Kevin's Watch

Now that we're halfway through the Last Chronicles, I am forced to wonder something, and I'm sorry if this is discussed elsewhere, but where has the Creator gone?

Despite being a lifelong admirer of this series, I have to admit that The Runes of the Earth disappointed me a little. It seemed at first like the author wasn't going to take us anywhere new with the story, and maybe The Last Chronicles would just be similar to a showbiz sequel, unmotivated by advancing the story, and just revisiting old elements for the nostalgia of readers, and SRD's pocketbook. But, the author has quite acquitted himself with Fatal Revenant. The Last Chronicles clearly have places to go, but their exposition simply required some revisitation of old story elements in the first book to set up the Time themes. Now, I'm hooked again, not unlike a mackerel.

But, speaking of exposition, I still can't wrap my brain around the absence of the Creator, or the old man in ochre robes, in this series. Has SRD spoken on this topic? Does anyone see a thematic or story reason why he seems to have no hand in it this time?

This has been mentioned before, in this thread.

Significance of missing creator

However, I think that he will make an appearance.

Just speculating, but maybe linden having already been to the land is a factor in the creator not warning her this time? It's not like Thom saw the ocher robed man more than once, right?

I assume there's some more srs shit going on though.

I have speculated in other threads that perhaps the Creator is exploiting a loophole created by the breaking of certain laws, perhaps it is a large enough loophole to allow him to enter the land without threatening the Arch of Time. I believe also that the Creator did not appear to anyone , because doing so might threaten his agenda, especially if my suspicions about him using Lindens adopted son as a vehicle to enter the Land unnoticed are true. This is the all in. This time things will be settled, one way or the other.

This was posted in other threads but seems appropos here:

In the Gradual Interview, the always straightforward SRD wrote:What? Did you think it was an *accident* that no one appeared to warn Linden before she entered the Land for "The Last Chronicles"? <malign grin>

Würd-o wrote:Now that we're halfway through the Last Chronicles, I am forced to wonder something, and I'm sorry if this is discussed elsewhere, but where has the Creator gone?

... I still can't wrap my brain around the absence of the Creator, or the old man in ochre robes, in this series.

Linden agrees with you:

"The floor was covered to the walls by a rough flaxen rug raddled to an ochre like that of the robe of the old man who should have warned her of her peril."

However, later, when Linden meets The Theomach:

"A moment later, the stranger moved again. She feared that he would withdraw, but he did not. Instead he came toward her as if he were gliding over the surface of the ice. He was wrapped from head to foot in russet cloth: it covered him like a winding sheet."

"Russet" and "ochre" could refer to the same colour...

The defining characteristic of the creator was not his yellow robe. It was his foul breath and wasted appearance. I don't remember the Theomach smelling badly and he was fit as a fiddle in the One Tree scene.

I don't think the russet cloth is supposed to be an ochre robe. There is some distinction between the Creator and the Theomach, but there is also some unity going on somehow. The Theomach gave what would later be Kevin's Lore to the new Lords, and he helped fashion the staff of Law. Clearly his purposes aren't as selfish or esoteric as the other Insequent. And, it's just too much of coincidence that the Creator has been described in a very particular garment all these years. We come to find now that the Insequent are the ones who make a lot out of specific garments. As for having foul breath, I don't think the old man / Creator always has that malady. He was testing the hero's resolve. Would they try to save his life despite the foulness? Would they try to save the Land despite Foul?

I still think the Creator didn't speak in this one, because he's not preparing heros this time. The battle won't be theirs, they will open the way to the final battle between Foul and Creator himself. Then they will use Time, Law, and the Elohim to remake the Land and merge with it, since they're all dead anyway. The Creator can't speak to them because even the slightest hint of what's to come could alter their actions.

Würd-o wrote:I don't think the russet cloth is supposed to be an ochre robe. There is some distinction between the Creator and the Theomach, but there is also some unity going on somehow. The Theomach gave what would later be Kevin's Lore to the new Lords, and he helped fashion the staff of Law. Clearly his purposes aren't as selfish or esoteric as the other Insequent. And, it's just too much of coincidence that the Creator has been described in a very particular garment all these years. We come to find now that the Insequent are the ones who make a lot out of specific garments. As for having foul breath, I don't think the old man / Creator always has that malady. He was testing the hero's resolve. Would they try to save his life despite the foulness? Would they try to save the Land despite Foul?

I still think the Creator didn't speak in this one, because he's not preparing heros this time. The battle won't be theirs, they will open the way to the final battle between Foul and Creator himself. Then they will use Time, Law, and the Elohim to remake the Land and merge with it, since they're all dead anyway. The Creator can't speak to them because even the slightest hint of what's to come could alter their actions.

I had figured that in Wounded Land, the Creator's problems (what wasit, heart attack? Only read the 2nd chronicles once, will have to remedy that someday) might have actually been a reflection of the Land, sunbane, etc.

Now, I haven't read the other thread yet, but here is a possibility...
Is it possible that the Creator is trapped within one of Jeremiah's constructs? I'm not sure how it would happen, but it sure would explain his absence...besides, FR seems to imply that Jeremiah has been Foul's little tool for quite some time, even when he was in the 'real' world.

And who knows, maybe the Creator is in that silly red car (once again, haven't read other threads, this probably has all ready been considered, if it has, let me know so that I can check out the appropriate thread!)

The little bells are telling me that Jeremiah is essentially a Vain who can use all Elohim to remake the earth. Jeremiah is the Worm of World's Rebirth. It's breaking my heart how the author gives us this character. A mute, wounded, tortured, autistic child, who can nevertheless represent the most ephemeral side of his tail. Come away O human child... But, even he could not trap the Creator. The Worm is only one series arc to resolve.

What IS the Worm? All we know is that the "Worm" is symbolic of some power or being (we don't actually know which) that is potent enough to both create and destroy the earth.

Its says in one of the books, can't remember which one, that the worm is an actual worm. It travsered space eating stars and curled up on itself once full. This is how the land was formed. The one tree is meant to be part of its tail or something?
So, logically, if the worm is roused, the land would kind of split apart thus causing utter destruction, shattering the arch of time and setting foul free.

Wow! Lot's of good stuff in here folks! Keep it up!

Fullmetal660 wrote:Its says in one of the books, can't remember which one, that the worm is an actual worm. It travsered space eating stars and curled up on itself once full. This is how the land was formed. The one tree is meant to be part of its tail or something?
So, logically, if the worm is roused, the land would kind of split apart thus causing utter destruction, shattering the arch of time and setting foul free.

Hmmmm... the thing I don't get it, if the Land is destroyed, why does that, by default, destroy the Arch of Time? The way I see it, the Land exists within the Arch of Time, not the other way around. The earth being destroyed IS just a natural occurrence within the span of time, so I don't see how the Worm would or could have anything to do with Foul and Time....


Just the way I see things.

sweetbread wrote:

Fullmetal660 wrote:Its says in one of the books, can't remember which one, that the worm is an actual worm. It travsered space eating stars and curled up on itself once full. This is how the land was formed. The one tree is meant to be part of its tail or something?
So, logically, if the worm is roused, the land would kind of split apart thus causing utter destruction, shattering the arch of time and setting foul free.

Hmmmm... the thing I don't get it, if the Land is destroyed, why does that, by default, destroy the Arch of Time? The way I see it, the Land exists within the Arch of Time, not the other way around. The earth being destroyed IS just a natural occurrence within the span of time, so I don't see how the Worm would or could have anything to do with Foul and Time....


Just the way I see things.

I was just theorising, but you have a valid point.

Well if the Worm awakens, uncurls and reenters space and the World's crust goes with him nobody's going to live anyway. Maybe the Arch of Time would still be there and so would Foul---then he'd really be pissed off.

danlo wrote:Well if the Worm awakens, uncurls and reenters space and the World's crust goes with him nobody's going to live anyway. Maybe the Arch of Time would still be there and so would Foul---then he'd really be pissed off.

Exactly! Well, at least he'd have Thomas to play checkers with....

Foul (In booming evil voice): "Knight to E4!!"
TC: "White-gold rook to D7, checkmate"
Foul: . . . . . . . "Damn you"

Interesting comment in the GI today:

SRD wrote:In my view, *meaning* is created internally by each individual in each specific life: any attempt at *meaning* which relies on some kind of external superstructure (God, Satan, the Creator, the Worm, whatever) for its substance misses the point (I mean the point of my story). That, among several other reasons, is why the Creator has effectively vanished from "The Last Chronicles": I'm trying to tighten my thematic focus and keep it where it belongs.