13 years ago
Tue Jun 21 2011, 06:35pm
Rolf's sister Carryn, her bondmate and children all died in the plague, however there was more to them than people thought, including Rolf and Mona. What was this 'more'?
Carryn's bondmate came from the Red Queen's land. Although it was not a part of Dragon's dream memory, on the night the Red Queen was killed so too were all others who's lineage could be traced back to the royal family. Carryn's bondmate was a distant relation to the queen. He was taken to sea on the same vessel as the queen and went down with the ship when it was sunk by the beasts who answered the her call. He was to drown if it had not been for a ship fish. It had heard the Queen's call, but came too late. The shipfish felt the man's royal blood in the wavesong, so it took him to safety; the Land.
He had only been ashore a few day when he met a familiar face; the gate-keeper/soldierguard captain who had betrayed the queen. The gate-keeper recognized him too, and set the soldierguards upon him but he managed to escape. He fled into Carryn's shop, she took pity on him and gave him a costume and mask to disguise himself with and some food and told him to hide at the foot of the Stonehill until the trouble was over. Not long after he set up camp at Stonehill, was he visited by the Gypsy King, then Swallow's father.
The Gypsies had foreseen the man's arrival and knew of his relation to the Red Queen. He offered his help and when Carryn came to tell her future bondmate that the search for him had ended the Gypsy King bid her to protect the man and hide him with her masks and costumes. In exchange he offered to teach her the secrets of the finery produced by the Gypsies to aid her with her mask making. The two returned to Carryn's home and eventually fell in love, bonded and had children. The Gypsies continued visiting them, as they did Rushton's grandmother, until their lives were taken by the plague.
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
13 years ago
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
Dreamscape Artist
Thank you so much guys for getting in and having a go! :D I loved all the entries, and really enjoyed the creativity in them. After much thought, I've decided to go with Tonks as the winner for this round.
Thank you again guys :D
Thanks Arwen. :)
In Farseekers Matthew learns that the Druid is looking for weaponmachines near the encampment in the White Valley. Explain how he came to believe that there were weaponmachines there, and how they will prove to be significant in the future books.
12 years ago
Tue Jun 21 2011, 06:36pm
In Farseekers Matthew learns that the Druid is looking for weaponmachines near the encampment in the White Valley. Explain how he came to believe that there were weaponmachines there, and how they will prove to be significant in the future books.
To explain this theory, we have to go back two the first book, and note some things that were mentioned. While Elspeth was being tortured by Alexi and Madame Vega, she said that she saw the instructions to the weaponmachines on the front doors of Obernewtyn, and an image of a dark chasm in the ground from which wafted smoke.
The thing is, we are almost certian that the weapon machines are in the Red Queen's Land. And, knowing how remote and hard to reach that place is, we can safely assume that Marisa had not been there. This arouses its own question. How did she see the image of the chasm?
The answer is that she did not see the one in the LotRQ, but the one in the Olden way. We know from The Farseekers that tainted areas are sometimes apparent through coloured vapours, and there is a brown smoke comming out of the chasm that Elspeth saw. This shows that is is a seemingly insignificant tainted part of the White Valley.
The Beforetimers are known for their innability to die out and take their weapons with them. There is always protection, always some sort of back up. During the Great White, the earth moved, causing the underground protection system of the Sentinal Project to be torn away and moved far away from it. This did not affect it's use, since it could connect to the main via Beforetime ways (i.e. WiFi). Before Elspeth sets out for the LotRQ, she must first locate the protection system of Entina and deactivate if not destroy it. If she does not do this, her attempts to enter the Sentinal complex will fail and the Destroyer will triumph.
Henry Druid is a smart man, and was taught in the cunning of a Herder, evern though he was but a novice when he revolted. His hatred of mutations and anything less than perfect is phenomenal. And the reason why is that he is, himself, a Misfit.
WHAT!? I have a perfectly good reason for mentioning this. He is not a Talented Misfit, but a dreamer. A dreamer who once dreamed that the Beforetimers would give him great power. He refued to believe he was a Misfit, though, since he was of course a Herder, but his doubts led him to fear and great hate and that is the reason he despises them so much. This is why he was so facinated and protective of Beforetime books, because he knew that they were his only chances of finding this weapon, and from his research he gleaned that there must be some sort of machine in the Olden pass, judging from the amount of taint that was taking longer than usual to fade.
[ligne][/ligne]
^.^ I hope that this is good enough. I'm re-reading the series, and just finished The Farseekers last night so it's fresh in my mind.
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
12 years ago
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
Dreamscape Artist
In Farseekers Matthew learns that the Druid is looking for weaponmachines near the encampment in the White Valley. Explain how he came to believe that there were weaponmachines there, and how they will prove to be significant in the future books.
We learnt early on in the series, Obernewtyn I believe, that Henry Druid had been an avid reader of Beforetime books: which was banned. During his reading his came across a collection of newspaper clippings that speculated on the matter of weaponmachines in the mountains. (You know how the press can be :P) Within his library there were of course maps, much like those found at Obernewtyn and he used these to attempt to locate an exact location, with the White Valley being the result.
The weaponmachines that the Druid was looking for will be significant in future books primarily due to the fact that they are not there. I believe that due to the 'bond' between Ariel and the Druid, the old man would have shared this information with Ariel, who decides once the Druid is dead (or is he?), to look for them, to no success. This will lead to some anger on Ariel's part and suffering on whoever may be near him. This will raise the question: where are the weaponmachines? to which the answer may be this: one of the Druids took them... I have my thoughts set on Erin... it seems the sort of thing she'd do ;)
Well it's been a fair bit longer than two weeks, well there were no entries in the first two weeks anyway, so do you want me just to choose a winner or treat it like an extension and leave it for a couple of days still?
If you could pick a winner out of the two above that'd be great :)
12 years ago
Wed May 18 2011, 05:56pm
No problem. Both of the entries were really good but I've decided to go with Axe's entry as the winner of the round. Congratulations! :)
12 years ago
Sat Jun 04 2011, 12:31pm
Thanks!
Now, I'm not sure if this has been done before, but:
Lidgebaby has the never seen before power that will be in the Sneding. Identify what it is and explain why this will be crucial to Elspeth's quest.
I hope that was okay!
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
12 years ago
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
Dreamscape Artist
Lidgebaby has the never seen before power that will be in the Sneding. Identify what it is and explain why this will be crucial to Elspeth's quest.
As the name implies, Lidgebaby is a baby. And how many babies, Misfit babies have we come across in the Obernewtyn Chronicles? Just Lidgebaby. And so it stands to reason that everything about Lidgebaby is new to us. The Talent Lidgebaby has is a variety of telekinesis, one where Lidgebaby can not only move objects but animate them, give them a form of life, short lasting though it may be. Now back to the baby factor: when you're younger you believe anything is possible, hence, in this case, Lidgebaby's Talent: Lidge doesn't know any better yet. As we grow older, Elspeth being no exception to this rule of ageing, we lose the power of innocent imagination and belief. Fairytales are fiction and nothing more. Misfit powers are a figment of our imagination and nothing more. As Misfits grow older and are influenced by the adults around them they lose their power of imagination and as such lose their Talent that is like Lidgebaby's. They forget because they can no longer imagine. Now, to Elspeth and how this telekinesis will be crucial to her quest. Entina: what is it? Who knows. Maybe it's a living beast or maybe its a machine. But one thing is certain: Elspeth will need all her imagination and inventiveness to survive her encounter with the 'beast' (Dell, TSK pg 703). That's where little Lidgebaby comes in. After all, what better way to relearn how to imagine like a child than to learn from a child? From Lidgebaby Elspeth is able to open up her mind to new ideas, thoughts.... and Talents. From there she is able to face the beast in the Red Queen's Land, and thus continue on to complete her quest as the Seeker.
Ashlings' guildleader
12 years ago
Ashlings' guildleader
Dreamscape Artist
Lidgebaby has the never seen before power that will be in the Sneding. Identify what it is and explain why this will be crucial to Elspeth's quest.
Lidgebaby's never before seen talent will be the ability to communicate telepathically with the computer machines of the before time (Like Merlin (random space to make it less obvious that this spoiler just contains a name) , in Scatterlings). Not to be confused with the powers of the tecknoguilders which is a type of empathy, this power would allow him to communicate with and directly influence the AI systems of the computer machines with his mind.
Athis has maintained throughout the books that if Elspeth dies, the h'raka wins, but it has also been suggested that he needs her to gain access to the machines. Lidgebaby is Ariel's back up plan in case something happens to Elspeth. If something happens to her, he plans to use Lidgebaby to communicate telepathically with the machines and force them to allow him entry to the weapon machines. Elspeth is still plan A however, as she has a guaranteed way in, while Lidgebaby is more of a risk.
However Lidgebaby is important to the quest regardless of this. There has been much foreshadowing in the books that Elspeth will not return from her quest, most of it from futuretellers. However, there has also been foreshadowing that she will survive and we know that futuretellers do not see everything. This indicates that there is a chance that Elspeth will survive, but that it is such a small chance that it is unforeseeable.
It has been suggested elsewhere that the weapon machines are guarded by an INES system that has gone insane. Elspeth will be able to force the INES system to destroy the weapon machines, but due to its madness it will not be able to do so properly and the entire complex will be threatened with destruction. Lidgebaby, brought there by Ariel, will attempt to take control of the complex using his talent. If successful, he will be able to exert enough control to give those in the complex enough time to escape, but it will be extremely difficult and success is unlikely. Lets hope that he is successful and our beloved characters will survive!
12 years ago
Tue Jun 21 2011, 06:38pm
Lidgebaby has the never seen before power that will be in the Sneding. Identify what it is and explain why this will be crucial to Elspeth's quest.
We all know that Lidgebaby is a coercer baby (though by now he would be a child) who can create static that stops the use of misfit powers. By now he will have better control over this power, and he can start using his coercion ability. The never before seen power is a taming ability.
All of these powers would be useful in different ways on Elspeth's quest. The static can stop other misfits from using their powers could protect Elspeth from Ariel and any other misfit talents. His coercion wouldn't be that useful, as Elseth is already a coercer, but he can use his coercive powers to make his static ability stronger. His taming ability works on animals and people. He can not feel emotions, but he can tame anything. It isn't exactly the same as Gavyn's, as he makes animals follow him. Lidgebaby can just make them tame and more resonable, and his also works on humans. I think that Elspeth meets the wolves, so Lidgebaby tames them down. Lidgebaby and Gavyn, in Obernewtyn Chroncles, Wikipedia, are both said to have powers unlike the others, which is why I thought thay should have one similar power. So Lidgebaby would be useful in Elspeth's quest, however, I think he would be more likely to be, at some point, with Ariel. Ariel could use these powers very effectively against Elspeth. Since Ariel is a weak coercer, Lidgebaby would do that. His static could block Elspeth's powers. His taming ability could stop anyone attacking Ariel and himself. It is also easy for Ariel to have him, as Ariel was the one who was taking away the women and children from the Druid's camp, so he could take Lidgebaby. So maybe he would start by being with Ariel but Elspeth later gets him.
Maybe we can extend this challenge for another 2 weeks, to get a couple more entries?
So new closing date is 15th June.
You made it so hard for me to choose!
But I think I will have to go with adelie's answer.
Well done to all theorists!
Wow! Thanks Axe! This is my second victory in the theories challenge.
Anyway, here is your task
Gavyn is, as we all know, a misfit with the talent of drawing other animals to him. Give reasons why this talent was created when there are some talents that are common while this is rare. Also, explain what is so special about Gavyn's bond with Rasial.
If you have any questions just ask me.
Mystic Ward
12 years ago
Sat Jan 28 2012, 11:17am
Mystic Ward
Twentyfamilies Gypsy
Gavyn is, as we all know, a misfit with the talent of drawing other animals to him. Give reasons why this talent was created when there are some talents that are common while this is rare. Also, explain what is so special about Gavyn's bond with Rasial.
Gavyn's talent was recognised as being needed by the futuretellers of the beforetime. They knew that Elspeth would need a very special guide to get her through the blacklands. They therefore decided to selectively breed certain misfits so that Gavyn would be the one who could help Elf.
The bond with Rasial is a coercive suggestion from the Agyllians. Rasial is needed to lead Gavyn and Elspeth to the wolves. Gavyn is to enthral the wolves to lead Elspeth and the other dogs/animals through the blacklands and their price is one life. Rasial's life.
12 years ago
Sat Jun 18 2011, 10:12pm
Gavyn is, as we all know, a misfit with the talent of drawing other animals to him. Give reasons why this talent was created when there are some talents that are common while this is rare. Also, explain what is so special about Gavyn's bond with Rasial.
We know that the Brildane, or the wolves, will take part in the upcomming installment of the Obernewtyn Chronicles. What do we know about the Brildane? We know that the are unlike other beasts, thinking on a different level, interacting differently with each other. They have information concerning Elspeth's quest that cannot be found otherwise. To communicate with them, she will need to find unconventional means to contact them, and this is where Gavyn's Talent comes in. This is why it was written into the book.
As to why it is so unique, well, it all comes down to Talents themselves. One single talent is made of certain amounts of different elements. Ususally, these work together to make the certain ability. Multiple Talents are known to enhance each other, but when they do, they entwine and interact to support the other. In certain special cases, elements of each of the Talents will merge, giving the unusual Talents such as Gavyn's or even Freya's. These, as you can see, are not exactly on a whole new level to the norm, but are a deviant form of it, created by merging.
What is special about Gavyn's bond with Rasial? Well, for one, we know that Rasial isn't exactly a normal beast. That is because there is Brildane in her blood. From their bond Gavyn learns how Brildane think to a certain extent, and this will aid him aiding Elspeth.
When Rasial said that she would find her death in Gavyn she meant that when Gavyn communed with the beasts, they would slay her as a half-blood. But she wouldn't care because she knows that although she had not lived a wild life she had died a wild death, not that of a tamed animal, and that is how she would redeem herself for being owned by a Funaga for so long.
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
12 years ago
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
Dreamscape Artist
Gavyn is, as we all know, a misfit with the talent of drawing other animals to him. Give reasons why this talent was created when there are some talents that are common while this is rare. Also, explain what is so special about Gavyn's bond with Rasial.
Gavyn's talnt of enchanting animals is important in regards to Elspeth's quest. We know of the wolves that Ariel drove to insanity, and that Kella and other healers were attempting to cure them with no success. But how many more of them were set free by Ariel in order to catch Misfits as they attempted to run away in the middle of the night? Some aspect of Elspeth's quest will draw her into the region they have fled to, and it is through this region she will need to pass. However, due to the unresponsive nature of the wolves Elspeth cannot communicate with them (we saw this in Obernewtyn. This is why Gavyn's talent will be needed, because it is with this he will allow her to continue safely.
Then you have Seely's dream where she saw Gavyn leading many animals into tainted land (don't hold me to that, it's been a while :P), suggesting that he may actually be the Seeker of beastlegend. This would explain Rasial's connection to him, because whilst beastkind believe Elspeth is their Seeker they are all unconsciously drawn to him like you would expect them to be drawn to their liberator. What makes the bond between Gavyn and Rasial so special is the fact that it is Rasial who has become a spokesperson for beasts, and as a result has their respect and trust. In placing her trust in Gavyn she therefore entrusts him with all beastkind, allowing him to do as he pleases ie lead them into tainted land.
Hello. It's time to pick a winner!
Thanks to all who competed, but I think I will go with Deb's because, though it is short, it explains a lot.
Congratulations.
Mystic Ward
12 years ago
Mystic Ward
Twentyfamilies Gypsy
Thanks Adelie.
New Challenge:
In her tweets, Isobelle mentioned Elspeth having to escape the Tumen. Explain who they are and why an escape is needed.
Mystic Guildmistress
12 years ago
Sat Jan 28 2012, 11:18am
Mystic Guildmistress
Mage
In her tweets, Isobelle mentioned Elspeth having to escape the Tumen. Explain who they are and why an escape is needed.
According to Wikipedia, a Tumen is a unit of measurement used by Turkish armies. It is around about 10,000 soldiers. It is also a Mongolian word for ‘very many’. The commander of a Tumen is called a Tümgeneral (general army & air forces) and a Tümamiral (naval forces).
Therefore, my theory is that Elspeth travels to a place that was previously Turkish soil (or in the Obernewtyn Chronicles, 'Turka') and finds that not all the Beforetimers were so affected by the Great White. Some of the Turks survived, and have put together an army (Tumen), whose purpose after the Great White was to solve the problem of tainted persons coming from the infected cities. Decades later, there are no more stragglers, but the Tumen still exists and perhaps now has another purpose - to ensure that the Great White does not happen again.
The reason why Elspeth needs to escape from them - Elspeth runs into them on her quest. Obviously she cannot say why she's there or what she needs to do. Which is why the Tumen and especially their leaders would be very hesitant to let her go without more explanation. This is not to forget that initially the Tumen started out as warriors in an army and have not lost this sense of purpose that drives them. They may even potentially sense that Elspeth is a threat to them and their purpose, wary of her with the way animals revere her.
There is also the question of whether the Tumen have misfits in their midst, or whether they feel the way that the Council/Herders/Henry Druid feels about them. If they do have misfits in their ranks, they are most likely to feel Elspeth's power and could feel threatened by her. Which is more than enough reason for Elspeth to feel the need to escape.
Also, re-reading farseekers, there's something I read not too long ago where there are islands off of the Land that the council does not want the general public to know about. We know (or at least assume because of the title of the last book) that Elspeth will go to the Land of the Red Queen. The only way to get there is by boat, but there is nothing leading us to believe that it is one long journey from the Land to the LotRQ. Knowing Elspeth's luck and that her destiny usually leads her astray, they could find themselves shipwrecked on a small island in the middle of the ocean where the Tumen have been living since the Great White. They potentially found it easier to defend themselves being surrounded by water.
Granted, I'm only up to Farseekers in my re-reading so there could be other things in the later books that I am missing.
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
12 years ago
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
Dreamscape Artist
In her tweets, Isobelle mentioned Elspeth having to escape the Tumen. Explain who they are and why an escape is needed.
'Tumen' is an anagram of another word, or name, Mentu. Mentu was the ancient Egyptian god of war, and was often seen as the destructive power of the sun. But Mentu was also thought to act as a guardian of happy family life, and was often mentioned in marriage documents to ensure that each party lived up to their commitment.
In Elspeth's time the primary religion is the worship of Lud, however it is unlikely to be the only religion in exist, just the most prominent/only one in the Land. The destruction wrought by the Great White, the radiation that rained down from the skies that turned white, could easily be interpreted (by someone without the correct knowledge) as something to do with the sun. This fits in with one of the descriptions of Mentu as being the destructive power of the sun, the radiation. When cultures did not understand something they would turn to religion for guidance, and as a result of the Great White a community turned to Mentu/Tumen to ask him to protect from the radiation released. As the Land of the Red Queen is possible in the African/Egyptian region (the giraffe Elspeth saw in Dragon's dream in TKP), there would be many small communities living in relative isolation. The worship of Mentu/Tumen dominates the lives of one such community, worshippers of the cult being called Tumen themselves, and it is blasphemy to slander his name (which incidentally got mistranslated somewhere along the centuries).
Upon arriving in the Red Queen's Land Elspeth finds herself within a community centred around a cult of Tumen. The cult is suspicious of her lack of knowledge of Tumen and marks her as an outsider. A debate ensues over what is to be done with Elspeth, and the cult decides to honour their god, which means war. The war they plan to start is with Elspeth's people, who of course landed around the same time as Elspeth (Rushton's need of ships). The only way to avert such a war and to escape from the cult is to show that she knows of Tumen and understands the ways and traditions of the cult.
Mystic Ward
12 years ago
Mystic Ward
Twentyfamilies Gypsy
I really like both of these answers but I have to go with Elspethinnle's as the most likely. Thanks to you both for replying.
Mystic Guildmistress
12 years ago
Wed Jul 27 2011, 03:46pm
Mystic Guildmistress
Mage
Thanks Deb! :D
New Challenge:
"The dog Rasial and the funaga Gavyn, Swallow and Maryon. They have agreed to let us draw on them. They know only that ElspethInnle was in great danger of death and must be saved."
This sentence was added to the US version of Wavesong (p455). Explain why it was added when Isobelle re-wrote the break-away points, and more specifically, the signifance of Gavyn and Rasial.
And Gavyn was spelt Gavryn in my edition, over two consecutive pages but it's pretty obvious that Gavyn is meant.
Dreamweaver Ward
12 years ago
Sat Jan 28 2012, 11:19am
Dreamweaver Ward
Dreamscape Artist
I hope you don't mind, but I changed it to Gavyn just to make certain people don't get confused.
"The dog Rasial and the funaga Gavyn, Swallow and Maryon. They have agreed to let us draw on them. They know only that ElspethInnle was in great danger of death and must be saved.
This sentence was added to the US version of Wavesong (p455). Explain why it was added when Isobelle re-wrote the break-away points, and more specifically, the signifance of Gavyn and Rasial."
I think this sentence was partially intended to identify the key players in setting Elspeth on her quest and making sure she succeeds: Swallow and Maryon know about Elspeth's role; Rasial and Gavyn may well be involved in Elspeth's second quest, to free the beasts. Regardless of their specific involvement, it seems that they'll play a major role in the future books. Also, when you think about it, Rasial and Gavyn are almost equivalent of Elspeth and Maruman. They are close beyond the "normal" levels of human-animal closeness, even with beastspeaking. This pairing enables both to be stronger than they are alone, and gives them the ability to combine their abilities, or work together.