What to look forward to in the Last Dark

[Orlion]

There are some events we know will happen, and what can they be?

1) Covenant hunts down Turyia.

Spoiler

We also know from the trailer that he helps kill this Raver.

2) The Battle of Andelain- On one hand, we have Sandgorgons and skurj, while on the other, we can expect the Masters and Ramen. Other potential participants include Kasty and Roger on the villian's side (and our remaining Raver) and Linden, Jeremiah, ur-vile remnants and the Giant Squad on the hero's side. We may also get some Ranyhyn.

3)She Who Must Not Be Named- Something has to happen with her(s).

4) The Worm. The encounter with this being is the major contender for climatic conflict with the Battle of Andelain

5) And, of course, the final confrontation with Lord Foul. I imagine he'll be coupled with one or more of the events listed above.

[rdhopeca]

I am starting to wonder if the end will be Foul being released to the universe, only for Jeremiah to box everything else IN, effectively locking Foul away from anything he could harm...

[Orlion]

Ah, yes... the inevitable "Grand Boxing of Jeremiah". Once we learned of his ability in Fatal Revenant, it's been clear that it would play an important role in the end game. I wonder what its limits are, if anything? It will certainly be an effective means of travel... I'm actually wondering if he will actually try to box in the Worm, or box away the Earthblood...he is our wild card.

There's also the assertion by Foul that Jeremiah will ultimately serve him in full view of Linden...

[rdhopeca]

Well, letting Foul *go* would appear to serve him, and then oopsie, Foul you are out there all alone...

[Orlion]

Well, letting Foul *go* would appear to serve him, and then oopsie, Foul you are out there all alone...

...with a hungry, cosmic caterpillar!

[variol son]

1) Covenant hunts down Turyia.

Spoiler

We also know from the trailer that he helps kill this Raver.

I'm looking forward to this!

3)She Who Must Not Be Named- Something has to happen with her(s).

And this!

Mostly because I think SRDs writes those sort of battles with just a handful of participants awesomely - Linden against Roger and the croyel, Honninscrave and Nom rending samadhi, Covenant facing Elena at the Colossus of the Fall - brilliant!

2) The Battle of Andelain- On one hand, we have Sandgorgons and skurj, while on the other, we can expect the Masters and Ramen. Other potential participants include Kasty and Roger on the villian's side (and our remaining Raver) and Linden, Jeremiah, ur-vile remnants and the Giant Squad on the hero's side. We may also get some Ranyhyn.

Not looking forward to this as much, except that I always love it when the Ranyhyn kick butt.

[Krilly]

1) Covenant hunts down Turyia.

Based on where Turyia is predicated to go, I see a two-evils-with-one-stone conclusion here. Will TC finally unleash wild magic to accomplish this or...

Spoiler

knowing that Brinn remarks about the krill being more than it was AND its power-channeling properties, perhaps TC will be able to absorb a raver into it and exterminate them. After all, Loric (the krill's maker) was dubbed the "Vile Silencer" and Viles, as we've learned, are very similar to ravers.

2) The Battle of Andelain- On one hand, we have Sandgorgons and skurj, while on the other, we can expect the Masters and Ramen. Other potential participants include Kasty and Roger on the villian's side (and our remaining Raver) and Linden, Jeremiah, ur-vile remnants and the Giant Squad on the hero's side. We may also get some Ranyhyn.

I've been dying to see Kast revealed. What form does he take? How will his madness and anguish manifest? How can he be laid to rest? I have a feeling, him being Elohim, the Worm is going to come after him.

3)She Who Must Not Be Named- Something has to happen with her(s).

Probably the biggest surprise from AATE. Can't begin to guess where that plotline will lead.

4) The Worm. The encounter with this being is the major contender for climatic conflict with the Battle of Andelain

Similar to my curiosity about Kast, I'm wondering if the Worm is going to be what we all expect... a colossal "Dune" style worm. Or will it be something incredibly unexpected...

5) And, of course, the final confrontation with Lord Foul. I imagine he'll be coupled with one or more of the events listed above.

10 books have lead up to this. SRD won't let us down.

[SleeplessOne]

I love that theory regarding the demise of the herem, Krilly, I can totally see it going down that way now that you have floated the concept.

apart from the obvious plot resolutions that we're all dying to see tied up, I'm really looking forward to finally seeing Kastenessen.

I was sure he was going to turn up toward the end of FR, then figured SRD had to work him into the story somewhere in AATE - I've built up my anticipation of this character's appearance and really want to see how SRD handles the mad elohim.

I think there's the potential for some real scenery-chewing stuff with Kasty; the only character I can possibly equate him to is Foul himself - Kastenessen is malign, has a major grudge against his people and doesn't care what it costs to get his way; without the (very) loose strictures of his people to guide him he is a loose cannon with god-like powers.

So in some ways he bares a superficial resemblance to Foul, and probably represents the single direst sentient threat to the Land since the Giant Raver - but then again Kastenessen's despair is something that Foul himself is more than capable of harnessing and exploiting.

Will we see any more Insequent ?

[Hashi Lebwohl]

Just like a Wagnerian opera, there won't be a "happy" ending.

I expect neither Covenant nor Linden to walk away from this one, especially if Linden chooses to sacrifice herself to save Jeremiah, which she would. Foul cannot be killed so he will wind up either outside the universe or locked in some pocket dimension. Roger will die but he is pretty inconsequential, in any event.

I am still trying to figure out how. Opposition failed. Accpetance failed. Right now, I still cannot see the third option but I reread the final chpater of AATE, with the tsunami. The third option is hinted at there because the wave can neither be opposed nor accepted.

[Orlion]

Just like a Wagnerian opera, there won't be a "happy" ending.

I expect neither Covenant nor Linden to walk away from this one, especially if Linden chooses to sacrifice herself to save Jeremiah, which she would. Foul cannot be killed so he will wind up either outside the universe or locked in some pocket dimension. Roger will die but he is pretty inconsequential, in any event.

I am still trying to figure out how. Opposition failed. Accpetance failed. Right now, I still cannot see the third option but I reread the final chpater of AATE, with the tsunami. The third option is hinted at there because the wave can neither be opposed nor accepted.

I'll have to find the quote, but the second 'option' was Sacrifice. These Chronicles are about Acceptance. The key with these options, also, is that it is not a matter of 'failure'. You can not Sacrifice without Opposing and you can not Accept without Sacrificing. All in capital letters, of course, since these are specific ideas... for example, I imagine 'Acceptance' is in a since of "I tried my damnedest and gave it my all, I can rest easy knowing that." Of course, there could be a flip side to these qualities as well, one that 'serves' Despair instead of fighting it. Opposition in the form of 'nothing else works, so I must nuke it all!' Sacrifice in the form of not being able to see a way forward without sacrificing someone close to you, and a nihilistic Acceptance where you accept that there is no point and nothing to be done that is not futile.

I do not know how this will end either... namely because all our real world characters are dead in the real world: there is no going back.

Really, we are kinda looking at a sort of 'gnosis' for the ending, and I imagine SHE is going to be key to this sort of ending. I doubt Foul will be (or even should be) redeemed as some have mentioned .

[ussusimiel]

This has probably been covered elsewhere but are we not due a trip to 'our' world so that the presence of the ring in Linden's hand at the end of WGW is explained. Didn't SRD reference this in the GI somewhere?

This would suggest that some time-travel is on the agenda, so that Linden can return to 'our' world at the right time in the past. It would have to be sometime between the end of the Quest to the One Tree and the end of WGW. The amount of time that would have passed in our world would be relatively short. (It could also mean that a trip back to the site of the One Tree is still possible using time-travel )

u.

[dlbpharmd]

As an aside - I think we can agree that anyone in this forum has or will read the preview chapter as well as seen (or will see) the trailer, so we don't need to spoiler tag anything.

At some point, an ARC will be available, and those who purchase it will want to talk about it here. When that time comes, we'll create a separate thread, with appropriate spoiler warnings attached.

Thanks,

(One of) your friendly neighborhood moderators

[Dagonet]

Regarding Kasty, wouldn't it be great if we could find something he wanted more than the annihilation of the elohim? Something that was more important to him than his rage and his pain? Too bad there's no way to track down the woman who started all of this and got him Duranced in the first place. . .

[variol son]

I have been thinking that Linden will end up dealing with Kastenessen somehow - something to do with with the new Staff of Law being "powered" (for want of a better word) by Findail, who was the closest thing Kastenessen had to a friend and who was also the one who track him down when he fled after being Appointed.

[Romeo]

Regarding Kasty, wouldn't it be great if we could find something he wanted more than the annihilation of the elohim? Something that was more important to him than his rage and his pain? Too bad there's no way to track down the woman who started all of this and got him Duranced in the first place. . .

All he ever really wanted was to be asked to be an usher.

Oh. Wait. Wrong thread. Sorry.

[Akasri]

Too bad there's no way to track down the woman who started all of this and got him Duranced in the first place. . .

Maybe she's part of SWMNBN?

[I'm Murrin]

Maybe? I thought that was stated outright in AATE?

[variol son]

I haven't looked in the text itself, but the Glossary states that Emereau Vrai, Kastenessen's mortal lover, is now victim to She Who Must Not Be Named.

[Akasri]

Oh, you're right, sorry.

Been too long since I read that... getting ready to start the re-read of the full series this summer once WGW comes on on Kindle

[DrPaul]

I've posted some comments in the thread "TLD Chap 3: Not Dead to Life and Use" that are also relevant to this discussion.