BattleAxe First Read: Chapter Twenty-Seven: Towards Fernbrake Lake

[teres]

Chapter Twenty-Six (Part II) | Table of Contents | Chapter Twenty-Eight

SCSF: A good day, everyone, and welcome back to BattleAxe! Last time, Gorgrael sent a “storm of fear” at the Axe-Wielders, which was defeated without causing any trouble whatsoever.

Now for the reader post:

 

Epistler rightly points out that we know very little about Axis’s military history, which is frankly hurting the story by this point.

PPP: 196 (+5)

Chessy points out that the bit about “bards and pregnant women” is “a tasteless reference to hormonal mood swings”. Well, it seems I was quite right in complaining about it, then.

She further explains what the purpose of digging holes is: those are supposed to be foxholes to shield them from the oncoming ice spears! Then some kind of explanation or thought process might have been nice to have.

Ill Logic: 142 (-1)

PPP: 197

The problem with that is that it comes across like something Axis just knew already, when there is no way he should know about foxholes.

Godmode Engaged: 4

She finally notes that the resolution for the attack does not work well, which might be improved by including more of the “emotional uplift”. I think it would certainly be better to include both how badly everyone is affected and how they get better…

PPP: 198

Both she and Wolfgoddess note that it is quite unlikely that the attack at the Barrows was Axis’s first “serious military defeat”. I am now quite willing to agree. Would he never have lost some Axe-Wielders to the summer raiders, for example? Was there never any bad luck?

Godmode Engaged: 5

Wolfgoddess further notes that someone ought to have seen Gorgrael’s cloud of fear before now. After all, as I see, Axis posted double sentries to watch for this. Did none of them see this?? Of course, I am quite sure this is so Axis can be the one to see the cloud first and give the orders.

 

Godmode Engaged: 6

Finally, she notes that the cloud must be moving very slowly indeed. Going by the descriptions Axis gives and the distance given, I see there would be about half an hour before the cloud hit, so I will give Douglass the benefit of the doubt here.

 

With that done, let me do the next chapter!

 

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Towards Fernbrake Lake

Hmm, looking at the map, that appears to be a lake in the middle of the Bracken Ranges. We are also back with Faraday and Timozel, and there should be some advancement in their plot soon.

We open on them leaving “the next morning” (the 7^th of October, then). They have clean clothing, Yr has “new clothes and boots” (and even an old cloak that was once of the Goodman’s father). Further, they have a “plentiful supply” of provisions, blankets, and the mule they were promised to carry their belongings. Jack goes in the lead, letting go of his “Jack Simple” persona once they are out of view of the farmstead, the pigs “trotting happily before him”. Timozel follows, leading the mule, and Faraday and Yr are in the rear. Their energy has “been a little replenished”, and thus they walk healthily.

The snow keeps drifting down around them, but the wind “ha[s] abated”. …We saw no mention of snow in their chapters so far??

PPP: 199

Either way, this seems like more tolerable conditions to walk in. All of them are aware that “mid-Bone-month [is] six weeks too early for snowfalls this far south”. October 7 is not yet mid-October, Douglass. I think the timeline got tangled again.

PPP: 200

No one speaks his name, but “the lingering menace of Gorgrael’s threat” shadows them. This does work well qua atmosphere, I find.

Well, though Faraday and Timozel said they were to go northeast toward Rhaetia, Jack leads them “north-east toward the Bracken Ranges”, which we are told are the mountains that separate Arcen from Skarabost. Um…

If that is the case, the farm of the Goodpeople Renkin would have to lie between Rhaetia and Fernbrake Lake in longitude. Looking at the map, the Ancient Barrows lie in a crescent that is open to the northeast. If we say that Faraday and co. went into a barrow that lies roughly to the south, they would have emerged somewhere to the north. The farm of the Renkins must have been close by.

So, on this map, the yellow (left) dot indicates where Douglass says the farm lies and the red (right) dot indicates where it actually is. That is quite a difference! I also think the red dot fits the travel times better.

PPP: 201

Also, do Faraday and Timozel not notice this? Do they not wonder where they are going? Or do they just accept where Jack and Yr are leading them? To the best of my knowledge, they simply do not know where they are led, after all.

As they approach the mountains, they “scrabble[]” up and down “low rolling hills”, and their legs ache with it. I am not sure why they would not to scrabble up them if the hills are low, but sure.

PPP: 202

They meet no one at all, and do not encounter “insurmountable obstacles”. It does bother Timozel that Jack leads them, since his vision from Artor has clearly shown him that he will lead a great army one day. He keeps silent, however, as he trusts Artor to show him when the time is right. Meanwhile, during the day he keeps fulfilling his role as Faraday’s Champion, making sure she has the best spot before the campfire and the nicest food. The nights are “devoted to other pursuits”. So Timozel now regularly has sex with Yr thanks to the power of sexual assault. I quite hate this story.

Faraday became “abruptly and uncomfortably aware” of this on the first night of travel. At first, the sounds of sex made her “wriggle in embarrassment”, and after that she struggled to suppress her own “curious thoughts about what it would be like to bed with a man”. She then had images of Axis and Borneheld in her mind, which confused her, and she only fell asleep after several hours.

We then go to Jack watching Faraday toss in her blankets (on what has to be a later date). He is “more concerned than ever” about Timozel being with them, and he wonders if he will “disrupt their purpose”. Ogden and Veremund told him that Timozel had a “good if troubled heart”, but Jack wonders how much of that goodness survived after their trip along the Star Gate. Well, I would say it clearly did. When have we seen him be “not good”, then? Yes, he may argue with Jack, but that hardly is an indication that he is the “goodness” is gone from him!

Like Yr, he has noticed the changes in Timozel, like “increasing confidence and maturity”, and he wonders what they will lead to. Not per se to something sinister, I would think. Jack only hopes that Timozel’s devotion to Faraday will serve her well. It means nothing that Yr and Timozel have a relationship, since Yr will eventually leave him alone to “pursue her purpose”. Those things do not have much to do with each other, I note.

Jack tosses some more “dead rosenberry branches” on the fire. Even in weather like this, if one reaches deep enough into a rosenberry bush, there will always be suitable wood for a campfire. He “hunker[s] down” into his blankets, grateful for the warmth it gives, and tries to get some sleep.

He says they are only “three or four days” from Fernbrake Lake, and they need to talk with Faraday before it. He then explains that the Sentinels told Faraday she had two important tasks to fulfil so Axis can stand against Gorgrael (because he most certainly will). The first one is to keep Borneheld from murdering Axis “in a fit of jealous rage”, which she already understands. But, at Fernbrake Lake, she will need to begin her second task, “that of Tree Friend”. That promises some movement, at least!

Also… we did not need to have this explained to us at length, Jack.

Hand-Holding: 16

Further, the section with Jack is all a single large paragraph of 293 words! I think this should have been split up because of the different subjects it has and its sheer length.

PPP: 203

There is a scene break, and we are told they reach the Bracken Ranges “[a]fter ten days of travel”. That would be the 16^th of October, then, so we are quite a bit ahead of the previous chapter! Jack leads them into a “narrow gully” that will lead them into the mountains. Timozel protests, Jack explains that it is the “easiest passage”, and Timozel “walk[s] off in a huff”. …Then maybe you should let Yr or Faraday explain it to him?

Ill Logic: 143

Faraday sighs and goes to walk after him, but Jack keeps her back. He says that Yr and he need to speak with her for a moment, and she should let Timozel go. Faraday looks at Timozel walking ahead, “upset at his constant arguing with Jack” (then tell him to stop), but she agrees.

Jack begins “soothingly” by calling her “[s]weet child” (great start there!). He says that she is the one they trusted so much to, and aside from themselves, she is the only one who knows who the StarMan is. Faraday needs to keep that trust and not tell Timozel too much, because he might well “betray Axis with an unwary word”. He asks if Faraday agrees. I mean… who would he betray Axis to, then?

It “ache[s] Faraday’s heart” to keep secrets from Timozel because he is her Champion. I do not think this is the right phrase to use.

PPP: 204

Yr smiles and takes Faraday’s hand. (No, I do not like this.) She says she will stay by Faraday’s side “for the time being”, and if Faraday must, she should share her “doubts and secrets” with her. It will be much safer that way. So… is she truly saying that she wants to take over Timozel’s place as Champion? And how long will this “time” last, then? I do not think this becomes a thing later, but I still do not like this at all. You cannot take that position over like this, Yr; you need to win Faraday’s trust first!

Faraday gets reassured by Yr’s touch. She says that she will do anything she can to protect Axis, and she has told Timozel nothing and will keep Axis’ “true identity” from him. Jack confirms that Timozel still cannot hear them and says that tomorrow, they will reach a “lovely lake” in the middle of the range, and when they are there, Faraday will be shown “some of what [her] second task will be”. (Finally!)

Faraday frowns, and notes that the pass they will take is very close. She says that Jack would not tell her what it was when she asked before, so will he do so now? Jack nods and recalls the night that she had the vision at the Silent Woman Woods. Faraday pales at this and Jack hurries to say that what the trees sing is “often confusing”, and their truth “is sometimes not as we understand it”. I do not even know what kind of “truth” we are supposed to take from the vision at this point, so sure.

Faraday “nod[s] curtly”, but she is not comforted by what Jack says. After all, none (emphasis original) of the images were positive. No matter how she rearranges the images, she cannot see how the vision can show “anything except pain”. …Yes, that tracks quite well with what we were shown.

Jack and Yr watch Faraday’s face “close over”. They hope her horror at the vision has not become “a complete rejection of the singers”. “The singers”? Those are the trees, I think, but this could truly be clearer.

PPP: 205

It also feels like this is written “simply” once again, though I cannot quite put my finger on it.

Yr squeezes Faraday’s hand and says that no human “has ever before heard Tree Song”, and even very few of the Avar have. (She also says that Avar are the “forest people”. Thank you for that.) Well, that is interesting. It is important that “the forest has a friend who can lead them to Axis” (why?) and so Faraday must be Tree Friend. …Why is she not “Forest Friend”, then?

Faraday says that she hates the forest, because it is “dark and evil” and she will have nothing to do with it. Yr and Jack “exchange[] worried glances”. What did you expect would happen? Surely Ogden and Veremund told you that she said that it was right the Seneschal drove the Icarii and Avar out after they told her about the Avar talking to trees? You have also not bothered to reassure her since, so why would you expect anything else from her?

Ill Logic: 145 (+2)

Jack puts a hand on her shoulder and tries to speak, but Faraday turns on him. She tells him not to “dare enchant [her] into submissiveness”, which we are told is her “festering anxiety over the vision” finding release. Though she genuinely likes Jack and Yr and is prepared to trust them if it helps Axis, she wonders about their secrets “and occasionally resent[s] their obvious manipulation of people about them.”

Alright… it seems the NRSG and I were completely right about what the Sentinels did, then! I am frankly amazed that Douglass actually says this, and then expects us to side with Jack and Yr!

We are supposed to do the latter, after all, as the comment about “festering anxiety” shows. I can see what Douglass was aiming for, since it would be quite possible for Faraday to say something unreasonable because of this. The problem is that this is what we have seen! Faraday is addressing an actual problem that we have seen, so you cannot just blow it off, Douglass! This makes things look quite bad.

Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 37

PPP: 206

Jack quickly lets Faraday go and says that none of them will “force her into anything”. Do you even believe this yourself? Faraday “turn[s] on him again”, with no indication she ever turned away.

PPP: 207

Faraday tells him he did not hesitate to trick her into listening to the tree with “[his] deceptively simple face”. Yes! She pulls her hand from Yr’s, and then says that if they worry about Timozel learning “some of [their] dark secrets”, they should be more concerned with what Yr is whispering in his ears during the night than what she herself might “innocently say” during the day! You go, Faraday! She glares at Yr for a moment, and then tells Jack that if the Prophecy needs a Tree Friend, it will need to find another. Then she turns away and goes after Timozel. Ah, I truly love seeing Faraday get to tell them off!

Jack stops Yr from following her. He tells Yr to leave her alone for a while, since they will only have one chance at Fernbrake Lake. If they cannot present her to something/one called “the Mother” in the next few days, they are “all doomed to endure the long dismal slide into complete destruction”. Do you even hear how over the top this sounds, Jack? Also, is there any reason you could not flee to lands outside of Tencendor?

That talk of doom gives us a section break, for added effect, and we pick up with them making camp in the pass, which Jack calls “Pig Gully”. They are about a league in, around the point where it “narrow[s] into an end”. The sides of the gully shield them from the wind, and there are enough bushes for a large fire.

Timozel unpacks and “rub[s] down” the mule, and Yr prepares the evening meal, which consists of slices from a “smoke-cured ham” (where has it been smoke-cured, then?) and a loaf. As she puts it on plates, Faraday joins her. She says “stiffly” that she is sorry for what she said earlier, and that she was upset. I would have preferred if she did not apologise, but she does still seem upset, so I will take it.

Yr calls Jack closer, and Faraday gets even stiffer when she sees him. She says she understands that they are bound to the Prophecy and that she has her own role to play. She pauses, but neither Yr or Jack say anything. She asks why the trees need a friend, and why they need her. I would like to see what they say, too.

Yr (I think) says that the trees and their people need someone to “speak for them”, and Faraday has been chosen. Someone needs to bring the trees behind Axis, because he cannot unite Tencendor otherwise. So… Faraday needs to convince the Avar and the Avarinheim to back Axis? That makes sense, though it is phrased very unclearly.

Faraday says Veremund told her her second task would be “less distasteful than [her] first”. She asks if he spoke the truth. Yr just says that Faraday will “come to love the trees almost more than life itself”. She thinks that Tree Friend’s role is far larger than bringing the Avarinheim behind Axis, but it is not her or Jack’s place to tell that. No, of course not. That would be clear. Come to think of it…

This is What the Mystery: 20 (+2) (one for “the Mother”, one for all this wrangling)

Yr continues that the trees have chosen Faraday for a reason, and that reason “contains only joy” and no sadness. She asks Faraday to believe her. Faraday remembers the Tree Song and says that the trees were “so sad”, yet “so beautiful”. Well, I guess she is over her distaste, then. That is exactly how it works, right?

Jack says that they were “slaughtered across Achar” and few remain. Then he changes subject and says that they will take her to Fernbrake Lake tomorrow. She needs to understand that Timozel “cannot, must not”, come with them, because he is an Axe-Wielder and would be in danger. …Fair enough.

Faraday gets alarmed, but Yr goes to reassure her. They will have to “enchant [Timozel] a little”. He will know nothing and simply sleep unaware while they visit the lake. She asks Faraday to trust them. I can grant that it is necessary to enchant Timozel like this, but Jack and Yr truly should not be this alright with doing so! They are still doing this without asking, after all!

Faraday sighs and nods. The chapter ends with her wishing she had never left Skarabost as she turns away. I feel you, Faraday.

Well, now we have restored Faraday’s trust in the Sentinels,, I guess. Until next chapter, then!