MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1165 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Re: Vanyel's gifts by estory-+AT+-shore.net 2) Re: This and That by chenchen-+AT+-rgs.edu.sg 3) Queen's Own Address by "JAIME HATHAWAY" 4) Please by "ANDREA HUNTER" 5) Re: FW: Kingdoms and people by Jennifer Dorn 6) Re:bonding by "Vrondi" 7) Van's gifts by estory-+AT+-shore.net 8) Stuffages by FireWurm-+AT+-aol.com 9) Sunsinger&Shadowdancer /finding books/inconsistencies/Grove-born by "John and Kara Pekar" 10) Questions by "=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Familia_Rinc=F3n_Parra?=" 11) Re: Van's gifts by "=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Familia_Rinc=F3n_Parra?=" 12) I am sorry by "CHRISTY GOLDBACH" 13) Brief correction/Sun&Shadow by Jaguar 14) Re: Questions by Mark and Tracy 15) Vanyel's Bardic Gifts, age of characters, etc. by "Alexandra Y. Kwan" 16) Re: _The Fire Bird_ by MTerr50791-+AT+-aol.com 17) Mage Gift and pregnancy by "JAIME HATHAWAY" 18) Re: _The Fire Bird_ by MTerr50791-+AT+-aol.com 19) Re: Mage Gift and pregnancy by "CHRISTY GOLDBACH" 20) Re: Vanyel's Bardic Gifts, age of characters, etc. by "CHRISTY GOLDBACH" 21) A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF by texs72-+AT+-webtv.net 22) Re: Mage Gift and pregnancy by Heidi 23) Re: Vanyel's Bardic Gifts, age of characters, etc. by NightSong 24) braid ... by cjkocher-+AT+-spectra.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 08 Apr 1997 06:19:00 +0000 From: estory-+AT+-shore.net To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Vanyel's gifts Message-ID: <3349E354.3166-+AT+-shore.net> > Couldn't this also imply that His Bardic Gift isn't strong enough > to make a difference. Yes he may have it but it is not enough to > train or work with and that is why training was not persued?? If it > ws not strong enough then that statement made by Vanyel to Medren > would still be true. Because no matter how much he practiced or > tried to use his gift there just wasn't enough there to make a > difference for him as a bard. Because of that he may have just tried > to forget about it because there was nothing he could do. Does this > make sense?? Yes, that makes sense. Although his Healing was supposed to be extremely weak as well, and he does use that. But I can't think of a better explanation. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 18:05:16 +0800 (SGT) From: chenchen-+AT+-rgs.edu.sg To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: This and That Message-ID: <199704081005.SAA25143-+AT+-aragorn.sol.com.sg> >I have one question, I know that Misty wrote a short story about how >Alberich came to become a Herald and how he left Karse for Valdemar. I >just can't remember where it is!!! Can anyone help me???? The story is in Horse Fantastic. Name of story is Stolen Silver. By the way, does anyone know where I can get copies of S&S. I mean the last few volumes, such as IX and after. It is almost impossible getting the earlier volumes. Lady Windsong wrote: >Aaaahhh...it's nice to be back. :) (What? Y'all don't remember me? ) And >to all the newbies: Welcome to the list, and here, have a and a >chocolate sheep. Ah well, we haven't had one in a long time anyway, >so...<>!!!! (Does anyone remember these things? ) Hello!!!!!! <> I am still here, still surviving. This is the first time you are posting this year, am I right? ########## Stormwind ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chen Chen e-mail: chenchen-+AT+-rgs.edu.sg http://members.tripod.com/~eladi/index.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Learning is a treasure which accompanies its owner everywhere. --Anonymous ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 11:51:13 CST From: "JAIME HATHAWAY" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Queen's Own Address Message-ID: <15E9C319FB-+AT+-future.judson.edu> I've gotten many requests for the QO address, so I'm posting it to the list in case there were others who just didn't ask. I thought it would be in the back of the paperback books, but I guess I'm wrong (that's where I found it....but then, that was a long time ago...) Queen's Own P.O. Box 132 Shiloh, NJ 08353 USA Next mailing day is stated to be April 5, 1997 "Dues are $8 US/Canada ($10 elswhere) a year for nine issues of the newsletter. Please make checks payable to Queen's Own *in US funds only*--my bank charges me $10 to cash a foreign currency cheque. You may also pay in cash, US postage stamps, 20 IRCs, an International money order in two $4 or $5 installments if you wish." This is a direct quote from Judith, Herald Housemother, Editor, President, etc. You can ask for handouts for how to become a Herald, Bard, Healer, Tayledras, Shin'a'in, White Winds Sorcerer/ess, and Mercenary. I hope this helps everyone, and I apologize for being late, and cluttering up the mailboxes of those who already know all this stuff. WTTW, Jacquelle "You broke your little ships." Lily to Picard Star Trek: First Contact ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 13:54:18 CST From: "ANDREA HUNTER" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Please Message-ID: <3F57AF0410C-+AT+-cottey.edu> This is for everyone. I joined the list to talk about Misty's books and I really enjoy talking about them. But I have been getting alot of fluff that should be going through private e-mails. I know that I am a newbie and therefore subject to criticism but please people try to get along and take your personal fluff else where. This is fun when people aren't arguing on line. Please everyone read Mel's list. It is very helpful. I would also like to say that braiding is an excellent idea. I got 27 e-mails today just from the list. Half of them were one liners and were then deleted. I know I have probably offended a lot of people. But I don't want to quit this list. I enjoy talking and hearing about Misty's worlds and her ideas. Wind to thy Wings Stars light your path Have a peace filled day Storm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 08 Apr 1997 14:47:03 -0500 From: Jennifer Dorn To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: FW: Kingdoms and people Message-ID: <199704081951.OAA30824-+AT+-audumla.students.wisc.edu> Hi everyone! Welcome back Lady Windsong and nice to see Lady Godiva delurk! hello to the newbies.... I had no idea that not being able to check my mail the last two days would result in this much list mail. =) Alright, braid time... ****************************** First off, isn't _SBreaking_ still in spoilers? I read it, but I noticed a message that probably should have been in spoilers for those who haven't. Just curious. Cennydd, Thanks for your comments on intellectual property as well as for posting Newbie Fest yet again. To whomever mentioned it, I don't think you can bond to a gryphon, or a kyree for that matter (Unless you have a relationship like Tarma and Warrl's). Also, both of those sound dangerously close to infringing on intellectual property like Companions would. ****************************** On the subject of the infamous disappearing Bardic Gift- I'm still of the opinion that Misty screwed up. In MPawn, he doesn't have healing, later he does. In MPawn he has the bardic gift, later he doesn't. It always just looked to me like Misty forgot to check what she'd written earlier, and her editor didn't catch it. ****************************** Shidrati wrote: >But what about the Companions "born" of the Grove? These are >Companions that come for special purposes. So where do they come >from? The Tayledras seem to treat the Companions like Avatars of a sort when Elspeth and Skif first arrive at k'Sheyna in WofFate. The Companions have souls like any other being, and Grove-born Companion's souls would most likely be directly from wherever souls start out in Misty's world. Reincarnation seems to operate in conjunction with "the Havens" in Velgarth. Those who believe they'll go to the Havens go there, and those who believe in reincarnation (like the Tayledras) or choose it (like the Heralds) are reincarnated. Since the population of Velgarth has obviously grown, even since Vanyel's time, there would have to be more souls in existence now than there were in the very beginning. This number would increase even more since a certain number of people go to the Havens and do not return. Therefore, souls must come from something, either a deity force of some kind, or life energy. Have you ever met someone who seemed inordinately wise for their years, and then met someone who seemed rediculously immature and young even though they were much older?In Velgarth, the younger would be more likely to be the people who have just started out and were not reincarnated yet. Grove-borns are like those "young souls". In _WofFury_, Vanyel tells Espeth that Gwena is young and has no real human experience to base her decisions on (p113). In contrast, a reincarnated Companion like Sayvil would have all of those years and at least one lifetime to learn from. Just my $.02 ;) ********************************** Oh, and could everyone please make sure that they list their name and email addy on postings? I've gotten a few posts that I didn't know who they came from. It makes it harder to say who said things in a discussion if there is no name at the bottom of the post. :) Sorry for such a long post. S'more sheeps to everyone who got this far. Khala il rede he, Lady Guenevere Knight-errant of the OAM Witch and Keeper of Gargoyles Mistress of Firelizards and Dragons "I always carry my diary with me. One must always have something sensational to read on the train." ~ Oscar Wilde ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 16:48:24 +0000 From: "Vrondi" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re:bonding Message-ID: <199704081947.PAA16400-+AT+-edweb.concord.wvnet.edu> > From: Jennifer Dorn > To whomever mentioned it, I don't think you can bond to a gryphon, or a > kyree for that matter (Unless you have a relationship like Tarma and > Warrl's). Also, both of those sound dangerously close to infringing on > intellectual property like Companions would. Gryphons were around centuries before Misty, so there's no way she can copyright a Gryphon. now, if you used Skan, on the other hand, he is specifically her character, so that would be a no-no. In Misty's world, thought, I don't think you would "bond" with a gryphon. Kyree on the other hand are as far as I know Misty's own creation. _______________________________________________________ -Vrondi Bard of Amber and Marigold. Mistress of the Air, One with the Trees  "If the roses should blush, how would you find it out?" -Mrs. Selwyn in "Evelina" by Burney http://edweb.concord.wvnet.edu/~deanca/book ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 08 Apr 1997 17:53:55 +0000 From: estory-+AT+-shore.net To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Van's gifts Message-ID: <334A8633.7BFA-+AT+-shore.net> I've heard a few vauge refrences to quotes about Vanyel's Bardic Gifts and thought I'd look them up: Magicıs Pawn, Savil discovering Vanyelıs gifts: ³Vanyel had them all. ... And--irony of ironies--as if the gods were taking with one hand and offering a pittance as compensation--the Bardic Gift.² Magicıs Promise, Vanyel telling Medren that he (Medren) has the Bardic Gift: ³You are better than I was, even at fifteen. If a few years you are going to be better than I could ever hope to be if I practiced every hour of my life. You have the Bardic-Gift, lad, and thatıs something no amount of training will give.² These quotes seem to suggest a couple of possibilites: Vanyelı Bardic Gift might have been too weak and/or unreliable to bother training, or he might not have been qualified to receive training since he had only one of the three Bardic Gifts and two out of three is required, or his Bardic Gift might have faded from lack of use or disappeared when he healed up. Personally, I think it either faded or Misty messed up. Emma ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 17:43:57 -0400 (EDT) From: FireWurm-+AT+-aol.com To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Stuffages Message-ID: <970408174241_-833476212-+AT+-emout18.mail.aol.com> Lady Windsong Said: >Does anyone know if _The Fire Bird_ is out in paperback yet? I'm not too >sure. And _Storm Breaking_ *is* out in paper back, right? My mum's going to >the States soon, and if they're out I think I'll ask her to get them for me. >:) Oooh, and any suggestions as to what books to buy? Thanks, y'all! :) _The Fire Bird_ is not out in paperback yet. If it is, my bookstore has forgoten to call me! I'm sorry to say that _Storm Breaking_ is not out yet. ::Flinch:: don't hate me! Books to buy. . . um, i just finshed a book that while not by Mercedes Lackey was really good. It is called _Voyage of the Fox Rider_ by Dennis L. McKiernan. I would really recomend this book! Also if you can find it there is a book called _The Silver Sun_ by Nancy Springer that noone else but me seems to have read. . . It's really good. __________________________________ BEMSA-+AT+-ABEM1.NUSSTF.nus.sg (Shidrati Binte Ali BEMSA) said: >But what about the Companions "born" of the Grove? These are Companions >that >come for special purposes. So where do they come from? No one is quiet sure but i think they come from one of the plains that the higher spirits come from. I think somewere in Oathbound or Oathbreakers Kethry mentions some thing about it. . . anyone know what it was called? ______________________________________ Okay i was wondering can you all help me? I want to put together a list of First Last names of the people of Velgarth. . . don't ask why. . . i don't know. . . it is like the urgde to have a list of them all i guess. . . well chocolot coverd sheeps to all! Oh well and if anyone out there has ever read _The Silver Sun_ pleas e-mail me privetly so i can know i'm not alone! Zhai'hellava Stallion If you don't get this please tell me. . . ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 17:15:58 -0400 From: "John and Kara Pekar" To: "MISTY" Subject: Sunsinger&Shadowdancer /finding books/inconsistencies/Grove-born Message-ID: <199704082153.RAA14859-+AT+-sasquatch.crosslink.net> Shidrati Binte Ali BEMSA wrote: >One question, has anyone read about Sunsinger and Shadowdancer? Misty in her >trilogy of Arrows of the Queen refered to them in songs. But has she ever >written anything of the real Sunsinger and Shadowdancer? I believe she has written part of their story (perhaps all?) as a song, though I don't know which cassette it is on. (Sadly, I don't have the money for the music right now -- wish I did.) I think their story might make a neat short story or single book, though. I'm adding it to the list I'm compiling, working title: "I wish Misty would write the story of..." Incidentally, if anyone has a story wish to add to that list, email me privately at jkpekar-+AT+-crosslink.net. I'll compile the list and post it eventually. BTW, does the little we know about Shadowdancer & Sunsinger (from AFlight -- I haven't heard the song) remind anyone else of Tolkien's Luthien/Tinuviel and Beren? There are definite similarities, and Tolkien's first appears as a song, as well. ********************* Stormwind/Chen Chen wrote: >By the way, does anyone know where I can get copies of S&S. I mean the last >few volumes, such as IX and after. It is almost impossible getting the >earlier volumes. For later volumes, try ordering them through your local bookstore...If they are still in print, a large chain such as Waldenbooks or Borders, or a good independent, should be able to get them for you. (If you live outside the US, I don't know which bookstores to recommend.) Failing that, and for the older volumes, try to find a decent used bookstore. Sometimes you can establish a relationship with the propieter of a used bookstore, and s/he will then keep an eye out for titles and authors you love. Another place to check is the Internet -- lots of used bookstores and book search services are on the Net, and some of them even post their current holdings (of hardcovers, at least. I haven't seen much in the way of paperbacks.) One place to try is the Advanced Book Exchange Inc., which has a database of used books from a number of different bookstores. Their website is at: http://www.abebooks.com Good luck! ************************ Lady Guenevere wrote: >On the subject of the infamous disappearing Bardic Gift- I'm still of the >opinion that Misty screwed up. In MPawn, he doesn't have healing, later he >does. In MPawn he has the bardic gift, later he doesn't. It always just >looked to me like Misty forgot to check what she'd written earlier, and her >editor didn't catch it. I think you're right about Misty forgetting to check what she wrote earlier. However, if I understand the publishing process properly, it's unlikely that an editor would catch the mistake. Almost certainly, neither the overall editor nor the copyeditor has time to reread the previous books. Nor is either likely to remember the details of previous books, given the number of books they must deal with in the course of a year. It would be nice if the copyeditor could check back for things like that, but it's not all that feasible, given time constraints. We're just lucky that the copyeditors are good enough to keep the spelling of names and foreign words fairly consistent from volume to volume! (They probably maintain a list of them, and add to it as each book comes along.) In fact, in at least one forward or acknowledgement, Misty thanked "The stalwart centurion of the copy editing line, Paula Greenberg, [who] makes certain that all my capitalizations and spellings match and imparts as much consistency as anyone can to someone as chaotic as I am." [WoFury, Author's Note, found at end of book] ************************ Lady Guenevere, I also appreciated your thinking about the souls of Grove-Born Companions. It makes sense, and is a good explanation of Gwena. Rolan, however, seems to be considerably wiser than Gwena -- but I think I can account for that as well. At least some of that wisdom he gets from his own experience and that of his Chosen -- Rolan was Talamir's Companion, and Talamir was an old man when he was poisoned. The question is, how long was Talamir King's Own, and was Rolan the Companion of the King's Own *before* Talamir? Talamir could have been King Roald's King's Own during part of his reign, as well as King Sendar's. Going by Kory's timeline, Selenay has been Queen about 8 years when Talia is Chosen. (Question about Kory's timeline? You there, Kory? Might be time to post it again...) Sendar's reign began in 1355 AF, and Selenay's began in 1376 AF [see timeline at the beginning of any Winds or Storms books.] So if Talamir was Sendar's KO, he had been KO for 29 years when he died. Figure he was around 20 by the time he was a full Herald; if he started out as KO at that age, at the beginning of Sendar's reign, he would have been only 49 -- hardly an old man. So, Talamir became a full Herald sometime during Roald's reign (1315 - 1355 by the Winds timeline.) We can't know whether Talamir served as Roald's KO, or whether he had an unBonded Choosing, and only bonded with Rolan at the death of the previous KO. We also can't know whether Rolan was the Companion of the KO before Talamir, or whether that Companion was killed, and Rolan was Grove-born to take his place. Nor do we know for sure whether Talamir was KO during all of Sendar's reign, but given Talamir's age at his death, it seems likely. So Rolan *probably* has at least 30 years of experience to draw on, and possibly as much as several human lifetimes worth. Still, I think the Monarch's Own Companion may have an extra "edge" in wisdom to begin with -- something more than Gwena got. Maybe the two are roughly equivalent to angel and archangel, with the Monarch's Own Companion having more power, insight, and divine direction than Gwena does. Or perhaps the Monarch's Own Companion, when killed, almost instantly reincarnates as the next Monarch's Own Companion. If it were the same spirit, over and over, acting in that capacity, that would certainly account for both the sense of wisdom I get from Rolan, and the deep respect accorded him by other Companions. Well, enough musing for today! Wind to thy wings, Kara "So many books, so little time" ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 16:10:24 -0600 From: "=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Familia_Rinc=F3n_Parra?=" To: Subject: Questions Message-ID: <199704082203.QAA21595-+AT+-sol.racsa.co.cr> I live in Costa Rica, and books by Mercedes Lackey don't get here easily. I would appreciate a list on new books on Valdemar, since the last one I have is Storm Rising. I've heard of a couple of others, Fire Bird and Sword of Ice. Are they on Valdemar? If so, where do they stand in the chronology? What is Skif's age in Storm Rising? Do people in Valdemar know what an Ocean is? If so, how? What is Velgarth? Out of context i get it is Heaven, or as Dante would put it, Limbo, but where did you get that word from? In the end of WofF, An'desha is changed back into human, and about to his original form, but he has slitted eyes and claws, besides bleached hair. In SW, he only has his hair color, but in SR he has his slitted eyes again. What exactly did the Avatars leave him with? Sorry for the inquisitive post. Shaina, Shaina scratches Mica's head and feeds him tidbits of meat. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 16:33:12 -0600 From: "=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Familia_Rinc=F3n_Parra?=" To: Subject: Re: Van's gifts Message-ID: <199704082228.QAA24735-+AT+-sol.racsa.co.cr> Emma wrote: >Vanyelı Bardic Gift might have been too weak and/or unreliable to bother >training, or he might not have been qualified to receive training since he had >only one of the three Bardic Gifts and two out of three is required, or his >Bardic Gift might have faded from lack of use or disappeared when he >healed up. Personally, I think it either faded or Misty messed up. My own 2 cents are that he still has his Bardic Gift intact. Remember he had Talent already, but didn't have much Creativity,and Bardic was nowhere in site, so he couldn't become a minstrel. So, he gave up. After he is blasted open, he has no choice but to become a Herald, so he doesn't use much his gift. But in later books, when he comes back from one of the wars, he is carrying a lute. Hint. Later, he goes undercover as a minstrel, and sings for shelter. I don't recall, it could be my imagination, but he uses his gift to calm people that want to attack him, when magic is impossible to use. What I think he means when he tells medren about his lack of gift, is that he didn't have it when he was able to use it to become a bard, and that Medren has it in a higher dose. I'm not sure, but in the same book, he discovers Medren is using his bardic gift to exagerate about his aches and pains, and tells him that he shouldn't attempt to use that particular trick with him, who has a bit of bardic in him. forgive me if I am wrong, but it was a long time since i read them, and although i have it in my mind as if it was yesterday, i could've hallucinated some of this. Shaina, scratches Mica's head and ruffles his feathers ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 16:32:19 CST From: "CHRISTY GOLDBACH" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: I am sorry Message-ID: <3F81D6F31D8-+AT+-cottey.edu> To Everyone, Okay before you flame me for writting such a short message let me say I am sorry!! I know that this is short but I don't have a lot of time and I don't have anything else to say. Now the reason I am writting this is to appologize for a previous post on the list that was posted for Nightdancer and was about my bondbird Safa and the spelling of her name. That post on the list was an accident I simply forgot to put her address in the slot instead of the lists address. It was a simple and easily made mistake and I am publicly apologizing now. I am sorry. Wind to thy wings, Christy and Safa! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 18:53:21 -0400 (EDT) From: Jaguar To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Brief correction/Sun&Shadow Message-ID: A Brief correction to the Newbie Fest... At the moment, I am the longest-surviving member of the MageWars (actually, I started the bloody thing ), so if you have questions, direct them to me... ----------| Sun and Shadow is a very old story. For those who've been around a while.. remember the discussion about the movie Ladyhawke? Ladyhawke tells the same story.. as a child I grew up on a book "Son of the Day and Daughter of the Night". With a bit of a stretch, you could even say Romeo and Juliet tells the same story. Not too surprising Tolkien told that tale too.... Mrh. Unconscious alliteration.. Mmm.. think that's it. Love, Jaguar An Irishman is not drunk so long as he can hold on to one blade of grass and not fall off the earth. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 08 Apr 1997 16:40:14 -0700 From: Mark and Tracy To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Questions Message-ID: <334AD75E.2AE2-+AT+-worldnet.att.net> Familia_Rincón_Parra wrote: > > I live in Costa Rica, and books by Mercedes Lackey don't get here easily. I > would appreciate a list on new books on Valdemar, since the last one I have > is Storm Rising. I've heard of a couple of others, Fire Bird and Sword of > Ice. Are they on Valdemar? If so, where do they stand in the chronology? After SRising is SBreaking, which is still in HB in stores and 'Spoilers' on the list (is there a connection?). SoIce is a collection of short stories placed in Velgarth, the world that Valdemar & others are on. Firebird is a Russian folk tale, also only HB and 'Spoilers'. I highly recommend it. > What is Skif's age in Storm Rising? My best guess is 31-33. Anyone have a more specific answer?. > Sorry for the inquisitive post. Isn't that one of the reasons for this highly entertaining list? ----------------------------------------- I have something to add to the "How did this happen" debate: In OBound Tarma rides Hellsbane, Kethry rides Ironheart, in OBreakers Tarma rides 'Heart and Kethry rides 'Bane. But in BtS it states that Kero always names her battlesteed Hellsbane, JUST like Tarma always did. Any thoughts? Also in the list of books by Misty (front of SBreaking) 'Owlflight' and 'The Black Swan' are listed as forthcoming. Any rumours or wild speculation about what they might be about?? Sheep hugs to all. Tracy ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 08 Apr 1997 17:48:40 -0700 From: "Alexandra Y. Kwan" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Vanyel's Bardic Gifts, age of characters, etc. Message-ID: <334AE768.4A92-+AT+-earthlink.net> Hi, everyone. Regarding dear Van's Bardic gift, is there any, oh, official rulings from the 'oldies'? (hey, if there are newbies, then shouldn't there be 'oldies'?) The writer of 'This and That' said something to the effect of other requirement gifts of Bardic not blasted open... Well, that's wrong because for Bards, there's only one 'Gift-type' gift, which is, of course, *the* Bardic Gift. The other two, talent and creativity, doesn't require 'opening.' And Vanyel certainly do have Talent. He is *ver* good at playing, I think, almost any instrument (sp?). So, after being Chosen, he has Talent and *the* Bardic Gift, which means he *can* get into Bardic Collegium (sp?). But he's Chosen and has to become a Herald. So... Anyhow, I agree with whoever that said something about how, in MPromise, Van was musing how ironic that all he wanted before Havens was to be a Bard, then when Van actually *can* be a Bard (because of finally getting the *Gift*), he doesn't, more or less, want to anymore. Also, regarding the age thing. I don't think it's disappointing to not be able to be the same age as your favorite character. My favorite, of course, is Van. And I was sixteen when I started reading the LHM. So, now that I am seventeen, I have to wait eleven years before I can be same age as Van in MPromise... Anyhow, am I the only one confused about Van's age in MPrice? His age in the other two books is very clear, but in MPrice, I was getting the range of 34-37. And especially Stef's age. He started off, I think, 18, then became 17, then back to 18, then even up to twenty! (Sorry, couldn't find it in text, even though book by my side) One more. About how tall are Van and Stef? I know Stef is shorter than Van, who's shorter than both Withen and Mekeal, but that doesn't say much. Anyway, about Skif's age. I don't think Skif's literal age is mentioned. But you can guess. He was about early-twenties at the end of the book (not trilogy) Arrows for the Queen. So, about ten years later, at the beginning of Winds of Change (or Fate, forgot which is first in the series), Skif would be in his early thirties. And then, at least a few years later, is the beginning of Storm Rising. I would say Skif if about mid-thirties. I've rambled on enough. So, thanks for letting me ramble on. If I may be so bold as to assume I am not a newbie anymore, then chocalate-covered sheeps to everyone bored. from little alex ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 21:38:21 -0400 (EDT) From: MTerr50791-+AT+-aol.com To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: _The Fire Bird_ Message-ID: <970408213632_-833451749-+AT+-emout09.mail.aol.com> Bookstores here in Memphis say Fire Bird will probably not come out to fall 97'. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 19:58:36 CST From: "JAIME HATHAWAY" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Mage Gift and pregnancy Message-ID: <1E09823E67-+AT+-future.judson.edu> I don't think Misty ever touched on this subject, but what would happen to a female Herald with the Mage Gift if she became pregnant? The Gift can destroy a person's body with all that power flowing through it...imagine what it would do to an undeveloped baby....so what would happen if, let's say, Elspeth gets pregnant? It's not too far-fetched at all--I'm sure she and Darkwind would like to have kids eventually. What would she do? Not use her Gift for 9 months? Have any of the Herald Mages/regular Mages ever gotten pregnant? Would they have to have their Gift blocked for nine months--I'm sure using it would be second nature, they'd just use it without thinking, so they'd want to prevent accidentally killing their child. I wonder if her Companion would do something. Hmmm......any thoughts, anyone? (It's a new topic, anyway.... :-] ) Pleasant dreams....it's evening here... Jacquelle ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 22:00:30 -0400 (EDT) From: MTerr50791-+AT+-aol.com To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: _The Fire Bird_ Message-ID: <970408215713_2048135462-+AT+-emout10.mail.aol.com> Hi everybody, I just checked Tor books homepage at http://www.tor.com and they have Firebird( paperback) listed for September 97'. June ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 20:26:57 CST From: "CHRISTY GOLDBACH" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Mage Gift and pregnancy Message-ID: <3FC06D44FCA-+AT+-cottey.edu> > I don't think Misty ever touched on this subject, but what would > happen to a female Herald with the Mage Gift if she became pregnant? > The Gift can destroy a person's body with all that power flowing > through it...imagine what it would do to an undeveloped baby....so > what would happen if, let's say, Elspeth gets pregnant? well here is a thought. They can put protections around other people and things right?? Like Vanyel did with his aunts room. And like he did with some other people. So if a mage can put a protection around someone else couldn't they put a protection around the unborn child?? In theory it makes sense to me. What is everyone else's thoughts on this?? wind to thy Wings, Christy I scratch Safa's head as I read my Email. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 20:38:27 CST From: "CHRISTY GOLDBACH" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Vanyel's Bardic Gifts, age of characters, etc. Message-ID: <3FC380F6004-+AT+-cottey.edu> little alex said: > Anyhow, am I the only one confused about Van's age in MPrice? His age > in the other two books is very clear, but in MPrice, I was getting the > range of 34-37. And especially Stef's age. He started off, I think, > 18, then became 17, then back to 18, then even up to twenty! (Sorry, > couldn't find it in text, even though book by my side) Christy said: Okay here is the thing. I have something else for everyone to think about that kind of goes on with the age thing. The way Van looks on the cover's of the books. On MPawn he looks like he is described. Innocent, naive, hurt, untrusting of love, and extremely young. Like the shy naive boy that the book implies. Then on the cover of MPromise he looks older, more confident less naive, Less innocent and there is more strength to his face and the way he holds himself. It too is like the book describes. But here is the problem, at least for me, MPrice. On the cover he looks like he did on MPawn. He looks younger less of the confident and strong Van that is on the cover of MPromise. He doesn't look as lost and fragile on MPrice as he did on MPawn but there is just not the same as MPromise. Is it just me or does someone else see it too?? What are your thoughts on this?? What do you think the reason is?? This has bothered me for awhile so I am very curious to get your ideas. Wind to thy Wings, Christy Handing a chunk of meat to Safa ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 22:59:57 -0400 From: texs72-+AT+-webtv.net To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF Message-ID: <199704090259.TAA17411-+AT+-mailtod-101.bryant.webtv.net> Heyla All!!!! Let's see, where to start......? Oh yeah! * ************************************************** Storm Wind, thank you for the title of the book! Now to go find it in the stores...... *************************************************** Stallion, for a good start to a list of all the names in the Velgarth books, try the concordance for Arrows. It has all the characters and places from the trilogy. I have it and it is very informative. I can make a list from it if you'd like. Let me know. **************************************************** To the people asking about "Sun and Shadow". That is song #8 on the _Heralds, Harpers & Havoc_ CD from Firebird Music. It is an excellent song, sung by two people who are playing Kris and Talia (personally, I think it should have been Dirk and Talia like in the book, but....my $.02) If you don't know about Firebird Music, you can visit their online catalog at http://www.usa.net/firebird/ Check it out! ***************************************************** Kestral, to fully answer your questions on Iftel, you have to read _Storm Breaking_ ***************************************************** Little Alex, about Vanyel's age. In Mpromise , he definitely says he is 28. Jisa is later said to be 6. In MPrice, Jisa is now 15 so Vanyel would have to be 37, at least at the beginning. As=A0to the end of the book, I'm not sure. How much time passed in that book? Anybody know? ***************************************************** To the person who had the question on An'desha's appearence. In SWarning, on pg 29 , An'desha is thinking to himself and it says "There were only two things they could not give him again; the original colors of his hair and eyes. His hair was a pure, snowy white now, and his eyes a pale silver." ***************************************************** Jaquelle, about Mage gifts and pregnancy. I don't know what they do while pregnant, but there have been mage-gifted women who have had children. Kethry had several children for Tarma's clan. I think Talia has a child (correct me if I'm wrong). Selenay had Elspeth and the twins. For that matter, if Valdemar's sovereign has to be a Herald and there have been Queens in the past, there must have been healthy children born from them.(Seeing as how Elspeth is a descendant from Jisa in order to be related to Firesong) I couldn't find a specific instance on the effects, but maybe someone else has? **************************************************** Now that I have written a novel on this e-mail, please don't flame me. There were just too many things to say! Blessings! Texie ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 08 Apr 1997 22:14:13 -0500 From: Heidi To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Mage Gift and pregnancy Message-ID: <2.2.32.19970409031413.006e2134-+AT+-tetranet.net> Jacquelle asked: ....so what would happen if, let's say, Elspeth gets pregnant? What would she do? Not use her Gift for 9 months? Have any of the Herald Mages/regular Mages ever gotten pregnant? Would they have to have their Gift blocked for nine months? Jacquelle, For reference here, I'm going to have to borrow from another author from England, by the name of Maggie Furey. :) She's written a series of *good* books about a female mage named Aurian. According to her theory, as the pregnancy advances, your magic becomes more unreliable, to the point where even working the simplest spell becomes a real trial. It's not necessarily a matter of *having* the Mage gift blocked, as the body blocking it out more and more as the pregnancy advances to where you simply can not work magic until after the child is born. At least, that's how I *think* she worked it out. I don't have her books handy at the moment.... They're on the basement bookshelves. Anybody else out there care to back me up or rip me to shreds if I'm completely off on this? I don't mind if you rip me to shreds, 'cause at the moment, I'm going off a *very* faulty memory! G'night all.... "That Notorious Heidi Person!" The Heidmeister-- Heidi Heidmeister-+AT+-tetranet.net ============================================================================== And for anyone who would want to listen in... "Attention Humanoids & Aliens! I am Larry, servant of Mogul-- the fiercest sorcerer in the Galaxy!" ============================================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 08 Apr 1997 23:41:01 -0400 From: NightSong To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Vanyel's Bardic Gifts, age of characters, etc. Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19970409034101.00697b60-+AT+-atlonline.com> Tracy wrote: <> I have always wondered that myself. In fact, I always figured it was just another one of those little screw-ups that authors can make at times (sorry for the 'disloyalty', Misty!). I can't think of anything else that could possibly cause it, because I remember reading in one of the Vows and Honor books (can't remember which, sorry!) that Tarma just kept giving her battlesteed the same name because it was easier... Or maybe that was Kero... Anyways, because someone in the books said that Tarma always rode 'Heart, I couldn't see anyway of fixing that particular switcharoo with plot evidence... Also, I couldn't ever figure out Van's loss of the Bardic gift either. My thoughts are, though, that it just faded away, like whoever it was said . I don't recall, ah, wait, mayhaps it was Darkwind who said that mage powers fade without use to keep them in tune, so to speak, and I assume that the same follows for mind-magic channels. As for how Van gets the lowlifes of Lineas to leave him alone, I always thought that he used his little bit of empathy there... I could be wrong, but wouldn't he have to be playing/singing some form of music for it to be the Bardic Gift at work? And I don't recall him doing anything of that sort at the time. Like I said, though, I could be wrong. One more thing: pregnant mages. I seem to vaguely recall something of that sort being mentioned in one of the books--anyone know for sure? I know the Tayledras don't have a problem, because they naturally incorporate magic energy into themselves, but I'm not sure about other mages. It would be interesting to know for sure what would happen to a child affected by magic energy. I'm not saying that I would want to subject a child to that if 'twas to cause mutations like in the Pelagirs, but what if the magic opened the child's channels early? Would the mother be able to sense that? Would that child be MORE gifted that one who was not 'introduced' to magic at such an early age? Okay, enough rambling from me, though I would like to say that I've recently gotten hold of both _The Fire Rose_ and SOI, and I liked them both. I absolutely adored FR, and wish that ML would write something else with those two characters. It was just such a fascinating story. SOI was okay, though it felt weird to be seeing Velgarth through other authors' pens, y'know? It just wasn't the same. Eep, I said I'd stop rambling, didn't I? Stars light thy paths, listsibs, and fare you well! NightSong jwrenn-+AT+-atlonline.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 00:03:04 -0500 From: cjkocher-+AT+-spectra.net To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: braid ... Message-ID: <334B2308.667F-+AT+-spectra.net> Greetings listsibs ... Christy wrote: > The way Van looks on > the cover's of the books. I really wouldn't base age or any other hard-core fact on what the cover art to a book is. I've read several interviews with artists like Whelan, Lee, and others ...they have stated that they don't have time to read all the books, they get a synopsis from the publishing company and that's what they have to go on. IMHO, it's much more fun to really on imagination to create a character in your mind, rather than relying on someone else's ideas ... this probably relates to why I read much more than I watch tv. ;) ************************************************************************ On the subject of being a mage and being pregnant ... the human body is such an incredible machine; I think that the mother's body would do most of the work in "protecting" the fetus from too much magic. I don't think the mage in question has to stop practicing .. the Tayledras *live* with magic, even the non-mages, so there has to be some buffer in the body that deals with magic. I don't think the mother-to-be mage would be out wielding combat magics, but day-to-day living would probably be ok. ************************************************************************ Kara wrote: > Or > perhaps the Monarch's Own Companion, when killed, almost instantly > reincarnates as the next Monarch's Own Companion. Even though they can probably be called Avatars of Valdemar, I don't think that back-to-back reincarnation would be likely. Don't even Avatars get tired? I think that with the Grove-Born, and especially the Monarch's Own Companion, they are able to "access" knowledge and wisdom far beyond their own experience. As for Gwena, I think I must say that Misty started off one way, and then, for whatever reasons, did a turn about. From the stories themselves, i have to say that I don't like Gwena ... *shrug* then again, she hasn't really been given a chance to redeem herself. Make sense? ************************************************************************ To those folk who are also members of Queen's Own, could you email me when the next issue arrives? Even though I've been here in NY for two months, my mail is still all messed up. ;) It would give me a reference point to go on ... sheeps for the help!! Crystal "It's like brother Nietzche said - being human is a complicated gig, so give that dark night of the soul a hug and howl the eternal 'yes'." ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1165 **********************************