Kevin's Watch

variol's son's avatar had us talking briefly about how SRD mentions Mhoram's eyes often. He truly does make a point of it, so I thought it deserved a thread. Please add any mentions that you can find. Eyes are cool.

"'Scenery,'" Mhoram echoed. The word is strange to me - but I do not like the sound."

Covenant felt oddly shaken, as if he had just looked over his shoulder and found himself standing too close to a precipice. "It means that beauty is something extra," he rasped. "It's nice, but we can live without it."

"Without?" Mhoram's gaze glittered dangerously.

And behind him Foamfollower breathed in astonishment, "Live without beauty? Ah, my friend! How do you resist despair?"

"I don't think we do," Covenant muttered. "Some of us are just stubborn."

"If what you say is true - if the Land and Earth and all are nothing more than a dream, a threat of madness for you - then still you must eat. Hunger is hunger, and need is need. How else-?"

"No." Covenant dismissed the idea heavily.

At that, the gold flecks in Mhoram's eyes flared, as if they reflected the passion of the sun, and he said levelly, "Then answer that question yourself. Answer it, and save us. If we are helpless and unfriended, it is your doing. Only you can penetrate the mysteries which surround us."

He followed, and stopped with her before a large picture in a burnished ebony frame. It was a dark work, but glowing bravely near its center was a figure that he recognized immediately: Lord Mhoram. The Lord stood alone in a hollow tightly surrounded by black fiendish shapes which were about to fall on him like a flood, deluge him utterly. His only weapon was his staff, but he wielded it defiantly; and in his eyes was a hot, potent look of extremity and triumph, as if he had discovered within himself some capacity for peril that made him unconquerable.

Covenant griped the Lord's gaze, and said, "Tell me something, Mhoram. How did you get away - when that Raver caught you - near Foul's Creche?"

Mhoram answered with a conscious serenity, a refusal of dismay, which looked like danger in his gold-flecked eyes. "The Bloodguard with me were slain. But when samadhi Raver touched me, he knew me as I knew him. He was daunted."

When Lord Amatin spoke again, she emphasized her words intently. "Amok, what are you?"

Without hesitation, Amok replied, "I am the Seventh Ward of High Lord Kevin's Lore."

His answer threw a stunned silence over the whole gathering. Both Elders gasped, and Corimini had to brace himself on Elena's shoulder. A burst of wild emotion shot across Elena's face. Mhoram's eyes crackled with sudden visionary fire...."

Lord Mhoram's piercing gaze probed Troy. Then Mhoram helped the Warmark to his feet. Quietly, the Lord asked, "Do Callindrill and Verement live?"

"Yes. I saw their fire. Can you reach them? They don't have any of that High Wood."

Mhoram smiled grimly. "What message shall I give?"

Now Troy studied Mhoram. He felt oddly vulnerable without his sunglasses, as if he were exposed to reproach, even to abhorrence, but he could see Mhoram acutely. What he saw reassured him. The Lord's eyes gleamed with hazardous potentials, and the bones of his skull had an indomitable hue. The contrast to his own weakness humbled Troy.

As he strode forward, he felt a new calm. Confronting his dread, he could see that it was only fear. He had met and mastered its kindred when a Raver had laid hands on him. And the knowledge he had gained then could save the Warward now. With peril in his eyes, he went toward the Deep until he was among the first trees. There he ignited his staff and raised it over his head, carefully holding it away from any of the branches. Then he began to sing.

Lord Mhoram gripped the bone sculpture tightly, and his eyes shone with sudden comprehension. He understood the bond between Elena and the Ranyhyn; he understood what the giving of such a gift to Covenant meant. A gasp of weeping swept over his face. But when it passed, it left his self-mastery intact. His crooked lips took on their old humane angle. When he turned to Covenant again, he said gently, "It is a precious gift."

He blinked, and his gold-flecked eyes shifted into focus on the carving which stood on the table two feet from the flat blade of his nose.

"But the Land, High Lord! The Land will be lost! The despiser will wrack it from end to end."

At once Mhoram breathed intensely, "By the Seven! Not while one flicker of love or faith remains alive!"

His eyes burned into Trevor's until the Lord's protest receded.

As he grasped the utterness of his plight, he turned inward, retreated into himself as if he were fleeing. There he looked the end of all his hopes and all his Landservice in the face, and found that its scarred, terrible visage no longer appalled him. He was a fighter, a man born to fight for the Land. As long as something for which he could fight remained, he was impervious to terror. And something did remain; while he lived, at least one flame of love for the Land still burned. He could fight for that.

His crooked lips stretched into an extreme and perilous grin; hot, serene triumph shone in his eyes.

Hundreds of people were gathered around the lake. Almost immediately, Covenant made out High Lord Mhoram. He stood facing east across Glimmermere. He bore no staff. His hands were heavily bandaged. On his left were the Lords Trevor and Loerya, holding their daughters, and on his right was Lord Amatin. All of them seemed solemnly glad, but Mhoram's serene gaze outshone them, testified more eloquently than they could to the land's victory.

LOL Fist!! Looks like you got most of them!! I'll have to do some searching to see if there is any you missed

are you saying SRD focussed more on Mhorams eyes than any other character? you know i have never noticed.

but if he did that is very interesting .. and maybe he did .. because of the old saying "the eyes are the windows to the soul" and to me Mhoram was portrayed by SRD to be a pivotal figure to TC's experience in the Land.

and Mhoram beyond that was also a relatively pivotal character in all of the series .. and to the Land.

He occurs throughout the series .. whereas many other characters come and go. And he is portrayed as a man of great wisdom and harmony .. almost akin to a great spiritual leader imho ..

but clearly he is not this in the chrons .. yet he is a visionary .. he has the "sight" .. for a time.

Mhoram is a vital character imho .. and one who speaks with his eyes .. with his whole being ..

and SRD seems to capture this intangible quality in his descriptions of Mhorams eyes .. SRD enables Mhoram to communicate a thousand words and great meaning with the expression of his eyes ..

this is very powerful authorship imho .. to animate a character through physical expression imho .. like an eye flicker ..

serene triumph shone in his eyes.

his eyes shone with sudden comprehension

Mhoram's gaze glittered dangerously

the gold flecks in Mhoram's eyes flared, as if they reflected the passion of the sun

and my personal favourite

Mhoram's eyes crackled with sudden visionary fire...."

Second only to Wildwood, imo.

But his eyes were not soft. From under his thick white brows, a silver light shone from orbs without pupil or iris, and his glances had the force of physical impact.

Third only to your eyes Syl!

Heh. Thanks.

I was thinking, today at tech my tutor talked about how Social workers often need a "fuck off" stance, one that is open and empathetic, but lets clients know that they shouldn't mess with you.

SRD often mentions Mhoram's mouth as being humane, while his eyes are often firey or intense. It's like SRD is using Mhorams mouth and eyes to protray the two different sides of one of the most important characters in the chronicles. Mhoram is kind and open and has a sense of warmth about him, but his eyes let you know that you doefinately don't mess with him.

Sum sui generis
Vs

I always thought that way about it too VS. The two sides of Mhoram. Especially in TPTP, when he discovers the secrets to the RoD. SRD made several references to his eyes and his mouth.

and I thought this would simply be a thread about "what's the deal with the gold flecks in his eyes?" But then you guys go off on a deep thinking tangent that I've never considered...well, besides Mhoram being just about the most intense and powerful lord in the series...

Well one of you either start a Mhoram's mouth thread, or post the quotes here!!

Skyweir wrote:are you saying SRD focussed more on Mhorams eyes than any other character? you know i have never noticed.

Well, I've certainly noticed it mentioned about Mhoram more than any other character. And I hadn't looked in the 2nd Chrons for quotes on Mhoram's eyes. Here we go:

High Lord Mhoram, with the wise serenity of his eyes, and the crookedness of his smile.

And I've skipped the times when Mhoram's eyes were only mentioned because they had tears in them, but since this is the last time we see him:

The Dead High Lord's eyes shone with silver tears - yet he did not falter or vanish.

But let's see...
There's the awesome quote about Caerroil Wildwood that Syl just gave us. And Kevin's eyes were full of the effects of Desecration.

Elena's eyes are mentioned a few times in an interesting way.

For an instant, the other focus of her eyes came close to him, touched him like a lick of fire.

He lifted his cheek from her hair, moved her so that he could see her face.

That sight chilled him. Despite the dimness of the light, her gaze shocked him like an immersion in polar seas.

The otherness of her sight, the elsewhere dimension of its power, had focused, concentrated until it became the crux of something savage and illimitable. A terrible might raved out of her orbs. Though her gaze was not directed at him, it bored through him like an auger. When it was gone, it left a bloody weal across him.

It was a look of apocalypse.

He could not think of any other name for it but hate.

She was gazing as if with bated breath down the tunnel. A rapt, exultant expression filled her face, and she seemed taller, elevated in stature by her grasp on the Staff of Law - as if the Staff's flame fed a fire within her, ablaze like a vison of victory. She looked like a priestess, an enactor of hallowed and effective rites, approaching the occult ground of her strength. The very gaps of her elsewhere gaze were crowded with exalted and savage possibilities.

I think that's pretty interesting. And "A terrible might raved out of her orbs" is quite a thing to say! Prophetic?

ah, mhoram, now i dont think anyone could say that he wasn't their favorite lord, theres no way he couldn't be.

yet his eyes were his true meaning, whenever he says something of importance, his eyes are mentioned... its a though his role in life was to be of service to his eyes, to make them count more than the rest of him.

Mhoram was named "seer and oracle", how else could this be shown but in the power of his eyes? - linking somewhat, in the 2nd crons kesryen (however u spell it) uses gold for his arts, making him insanely powerful... is this a link with Mhoram's gold-tinted eyes?

I think so.. Mhoram lacked physical gold, but he had a soul and spirit of gold.. he didn't need real gold to make his arts powerful, he was his gold.

people say its what on the inside that counts, for Mhoram, this was his being and he showed it though his eyes. the eyes truely are the window to the soul, more literally than any other case, is that of Mhoram's eyes.

Fist and Faith wrote:Well one of you either start a Mhoram's mouth thread, or post the quotes here!!

Skyweir wrote:are you saying SRD focussed more on Mhorams eyes than any other character? you know i have never noticed.

Well, I've certainly noticed it mentioned about Mhoram more than any other character.

you do know i was genuinely surprised .. like really .. oh wow .. now theres a thing you know .. like wow .. cool .. i never noticed that before .. lol
that is interesting .. lets look at that

just making sure that you didnt think i was being sarchastic cos i wasnt

and its not actually my style .. when i'm sarchastic you'll know it .. there'll be emoticons galore .. and it will be in fun .. not ever used to tear anyones pov down

cos i hates that .. nasties sarchys speaks .. as a general rule ofcourse lol

emoticons galore eh? well, there was alot of emoticons in that last post
*counts*

8 emots

Sky,
I don't know why you were worried about that. I don't see anything in your post that's remotely questionable. My emphasis on noticed was only meant to say that, whether or not SRD emphasized it more on Mhoram than the other characters, I noticed it more on him.

Forestal wrote:emoticons galore eh? well, there was alot of emoticons in that last post
*counts*

8 emots

:lol

ROFLMAO!! haha .. heh .. yeah well .. lol .. thats true good catch lol

*wipes coke from monitor*

Good Fist .. but you know .. there is a cultural difference re: humour .. and sometimes have to be more on the careful side .. just to ensure no hard feelings

and it never hurts to be sure .. your not sounding harsh, crass or dismissive .. or trite when its not intended ..

and anyway .. lol .. afterall it was only yesterday i made a crack about your frighteningly white legs

one can never be too careful .. in an environment that relies soley on the printed word and questionable data entry operants like myself

<i know i am not convinced thats a word either >

anyway back to the eyes ..

and this demonstrates the need as an author .. where communication is dependant only upon the written word .. that animation of body parts assists

body parts like the eyes and mouth .. a character to convey the full depth of expression .. must also be shown to deliver non-verbal accompaniements to the written word ..

and SRD clearly demonstrates his ability in doing this .. as if we ran a poll .. Mhoram would be one of the most if not THE most popular character in the series .. and why?

i posit because we know him .. intimately .. Now having said that SRD delivers the same level and depth to all of his characters .. some more than others ofcourse .. but we see his characters speak with more than words .. and by no more powerfully medium is meaning conveyed, than by this method of collaboration of the verbal and non-verbal.

a luxury we dont always have on a discussion board nor are we SRD's

From Illearth War:

“Forestal, I offer you a Raver"
At the word Raver Caerroil Wildwood changed. The dewy, glistening aura of his music took on an inflection of anger. His eyes darkened; their silver light gave way to thunderheads. Mist spread from his orbs, and drifted upward through his eyebrows.
------

It is my opinion that for beings in the land, eyes illustrate power. Lord Foul’s eyes certainly did. Even Drool Rockworm’s to an extent.

High Lord Elena first had the distant-gaze that when brought into focus appeared full of dangerous promises. This was because she had the knowledge Morham would later find, the knowledge that the Oath of Peace was preventing the Lords from understanding Kevin’s Wards. When Covenant learned what the focus of eyes meant, the hidden power within her, he was fearful, because it had a name – hate. And hate is not part of the Oath of Peace. Morham’s eyes only became like Elena’s when he began to understand what Elena had known. Then his eyes too had the otherness look, the unfocused appearance of someone not looking directly at you, hiding something from you perhaps.

But no one except Foul could compare to the might of Caerroil Wildwood’s eyes. His eyes smoked with power!

So I think it is a representation of capability. The ability to enact power because of their knowledge.

lord luof wrote:But no one except Foul could compare to the might of Caerroil Wildwood’s eyes. His eyes smoked with power!

That, my friend, is because Caerroil Wildwood kicked ass!