Teres

- As for Faraday feeling ashamed about what Merlion would think about her, she suggests that she would have shamed Faraday for being naked around other men than her husband.

*coughcough* That was me.

- As she and Epistler note, Raum notably throws away the corpse of “friend hare” after the ritual is done, which rather makes it look like shock value.

Ah...also me.

- My, we have finally reached Smyrton, and we are ready to resume Axis’s plotline! Let me see what it will bring:

More dramatics, I would guess. Douglass has a talent for making a character look worse and worse with each passing chapter.

- He notably does not send a messenger, though. He certainly could spare someone to bring this message to the estate, and given how close it is, they would be back soon.

I'm torn on this. On one hand, this is the kind of news that really should be delivered face to face, especially since keeping Faraday safe was his responsibility. It's not something I would want to hear in a letter, or from someone else. But on the other hand, given Axis's personality, it kind of comes off as him thinking this is too much of a hassle to do, so he just decides not to do it.

- Then, he also has the entire army go around it, which costs him a day! True, he is still on schedule, but the sooner he gets to Smyrton and then Gorkenfort, the better. I also find it quite selfish of him to make the entire army detour (and did he even say why?) just because of his guilt.

I wonder if there might also be some cowardice to his decision, if he's willing to make the entire army go around. It makes me think he's scared of Faraday's sisters, so decides to have no contact with them at all, despite having very important information that they should know.

- Never mind that that is complete overkill and that they are under time pressure, apparently. What would have been the bother to give Belial a force to command to resolve the problem, and then have him join up with Axis farther to Gorkenfort? This is very bad leadership and quite irresponsible!

Further proof that he's not equipped to be the leader of anyone, especially not a huge army. This is almost a "YOU HAD ONE JOB" instance, but in this case, it's several jobs that he still manages to fail. The world is doomed.

- The weather in Skarabost is declining to an “unnaturally early winter”, but it does not have “the feel of evil enchantment” that the storm at the Barrows or the cloud of fear did.

Okay, I kind of like this part. Seasons are fickle things, and they do show up early all the time. It's good that Douglass makes it a point to say that the winter coming early could just be normal weather, rather than everyone jumping to the conclusion that it's definitely evil.

- Even here, the fields around the village are “well-tended” and the road is “well-repaired and cleared of snow”. The few villagers who are out in the “snow-covered fields” by late afternoon wave “excitedly” as the army goes past. Then we get a description of the village, and… well, let me show it.

Now Douglass has lost me again. If the snow fell so quickly that it covered fields and gardens that hadn't yet been harvested, then how is the road already perfectly clear? Alternatively, if they had time to clear the roads, then why are the gardens still full of vegetables? Even if winter is a little early, they should have harvested most of (if not all of) the produce.

First there was the farm in the middle of nowhere that had so much stuff it looked like they had raided a market, and now this. I'm starting to think that, on top of everything else, Douglass doesn't know the first thing about farming.

Furthermore, I highly doubt the villagers would be so happy to see a giant army approaching. Armies usually mean trouble and fighting, which normal people generally dislike. Not to mention that they would probably worry about having to host hundreds of people in their village and feed them all. An army should be the last thing they want to see coming to their home.

- Yes, they have “white-washed picket fences” now! Never mind that that is typically associated with the U.S., this fantasy village has them too!

Who wants to bet that Douglass just googled "cute little town" and described the first picture that popped up? Because this is just so sickeningly saccharine that it's giving me diabetes.

- You truly did not care to change anything, now did you, Douglass?

But coming up with descriptions for new things is haaaaard! Also, maybe I'm just reading too much into this out of spite, but given how often it shows up and how in-your-face it is, is Douglass trying to make the Way of the Plough into some kind of cult? Because it seems like it's something that everyone's lives revolves around. Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly fine to be religious, but the way this is described, it makes them seem like fanatics.

- And that gives us people meeting on “the Seventh Day” for no stated reason.

It has to be a reference to how Sunday is church day in a few of our own religions. Given that Christianity and Catholicism have been referenced in earlier chapters...yeah.

- Outside of this, the only other “notable feature” is a “large market square”, and as Axis rides into it, he wonders what life is like for the villagers.

Based on the way Douglass has described it, I would say that life here is almost impossibly idyllic. Friendly villagers, white picket fences...I can practically hear the children laughing as they run down the streets, and the birds singing happily.

- Axis pulls Belaguez to a stop before them, but touches his heels to his flanks and “make[s] him slide to a halt in a half-rear” so he can leap off in a “fluid movement”. I guess he just had to show off.

It's also cruel. Unless you have a horse specifically trained to rear up when given certain commands, you pretty much have to pull back very hard on the reins, which in turn can tear up the corners of the horse's mouth because of the metal bit.

- Most people quickly step back, but Axis notes that one woman, “unusually striking for a country wife”,

...because country wives have to be homely old hags, I guess? Fuck you, Douglass.

- They cannot provide Axis’ whole command with “comfortable beds”, but at least Axis and his officers will sleep well. Axis says this he and his officers will sleep along with the Axe-Wielders.

Okay, a fraction of a point to Axis for not taking advantage of sleeping inside on soft beds while everyone else camps in the snow.

- Axis is then introduced to their wives, who are just “plump” and “beaming”.

Why are all the village women plump? The men are ugly and the women are fat. WE GET IT, DOUGLASS, ONLY THE RICH PEOPLE ARE PRETTY.

- But, from how Azhure looks, it seems that Hagen went out of his way “to find an extraordinarily exotic wife”.

Or maybe Azhure was an orphan that he was kind enough to adopt. There are other explanations to this than Hagen specifically searching for a trophy wife he can show off to others like an unusual-looking animal. Douglass, are you not seeing the Unfortunate Implications you're scattering everywhere? Because they're not subtle.

- Well, then try harder. You are the BattleAxe, after all, so I would expect some professionalism from you, as I would from Belial.

Not to mention that Hagen invited them into his home and is allowing the army to stay close by. That is very generous of him, and here Axis is (and Belial) laughing in his face and making fun of the fact that his wife abandoned him and their young daughter! Truly, what a hilarious scenario. Fuck you, Douglass. Not to mention that Hagan seems to be angry at Azhure over this, so does Axis not worry that Hagan might do something to punish her when they're alone again? He's just making this worse for her!