Fatal Revenant Read, Chapter 6-FINALLY!

[danlo]

Spoiler

Sorry, you're wrong...but that's about all I can reveal

[Old Darth]

Thanks danlo!

Wow! Just wow! The possibilities here are mind blowing! The implication of a story with a much larger scope of the story seems pretty clear.

[Xar]

Ok, here's a post that's very easy to read without spoilers

Spoiler

Out of nowhere Covenant rages, "Hellfire! Hell and Blood! What the ****!?!", now she knows she's alive. Linden is starting to freeze to the bone and automatically thinks about surrounding herself with fire or a wall of Earthpower. "Goddam it Linden don't! You can still erase me and Lord Foul will still be here. Hellfire! Bloody Damnation!".

Danlo, this passage seems actually to suggest something along the lines of

Spoiler

Apparently, the use of wild magic on Linden's part might have serious consequences of Covenant's very existence...

Coupled with the

Spoiler

"I'm freezing to death! How do you expect me to survive if I can't use the Staff?"
Covenant seems not affected by anything she says, he appears to be doing many things at the same time, then, with a small gesture of his hand, he warms her.

I would tend to believe that

Spoiler

Covenant has acquired good command on wild magic - supposedly as a result of his becoming one with it for millennia. He presumably no longer needs the ring, even just as a "psychological anchor" to hold onto. However, it might be that Covenant's relationship with wild magic is not stable, but simply balanced, and that wanton usage of white gold (and thereby of wild magic) could actually tip that balance in such a way that he would either be destroyed, torn from the Arch of Time, or sent to eternal rest.

I'm wondering if the answer to Runes' cliffhanger could be

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Covenant's warning to Linden for her to "find him" should not be intended literally, but metaphorically; maybe the Covenant we saw at the end of Runes is an "aspect" of Covenant, just like the one we find in this chapter (if he really can be in two or more places at the same time), and Linden is required to find a way either to "find him" as in "find the 'original' from which all aspects come" or "find a way to remake him into at least a semblance of mortality/individuality/whatever"

Just an idea, anyway

[Furls Fire]

ya know Xar...you nailed what I've been thinking too after reading all that.

And I want to add this as well...

Spoiler

I believe the Theomach to be a disgruntled Elohim. Remember in the One Tree where it seemed some of the "younger" Elohim were becoming corrupted in some way? Earthpower incarnate, and at the time, the Earthpower was being corrupted. Maybe this Theomach is one of those and broke away from the Clachan...

Just a thought, I don't want to over theorize, but I just thought I would mention it because that was my first impression when I read about that character.

[Krilly]

Just my reaction below, coupled with spoilers.

Spoiler

WOW! I can see the many many intricate plots and connections SRD is famous for taking shape with just these few lines. I venture that Anele's fire avatar possession, the Theomoch, the Mahdoubt, and this strange new Covenant are all connected somehow.

And Xar, that's incredibly insightful and I agree with everything except one thing. Linden is using Law (from the Staff), not wild magic. Obviously, as always, Mr. Donaldson needs to input some sort of check and balance to power... he's not simply going to let Linden use the Staff freely. Hence this effect on Covenant. The question is... why does Law pose the threat of "erasing" TC? Perhaps since Covenant IS wild magic (which naturally opposes the order of Law) being entangled with that power poses a serious threat.

Ye gods, I can't even begin to imagine how this new form of our beloved Thomas falls into Foul's machinations... *shudders*. And the whole "incomplete staff" thing sounds intriguing especially when you take into consideration the effort put into making this much of it. What could possibly be left to combine with structure and essence?

[Prover of Life]

Spoiler

Ye gods, I can't even begin to imagine how this new form of our beloved Thomas falls into Foul's machinations... *shudders*. And the whole "incomplete staff" thing sounds intriguing especially when you take into consideration the effort put into making this much of it. What could possibly be left to combine with structure and essence?

[/spoiler]

Spoiler

White gold? The staff is earthpower incarnate & physical structure "incarnate" formed with wild magic. What if there is another fusing of TC - wild magic incarnate?

[Sunbaneglasses]

I have wondered if Revelstone may be destroyed in the opening chapters of FR.

[burgs]

Spoiler

I think Xar is correct regarding finding Covenant. I never once believed that finding him meant walking through a hypothetical forest calling out, "Thomas, Thomas, wherefore art thou Thomas?"

Also...

theomachy
1. A striving or warring against God; opposition to the will of God.
2. A battle or strife among the gods: especially in reference to that narrated in Homer’s Iliad.

Elohim, remember, is a name for God used frequently in the Hebrew Bible. There is unquestionable strife between this Theomach character (is it Theomach or Theomoch - it's been spelled both ways in this thread) and the Elohim. SRD is very, very specific about naming his characters.

[dlbpharmd]

Burg! Welcome back!

[burgs]

Thanks! What a great nap I've had.

[Usivius]

Wow! Great thoughts from eveyone. I usually have a hard time consciously putting together things I perceive in writings like this. Usually just allowing the flow of the story to carry me along to a conclusion. But in times like this when we are waiting for the next book, speculation and questions gnaw at me.
There are some great theories here... and darn if I don't think most of them are plausible...
Now all we need is for Foul to say to Thomas, "I am your father..."...

[burgs]

...and then we introduce SRD to Christopher Paolini and usher them off to a crematorium.

[Usivius]

[Nerdanel]

So I read this thread. I didn't want to, but I couldn't resist. Here are some thoughts.

Spoiler

Linden glares at her, "You want something?" then to both says, "Where is my son?!."
A strange shade of crimson (fear?) comes into Covenant's eyes as he says,
"You'll be lost."... "He'll be here. Esmer's trying to hold him and the ur-viles are regrouping." Linden hardly understands what he's saying.
"He'll show up, eventually..."

This ties right into certain things I've suspected based on the Runes. I suppose the following quote won't be considered a spoiler in this thread even though it illuminates ideas in concert with the previous quote.

"Yet this I vow. In time you will behold the fruit of my endeavours. If your son serves me, he will do so in your presence. If I slaughter him, I will do so before you."

And

"At my whim, I am able to command or destroy him."

Spoiler

I think it looks like Jeremiah now serves Lord Foul, who as you may have noticed appears to never have told an outright lie. I also think Linden hasn't realized this yet or thinks she could heal Jeremiah. Esmer and the ur-viles are opposing Jeremiah, although with Esmer you never know. He might only be faking

Jeremiah may have gotten the Pietten treatment, gotten possessed by a Raver (but Herem is busy with Joan and the last we know Jehannum seemed to possess Roger), or in the most shocking plot twist of all, gotten possessed by Lord Foul himself! This is assuming that Jeremiah is naturally opaque as not an inhabitant of the Land as I believe Covenant was mentioned to be.

I think Covenant is in a same situation re: the Staff of Law as the Waynhim and ur-viles, except probably worse. Even though the Laws of Life and Death are broken, Covenant being back from the dead isn't exactly what the Staff stands for. I seem to recall reading something to the effect that the broken laws could regenerate over a long time with the Staff, which means a memory of the laws still remains. Perhaps the crimson in Covenant's eyes is a sign of something he has done to get himself back into action. Drool and Gibbon had red eyes and red seems to be a common color for non-Illearth evil magic even more than black is. A recurrent theme in Runes has been the question of ends justifying the means and this goes along the same lines.

I noticed the mention of the valley being full of graves. I think this could mean that the Demondim are still after them and will have no problem getting bodies in this place. From what I have figured out, an ideal place to fight the Demondim without overwhelming power like a Ritual of Desecration would be somewhere where nothing has ever died, at least nothing even remotely big. (I have no idea of what the Demondim could do in a mouse body or a plankton body.) Potential suitable places could include the Earth's polar caps (if it has been created without geological history and the arghuleh don't count), just maybe the Isle of the One Tree, outer space, inside a caesure, and a new universe that was created fifteen minutes ago.

Another interpretation is that the graves signify that this is not some desolate place in the middle of nowhere in the northern wastes. Linden might have ended up in the middle of The Power that Preserves! She might also be in a glacial future of the Land or some interesting, forgotten place in the north, possibly near where Kastenessen was imprisoned.

[Usivius]

My head is spinning!....

Please Mr Donaldson! Release Revenant!!!!

[Elipsis]

Im not sure if this theory would work but what if :

Spoiler

The arch of time is powered by wild magic, there is a limited ammount of wild magic, tc is intertwined with the arch of time and so everytime wild magic is used it weakens him in some way?

Also:

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As TC is *dead* what if the theomachy is a *dead* elohim, perhaps a previous appointed?

Dunno if that could work or not?

[Xar]

Spoiler

Out of nowhere Covenant rages, "Hellfire! Hell and Blood! What the ****!?!", now she knows she's alive. Linden is starting to freeze to the bone and automatically thinks about surrounding herself with fire or a wall of Earthpower. "Goddam it Linden don't! You can still erase me and Lord Foul will still be here. Hellfire! Bloody Damnation!".

Linden can't make head or tails of this conversation-she can't tell if Covenant is being sarcastic or indifferent about her plight, enraged that no reply about Jeremiah is forth coming--she flings the Staff of Law at him. Covenant jumps out of the way as the Staff sinks into the snow.

Another idea sparked by the discussion on Esmer and his ability to inhibit wild magic usage on Linden's part... That discussion reminded me of how it has been stated more than once in Runes that wild magic and the Staff cannot be used together.

Spoiler

Therefore, it stands to reason to believe that - if the Staff embodies Law (as we are told in the SC, when Covenant learns that the Sunbane exists due to the weakening of Law following the destruction of the old Staff, which, given that the principle and its enactor could not be wholly separated, upheld Law with its existence) - and Covenant embodies wild magic... well, what would happen if he and the Law embodied by the Staff were to touch each other? It would be much like using wild magic and the Staff together - it couldn't be done, therefore one of them should be dispelled; as the Staff is the embodiment of Law and upholds it, whereas Covenant embodies wild magic but does not uphold its existence (wild magic is not "upheld" by anything, because it is a fundamental part of the Land's Earth, more so than Law) - then the quotes above could well suggest that if the Staff were ever used too near to Covenant, or to affect him in some way, or even maybe to touch him, he could wink out of existence.
Now THIS looks like a big problem... since the Staff is needed and Linden is the one who has the easiest time using it!

[Revan]

heh, just read this today... wow. Thanks a lot danlo, you rule, as ever... it looks amazing.

[burgs]

Spoiler

In TPTP, in "Colossus", TC faces Elena. Though she has already held the ring, she has not attempted to use the ring and staff together. When her attention is diverted to Revelstone Triock lunges at her, and though she is a spectre the ring is dislodged from her fingers. Covenant regains the ring. Elena flies into a rage and then...

"But his hands were clenched on the Staff. His ring prssed the wood. When her force touched his white gold, the wild magic erupted like an uncapped volcano. His senses went blank at the immensity of the blast. Yet not one flame or thrust of it touched him; all the detonation went back through the Staff at Elena. ... it tore through the rune carved wood of the Staff like white sun-fire, rent the Staff fiber from fiber as if its Law were nothing but a shod bundle of splinters."

So we already know what happens when wild magic and Law touch each other. Wild magic destroys Law.

[Xar]

Not necessarily, in that case the contact wasn't wild magic - Law, it was wild magic - trigger; at that point, Covenant still needed an external trigger to catalyze his use of wild magic, and touching the Staff was much like touching the Illearth Stone, the orcrest, or any other such item - it unleashed wild magic, which in this case was basically a burst of destructive energy, but which, in other cases, had different effects.