BattleAxe First Read: Chapter Thirty-Seven: Jervois Landing (Part I)

[teres]

Chapter Thirty-Six (Part II) | Table of Contents | Chapter Thirty-Seven (Part II)

SCSF: A good day, everyone, and welcome back to BattleAxe! Last time, Azhure was accepted by the GhostTree Clan for rather dubious reasons, and we learned some more about the Avar. For the reader post:

Chessy points out that Helm’s “brilliant” idea to use a sled would not work well, as sleds are made to be used on snow. In fact, Helm seems to think that sleds need clear roads, like other vehicles, when they are expressly for snow-covered surfaces! Sure, they could pull Raum on a sled, but they might as well let him walk, along with carrying him, which would have the benefit of letting Raum regain his strength.

Did Not Do the Research: 65

Ill Logic: 212

She, along with Wolfgoddess, then notes that Azhure’s marks look rather like whip marks, which had not yet occurred to me. In either case, wounds such as these, along with the casual abuse she received from Hagen, should have a permanent effect on what she can do… so of course she has no shown trouble using her back muscles at all. I suppose Douglass just wanted the aesthetics of abuse without bothering with its implications, which I still do not like at all.

Did Not Do the Research: 66

Further, in replying to her, I realised that the Avar would probably have needed to use magic to maintain the Avarinheim along the southernmost plains to Widewall Bay… but that is apparently fine, while ploughing is horrible. I am still sensing a double standard (as if that will go away any time soon…).

FYRP: 129

Also, as Chessy has already rightly noticed, the circumstances of Hagen’s death bear little resemblance to the circumstances of the Bane-making sacrifice. I could see it work, but we need to get some background on it, and I would dearly love to know under what circumstances a Bane can claim a sacrifice as made to the Mother.

Gold-Star Worldbuilding: 89

Epistler notes that it makes little sense for Azhure to have a dress that fastens on the back. I am sure that was for drama reasons (so GoldFeather could see it first), but even if the dress is laced on the front, GoldFeather would be seeing it before the others, simply because Azhure is sitting with her back to her. This is the most ridiculous drama convenience I have yet seen in this book!

PPP: 371

With that done, let me resume!

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Jervois Landing

That is a good enough title, and I do wish that Douglass had consistently used this naming scheme from the beginning…

Come to that, I recently noticed something in an interview with her on names, where she notes several “personal” place names, such as “Gundealga Ford” (named after the farm where she was raised), “Jervois Landing” (where her father was born and her family operated a ferry), and “Ilfracoombe” (where her great-grandfather once lived). I would have little issue with that… except that it is not mentioned anywhere in the book, and that these names are unchanged. If she did mention her inspiration in the book, that would make it clear where she got it from, and if she changed the names, that would make it more of her own work… but as it is, she is implicitly claiming that she came up with those names herself, something that successfully fooled me.

It is not on the same level as “Hsingard”, but she is still taking credit for names others came up with, and, more importantly in my view, she is deceiving her readers. We might reasonably expect, without indication to the contrary, that the names in this book is stuff that Douglass herself come up with, or noted where she got it from. Yes, she did tell it in interviews, but I cannot expect anyone reading this to go hunting for those names by themselves.

The thing that bothers me the most, in the end, is the specificity. To illustrate it, consider the difference between, say, having a powerful elven queen in your book, and having that queen in your book and naming her “Galadriel”. The former can be done well, the latter is clearly not your idea, even though you may pretend it is, and that is what bothers me.

Further… “Gundealga Ford”, “Ilfracombe” and “Jervois Landing” do not fit very well with the setting at all, which is another reason why that is a somewhat bad idea.

A Better Commando Name: 46 (+3)

(I just thought of another nuance; that would be Blood and Stone series by Robert Newcomb. The later books feature two countries obviously based off Japan and the Roman Empire, but Newcomb makes no effort to hide that they are; the former, which is the less obvious, only has people with Japanese names (supposedly), for example. I do not mind that since it is not obscure. With Douglass, you either have to know it beforehand, or research the names, which is a bit more effort.)

Let me also show you that Douglass is right… With Gundealga Ford (a ford in the Nordra in the books), I cannot find it, as is to be expected. Ilfracombe (the estate of the Earls of Skarabost in the books) I can easily find. Hmm, seeing as that name is derived from an English place and Douglass has been using such names in this book, I think I will retract my complaint.

A Better Commando Name: 45 (-1)

For Jervois Landing… let me show you:

R
ight below is the situation on the map; above that is the situation around Tailem Bend, and to the left is an inset. Well, Douglass, just because you switched out the River Murray with the River Nordra and switched the locations of the places, that does not make the connection not obvious. She did not even manage to file off a single digit of the serial number! (And you can even see the ferry Douglass mentioned on the main map.) For Tailem Bend… I do not mind that one so much, as it never stuck out to me before.

I am probably being unreasonable with all this, but I could not refrain from mentioning it.

Back with the story… we open on Jack, Yr, Faraday, Timozel, and the pigs sighting Jervois Landing, after “almost two weeks of travel”. We last left them on the 18^th of October; they would have begun travelling on the 19^th, and “almost two weeks” probably means thirteen days… so it is now the 1^st of November, the same day that Axis reaches Smyrton. That is good to know! They are all “footsore and weary” and short-tempered (as I might expect). Then we segue into what happened in the intervening time.

They travelled as “inconspicuously as possible”, skirting all habitation during the night, and sleeping in “whatever shelter they could find” during the day. At times, Yr went into “a small hamlet” to replenish their supplies. Faraday did not question this, but simply ate the food “before whatever fire Jack would allow them”.

I… they are not being sought, Douglass! They only need to keep Axis from learning about them, and this is completely unnecessary for that! Suppose that someone did see their fire, or they failed to skirt a village appropriately. Yes, their presence might be known, but that does not mean that word would travel to Axis. Hiding her engagement ring and assuming a false name should go a long way toward keeping people from recognising Faraday, who is the only one of them likely to be recognised. Even if she is recognised, the people in the town/village would probably not be spreading the news to Axis, not to mention that they could be persuaded (magically, if need be) to keep silent.

Further, there is no good reason they could not try procure transport at such a village (maybe by showing that Faraday is a noble of Skarabost?); in that case, they could travel as fast as the news, and have an even greater chance of reaching Gorkenfort before Axis. Instead, they take a slow and circuitous route through quite hard conditions, because that will make them arrive soon.

Ill Logic: 213

They also went through territory that I doubt any of them is familiar with, in rather bad weather, in the middle of the night, apparently without any further lighting. They are quite lucky to have made it in one piece! That is not a very smart thing to do, though, when Jack, Yr, and Faraday are necessary for the Prophecy (and Timozel turns out to be, too).

Ill Logic: 214

Then… Yr probably stole food from hamlets when they could have got food from people who could certainly spare it. Given this winter, it might well hurt the people she stole from, but I suppose that is worth it.

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 113

And then Jack only allows them limited fire, which is to keep them from being detected, of course… but he is still risking hypothermia for no good reason.

Ill Logic: 215

Finally, he and Yr dragged Faraday and Timozel through all this, too, for no good reason.

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 114

Sure, they could have left… but the weather would not make it exactly easy, and Faraday is probably under too many layers of mind-control to consider it, while Timozel will turn out to have his own problems. The one thing I do have to give them is that they slept during the warmer daytime, which is important when they often did not find shelter.

So we get a large paragraph about Faraday’s experiences. The weather turned “colder and more bitter”; it is snowing often now, and they had to go through snowdrifts for five days, which was hard. Sometimes, Timozel put her on the mule (from the Goodpeople Renkin), but that put a very large strain on it, so Faraday soon jumped off again. This might be more poignant if we saw it… They were all wearing blankets beneath their cloaks (which is reasonably smart), and when Jack thought it “too dangerous to have a fire”, they “huddled together in the lee of a hill, or behind an outcrop of boulders, shivering in misery”.

Note that “too dangerous” meant “could possibly be seen by people”, so Jack outright denied them a fire multiple times just because of his paranoia. Douglass wastes no time in making me hate him again, I see.

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 116 (+2)

Faraday has kept her bowl, but she has had little opportunity to study it, and none to use it. Might it not be better if she could? Then again, if they went the way I suggested, she might not get the opportunity, either. When Timozel asked her about it, she “inferred” that the Goodwife Renkin had given it, which is plausible, so credit for that. During the past fortnight (so I was right!), her feeling of empowerment that she got when Raum bonded her with the Mother has faded, though she thinks she can feel it if she concentrates. She hopes she will be able to go back to the Sacred Grove, and the memory of that place has stayed with her. She “held it as a talisman” against the hardships of the journey north; when she went to sleep, she recalled how good it felt in the Sacred Grove, and the it “always comforted her enough to lull her into immediate sleep”. I like this, though I would like it better if it was necessary for them to have chosen this route. As it is… it feels a bit hollow after all that Douglass is subjecting Faraday to.

Then Faraday talks about Timozel, who was “becoming more dark and moody” over time. He shaved less, so he got a “light brown beard”, and his eyes were “sunk deep in their sockets”. Sometimes he looked so troubled that Faraday asked what was bothering him and if she could help. Timozel then smiled, and “her presence would lighten his eyes for a while”, but as soon as she moves away, “the dark mood” returns. In the week after they left Fernbrake Lake, Yr had sex with Timozel “two or three times”, but he seemed to “wrapped in his own thoughts” to spare the energy, so Yr then moved on to Faraday. …Douglass says that she is “huddled against Faraday’s back” to share warmth, but it certainly looks that way. I cannot say I am unhappy to see Yr abandon her interest in Timozel, either!

So, after this not-very-revealing talk about Timozel, we get Jervois Landing, as Douglass suddenly breaks in with omniscient narration. Very smooth.

PPP: 372

It is a “small trading town” on the curve of the Nordra known as “Tailem Bend”, and from here the river goes to the south. We are helpfully told that it is the place where the part of Borneheld’s troops that did not travel to Gorkenfort by sea left the river and began the “long overland march northwards”. Before now, it was a “sleepy town”, but with all the troops arriving, it has become a “bustling little metropolis”, the “stone town” expanding sixfold. The wharves are crowded with boats, from which all the troops, horses and supplies are disembarked, and the town is full of soldiers who are spending “the last of their leisure time” in whichever way they like. The inhabitants are “making a fortune” from this.

I do not mind this exposition, especially since it has been a while since we were told this. I do wonder why Jervois Landing is called a “stone town” when it is so small… Given that it lies close to Hsingard, Ichtar’s capital, and that it lies on the Nordra, it seems like it would be a major port, and investing enough in it to give it stone houses does not seem unlikely. I might like an explanation for why it is usually so small, but there is not one forthcoming.

Gold-Star Worldbuilding: 90

So we cut to Faraday and her companions standing on the other bank of the Nordra “late one afternoon” and taking all this in. …What was the purpose of the opening, then, if we have it repeated in a way that flows much better with the paragraphs around it? This is something that a reread of this chapter could easily have caught; unfortunately, I am becoming rather sure that Douglass did not actually bother to do so.

PPP: 373

We then zoom in to Faraday wishing for a “clean bed, linen sheets and a bath”. Timozel smiles at her, and says she will have them. Tonight, they will “sleep in comfort”, and the next morning he will arrange transport for them with the troops going north; Faraday will soon be “reunited with Duke Borneheld”. That is quite nice of him, and I do think he would have done better than Jack and Yr in getting Faraday to Gorkenfort. Then… we segue into an explanation of just what is wrong with Timozel.

Every time he thinks about how he gave his oath to Gorgrael, “[g]uilt and self-loathing sear through [him]”. His “only hold on reason” is to remind himself that Gorgrael cannot lay claim to him as long as he is bound to Faraday. His devotion to her deepens and he spends “every waking moment” ensuring that she is “well cared for” and that her wishes are attended to “as soon as possible”. He knows that Jack and Yr look at him weirdly sometimes, but he ignores them as best he can. Faraday is “his only protection against Gorgrael”, and if he is to become the “heroic commander” of Artor’s vision, it will be “Faraday’s doing”.

Hmmm, I can see what Douglass is going for, but it does not work well. My first problem is that Faraday hardly notices that Timozel cares so much for her. Yes, she did note that he put her on the mule quite often… but there is simply nothing much about him in her narration beyond “he is very moody” and it is rather awkward.

PPP: 374

I also note that he is not allowed to push for better conditions to sleep in, despite his devotion; I presume Faraday simply has to suffer according to Douglass. That aside… I do like Timozel clinging to Faraday to an unhealthy degree, to the point that he hangs his entire future on her. Being her Champion supposedly protects him from Gorgrael, after all, and he revived a tradition to become her Champion, not to mention that she is someone he can relate to better than the Sentinels, so it could work. It is also seems like something that could develop quite interestingly, too, if Faraday wants to pull away from Timozel.

That brings me to my bigger problems with this. The first is: why does Timozel assume that Gorgrael has any hold on him? Yes, he promised that he would serve Gorgrael, but that was in a nightmare! There is no good reason for him to assume that the Gorgrael he saw was real (which he was not), or that he is in any way bound by a promise made in a dream! Yes, I could see him feel a bit bad about it, because he feels he should not have given in, even in a dream, but believing that he is actually bound to Gorgrael… I find that very hard to buy.

Another problem I have is how insecure he seems to be in being Faraday’s Champion. I get that he would not want to lose his Championship at all, but why would he not be confident that that will not happen? Faraday has shown no dissatisfaction with him so far, and if he revived this tradition by himself, I dare say he has all trust in his ability to fulfil it.

Beyond that… why does he just go along with what Gorgrael says? Yes, it is supposed to be because of his “guilt and self-loathing”, but the amount of time and how he was before now are not right at all for that. If anything, I would expect it to drive him to break his promise to Gorgrael, all the more so since Gorgrael has not said that he will do anything if he does not keep it! I get what Douglass was going for, and it could be tragic if done well, but, combined with Timozel’s earlier nightmares, it just feels like Douglass kept him from realising this, which makes it petty instead.

Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 59 (+5)

Timozel being one of the better characters is not helping any of this, either.

For some more things… Jack and Yr have noticed his change in behaviour, but neither does anything, though Jack did note something in Timozel that made him “very uncomfortable”. Apparently neither her or Yr have bothered to find anything out, even though reading his mind could easily reveal it, and I doubt they have developed more morals now.

Ill Logic: 216

Finally, Timozel calls Faraday “the girl”, which seems rather out of place for him (considering that he is just a year older than her).

PPP: 375

Back with the story, Faraday asks how they will manage to get an escort when they have no money and nothing to sell. Timozel looks at Jack’s pigs at this, which earns him a glare. Do you have any suggestions then, Jack? Otherwise, considering that you pushed quite hard for Faraday to go to Gorkenfort, you would do well to keep quiet. Faraday, meanwhile, panics a bit as she thinks they might have to walk north, which she doesn’t think she can. I doubt Douglass thought of this, but I do like that Faraday does not consider that she is betrothed to Borneheld. She has had a very rough time, after all, and the last two weeks have been quite draining and have involved inverting her circadian rhythm… all of which would make it hard to reason well. So some credit to Douglass on that count.

Timozel now explains to her that she is betrothed to Borneheld. It may be “the southernmost point of his territory”, but every “innkeeper and unit commander” nearby will be eager to please her. She will soon be their Duchess, after all, so why should they ignore her? According to him, they will think that a single smile from her will ensure their success for “the next ten years”. Faraday laughs at his hyperbole and asks how they will know she is betrothed to Borneheld. Timozel holds her left hand, directing her attention to her engagement ring and says that “[e]very soldier, every inhabitant of Ichtar” will recognise it, and it will buy her “instant respect”.

This is why I like Timozel so much; I could hardly see Jack or Yr be so patient with Faraday in her exhaustion, and I love that he does do so! I also like that we are already shown Timozel possibly taking his devotion a bit too far, in the rather hyperbolic way he describes everyone wanting to please Faraday; it sounds like he wants to flatter her as much as he can. Now that I am talking, let me discuss several other things:

First, how fast did they travel from Fernbrake Lake to Jervois Landing? Let me see… a reasonably straight-line distance would be 220 miles (354 kilometres), which means they would have covered 17,6 miles (28,3 kilometres) per day. That… seems roughly reasonable, so points to Douglass for that.

Then, let me see if Jervois Landing actually is the “southernmost point” of Ichtar:

As it turns out, a not insignificant part of Ichtar does lie further south; the actual southernmost point (the northern cape separating the estuary of the Azle from Murkle Bay) lies some 81 miles (130 kilometres) to the south. Yes, it does not seem like it would be very inhabited, so I will not complain… but I still doubt if Douglass noted this.

What I do want to complain about is the implicit assumption that being on Ichtar’s southernmost point means that they are less likely to be noticed. The core areas of a region are not situated at its geographical core, after all; in this case, Ichtar’s capital is situated at the edge, and that is where most activity will take place, no matter that it lies on the southern border.

Ill Logic: 217

Further… though there is a region labelled “West Ichtar” on the map, this region is never named in the text, so that is probably an error (and yes, it is also on the original map for this book).

PPP: 376

Going on, “Duchess” should not be capitalised.

PPP: 377

I am also not quite certain if “every inhabitant of Ichtar” will recognise her engagement ring? It has been around for a long time, so I can see a lot of people knowing it exists, but identifying it on sight is another thing. Still, I do not doubt that it would help, and I do like that Timozel comes up with it.

Back to the story… Timozel says that if showing the ring will not buy respect, he will personally ensure that “[Faraday] receive[s] it the very next moment”. Much as I dislike “Timozel turns evil”, having him demand respect for Faraday by force is something that I can see him do when he clings to being a Champion, so I do not mind it. In fact, Timozel going to greater and greater lengths to “protect” Faraday, and also doing whatever he can to become the “heroic commander”, no matter the cost of what he does, is something I would not mind seeing. It makes more sense for his character than what Douglass came up with, in any case.

Yr now “quip[s]” that Timozel is “quite the man”, and she would like “[l]ess talk and more action”. Yr, it has been a minute at most; you have wasted much more time in letting Jack lead you on foot. And if you want action, then maybe you could arrange for it yourself, by looking at a way to cross the Nordra? Faraday actually is allowed to call her out on it, saying that Timozel “will do his best for all of [them]” and she should be quiet now. Yes, she only “murmur[s]” it, but I still appreciate it; Timozel is trying to find out the best course of action, after all! I do wonder at Faraday’s phrasing… it would fit if Yr complained about Timozel only paying attention to Faraday, but she complained about his bravado, so it does not fit quite well.

PPP: 377

Timozel ignores Yr, and points out that there is “a ferry a little further up the river on Tailem Bend itself”, and if they hurry, they can cross before dark. How is that for action, Yr? I also note that Jack, Yr, and Faraday do not seem to have this knowledge, so bringing Timozel with them has been to their benefit. Further, I do note that they already are “on Tailem Bend”, since the Bend is rather large.

Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 60 (for Yr’s comment)

PPP: 378

Jack then frowns and brings up that they are still missing a Sentinel. Ah yes, that was first brought up at the end of chapter eighteen, and I had not forgotten yet! Yr nods… and then explains to us that they are missing someone and wonders where they could be.

We Understand Already: 27

Jack turns to Faraday and Timozel and says that he is going to leave them. (grins) Finally! I have had quite enough for him for a while, and I think Faraday and Timozel are feeling the same way about him. …Case in point, Jack smiles at “Faraday’s cry of protest”. Jack explains that Timozel and Yr can look after her well enough after this, and “there is no place for a pig herder in Gorkenfort”. Timozel will be her Champion, and Yr her maid. She can show Faraday “everything [she] will need to know” as well as he can. Yes, Jack, I am sure Faraday knows that as well as you; she rather has trouble with the emotional component, as you have put yourself in a role of leadership during a trying time in her life, and now you leave her. She needs a bit of time to adjust to looking to others for advice… which you yourself caused. But rather than admitting that, he apparently wants to make Faraday look stupid.

Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 61

Faraday explains that Jack’s last comment refers to “what had happened at Fernbrake Lake”. Jack then turns to Yr and says he needs to look “for the fifth”. The Prophecy will be lost if she cannot be found, after all, and he will be lost, too. Then… you might have wanted to look for her earlier? I think I had better go into this when we see the results of Jack’s search, but they absolutely should have done so earlier. I also note even more “mystery”, since there is no reason Jack cannot name this “fifth”.

This Is What the Mystery: 31

He says they have “come far enough together”, and she knows they will meet again. Yr gets teary at this, but nods. She and Jack hug fiercely, and Yr tells him to travel “well and safely”. She will watch over Faraday and “guide her steps”. Jack then whispers that what happens at Gorkenfort is crucial, and Yr should make sure to keep Axis, Faraday, and herself alive. He does not care whether Timozel lives or “lies buried forever beneath the mud of the battlefield”, though. You are not sure he is not a part of the Prophecy, and him having come along all the way until now suggests that he might. It is rather foolhardy, to say the least, not to try to keep him alive.

Ill Logic: 218 (the supposedly responsible leader, everyone)

Then… I am quite sure that Jack does hate Timozel and wants to see him dead, no matter how little we may hear about that.

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 117

Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 62

Finally, the battlefield at Gorkenfort will not have much mud on it, Jack, since it is frozen. Even battlefields where mud could appear will generally not have it; as Dr. Devereaux explains, that is caused by artillery. Yes, there are exceptions, like at the Ancient Barrows, but if the battlefield at Gorkenfort were to have mud enough to drown in, Gorgrael needs to either melt a significant layer of snow, or melt the ground and then pour rain on it… both of which seem rather counterproductive to his own forces, too. All in all, I think it is this:

Did Not Do the Research: 66

Yr nods and lets Jack go, then wipes away her tears. I would care more if I knew just what kind of relation they have. Yes, I know, but anyone reading this book for the first time would not. Jack then goes over to Faraday to give her a farewell, giving her another fierce hug. He tells her to be true, to remember that they will be true for her, too, and to go with their blessing “to comfort [her]”. He seems to consider whether to tell her more, but decides against it and just kisses her on the cheek. He smiles at her, looking “friendly and affectionate”, and tells her to find peace.

This is nice enough of him… but he just subjected her to thirteen days of misery for no good reason, so I really do not care much about this, or about how heartbroken he is supposed to be. As for the Sentinels staying true to her… Ogden and Veremund have barely interacted with her, so that is rather meaningless, and Jack has shown definitively that he is not true to her. Yr… I actually think she would be true to Faraday, since she seems to care for her personally. One out of four is not a good score in any case. For finding peace, she certainly will… through death, so that does not quite land as meant, either.

Faraday asks tearfully if she will see him again. Jack says they will “all meet again”, and then moves on to Timozel, though not before calling her “lovely lady” once more. With Timozel, he holds out his hand, which Timozel takes after some hesitation. He says that he knows Timozel only has Faraday’s best interests at heart, and he knows he will “do [his] best for her”. He then tells Timozel to “be true”. Yes, Jack has me absolutely convinced that he knows and believes that. I need to see that reflected in behaviour before I do so, unfortunately. Timozel, for his part, feels a “pang of shame”, and wonders if Jack knows of his “pact with Gorgrael”, and then asks himself how Jack possibly could. Douglass, Timozel still does not have any kind of “pact” with Gorgrael! Yes, he did promise to serve Gorgrael, but he was forced into it!

Timozel then says he lives for Faraday and will not let her be harmed, Jack tells him Gorkenfort will be dangerous, and Timozel says he will be sure to protect Faraday, and lets go of Jack’s hand. Jack meanwhile thinks about how Timozel’s protection “would have to do”, since he absolutely does not think ill of Timozel in any way whatsoever.

Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 63

Jack then says “lightly” that he will round up his pigs and be off (please do!), and ends with the wish that the sun may shine over all of them one day. Faraday just nods, “unable to speak”, but Yr salutes him and says “May we all find peace together in the light one day”. I think I know what that refers to, but I am not quite sure, so I will keep that to myself. Jack nods, and then he and the pigs are gone in the snow. Ahhh, that feels good!

Timozel watches him go, then pats the mule and tells Faraday and Yr to be off for the ferry if they want to “find shelter and a bed tonight”, with a comma splice.

PPP: 379

And there the scene ends, as we are presumably about to get somewhere. And there I would like to stop for the time being, too, as I have gone on for longer than this whole chapter already! As a scheduling note, I have decided that, from now on, chapters that go in multiple parts will only have a single post of another commentary between them, to speed this up. With that said, I will see you all next time!

Comments

[epistler]

SCSF: I have no idea! They are only with five, after all, so making decisions should be something they could do together, even without meeting in person.

He doesn't even make any important decisions. They already all know what they're expected to do, and who nominated him leader anyway? And why him? He's hardly leadership material.

Neither do I... It seems that they have low-level magical abilities in just about everything, but Douglass has not confirmed that, which she could easily have done.

She never bothers to define what powers people have and what the limits are. It just gets worse and worse with Axis and you know who, who are just randomly able to use their magic and other abilities that appear without notice to suit the author's whims of the moment. Most of the time we don't even know how they know they can do whatever it is. They just can. Somehow. It's such a massive failure of world-building.

[teres]

Yes, the lack of defined powers is indeed a big problem. Come to think of it... I have already defined power sets for several of my OC's:

SCSF: Plant growing and manipulation.

NRSG: Ability to create other Tamed Ones.

Amevlig (used on Making of a Mage): Electro-magnetism; quite broad in their powers, but without much refinement.

FSEG (in my icon; used now on Fellowship of the King): Healing.

And that's when it's not even necessary, and I'm just thinking about them for fun!

[epistler]

It is painfully obvious that Douglass did not do her world-building before she started writing, except in fairly basic stuff like the peoples and the map. The rest of the time she's just throwing things in on the fly to suit herself, which is why there's so much random bizarre stuff that comes right out of nowhere and doesn't fit into any sort of coherent setting - not just the special abilities, but the hopelessly mismatched character names, among other things.