The Villainy (?) of Ghisteslwchlohm (Some Spoilers)

[wayfriend]

This topic is to pick up a thread about the Riddlemaster series, which was started under another topic about a different book.

Where someone said: "the villain turns out to not be the 'real' villain in the end."

And: "Ghisteslwchlohm was set up as the big bad, was he not? And in the end, he turned out to be just a red herring, as the Shapechangers and others ended up being the real threat."

At that time, I was just beginning an audio-reread of the Riddlemaster. I wanted to wait until I completed this, so I would have fresh memories of the story.

I will try not to spoil more than I need to here.

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Morgan of Hed battles enemies on two fronts as he struggles to understand his identity and his purpose. The Shapechangers, and Ghisteslwchlohm.

Why are they after him?

The Shapechangers, when they are revealed, make more sense than the wizard does. They want to kill the High One and thereby break the binding that imprisons them. Morgan is the key to finding the High One.

Ghisteslwchlohm's motives, on the other hand, are never quite as satisfactorily revealed, although the author's hand is so deft that one does not notice it. He seems to be pursuing the mystery of the missing High One, and the related mystery of the Three Stars, but I do not believe we are ever told why. We are left with the impression that it is merely the curiosity of a riddle-master and the ambition of a wizard which drives Ghisteslwchlohm. When he works out the riddle, he'll know how to work it to his advantage. And maybe he just can't stand NOT knowing.

However, there is no doubt that Ghisteslwchlohm is evil. He destroys the city of Lungold. He imprisons the wizards for 700 years. He lures Morgan to Erlenstar mountain, where he tortures him for almost a year. He uses Raederle as a hostage when he can no longer physically compel Morgan.

Before the end, Ghisteslwchlohm is ensnared by the Shapechangers, and he becomes their tool. The story tells us the reason: the Shapechangers are still somewhat bound by the High One, and cannot use their full strength; but they can enslave Ghisteslwchlohm's mind, and thereby through him they can wield the kind of power that they cannot wield themselves. He becomes their tool.

But ... was he always their tool since the beginning? The author's words suggest not. Early in the story, Ghisteslwchlohm and the Shapechangers seem to be working at cross-purposes, the former wanting to capture Morgan in order to get answers, the later trying to kill Morgan, or at least threaten him, so as to reveal the High One. In the third book, Ghisteslwchlohm and the Shapechangers fight each other on Trader's road - in the ensuing confusion, Morgan escapes from both of them. And later, in Lungold, after Ghisteslwchlohm takes one more shot at Morgan, the Shapechangers arrive and capture Ghisteslwchlohm as Morgan flees. We next see Ghisteslwchlohm in Erlenstar mountain. He is so clearly a mindless zombie possessed by the Shapechangers at this point that it is fairly obvious that, before this, he was not.

Sure, you could choose to believe that their animosity towards each other is a ruse. I cannot say it's wrong, but I can say it's not supported by the author in any way that I can see.

There is also this. In Lungold, Morgan proves that he is now stronger than Ghisteslwchlohm. He could kill him, as some others insist. However, Morgan prefers keeping him alive so as to get some answers from him. Morgan then peers into Ghisteslwchlohm's mind. Two important points emerge from this. First, that Ghisteslwchlohm was an enemy but he has been vanquished by this point. Second, that Ghisteslwchlohm yeilds to Morgan all his secrets at this point, and none of those secrets are that he works for the Shapechangers.

Sure, you could choose to believe that the Shapechangers are so powerful that they fooled Morgan when he bound Ghisteslwchlohm's mind to his own. Kept their alliance a secret even from that mind-melding. I cannot say it's wrong, but etc. etc.

As I see it, the author finds a new use for Ghisteslwchlohm after he is vanquished by Morgan. The Shapechangers pick him up and use him as their tool.

The Shapechangers simply did not need Ghisteslwchlohm until Morgan became powerful enough to require that kind of tactic. And they probably were not strong enough to enslave him until that point.

So, as I see it, Ghisteslwchlohm was as much of a "real" enemy as the Shapechangers. In the end, he was the lesser of the two. In the end he fell to Morgan's other enemy. But he was real nonetheless, while he lasted.