gathered together in Hengorot. We're told that while barbarian tribes often war with each other, they don't in Hengerot.
Barbarians are also very tall: standing a full head or more above the average inhabitant of Ten-Towns. This amuses me already, since the lead characters we've met so far are a dwarf, an elf and a halfling: already kind of short compared to a normal human. Wulfgar is going to be a GIANT compared to them.
Anyway, we're told that the Barbarians despise the people of Ten-Towns for being weak, wealth-chasers "possessed of no spiritual value whatsoever". Gee thanks.
We're introduced to a King named Beorg, and his guest, a mousey southerner named "deBernezan". Both Beorg and deBernezan are nervous for different reasons. deBernezan, because he's a foreigner among xenophobes, and Beorg, because he has the grand ambition to conquer Ten-Towns, enslave the surviving fishermen, and live well off the wealth they harvested from the lakes.
...Oh yeah, but the people of Ten-Towns are wealth-chasers. Okay. What does Mr. Salvatore have against fishermen?
That said, Beorg isn't simply being a dick, he sees this as an opportunity for his people to "abandon their precarious nomadic existence and find a measure of luxury they had never known". Which, okay, I can appreciate a little depth in my antagonists, but is there any reason the tribes can't do that now? Without the death and conquest? The Ten-Towns already welcomed a drow, would they really be opposed to a bunch of giant viking stereotypes?
We switch over to Heafstaag, who we're told is "intrigued" by the proposal. He seems to respect Beorg, noting that they've fought twice "on the field of honor with no victory to show for it" Heafstaag is intending to go along, as long as he has an equal share of leadership. Though he's less enamored of the notion of giving up nomadic ways, he's willing to allow Beorg his fantasies. "Let the plunder be taken and warmth secured for the long winter before he changed the original agreement and redistributed the booty."
Okay, I have to admit that while I did complain about getting yet another antagonist chapter so soon, the Barbarian Tribes are, so far, much more interesting than the distant demon and pathetic wizards we had before. While they are blatant Viking stereotypes without any of the more interesting traits, they do have at least a few layers.
Beorn is an idealist looking for a new life for his people, albeit one that's probably going to prove to be too big of a radical change. Heafstaag seems to be cunning and pragmatic. Both men know they're probably going to have to turn on the other after their initial goals are met.
We get a glimpse of one of the practices of the Tribes, and it seems a little nonsensical, but okay. Basically, it's the "Challenge of the Song". In which they sing refrains to Tempos, and it's considered a measure of the tribe's strength. They sing at a crescendo pitch and seek to drown out the others.
Apparently this has led to actual battle. I suppose this sort of thing makes a bit more sense in a world where bards have magic and Gods often make their presence known to the populace, but this seems a bit much. Anyway, the Wolf tribe (Beorg) and the Elk tribe (Heafstaag) are the last ones standing, and the challenge stops when Heafstaag's standard bearer comes in to blow a note on a whalebone horn.
We're told that the standard bearer is a youth, tall and proud, with "observing eyes that carefully weighed everything about him and belied his age"
While I don't know this for sure, I'm guessing from this clumsily notable description, that we're meeting Wulfgar, who will also end up being one of the main protagonists (and who was originally intended to be the main character of the story.)
I suppose that I can understand the original drive to have the Barbarian Wulfgar as the lead character, if I remember that we're talking about thirty years ago. After all, we had Conan and Red Sonja given life on the movie screen. The Nehwon stories of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are as much of an influence on early D&D as the Lord of the Rings. It's just unfortunate for Wulfgar that Mr. Salvatore gave his sidekick a much more compelling and interesting story.
Anyway, the meeting continues. We see yet ANOTHER impromptu competition in the listing of titles. Everything is a competition to these guys. No wonder they're always fighting. Heafstaag's list of titles and accolades overshadows pretty much everyone else's of course.
Poor Beorg gets overshadowed a lot in this meeting: by Heafstaag's herald bearer, by Heafstaag's size (Heafstaag, by the way, is very Odin-esque, with a missing eye and a crippled left hand), and Heafstaag's titles.
Anyway, there are more social graces. Heafstaag is appalled to see a weakling southerner in his presence. We get some cheerful misogyny when Heafstaag tells us "His place is with his own, or with the women at best.
Anyway, deBernezan is finally given the opportunity to justify his presence: basically once the Barbarians conquer the towns and take the wealth, they'll need someone who understands the southern marketplace.
Heafstaag doesn't approve of traitors and seems about to kill him, but deBernezan doesn't flinch (Beorg prepared him well), and gets a good line about "An honest man accepts all judgments of his chosen kings." He's accepted. And Beorg and Heafstaag agree to lead together and start the celebration.
There's some more indignity for deBernezan though, as we're told that if either of the leaders noticed the "puddle between his feet", he'd be dead. It seems really odd that anyone could miss that, really. Or miss the smell. We do get a good character beat when the "young standard bearer" (who is probably Wulfgar) notices the mess with amusement but chooses not to say anything.
Honestly, I'm not sure why Mr. Salvatore doesn't just name Wulfgar here, since we know he'll be important later. And this is a good moment for him. It'd be easier to remember if his name was attached.