Kevin's Watch

Let us mull over all matters monumental here.

First item: wherefore do you think the Giants were the sole race to make distinct technological advances throughout the Chronicles, even in terms of clothing, while everything in the Land devolved? How does this pertain to the anti-heroes' psychological journey?

Second item: who was your favorite Giant/Giantess in the entire series?

Second item: who was your favorite Giant/Giantess in the entire series?

This shouldn't be questioned: Saltheart Foamfollower. I often describe him as one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, supporting characters in fantasy literature.

I am on team Pitchwife. Although my heart goes out to Seadreamer. And I think Grimmand Honninscrave is a great character as well.

RE: technological advances

I wouldn't take that too much to heart. In fantasy, by definition, nothing advances. I think the Giants got a few freebies in order to make the story make sense. I would not derive a chain of conclusions any further than that.

Favorite Giant? You mean I have to pick just one?

Aieeeee....okay. Foamfollower.

In terms of technological advances, I suppose it depends on your point of view. The Clave considered themselves pretty darned advanced.

But I'd argue that the ruling classes -- the Clave and the Masters -- had a fair bit to do with holding technology back. In both cases, I think, the people of the Land were concentrating on surviving under harsh conditions day-to-day. They didn't really have the leisure time to come up with ways to make everybody's lives easier. (Plus SRD didn't need for the Land's people to invent new technologies, so.... )

Foamfollower. And good point about the Clave (and the sunbane) and the Masters Ali.

After all, in the 1st Chrons the Lords were doing the new tech developing. The staffs that allowed long distance communication for example.

--A

this thread seems no larger than any other thread...

The technology thing is probably due to the geographical separations of the giants from the rest of the land. Something similar took place in Europe where the early civilizations (particularly the Greeks) devolved somewhat and Europe in general didn't recover until the Renaissance.

Favorite giant though? Can't pick just one - too many of them are great characters.

My favourite giant was Kinslaughterer. The other two brothers are a close second.

I thought the most advanced culture we saw were those people who lived at that desert harbour place in the second chronicles.

The giants made ships from rocks... could say they are persistent, but not too bright.

Pitchwife.

As far as we know, the Giants were able to evolve culturally in peace and this presumably allowed them to learn things like how to make stone ships.

The human peoples of the Land experienced a remarkable progression of lore under the Old Lords followed by a regression as a result of Kevin's Desecration, followed by a recovery under the new Lords and then a change in the nature of their Lore under Mhoram's guidance. We learn from the Soothtell that Mhoram's successors made remarkable progress for 2000 years, albeit facilitated by the destruction of the Staff of Law, and this development was then perverted by samadhi Sheol and the Clave as the Sunbane began to manifest itself. Then there is an initial attempt at renaissance under the guidance of Sunder and Hollian, but from a century or so from the end of the Second Chronicles until the events in the Last Chronicles the Masters maintained an obscurantist regime based on their fear of the use of Earthpower and Anele's loss of the new Staff of Law. There are clear hints in the epilogue of The Last Dark that a period of renewed progress will ensue with the restoration of the Earth and the recreation of the Council of Lords.

Also, one of the interesting unanswered questions of TLD is how the transcendent ur-viles and Waynhim will utilise and develop their inherited Vile/Demondim lore in their work as the new Forestals.