MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 92 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Re: Urtho's Tower by MJGaul-+AT+-aol.com 2) Wind's Four Quarters song by hart-+AT+-best.com 3) Re: Urtho's Tower by SBuskirk-+AT+-aol.com 4) Re: Weird Post!! by SBuskirk-+AT+-aol.com 5) Re: Magic.. Was Villains. by mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) 6) Re: Wind's Four Quarters song by Vivian Choh ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 29 Jul 1995 15:16:35 -0400 From: MJGaul-+AT+-aol.com To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Urtho's Tower Message-ID: <950729151632_125879085-+AT+-aol.com> >> As a side issue, wasn't Uthro's original tower somewhere in the now >> Pelgairs? Wonder what wonderful knowledge is still hiding in there? >Unless his original tower was different than the one he was using at >the time of the war with Ma'ar, Urtho's tower was in the middle of >the D'horisha (?sp) plains. And this is the job of the Shin'a'in, to >guard the weapons still under the plains. Yes, there was a yet previous tower. During the evacuation, he sends people off into the western wilderness, saying he always liked that area, and made an effort to keep it a wilderness, because his first tower was there. But, you would think he would have pretty much emptied that out when he moved to the one that he was using in BG, now in the middle of the Plains. I'm wondering whats sitting under the bottom of Lake Evandim... --melissa ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 29 Jul 1995 16:52:13 -0700 From: hart-+AT+-best.com To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Wind's Four Quarters song Message-ID: <199507292352.QAA17367-+AT+-shell1.best.com> Just finished reading "Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light" by Tanya Huff and had to tell ya'll about the Lackey connection. On the dedication/acknowledgements page: "I'd also like to thank Mercedes Lackey for generously allowing me to use both _The Bait_ and _Wind's Four Quarters_." In the story, the musician character gets a package of sheet music from a friend in **Tulsa** and the songs end up playing a big part of the story. I always enjoy it when I run into this kind of "cross pollenation" (sp?) in fantasy novels! FYI, the story is one of those "urban magic" stories like de Lint's books. For those of you who want a villain who has lots of reasons (other than just being evil) for doing villain-things, skip this one. On the other hand, if you like very definite White vs Dark plus Bards, this is a good one. Ignore the paperback cover painting showing a Unicorn -- they picked one tiny scene that had very little to do with the story to paint for the cover. --Tamra H. hart-+AT+-best.com http://www.best.com/~hart/ Hart Consulting: World Wide Web Design Services Technical Writing and Editing Mtn. View, CA 415-966-8924 (office/vmail) USA 800-749-8032 (fax) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 29 Jul 1995 20:48:19 -0400 From: SBuskirk-+AT+-aol.com To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Urtho's Tower Message-ID: <950729204817_126025877-+AT+-aol.com> >>> As a side issue, wasn't Uthro's original tower somewhere in the now >>> Pelgairs? Wonder what wonderful knowledge is still hiding in there? >>Unless his original tower was different than the one he was using at >>the time of the war with Ma'ar, Urtho's tower was in the middle of >>the D'horisha (?sp) plains. And this is the job of the Shin'a'in, to >>guard the weapons still under the plains. >Yes, there was a yet previous tower. During the evacuation, he sends people >off into the western wilderness, saying he always liked that area, and made >an effort to keep it a wilderness, because his first tower was there. But, >you would think he would have pretty much emptied that out when he moved to >the one that he was using in BG, now in the middle of the Plains. I'm >wondering whats sitting under the bottom of Lake Evandim... The way I understood it, the Dhorisha Plains resulted from the explosion when Urtho died--it's where his tower was--and Lake Evendim happened when Ma'ar died--it's where the palace was that he took over. That is also why the Pelagirs run from around Lake Evendim to around the Dhorisha Plains. (That means that Cinnabar, Winterhart, and Tamsin are all originally from the area that ended up becoming Valdemar!) B*B ~Sandi~ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 29 Jul 1995 20:48:24 -0400 From: SBuskirk-+AT+-aol.com To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Weird Post!! Message-ID: <950729204823_126025908-+AT+-aol.com> I got it too, Matt. Looks like someone replied to a thread on another list, and accidently sent it here. I'm not sure how that could happen, but if computers can do it, people can screw it up! (I should know, I'm especially talented at that . . .) B*B ~Sandi~ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 30 Jul 95 17:19:58 EST From: mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Magic.. Was Villains. Message-ID: <9507300719.AA01423-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com> Note: This is a reply to a few different posts. :) Gyrfalcon wrote: > > The other thing that bugs me is the variation in how physical shields work > > - whether or not they can block a thrown dagger, or a hail of arrows.. > > And if they can, why isn't a physical shield part of every decent mage's > > standard personal shields? Only explanation I can think of is that they're > > either too draining, or less likely, that they're inconvenient. The latter > > still doesn't explain the lack of their use in combat situations.. > > There is a rule that seems common to all of the true magic that seems > to reside in Velgarth, that is Like attracts Like, and Like affects > Like. A mage could set a shield to protect against physical attacks, but > the magic would have to go into Creating a Physical shield. Creating and > sustaining such a shield would be draining to both the mage and his > resources. Perhaps I'm being dense tonight, but I'm not sure what you're saying in the first part - do you mean that they could shield against magic, or physical attacks but not both? I'm pretty sure Van mentions somewhere that some of the untrained mages don't shield against both because they've never been taught to use physical shields.. Also there's the example of the mage Talia & Griffon & co fight at the end of Arrows Fall - he's shielded against arrows & mind-magic. The draining part, I definitely agree with (Scya pointed it out also), but if the alternative is an arrow through the heart.... I don't think I specifically mentioned it, but I originally meant Master-class+ mages.. who should be able to handle just one extra shield, even if it is draining. (Query: Are shields all that draining if they're not under attack? I got the impression that you pour energy into a shield as needed, apart from a minimum required to keep the shield stable.) Gyrfalcon continued: > Also there is a reason why most mages don't use such shields... They > rarely, if ever see close combat. Even company mages don't use their > magic as a weapon, they use it for healing, communication, intelligence, > and maybe some harrassment. But it seems that the most physical magics > were the most exausting. Wasn't there a comment about how illusion was > easy to do but a great drain on the resources? It Creates an image, > something that others can see, hear, smell, but has no substance. Mmmm, point. I wonder if this is because there's nothing to work with in the first place.. Keth seems to have an easier time with illusions that can be supported by the underlying thing hidden (I'm thinking of the different illusions she cast on her & Tarma - where she couldn't change Tarma's height & bulk before gaining Adept status). > Also a > Gate is a very physical beastie, It almost always drains the mage > completely. Not to mention that Evil Mages ie villains have a tendency > to Not see that a child with a rabbit sling can take them down as easily, > or easier than another mage with an army. All the child needs is about 5 > seconds to aim. What prompted the question was Falconsbane getting pin-cushioned (TM) by arrows in a combat situation.. As you say, it'd be putting a lot of faith in how observant the mage is (in both the physical & forethought sense), to rely on being able to destroy the archer before he shoots. That could be a special case though, the Kalendral might well be able to endow their arrows with enough power courtesy of the Star-Eyed to puncture shields (similar to what Elspeth did with the knife at the end of Winds). Matt: > Yes, but wasn't Ancar a blood mage? And doesn't that give a different level > of power than a regular mage would have either by themself or with the > assistance of a node or companion? As I conceptualize it, being a blood mage just affects from where you drag the power - the actual level of the mage affects how much power they can store internally, and the amount of power they can handle from external sources. Don't shoot me , but I think I've changed my mind about Ancar nearly taking Elspeth & Darkwind.. I tend to use Van as a benchmark for an Adept and I can't visualize a Master class blood mage taking Vanyel even in a final strike; but from what was said in Winds, Elspeth & Darkwind (and perhaps even Firesong) aren't in his league. Just as well Maar/Leareth/Falconsbane gets a little less stable in each incarnation (or perhaps it's just the limitations of the gift in the body). Enough rambling from me.. Thanks for the thoughts, Kerry. -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- Kerry J Mealing mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com "For the song and the sword and the pipes of pan, Are birthrights sold to a usurer; But I am the last lone highwayman, And I am the last adventurer." ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 30 Jul 1995 14:37:25 -0400 (EDT) From: Vivian Choh To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Wind's Four Quarters song Message-ID: On Sun, 30 Jul 1995 hart-+AT+-best.com wrote: > FYI, the story is one of those "urban magic" stories like de Lint's > books. The similarity that I've noticed is the inclusion of a street busker as a main character. You know, prior to reading ML's (Uh-oh! the title of the book has fled from my brain) uh...book with eric, beth and the elf, I'd never heard of street buskers (didn't know that that's what they were called). Right now, I can only think of three authors who employ buskers as (one of) their main characters..ML, De LLint and Huff. Will buskers be a trend in fiction, do you think? sorry bad grammar, i have to get oof line...... ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 92 ********************************