Kevin's Watch

We know that the Dirt was there before the Falls and it may be a by product of the Skurj eating the earth. We don't know when Kassy broke the Durance, but we do know that they took up residence in Mount Thunder or at least found release. Maybe the Dirt is what they release. As far as it being called Kevin's Dirt, it could just be a name. Kevin is one of the more tragic figures in the story, and the dirt is pretty tragic in itself.

Stave talks about creatures of Earthpower on Mount Thunder - is that what you're referring to? I assumed he meant Fire Lions.

When Liand first meet's Linden and is telling here about the Elohim that visited the stonedown. "he informed us that a bane of great puissance and ferocity in the far north had slipped its bonds, and had found release in Mount Thunder"
I know of nothing else except the Skurj that he could be talking about?

Thanks for the clarification - I'm on my 2nd read of Runes now and hadn't gotten that far yet.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't the Elohim that caused the lands affliction(although at first i felt it could have been a gift, such as their gift of tongues to the giants), but it ties in to good with what the Haruchai are trying to achieve (ignorance of earthpower) plus we all know of these two peoples mutual dislike of eachother. It makes the quarrels between the haruchai and the Ramen look like mere childs play.
I'm stretching here but could it be one of Kevins old wards put to use by the Haruchai. I know they don't like to use manifestations of power but maybe once? It could also be an unconscious action as suggested earlier, but in one way or another i think the Haruchai are definitely responsible.

...it's the shade of poor Kevin who caused the "dirt" to appear, and it IS in preparation for a new desecration??

It's on page 135 of Runes of the Earth, while Linden is receiving Stave's "Earthpower" lecture.

His answer had the finality of a knell. "We name it so because we deem it to be a foretaste of desecration. It's pall covers the Land in preperation".

This is the LAST Chronicles - I believe that Kevin's Dirt is a sign of the end of days in the Land. It is an after-effect of the Banefire or a sign of pollution - or part of an echo of Lord Foul's whisperings.

esmerlover wrote: Even the Vow was just an amplification of their own inherit strength and puissance.

Ugh.. you said PUISSANCE.... I will be very happy if SRD *never* uses that word EVER AGAIN...

MrKABC wrote:

esmerlover wrote: Even the Vow was just an amplification of their own inherit strength and puissance.

Ugh.. you said PUISSANCE.... I will be very happy if SRD *never* uses that word EVER AGAIN...

My new word to HATE is FORMICATION! ... hmmmm ... good topic for a new thread!

[EDIT]

Hated words go here: kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/viewtopic ... highlight=

Back to the DIRT in this thread!

….Concerning Kevins Dirt…it seems to me that the author is making reference to air pollution. I know Albukirky has its problems almost on the same scale as my town Phoenix. Now..all the detailed angst over who so named it and the sources , etc etc..i can only suggest,the source would have to be pretty far up the power chain,,as in,,possibly a corrupted Elohim or Forrestal type..,put it all together and ponder what is being said. ..If you are born in it,,and grow up in it,,all the while nothing being acknowledged about it or doing anything about it,,then you become blind to it…Steve is definetly making a political statement here on one scale,,and on a larger scale,,making a philosophical statement. …It has to do with the current tendencies in the Halls of Power to create “ synthetic realities”…WMD’s on power point is a classic example. There are numerous apon numerous more examples of what I refer to, the latest being the Social security scare.
…For any who may be wary at this point of this post,,because ,,oh , oh..”politics” is being discussed,,well please do recall,,The Rhiter of The Wurd,,in his younger days,,was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam war..talk about being a pariah. Point being…he uses Kevin Dirt as an example of a synthetic reality,,and the harachi’s arrogance and therefore their indirect support of synthetic realities as analogies to current events. Some ponderage there. Now, the sense of ..relating to the next generation, whats really important..the task of all parents and mentors.., starts to be seen easier in Wurd…The repeated refrain of “ Lord Foul Has My Son” takes on deeper understanding. Yes..” Kevins Dirt” as a title has many dimensions and I like the implication of Kevin being blind to Fouls machinations. Now..to the philosophical..some rhetorical questions…as in…if “ we” are corrupted internally,,does that not reflect externally? Our environment,,external and on any scale you choose,self,,local, regional, national, global….is that not a reflection of our internal environment? ..desecration of the land begins with the soul…Now, there are other elements besides “ the environment”,,externally,,,but the metaphor internally applies across the board. The definition of “ a human being” is being waged here in the Last Chrons…There is the “ synthetic realityists” and the realists,,both struggling for superiority and the souls of next generation…. in a fantasy series. I love it!!………MEL

Kevin's Dirt blinds the Land dwellers from their natural Earth senses or health sense.
Ignorance kept up by the Masters" also blinds the people.
In the real world Jeremiah acts ignorant to a degree as he does not react to outside stimuli, unless Linden becomes part of his perspective by laying a block down.
I keep having this vague feeling that SRD is trying to tell us something about this... I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe it is because I am a parent and have the tendency to be "blind" as I always see my kids as being good...

dANdeLION wrote:Kevin's Dirt...I think the Elohim put it there, and I think it's called Kevin's Dirt because you could see it clearly from Kevin's Watch, or because it blinds people to the truth of things like Kevin was blinded to the truth about Foul.

I agree, Lord Foul even says as much:

Also I had no hand in your blindness, for I did not utter the fine riposte of Kevin's Dirt. If you fear what has been done, think on the Elohim and feel despair. The surve me as do the Haruchai, unwittingly, and in arrogance.

The question is why did they do it. Perhaps they see the real chance of Linden raising the Worm as she did in her vision and hope that if she is blind she will not hazard the Earth?

Yet Linden can walk right out of Kevin's Dirt and be free to see clearly. And Linden did this!

Frankly, Kevin's Dirt is aimed directly at the people of the Land.

And it shockingly blinds them to the wondrous potential of everything!
And it is an outrage!

(Though there is a chance that it is all an unintentional side-effect of something else)

My money's on the Skurj. It's only a one-liner, but at one point Anele says:

"Skurj and Elohim. He has broken the Durance. Skurj mar the very air. Oh, the Earth!"

This sounds like the source of the problem to me.

IVB wrote:I agree, Lord Foul even says as much:

Also I had no hand in your blindness, for I did not utter the fine riposte of Kevin's Dirt. If you fear what has been done, think on the Elohim and feel despair. The surve me as do the Haruchai, unwittingly, and in arrogance.

That doesn't say anything like the 'Elohim made Kevin's Dirt' at all! What Foul says is that what the Elohim have done should be of more concern than anything he may or may not have done.

Kassy broke the Durance he's Elohim. The Skurj are on Mt. Thunder. Maybe them being there has caused the Dirt?
That way it fits what they both said.

Wayfriend wrote:

IVB wrote:I agree, Lord Foul even says as much:

Also I had no hand in your blindness, for I did not utter the fine riposte of Kevin's Dirt. If you fear what has been done, think on the Elohim and feel despair. The surve me as do the Haruchai, unwittingly, and in arrogance.

That doesn't say anything like the 'Elohim made Kevin's Dirt' at all! What Foul says is that what the Elohim have done should be of more concern than anything he may or may not have done.

Perhaps, but consider at the word "riposte" its an response/counter attack against something. I had forgotten about Anele skurj comment as well...

IVB wrote: Perhaps, but consider at the word "riposte" its an response/counter attack against something. I had forgotten about Anele skurj comment as well...

It is the Skurj that mar the very air. I sort of imagine that when the Durance broke, it got scattered throughout the world by the Skurj like some kind of volcanic ash. And if the Durance were a substance designed to restrain great earthpower, then Kevin's Dirt might be the result.

I would like to know how Kastenessen was able to free himself of the Durance. I suspect it is the work of his grandson, Esmer, and he partially serves Kastenessen. Perhaps he manipulated a caesure to weaken the Durance.

No-one seems to be too concerned that without the Durance in place, the Earth will be destroyed. Perhaps this will be how the books end.

IVB wrote:
Perhaps, but consider at the word "riposte" its an response/counter attack against something. I had forgotten about Anele skurj comment as well...

Wait wait wait.
Have the people of the Land ever really mattered to Foul or the Elohim?
No.
If Kevin's Dirt is a counter attack............against whom?
Wouldn't it highly affect the Elohim?
Isn't it something that would keep them away from the Land?
And thereby would be a cause for the despair that Lord Foul feels that Linden should have?
That this time, she would have no help from the Elohim. No Findail type of salvation?

idhtbifom, but didn't the Ramen get that Elohim visiter OUTSIDE of the Land, where it was Dirt free?

God, I love this!

But an Elohim visted the Mithil Stonedown as well.