2 Books to go. What back story do you want explained?

[MrKABC]

At the end of WGW, as Linden Avery was translating out of the Land, she "reached across the leagues and whispered to [Sunder and Hollian]" paraphrasing here, but you get the idea.

WHAT DID SHE SAY TO THEM? (obviously not the right thing since they kept the Staff of Law to themselves and didn't restore any sort of government like the Council to the Land)

That bugs me. I want to know.

[Zarathustra]

The only question I want answered is Wildwood's question.

“It is this. How may life endure in the Land, if the Forestals fail and perish, as they must, and naught remains to ward its most vulnerable treasures? We were formed to stand as guardians in the Creator’s stead. Must it transpire that beauty and truth shall pass utterly when we are gone?”

I want the answer to the problem of evil.

Luckily, this is question I know we'll see answered.

[Orlion]

I'm just excited to see how it will end...and a little apprehensive...

[Mighara Sovmadhi]

I want to know why women who get pregnant on the Island of the One Tree end up dying. Does the serpentine Light Monster have something to do with it?

[aliensporebomb]

I also would like to see the home of the Haruchai (and the giants but I doubt we'll get to see that).

[earthbrah]

SRD has stated that he has no intention of leaving the Land in these Last Chronicles, so I'm pretty sure we won't be seeing any Haruchai women, or the home of the Giants, or any of that stuff...

One thing I want to know is what TC meant when he told Mahrtiir through Anele that You'll have to go a long way to find your heart's desire. Just be sure you come back. The Land needs you.

And I would like an explanation of how it was that Anele was the "last hope of the Land."

These are two explanations I think we might actually get.

[Simanent]

I wish that AATE had said something more about what croyel are and why there's only ever been 2 of them seen.

I also wish that something new had been said about why skurj appeared and why Kastenessen had fallen in love with a mortal woman- that's quite weird for an elohim.

[earthbrah]

small correction: 3 croyels have been seen.

1. The one controlling Kaseryn of the Gyre.
2. The one controlling the arghuleh snow monsters in WGW.
3. The one controlling Jeremiah.

And I agree. I want to know more about them. Where do they come from? How are they so powerful?

[SerScot]

Who's wandering through the Sarangrave and what is the origin story of the Lurker?

[Simanent]

As other's have said, It's Longwrath. He's the only male giant in the world if gianthome has been destroyed by the world, so he'd better still be alive.

[High Lord Tolkien]

As other's have said, It's Longwrath. He's the only male giant in the world if gianthome has been destroyed by the world, so he'd better still be alive.

Wow. Didn't think of that.

[shadowbinding shoe]

As other's have said, It's Longwrath. He's the only male giant in the world if gianthome has been destroyed by the world, so he'd better still be alive.

Wow, that was a horrible image. Thanks

[Horrim Carabal]

I can't wait to read the final chapter from Covenant's, Berek Halfhand & Lord Foul's shifting POVs as all three parts of the same personality are shouting at each other before they are finally re-merged by a sudden flood of wild magic into one being who in the end turns out to be author Stephen R. Donaldson.

Too Stephen King-ish.

[ur-Timewarden]

I wish that AATE had said something more about what croyel are and why there's only ever been 2 of them seen.

I also wish that something new had been said about why skurj appeared and why Kastenessen had fallen in love with a mortal woman- that's quite weird for an elohim.

I'm thinking that we'll get more backstory on Kastenessen when they actually get around to tracking him down. I thought that we'd get more information on the croyel, since we spent half a book travelling around with one, so I might be wrong about Kastenessen too.

It would be interesting to see the evolution of the skurj. Seems like they popped up at some point in the past, were a problem, so the Elohim decided to solve 2 problems at once and Appointed Kastenessen. Maybe they are just natural entities that somehow worked their way to the surface, and the Elohim decided to do something about them. Although that begs the question, did the Durance exist before Kastenessen was Appointed, or was it created as part of his Appointment?

[Vraith]

There have actually been 3 seen croyel [Kasryn, Ice-thingies, Jerry's]...but who's counting?...and it's implied somewhere that there are more than just a couple around.
I suspect we might see their background at some point IF they are among those things that "needn't have been evil to begin with, needn't stay so till the end." If not, doubt we'll see very much.

The skurj were natural at one point, just dangerous [IIRC, dangerous to mere mortal dwellers, not to the Elohim or the Arch] Kasty changed that.
Also IIRC, no Durance before Kasty. The Appointed become the thing they are appointed to do/be...lose identity in doing so. Kasty broke that...he was supposed to become a kind of "forbidding" to contain the skurj.

[TheFallen]

Also IIRC, no Durance before Kasty. The Appointed become the thing they are appointed to do/be...lose identity in doing so. Kasty broke that...he was supposed to become a kind of "forbidding" to contain the skurj.

I'm definitely in agreement that there was no Durance before Kastenessen and the point that the Appointed become what they are appointed to become is very well made.

What's interesting is that other Appointed have in such "becoming" apparently become subsumed, losing their identities and consequently free will to do anything at all. I don't think any of us believe that Findail might at any stage get bored and pop out of the Staff of Law for a quick caffe latte and a muffin. Or that the Elohim of the Colossus would finally wake up one morning and decide to wander down to the Revelstone gym for a couple of hours on the Stairmaster to work the kinks of a few thousand years of stasis out of his frame. The knowing sacrifice made by Findail and the Colossus Elohim seems to be made at the point of accepting what they are to become.

However, the same doesn't appear to be true for Kastenessen. He clearly can change his mind (or become corrupted, go insane, submit to despair or whatever), decide not to be the Durance any more and consciously take an active hand in the potential end of the world. Either that, or Findail's and the Colossus's sacrifice is ongoing and consciously eternal.

[earthbrah]

Wasn't the Elohim sent to guard the One Tree the first Appointed?

[TheFallen]

I'd forgotten that one - that's very true. One wonders how much free will (if any) that Elohim had at any time, once having been appointed as Guardian of the One Tree.

The fact that the Theomach as an Insequent could defeat an Elohim, thus becoming Kenaustin Ardenol, is interesting in itself, given the much-demonstrated powers of the latter. I suspect that the Elohim accepted becoming lessened in some way in being appointed as Guardian. Or alternatively its defeat was a necessary part of its Wurd.

[earthbrah]

TheFallen wrote:

I suspect that the Elohim accepted becoming lessened in some way in being appointed as Guardian. Or alternatively its defeat was a necessary part of its Wurd.

Yes, a couple interesting points here.

This becoming lessened in some way seems to be part of the nature of Appointment. Once an Elohim is chosen for Appointment, s/he his limited in some way, which in turn makes something possible (either to the Elohim itself, or to other ends.) The Durance, Colossus and Staff were physical limitations; I wonder what kind of limitation the Guardian took.

It its defeat was a necessary part of its Wurd, then I am a bit confused. The hermetic self-contemplation of the Elohim is supposed to keep the Worm quiescent and asleep, thus preserving the Earth. But the Guardian's defeat could be seen as one event in a sequence that ultimately leads to the Worm's awakening. So is it possible that the Worm's awakening is and always has been a part of the Elohim Wurd?

[Orlion]

Well, all their being is being focused to accomplish a specific function, but as a result, their ability to do other things is lessened. For example, the First Appointed may very well be amazingly good at defending the One Tree, but woefully inadequate at defending the rock above it that could be attacked to knock it down.