Teres

Chapter Thirty-Five (Part I) | Table of Contents | Chapter Thirty-Six (Part I)

SCSF: A good day, everyone, and welcome to BattleAxe! Last time, Axis confronted Ogden and Veremund about their lies, and they revealed themselves. For the reader post:

On the previous part of this chapter, Wolfgoddess notes that sticking a knife in Hagen’s belly would be a good way to go about things if Azhure wanted revenge on him. I would think they should at least consider that possibility.

She further notes that the stitching of Hagen’s wound does not have to be great, so I will retract my complaint about that.

Ill Logic: 206 (-1)

Chessy notes that the mourners would not be doing the washing and stitching (I do wonder if Douglass did this to make the villagers look bad).

Did Not Do the Research: 63

She further points out that Axis does, of course, utter a death threat by holding the knife to Ogden’s throat. Finally, she leaves a small fic that shows how Belial ought to feel.

For myself… Ogden and Veremund should have put up a guard outside if they do not want to be caught, I would think.

Ill Logic: 207

I further wonder why Hagen’s wound is considered “evil” by the villagers. It might be because it has been caused by someone they think is evil, but there should be an explanation for it.

Cardboard Worldbuilding: 81

…This can use a better name. The problem is not always that the worldbuilding is too simple; in cases like this, it just needs an explanation. I will partially go back to an older version of this…:

Gold-Star Worldbuilding: 81

That will do better.

Let me resume with this chapter, then! We last left off with Belial feeling much more respect for the Sentinels now they have revealed themselves. Axis says “very quietly” that they know Gorgrael has arisen and now the Sentinels walk abroad. He thinks for a while, looking at the floor, then looks at the Sentinels and offers to tell them what he is. Ogden and Veremund hold their breath.

At their expressions, Axis gives a bitter laugh. He says that he is the son of Rivkah, “Princess of Achar”, and an “Icarii Enchanter”. Saying this aloud gives him a “great relief”, and his shoulder slump “as if freed of a great weight”. Belial is amazed at this. I do share in his relief, because this means we will be free of all this “who is my father?” agonising, and maybe we can move on to other things.

Veremund eventually nods, and says that is what they think themselves. That is all they know, though; they do not know who his father is “beyond that he is probably an Icarii Enchanter”. Yes, thank you for making that absolutely clear.

We Understand Already: 23

Ogden asks how Axis realised. Axis takes a deep breath and turns to Belial. He notes that they are Axemen committed to killing the Forbidden, but now he hears that the BattleAxe “is of their blood”. He asks Belial what he thinks of that. Belial grabs Axis’s hand and pulls himself up with it. He says the last few minutes have been “confounding” and “confusing” and his mind swirls with it. Still, though he has been raised to fear the Forbidden, he found Raum “more worthy of his respect than of his hatred”, and he does not see an evil Forbidden in Axis, but a friend who desperately needs support. That is about what I would expect.

Belial says that Axis is his BattleAxe, “eyes burning fiercely, daring Axis not to believe him”, that he is the “best commander” he has ever served under, and that he is his friend, and he has never asked after his friends’ parentage. It is a good enough speech, though I would like it better if it were not for Axis and if this was not a foregone conclusion already. Axis gets tears in his eyes and embraces Belial. Veremund nearly “faint[s] with relief”, since Belial just did what might have taken them months to accomplish. Maybe you could leave more things to others, then?

Ogden asks again how Axis realised. Axis looks back at them and says it was the music he remembered, like the ward against Gorgrael and the song he sang to Shra. Raum also said he had the soul of an Enchanter and asked him why he wore the uniform of the BattleAxe when the Icarii hate the BattleAxe. And then before the Avarinheim, when he had Raum at swordpoint, a women came from the trees. Yes, that is all correct.

Ogden and Veremund are interested, since they do not know what has happened and ask after it. Axis gives them a summary of his chase after Azhure and Raum. As for the woman, he does not know. She was of “Acharite extraction” (which he corrects himself to after saying “our”). He then reiterates the relevant bit of the conversation, where GoldFeather says the Icarii sing magically, which he connected to his “own skill at music”, which has apparently “improved immeasurably” since Ogden and Veremund have kept him company. And so he realised that he was Icarii.

Did we seriously need a recap of all the evidence so far and of thoughts we have already seen from Axis? Telling us which things he noticed would have sufficed. I guess Douglass wanted to pad this out or something.

We Understand Already: 24

Ogden now says that they knew he had to be of Icarii blood when he read the Prophecy. After all, it is written in the “sacred tongue of the Icarii” and only an Icarii could have read it. …I guess that is because of a spell on the Prophecy? It almost sounds like anyone with Icarii blood could read it because of their heritage, but that would not work, of course.

PPP: 359

Axis gets up and looks into the fire for a while. Finally he asks why they had him specifically read the Prophecy and why they followed him “all the way around Arcen and Skarabost”. I think you want Arcness, Axis, since Arcen is a city.

PPP: 360

Veremund says it was because they think he is “the One” (yes, we are really going here). Axis asks what that is and Belial answers that it is the StarMan, the one who will unite the races, and the “only one” who can stop Gorgrael. Ogden and Veremund nod. Belial apparently surprised them again, and they think he will be a “valuable ally” for Axis in the next months. Veremund briefly wonders if some of the “deeper riddles” of the Prophecy concern Belial. I do not think so… Axis suddenly hisses that he does not want this, looking between Belial and the Sentinels. Oh, is there more violence, then? Ogden tries to talk to him, but he punches the wall of the fireplace, his fist clenched “in anger and confusion”. He asks how he can be the one to unite Tencendor, since he is the BattleAxe, so he serves the Seneschal, and the Seneschal is… strongly opposed to that, I assume. He does not get the chance to go on, as Ogden says that the Seneschal is “opposed to everything [Axis] is”. He jumps to his feet, “cheeks red and [] grey eyes bright” and embarks on an angry rant.

He begins by saying that the Seneschal, “driven by their devotion to Artor”, spread lies among the Acharites to “incite hatred of the Icarii and Avar”. So… why did the Icarii and Avar not do anything about them, then? If they were such a hate group, they should have been easily suppressed, so this sentiment was either carried more broadly or the Seneschal was more powerful then Ogden suggests. He says that they drove the Avar and Icarii from Achar and “left it vulnerable to Gorgrael” (and how should they have known about him?).

He then says that Axis knows the Prophecy. The three races must unite against Gorgrael and Axis is the One. After all, he is a “war leader” and he can lead Tencendor against whatever forces Gorgrael may send (I highly doubt that). He also has the “blood of Achar’s royal line” and Priam should recognise that he has two heirs. Further, he has “compassion”, as he has shown Ogden “time and time again”. Yes, like in his treatment of Gilbert, or his treatment of Hagen, or when he threatened to kill you just now! The only time he showed actual compassion was to Raum and Shra, and that was probably not wholly of his own will, so what are you talking about?!

Axis will also need “compassion before all else” if he is to unite the races and “destroy Gorgrael”. After all, “destroying” Gorgrael is just such a compassionate deed. Yes, he will need “compassion” (or just understanding) to unite the races, but that does not quite fit in. Ogden’s final argument is that Axis has “the makings of one of the most powerful Icarii Enchanters that ever lived” in him, if he embraces it instead of fighting it.

Let me see… Ogden’s arguments are that Axis is a war leader, that he is of the royal line of Achar, that he has compassion and that he could be a great Enchanter. I can see how he gets there, at least, though it would work better if Axis actually has so much compassion and if he has proved himself in an actual war.

Axis gets torn up over this speech, saying that Ogden lies, since he cannot work against Gorgrael’s sorcery and he could not stop the storm at the Ancient Barrows. Ogden shouts “no!”, waving his fists in the air. He says that Axis cannot do so at the moment. They need to find his father, because if they do not find him, and he is “the only one that can teach [him]”, Axis will “never be strong enough to face Gorgrael”. The Sentinels also need Axis’s father because he will be Gorgrael’s father and without him, they cannot “find or know Gorgrael”.

I have two questions:

1) Why is Ogden so sure that it will come down to a contest of power? The Prophecy, which is the only thing I (and Axis) know at this point, only says that Axis must wield the Rainbow Sceptre to “bring Gorgrael to his knees”, not how he needs to do that. For all we know he needs to break open the sceptre and pour the contents on Gorgrael or move it in a certain pattern. Yes, I am quite certain it does come down to ~power~ in the end, but we cannot know for sure just yet.

2) I suppose that Gorgrael’s father might be able to point them to him (though we know that is not the case), but why can they not “find or know” him if his father is unknown? They could easily catch one of his underlings and get information from them, I would think.

Ill Logic: 207

Now there is silence. Ogden sits in his chair again after a while. With quite some effort, Belial manages to sit on the edge of the bed, “fighting the dizziness that [sweeps] over him”. Axis looks back to the fire. Veremund just looks between everyone. Eventually, Axis asks what he did to Shra.

Veremund answers that he sang the “Song of Recreation”. It is passable, though I might have used “Song of Resurrection” instead. How Axis could sing that without being taught, he does not know, as it is hardly something his father would have taught him in the womb. The Song of Recreation is “very beautiful” and “very haunting”, since it “recreates life itself”. That I can understand. It takes the “intertwined breath” of the dying person and that of the singer as its music and uses “the power of the Stars themselves” to “infuse the dying with life”. Oh, I do like this look into the magic system! (And yes, this power comes from actual stars.)

No Icarii has been able to sing that song “so well” in three thousand years, and no other person than Axis would have been able to save Shra like he did. Of course he is just so good at this… though I doubt if this is really true. Ogden and he cried at it, and Raum was shocked, since he is a Bane, “one of the Avar who well understands the practice of enchantments”. He recognised the song for what it was and knew how much power was necessary for it, so it is little wonder that he asked why Axis is the BattleAxe. Yes, thank you for the thorough recap.

We Understand Already: 25

Belial tries to speak up, though he has some trouble with it. He asks why Axis is “not powerful enough” to defeat Gorgrael if he could resurrect Shra. Axis says, “his voice weary with resignation”, that he does not know how to access his power, and he can hardly stand before an enemy and hope that the right bit of song occurs to him. Further, Belly my Wife can “rally [his] men from a mist-induced fugue”, but he doubts it can send Gorgrael “screaming from [his] sight” (the quality is not bad enough for that, for one). He jokes that it might if Belial was there, given how bad he is at the harp (he also uses “dark music” here, which might be something to note).

Belial is amused, but Ogden is not distracted. He says again that Axis needs his father to teach him, and the Enchanters usually pass their knowledge on to their children. No one can teach a new Enchanter except from an Enchanter from their family, which he repeats is usually the parent. I suppose we will get an explanation for that in time… I do note that this means Axis has to have been taught by someone from his family, and I think that will develop into some half-decent mystery further on, so well done, Douglass.

Axis gets irritated and asks where he will be able to find his father to teach him this. Ogden spreads his hands, puts on a “cherubic expression” and says “who knows what the Prophecy will do?”. Oh, come on! You could at least try for an actual answer instead of effectively taunting him. Axis gets angry and asks what he should do now.

⟨He also says “oh-creatures-of-the-Prophecy”, which should be “O creatures-of-the-prophecy”.⟩

Axis Is Angry: 16

PPP: 360

Veremund says he should do as he was doing, by going on to Sigholt and then to Gorkenfort. I do note we only heard about going to Sigholt from Yr… Both are places where he might find “clues to [his] father’s identity”. He was conceived at one and born at the other, so who knows what might be there? Axis does not really react, and instead asks Belial how he can continue as BattleAxe, “knowing what he knows”. Belial says that he has the command over three thousand people “committed to defending Gorkenfort against the raids of Gorgrael”, and how does that conflict with his purpose as either “BattleAxe or Enchanter’s son”? He will simply go on as he would have done, and in Belial’s view, he now has more knowledge and perhaps more weapons.

This misses the point a bit. Axis was asking how he can keep being BattleAxe when he knows he is of Forbidden blood. An answer like Belial’s could be “because that will keep the troops together the best”. Well, Veremund thinks that Belial spoke well, which Axis agrees with. He then brings up Raum saying that Faraday was still alive and asks how he could have known that.

Ogden and Veremund are “genuinely shocked”. They were sure that Jack and Yr managed to keep Faraday and Timozel alive during the landslide, but they cannot understand how Raum could find out. Maybe he met them? They think that Axis must not know that Faraday goes toward Gorkenfort, because he can still arrive in front of her and “ruin all their plans”. But they also promised not to lie to him, so what should they do?

Veremund decides to offer Axis suppositions. He says that Faraday might have survived falling into the Barrow, since the ground there is “riddled with tunnels and tombs”. Axis thinks she might still be wandering there, and Veremund quickly reassures him that if Raum saw her, it must have been aboveground. She might well be going north from the Barrows to her home, and she must have mentioned Axis to him, because Raum mentioned her to Axis. She might well be home by now, and if Timozel is there to protect her, what can go wrong?

This is a decent cover story, so credit to Veremund for it. Axis relaxes a bit and accepts the story. He says that Ogden and Veremund might not be Brothers of the Seneschal, but they are all that the villagers of Smyrton have, so they should perform the Service of the Dead. At least they have had “some recent practice”.

…Even if Axis has the authority to grant them the right to perform the Service of the Dead (which we do not know), the villagers will not be getting what they thought they would. It would be better to tell them the “Brothers” are unavailable for the Service of the Dead. But then, this is Smyrton, so they probably deserve to be ripped off.

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 109

Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 51

Belial laughs about this, but gets a spike of pain and holds his head. Axis smiles at him, thinking about Faraday. He “let[s] himself hope a little”. Well, that is nice for him. There the chapter ends.

I think we would miss little if this chapter had been cut entirely. It consists nearly entirely of us learning things we already know, and Axis’s reaction is both too much (such as threatening to kill Ogden) and just too bland in how he accepts his role as StarMan. The only new things we learn are the Song of Recreation and that Enchanters can only be taught by their family (which we could be told elsewhere), and that is about the only worth this has.

Next time, we will be back with Azhure with the GhostTree Clan. Until then!