Insequent are the Unfettered

[SyrEmbattled]

I know how you're going to respond; the Insequent can't be the Unfettered Ones, because the Theomach names Linden Avery as the *first* Unfettered, the one who started the movement, as a cover for her abilities in Berek Halfhand's war against the Doriendor Corishev dynasty. In addition, the first ak-Haru is known to be the The Vizard.

It bothered me for a while that The Insequent were unknown in the first two Chrons, only to appear in the last Chrons like a deus ex machina gone horribly wrong. It also bothered me that my favourite characters, The Unfettered Ones, were absent from the last throes. That's when I came to an important potential revelation.

Bear with me, and consider two important things you may have overlooked:

1. The Insequent have shown themselves to have the ability to move through time, to have preternatural knowledge of the Land's events, and to live well beyond any concept of human years, in spite of being human; and

2. The Unfettered aren't seen to be present in the Land's time post-Sunbane. What happened to these nomadic, solitary seekers of Earthpower's lore? Perhaps they evolved, over thousands of years, in their own timeline, into The Insequent - each pursuing their own knowledge, purpose and lore. And yet, at the pinnacle of their existence, coming together to do things like participate in the Land's end as to a common purpose and council - the ones empowering The Ardent.

The Insequent are the Unfettered Ones. After thousands of years, the Unfettered Ones, without Trothgard to keep track of them, continued to pursue their own weirds/wurds. Those that pursued kinds of knowledge that defied aging and time, gained wide knowledge of one another and the Land without the rigid structures of time, and evolved to be known as The Insequent. Those unbound by time, like the Theomach, Vizard and Mahdoubt (*and possibly the Harrow, Ardent and Acolyte), and doubtless unnamed others, are truly Unfettered Ones, at the pinnacle of their respective weirds/wurds.

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+





And don't let me scare you off, bro. If you'd like, introduce yerself: CLICK HERE.

[wayfriend]

Welcome to the Watch, Syr. If you introduce yourself in the Summonsing forum, we can welcome you well.

The Insequent/Unfettered connection has been thought of by various posters at various times. That may bring you comfort, or dismay, depending on how you take that.

There's a thread about it here. Perhaps you'll enjoy some other takes on the puzzle.
Insequent and Unfettered

As for me, the only thing I feel strongly about is the notion that the Insequent were not originally present and that they came into being when someone changed Time. I think that they were always present, but not noted. Sometimes an author needs new things that they haven't left clues about in an earlier book.

[JIkj fjds j]

The Insequent are the Unfettered Ones. After thousands of years, the Unfettered Ones, without Trothgard to keep track of them, continued to pursue their own weirds/wurds. Those that pursued kinds of knowledge that defied aging and time, gained wide knowledge of one another and the Land without the rigid structures of time, and evolved to be known as The Insequent. Those unbound by time, like the Theomach, Vizard and Mahdoubt (*and possibly the Harrow, Ardent and Acolyte), and doubtless unnamed others, are truly Unfettered Ones, at the pinnacle of their respective weirds/wurds.

I don't think Trothgard ever kept track of them, as that was the whole point of becoming Unfettered.

However, taking your idea a step further we might say that the Insequent are former Elohim. At least the ones who could possibly have found their own redemption. Redemption of their Wyrd.
Consider their connextions with the wandering Giants.
I can almost imagine the fearie folk as custodians to one of Kevin's Wards. Perhaps they were asked to preserve one leaving the Land before the Desicration. Like the wandering Giants, they lost their way home.

[bikebryan]

Trothgard was a region of the Land - where the last battle between the old Lords and Foul took place. How could a "place" keep track of the Unfettered? Or are you talking about Revelwood, which I admit was located in Trothgard?

We now know the disposition of all the wards via the visions of Ravers. We also already knew who Kevin had given the first ward to and it was NOT the Insequent.

We may not know much about the Insequent, but we do know there were as human as us - they just devoted themselves to arcane lores. The Elohim were NOT human, so the Insequent could not be "fallen" or "redeemed" Elohim.

We do know that the Insequent did not journey into the land after SWMNBN devoured one of their own kind - which is why those in the Land were ignorant of them.

[SyrEmbattled]

Thanks Wayfriend - there's so many posts, I did conduct a search on [Unfettered Insequent] and various permutations but, as you might imagine, the number of returned content points was daunting. Otherwise I would have posted it in that selfsame forum area. Not sure if I should move or re-post it there?

Vizidor/Bikerbyan: I did intend to mean that Trothgard = Revelwood = Lorestraat for intents and purposes here. And that it was likely, since the Unfettered Ones began in the Lorestraat until they undertook the Rite of Unfettering, the Council or Lords/Lorestraat would have at least a verbal history and knowledge of who the Unfettered were. It also stands to reason that while they knew where the Unfettered Ones came from, they didn't know *what happened to them* after they undertook the Rite. The timebending in the last Chrons need not re-imagine the Insequent; perhaps they only happened after the first and second Chrons, and there need not be any timeplay for this explanation - indeed, any timeplay can explain away why the Insequent were unknown in the past - not the least of which, all of the Lorestraat historical knowledge was either lost or locked up. Only the Haruchai would have known part of the story, and is explained, indeed they do, but expressly never sought to mention it.

Still cohesive, methinks?

[JIkj fjds j]

Vizidor: I did intend to mean that Trothgard = Revelwood = Lorestraat for intents and purposes here. And that it was likely, since the Unfettered Ones began in the Lorestraat until they undertook the Rite of Unfettering, the Council or Lords/Lorestraat would have at least a verbal history and knowledge of who the Unfettered were. It also stands to reason that while they knew where the Unfettered Ones came from, they didn't know *what happened to them* after they undertook the Rite. The timebending in the last Chrons need not re-imagine the Insequent; perhaps they only happened after the first and second Chrons, and there need not be any timeplay for this explanation - indeed, any timeplay can explain away why the Insequent were unknown in the past - not the least of which, all of the Lorestraat historical knowledge was either lost or locked up. Only the Haruchai would have known part of the story, and is explained, indeed they do, but expressly never sought to mention it.

Still cohesive, methinks?

Well it's good to read posts from someone prepared to think outside the box.


btw. my long overdue reading glasses have now arrived and the first book I'll be opening tonight will be
(Part II) The Last Dark.

[wayfriend]

Not sure if I should move or re-post it there?

Whatever delights your heart. Old threads get resurrected all the time. New threads are often created for things discussed a hundred times. As long as we're discussing, it's all good.

Still cohesive, methinks?

Remember, the Haruchai learned that the Insequent existed as a people in the time of Kevin. But I am not sure if the Old Lords had the Rite of Unfettering ... it seems like a thing of the new Lords. (Despite Berek and Linden.) Anyhow, I think the Insequent pre-date the Lords in any event - the Theomach states as much. Therefore the Insequent pre-date the Unfettered.

That being said, only the Mahdoubt has shown an ability to move through time. The Harrow clearly could not. The Theomach could see the future but not travel to it. And the Vizard could bend time to move like the Flash, but that's not the same either. So I don't credit that the Insequent, as a people entire, travelled into the past.

Any Insequent powerful enough to do that would know the danger that would be for the Arch of Time.

[bikebryan]

Thanks Wayfriend - there's so many posts, I did conduct a search on [Unfettered Insequent] and various permutations but, as you might imagine, the number of returned content points was daunting. Otherwise I would have posted it in that selfsame forum area. Not sure if I should move or re-post it there?

Vizidor/Bikerbyan: I did intend to mean that Trothgard = Revelwood = Lorestraat for intents and purposes here. And that it was likely, since the Unfettered Ones began in the Lorestraat until they undertook the Rite of Unfettering, the Council or Lords/Lorestraat would have at least a verbal history and knowledge of who the Unfettered were. It also stands to reason that while they knew where the Unfettered Ones came from, they didn't know *what happened to them* after they undertook the Rite. The timebending in the last Chrons need not re-imagine the Insequent; perhaps they only happened after the first and second Chrons, and there need not be any timeplay for this explanation - indeed, any timeplay can explain away why the Insequent were unknown in the past - not the least of which, all of the Lorestraat historical knowledge was either lost or locked up. Only the Haruchai would have known part of the story, and is explained, indeed they do, but expressly never sought to mention it.

Still cohesive, methinks?

Remember that it wasn't until some point after they found the Second Ward and before they summoned Hile Troy that Revelwood was formed. Before that we don't know where the Looresrat was located. It may have been in Trothgard but I don't remember if that was ever told to us. I was always under the illusion it was in Revelstone but I admit I could be wrong.

The Harrow and the Ardent could move vast distances quickly, but neither of them could pass through time. As mentioned before, we only know of one Insequent that had the ability: The Mahdoubt.

We are also told why the Insequent have not been in The Land in the history of the Lords - it had to with one of their kind that was lost to She Who Must Not Be Named. Because of that they stayed away from The Land (except for the Theomach, but he had his own reasons having nothing to do, ultimately, with The Land).

[JIkj fjds j]

Remember that it wasn't until some point after they found the Second Ward and before they summoned Hile Troy that Revelwood was formed. Before that we don't know where the Looresrat was located. It may have been in Trothgard but I don't remember if that was ever told to us. I was always under the illusion it was in Revelstone but I admit I could be wrong.

The Harrow and the Ardent could move vast distances quickly, but neither of them could pass through time. As mentioned before, we only know of one Insequent that had the ability: The Mahdoubt.

We are also told why the Insequent have not been in The Land in the history of the Lords - it had to with one of their kind that was lost to She Who Must Not Be Named. Because of that they stayed away from The Land (except for the Theomach, but he had his own reasons having nothing to do, ultimately, with The Land).

Isn't The Theomach, Thomas Covenant? The clue' in the name

So to with The Mahdoubt - her timetravelling abilities can be sourced to the Qwellisk <sp?>, and hence the Rhanyan, who also travel through time and space.

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Remember that it wasn't until some point after they found the Second Ward and before they summoned Hile Troy that Revelwood was formed. Before that we don't know where the Looresrat was located. It may have been in Trothgard but I don't remember if that was ever told to us. I was always under the illusion it was in Revelstone but I admit I could be wrong.

The Harrow and the Ardent could move vast distances quickly, but neither of them could pass through time. As mentioned before, we only know of one Insequent that had the ability: The Mahdoubt.

We are also told why the Insequent have not been in The Land in the history of the Lords - it had to with one of their kind that was lost to She Who Must Not Be Named. Because of that they stayed away from The Land (except for the Theomach, but he had his own reasons having nothing to do, ultimately, with The Land).

Isn't The Theomach, Thomas Covenant? The clue' in the name

So to with The Mahdoubt - her timetravelling abilities can be sourced to the Qwellisk <sp?>, and hence the Rhanyan, who also travel through time and space.

[wayfriend]

We are also told why the Insequent have not been in The Land in the history of the Lords - it had to with one of their kind that was lost to She Who Must Not Be Named. Because of that they stayed away from The Land (except for the Theomach, but he had his own reasons having nothing to do, ultimately, with The Land).

Thanks for pointing this one out. I had missed that.

"In a distant age," he explained to Linden, "a time that far preceded that of the Theomach, she delved deeply, seeking a knowledge both ancient and immeasurable. Desiring as did the Theomach to be named the greatest of the Insequent, she found only the loss of use and mind and life. Yet her end was by no act of the Insequent. Rather she was unmade by evils too vicious to be contemplated. For that reason, our kind has largely eschewed the Land, deeming that its perils exceed its grandeur and mystery. The exceptions are infrequent and secret - though it is surely plain to all that the Harrow stands among them."

• :

From high above the crest of the span, [the Ardent] called, "She [Who Must Not Be Named] is the Auriference as well! One of the Insequent suffers among those who will destroy us! It was to avoid her doom that so many of my people have eschewed the Land."

So Donaldson did provide some sort of explanation for the missing Insequent in the prior Chronicles.