Kevin's Watch

The Haruchai were (and somehow manage to remain) very naive and very extravagant. They swore the Vow because they were naive enough to be completely awed by what they found when they first went to the Land, and because this unfamiliar passion could not be answered in a way that was less than absolute.

And their naivete and extravagance also made it impossible for them to do anything but abandon the Vow entirely when they learned that they were not equal to their intent.

It may seem silly to us that they have to go to such extremes every time something crosses their path. Just relax a bit, hey? No need to swear a Vow that forces you to give up EVERYTHING you've always loved, right? But it's not that easy. Their extremity is also why they can do the things they can do. Remove the extremity, and they're just another race of people.

Good point Fist.

I suppose all worlds need fanatics and dogmaticists to keep the pragmatists in line.

ROTE shows what can happen when they get to much power though.

Dont get me wrong, I love the bloodguard/haruchai but then they act like judgmental idiots and it really winds me up as I expect them to be perfect and wish they were, so I guess I am just disappointed that they screw up like everyone else. If they didn't, then fair play to them and their Vow.

KAY1 wrote:Dont get me wrong, I love the bloodguard/haruchai but then they act like judgmental idiots and it really winds me up as I expect them to be perfect and wish they were, so I guess I am just disappointed that they screw up like everyone else. If they didn't, then fair play to them and their Vow.

Which is exactly the reaction SRD was going for.

Well it is bloody annoying! I think there were only about 2 people in the whole series' who didn't mess up my opinion of them and they were Mhoram (who in a way did mess up when he abandoned Kev's law etc) and Pitchwife. I think everyone else had their moments.

Some people I disliked instantly anyway (Elena, Linden) and they never redeemed themselves in my eyes. Linden isn't doing too bad a job in Last Chrons though! But I felt sorry for TC in TIW and from the second she was acting all high and mighty after he was summoned I hated her.

Anyway back to the Bloodguard/Haruchai.

Spoiler

Look at how they have messed things up in 3rd chrons by AGAIN assuming they can do better than anyone else. Ok they know they are doomed to fail but they are still trying to stop anyone else doing anything. All this 'knife can turn to hurt the hand of the wielder' crap is just annoying!'

YES!!! I managed to insert spoiler tags without screwing it up!

KAY1, SRD means to do that. he makes you feel. He's the Andy Kaufman of Fantasy -- he goes for the whole range of emotion from his audience. ANd he doesnt ever let go.

I remember in TPTP, when TC went through one tragedy, then another -- Pietten killing Lena, TC killing Pietten, then stumbling into the forest to have his life restored by the old unfettered woman, then running right into Triock Raver, with Bannor and Saltheart held captive by Elena Foul-Wife (Shudder) who held both stone and staff, then right into the sarangrave with Saltheart. Iwas thinking, damn SRD give the guy a break for a few pages!! but SRD never lets up. he makes us love them and shows us their flaws, their futility.

I kept waiting to sympathize with Covenant -- I still dont, but still like him on some dep level.

SaltHeart, Mhoram, Hyrim were my favorites and I could weep for them. I loved Hile Troy, who was as tragic a figure as Fantasy has ever produced.

iQuestor wrote:I loved Hile Troy, who was as tragic a figure as Fantasy has ever produced.

Prebe wrote:

iQuestor wrote:I loved Hile Troy, who was as tragic a figure as Fantasy has ever produced.

Quite true - although, stupid as it may sound, becoming a Forestal in the Land for 4000 years is not an ultimately bad price for the efforts and errors of a simple mortal.

Or is it? sadly, I won't have the chance to verify...

It's not just the end result that's tragic. Although becomming a sesile singing stump for 4000 years with squirels and birds crapping all over you wouldn't be my idea of a good time

It's also the fact that he is doomed to make the choice from day one, because he is hanging by his fingernails from the window ledge (IRL) in a burning building.

He is predestined to make the sacrifice or be responsible for the end of The Land. Now THAT is tragic.

WOW! Fantastic, Prebe!


Yes, Kay, I agree with your feelings completely. When the Haruchai first came to the Land, they were so moved by its wonders that they swore the Vow. RotE spoiler:

Spoiler

Now, they've done away with everything of wonder that inspired that Vow! If, when they originally came to the Land, it was like it is now - the way they've made it! - they'd have kept walking, looking for something worth their time.

The Bloodguard represent the "opposite" of wild magic: extremely rigid control and discipline. They are one extreme of the control vs passion spectrum--a spectrum which must be balanced (as Lord Mhoram discovered in contemplating the Marrowmeld sculpture). Thus, the Haruchai are supposed to exhibit the shortcomings of this particular extreme.

Yes, but even that is not black or white - where they have almost total control they also have total passion - for their wives.

the Haruchai are extreme, black or white, in all they do, whether it is in their Vow, or their passion for their wives.

The problem is with extremity though is that it is too absolute. it doesn't leave room for error or other choices. If they screw up they abandon their promises instead of trying to rectify their mistakes. Ok when the Korik and the other 2 went to Foul's Creche and were corrupted, they did make a mistake. but again that was just another example of extremism! Rather than admit publicly they were wrong, be humble (significant word there!) and seek HELP from others, they tried to take matters into their own hands, which is why they failed.

Spoiler

Same in ROTE. they took matters in their own hands instead of sharing reposinsibility

Fist wrote:WOW! Fantastic, Prebe!

Heh! Thanks Fist. I believe this is my first attempt at an interpretive post in an actual SRD forum, so I need all the support I can get.

Prebe wrote:

Fist wrote:WOW! Fantastic, Prebe!

Heh! Thanks Fist. I believe this is my first attempt at an interpretive post in an actual SRD forum, so I need all the support I can get.

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