A question about the ending. . .

[dlbpharmd]

Agree with Iquestor.

[aliensporebomb]

Just finished reading Fatal Revenant, loved it, and admit with some embarrassment that I'm too lazy to look up an answer for myself:

Does the Wurm of the World's End, in and of itself, actually destroy the Arch of Time when roused, or does it simply scour the world clean before going back to sleep? If the latter, then there might conceivably be a brief interval in which the Worm could be directed at the Land's enemies before it consumed everything else.

Cheers,

Dagonet

It was implied that the rock and stone that comprise the earth had
settled over the worm. When the worm awakes, it shrugs off all that
impedes it and goes off to devour more stars and eventually stopping
to rest again, which probably causes the same thing to happen again
(a new earth?) potentially showing the cycle of death/rebirth on a
macro level.

[callback]

[quote="Fist and Faith"][quote]"Here the Despiser cannot fail! If the Worm is roused, the Earth will end, freeing Despite to wreak its vengeance upon the cosmos. And if the ring-wieder attempts to match his might against the Worm, he will destroy the Arch of Time."[/quote]So the Worm doesn't destroy the Arch, but it frees Foul nonetheless.[/quote]

With all of that being said, it does look like either Donaldson is going to find a way out of that paradox or we are condemned to two books full of TC and LA floating around in space.

[earthbrah]

callback wrote:

With all of that being said, it does look like either Donaldson is going to find a way out of that paradox or we are condemned to two books full of TC and LA floating around in space.

Cool! I wonder what they'll talk about...

[callback]

I'm betting Linden will spend a lot of time whining about her miserable childhood.

[Alcarion]

I find it interesting that Infelice's response to TC when he asks: what have you done?

Isn't: She has roused the Worm and Destroyed the Earth, but rather: Now every Elohim will be devoured.

So, which is it? Or, does she mean both--but during the stress, lets slip the REAL motivation of the Elohim against TC/LA? Not the destruction of the Earth, per se, but the ramifications: Elohim will now be consumed by the Worm of the World's End?

I think it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that there's a heck of a lot we still don't know.

Must admit, when I first read the revelation of the Worm, Wyrm or whatever, I really disliked it. Great how it all ties everything together, though. I mean, it's not too far of a stretch to see where all that earthblood comes from , eh? heh heh heh

Alc

[FAP]

Agreed Alcarion. When LA was told what the outcome of the battle would have been had she fought foul Infelice said the land would have suffered but the world, and the elohim would have survived.

Self preservation is the aim of the Elohim.

[aliantha]

Self preservation is the aim of the Elohim.

You got *that* right.

Looks like the Elohim do think of creation/destruction as circular -- in destruction is the seed of creation, and vice versa. There also seems to be a natural cycle for the Worm's sleep. Which explains, somewhat, the Elohim's reluctance to get involved -- they consider it to be a natural cycle. The only problem they have with the Worm is that when it's roused, it eats more of them....

I agree, Jeremiah is too young to be the Creator we have met. However, as the New Year approaches for us, I'm reminded of the images we have for the Old Year and the New Year. Do you suppose the current Creator might be getting ready to hand off Creator duties to someone else, for the next eon? And maybe that new Creator will be Jeremiah?

Oh, the other thing I was going to say: Reading the Elohim's description of the Worm eating whole swaths of stars reminded me strongly of men cutting down swaths of The One Forest. As the Elohim's story talks about a cycle of destruction/renewal, I wonder whether the forests wouldn't be restored in a brand-new Land. Which might explain why Caerroil Wildwood is so interested in helping Linden, as she's the best candidate for Destroyer of All Creation right now.

[earthbrah]

Yeah, Infelice's statement at the very end of FR about the Elohim being devoured (not necessarily the Earth) just made me think that the Elohim equate themselves with the Earth. They're certainly arrogant enough to speak that way.

Aliantha mentions creator duties. What duties are those, I wonder? I've thought that the reason he didn't make an appearance at the beginning of Runes was that he was off somewhere doing something, preparing for something. Whatever the reason, the fact that we didn't see him before LA's transition to the Land is significant. We'll see him again.

[callback]

I find it interesting that Infelice's response to TC when he asks: what have you done?

Isn't: She has roused the Worm and Destroyed the Earth, but rather: Now every Elohim will be devoured.

So, which is it? Or, does she mean both--but during the stress, lets slip the REAL motivation of the Elohim against TC/LA? Not the destruction of the Earth, per se, but the ramifications: Elohim will now be consumed by the Worm of the World's End?

I think it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that there's a heck of a lot we still don't know.

Must admit, when I first read the revelation of the Worm, Wyrm or whatever, I really disliked it. Great how it all ties everything together, though. I mean, it's not too far of a stretch to see where all that earthblood comes from , eh? heh heh heh

Alc

Actually, that part made perfect sense to me. We've heard that the stars are the Creator's children. We've heard that in some sense the Elohim are the equivalent of that. I've always kind of assumed that they were incompletley digested stars. We know that what the Worm does is eat stars and then go to sleep. I'll bet a few Elohim sound pretty tasty to him right about now.

I guess the real question for Infelice now is "Who gets to be Appointed as the hors d'oevre?)

[sherlock_525]

Is it possible that some, or (hopefully all) of the Elohim will be Apointed to sate the hunger of the Worm and stop the destruction of the earth?

[callback]

Well, that would be one way to avoid reading two books that consist of Linden and Thomas Covenant floating around in space.

[emotional leper]

Well, that would be one way to avoid reading two books that consist of Linden and Thomas Covenant floating around in space.

Lepers in Space? I like it.

Foul could play the part of the bumbling evil doctor.

And Findail could be the robot, "Danger, Ringwielder! DANGER!"

[Alcarion]

I need to re-read Runes...but (bear with me here) I got the impression that LF was speaking to the Creator when LA was translated to the Land. He doesn't speak to her---only to say something along the lines of:

"To one such as you, I do not reveal my purposes (plans)" etc.

Again, this is merely his attempt to mislead or obscure the truth. Please, someone with a copy give us the correct quote in full?

Anyway, I believe it's time for LF to be released and LA isn't the chosen of the Creator this time, but the Chosen of LF. Therefore, he cannot speak directly or intentionally to her about what he's doing. She must be free to act or not to act for his purpose: release from prison.

To what end?

Well, it depends on whether or not SRD is any way a Christian (which I suspect not--which is fine by me since I'm a Pagan, myself) or at least is willing to use a christian motif in his story. Perhaps a sort of Narnian 'The Last Battle' scenario? Yeah, far-fetched, I know. But LF's dialog on KW's made me think everything was set up for the absolute end of everything. This would mean LF isn't the real villain this time, but the others are.

Bah. Just one idea of a few I've had about it all.

Alc

PS: What about my speculations about the source of Earthblood? Melenkurion-Skyweir's great weight squeezes out or has cut into the Worm, letting some of it's potent blood leak out beneath the mountain? Has this been discussed here before? I'll do a search....

[dlbpharmd]

Foul only made 3 statements during Linden's summoning: *

"It is enough."
"I am content."
"Tell her I have her son."

*(from memory, correct me if I'm wrong.

[wayfriend]

Foul only made 3 statements during Linden's summoning:

Four. Four statements.

"It is enough."
"I am content."
"She will work my will, and I will be freed at last."
"Tell her I have her son."

... and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope. Oh damn.

Five. Five statements ...

[dlbpharmd]

Ah, thanks WF.

[iQuestor]

... and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope. Oh damn.

Five. Five statements ...

WF could you splain that? I am dense today.

[sherlock_525]

One thing I've learned about this site:DO NOT ask questions like that.

[Ur Dead]

One thing I've learned about this site:DO NOT ask questions like that.