merlinscribe | Questions?

A reader writes: "Is He-Who-Is a Greater Power the likes of the Firecrown and The Starry Hunt? Is the Obsidian mirror a Place of Power similar to the Star Shrine or the Shrine in the Lake of Fire?"

He Who Is is a Greater Power like the Firecrown and the Starry Hunt: in short, the deity worshipped by a specific ethnostate. HWI is the only one to my knowledge who created his followers: the Elves have worshipped several deities over their time in the Fortunate Lands and I'm really not sure about the Firecrown but it seems to me more as if it is the expression of the collective will of the Firesprites.

The Obsidian Mirror is as powerful as all of the Star Shrines put together. The Shrine in the Lake of Fire is a Star Shrine specific to the Firesprites, who presumably have more than one since I recall thinking that each race had the same number of shrines (although like the Elves, they can have misplaced some).

The Obsidian Mirror may superficially seem more powerful than any given set of Nine Shrines because entropy.

I don’t know if you’d answer this, but would you tell us how long unicorns live? I’m thinking in particular of Shalkan of course, he is my favorite character!

Some more from me!(Spoilers below so be warned all!)

1) Can you explain the relationship between Spirit of Elemental Darkness and Darkness? Is the Spirit a smaller, lesser version of the proper Darkness? And is Darkness synonymous with He-Who-Is?

2) Are there Spirits of Elemental Light?

3) What is the door that Ancaladar goes through in Abi'Abadashar? It seems implied it was a failsafe for an Endarkened attack, involving Time and Space. So are we to understand they used magic to push people 6 months and X miles away?

4) What time period is Abi'Abadashar from?

5) Does Idalia Caerthalien (I assume the daughter of Ashaniel and Andoreniel would be called thus) remember her previous life directly or more as she was informed of it as she grew in her elven body?

I'm sure I'll think of more eventually ;)

Unicorns live at least as long as Elves, this much I know for certain. In the Phoenix trilogy we see Kareta, Shalkan's daughter, and she seems to be quite young.

Authors aren't supposed to have favorites, but I am very fond of Shalkan, too.

Sorry! I wasn't logged in.

1. I cannot. I imagine I was using several different names for the same thing again. The one thing I'm sure of is that Darkness is not synonymous with He Who Is.

2. Everyone talks about The Light, and I think there must be slightly more embodied Spirits of Light, but when (frex) a Wildmage calls upon the Light, s/he is calling upon the whole element of Light.

3. That is a Time Gate. It moves people backward in time: the reason Ancaladar was so far away was because he was looking for Tiercel before he realized what had happened.

3a. The Time Gate can be controlled by the Dragon Mage who takes their Dragon through it. Without a Dragon Mage in charge, it's up to the Dragon.

4. Abi'Abadshar was constructed during the second half of the First Endarkened War. Initially the Elves intended to expand their theater of battle across the desert, but when they discovered those lands to be inhabited by the vulnerable Firesprites, they retreated and carried the war elsewhere.

5. Idalia Caerthalien remembered her previous life vividly at the moment she was born. Later those memories were overlaid with new ones as she lived her new life, but she never completely forgot her previous existence as Wildmage and Healer.

Looking forward to the next round.

I'm attempting to get straight all the flavors of Mage in the world.

1) For a Wildmage, must the Gods of the Wild Magic *approve* of what they do in order to grant the power loan to them? (I call it a loan because it leaves them beholden to mageprice).

2) If the above is true, is that why only dragon-bonded Wild mages can be corrupted to use their power for the Dark? (High mages can also be corrupted because their power requires no approval outside of their intent and will)

3) In Vieliessar's time, are the Lightborn basically Elven Mages, but rather than having a Dragon to draw from, they have to find power from Flower Forests? IE: Are Lightborn Elven Mages even though they have no Dragon?

4) Am I correct in understanding Elven Mages need a power source that is of-the-light but they do not need the Gods of the Wild Magic to approve of what they do? (Compared to a Wildmage who might be declined when asking for magical help?)

5) High Mages: War Magick evolved during the Second Endarkened War, we know. But little context is given to how. Must a High Mage be human?

6) Tiercel narrates that "Healing spells weren’t a part of the High Magic, but they were a part of the Wild Magic," but Kellen narrates that one could "...hire a Mage to [...] heal their injuries."

Does or does not the High Magick heal? Perhaps that is just still lost knowledge to Tiercel?

Thank you! I'm sure I'll think of more... :)

1. The Wild Magic cannot be used for an unworthy purpose or by a "bad" person, so in that sense the Wild Magic must approve of the purpose it is about to be put to. You can think of it as being more self-aware and less mechanical than the High Magick.

2. Dragon Mages can be corrupted because they are spiritually vulnerable. They are actually more like a cross between Wildmages and High Mages (who are called, at the time their magic first evolves, War Mages) in that their power source can argue with them but will eventually do what they say. Consider how Bisochim overruled Saravasse, making her do things she did not want to do.

3. In Vieliessar's time, the Lightborn draw upon the Light without negotiating with it, so they are closer to being High Mages than Wild Mages. Mosirinde's Covenant requires them not to kill in using their Magery, which was a rule she imposed upon them a very long time ago to stop them from killing the Lightforests and the Otherfolk that lived in them. A dragon functions very much as an inexhaustible Flower Forest for them.

4. Elven Mages (Lightborn and Dragon Mages) do not require the approval of the "Gods of the Wild Magic" in working either "small magics", Dragon Magery, or Lightborn magic.

5. A High Mage must be human. War Magic evolved as an attempt to provide humans with effective magic. The Elves have very little access to magic by the Second Endarkened War.

6. I imagine Tiercel is referring to the Wild Magic, as the High Magic he is aware of would not be used to heal. Certainly the High Magic could be used to heal, in a mechanistic fashion involving pills and cordials, if any of the High Mages of Armethalieh were interested in doing so.

Therefore, the answer to your question is Yes and No. It also depends on which period. The High Magic Kellen knows would be almost unrecognizable to Tiercel.

Looking forward to the next round of questions. :)

How do the Elven mages of Vieliessar's time differ from the Elven mages of Tiercel's time? Previously it seemed that Elven mages were able to touch the Light without needing a Dragon. But it now seems in Tiercel's time that Elven mages can only awaken their magic if they bond a Dragon. Has the nature of the Flower Forests changed? Or has the nature of Elven magic changed after Vieliessar negotiated her pact with the Dragons?

The nature of the Flower Forests is unchanging and eternal. They exist as reservoirs of the Light, and as such the Elven Mages (Lightborn) of Vieliessar's time were taught to draw on them for the power to work their spells (as opposed to the extremely skanky practices they got up to before Mosirinde Peacemaker reformed them). The Lightborn Elves who bond with dragons in Vieliessar's time basically don't need the Flower Forests any longer and have an absolutely infinite resource of Power to draw upon.

Over time, there stopped being Lightborn Mages (since among other things they were too vulnerable to the Endarkened), and the only kind of Elven Mages there were, were Dragonbond Mages. When the Dragons turned to bonding with Humans (once there were humans), the Elves lost all magic but their connection to the "small magics".

Interesting! Any elaboration on those pre-Flower Forest practices?

So are Lightborn mages no longer being born? Or are they only taught to draw their magic from Dragons now and thus while the Elves still have the potential for Lightborn magic it simply fell out of use? Are all Lightborn mages Dragonborn mages? Or were there Lightborn mages who could not form Dragon bonds? And were there Elves who were Dragonborn mages who could not use Lightborn magic?

Big fan of your Obsidian books. Can't wait for May when the 3rd Dragon Prophecy is out! I'd like to reread the series before then. Where's the best place to buy a set? Just curious--what parts are written by you and which by Mercedes? Would be interesting to know more about the writing process on co-authored Fantasy books.

You can reliably find the ebooks on Amazon, and the hardcovers/paperbacks at your nearest bricks and mortar store. Or you can buy those online as well. These days, the small independent bookstore is rapidly vanishing, alas and woe, and most people, including yours truly, consume media from online sources.

As for what is written by whom, it's rather a case of taking a jar of chocolate frosting and a jar of vanilla frosting and combining them. And oh yes, there are hazelnuts. Ms. Lackey usually gives me an opening scene and a handful of characters, and then I start the book and she throws in various scenes for me to add. She'll often write the ending as well. And of course if I get "stuck" she'll help me out. Of course, her idea of helping me out is usually to say: "Kill a main character!" Take that as you will.

Interestingly, I covered this in detail in DELIVERANCE OF DRAGONS, but since you won't see that until May, I can summarize it here. What the Elves drew their power from pre-Mosirinde was other reservoirs of Light, i.e. Elves, animals, and Otherfolk. (Yeah, there was not a huge amount of difference between them and the Endarkened in those days.)

But in the post-Dragonmage era, Elves capable of becoming Lightborn are not being born. They have surrendered their magic to the Light. For a few thousand years after that surrender, there are still Dragon Mages around, but eventually Death breaks the last Bond and all there remains are ordinary Elves with "small magics" and unbonded Dragons. Since the Dragonbond does not rely on magickal adepthood a new Bond could probably be formed at any time, but the Dragons are understandably wary about doing so.

Oooooh very nice I look forward to reading about the history of Elven magic. Would love to know more about the lands to the east of the Greythunder someday too!

For that you would have to go very far back in history, though I'm not calling it impossible. We'll have to see after this book comes out.

As I continue to re-read everything in preparation for the release of Deliverance of Dragons I have more queries for you, sir!

1 On the cover of Deliverance, is that Tennetarie the White we see?

2 In the Dragon Prophecy we hear of the First Endarkened war, the Second (great) Endarkened war, and we read of the Third Endarkened war in the Obsidian Mountain trilogy. Tiercel's inner monologue refers to the conflict with Aharain as the 'Fourth Endarkened War'. However she is not endarkened, not a being of flesh melded with Darkness so much as Darkness encased in flesh. So Tiercel and Harrier's conflict with her is not an Endarkened war. What are your thoughts? Will Tiercel's take on it catch on? Or will it be called something else?

3 Tiercel surmises that Dragons do not die (of age) unless their bonded dies. Is this true?

4 Will there be a new map in Deliverance of Dragons?

5 Does Vie use a Tarnkappa when she first sneaks into Gunedwaen's hut?

6 Will we learn Pelashia's origins/parentage in Deliverance?

7 When did the elves move from having golden eyes to only black? We see Amrethion Aradruiniel has golden eyes in a vision, but Vie says everyone she's ever known has black.

Edited 2025-01-08 00:45 (UTC)

1. It is certainly intended by Tor to represent Tannatarie the White.

2. I'm on the fence here. I don't think people want to think about the Endarkened, so they're unlikely to be onboard with calling something "the fourth Endarkened War." Whether people beyond Tiercel's time, looking back, will want to call it that, is something that could only be answered if a book were written from that time, but I don't think the title will catch on.

3. Yes. Dragons do not die of age. If their Bondeds die, they die, unless their Bond has become a part of a threefold Bond. Such a bond can be added to infinitely, and in that case the dragon could become virtually immortal even as a Bonded Dragon.

4. Alas, no. I wish there could be. I don't think they're even reprinting the map from the last book.

5. No.

6. Yes.

7. This question will also be answered in Deliverance of Dragons.

Thanks for your response! That's an interesting process, although I hope you don't take her advice on the killing part haha.

I'm rereading the Phoenix trilogy and was wondering, what is Tiercel's relationship to Tiedor Rolfort in the Obsidian trilogy? Is Tiedor Tiercel's great-great (add a whole bunch more greats) uncle?

Finally, made it through deliverance. It seems ridiculous to ask after waiting so long, but is there plans to continue the story? Lots of threads left open

Questions?

(frozen comment) no subject

(frozen comment) ...

(frozen comment) Re: Book 3 of Dragon Prophecy

Unicorns

Questions

Re: Book 3 of Dragon Prophecy

Re: Unicorns

...

Types of Mages

Re: Types of Mages

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Another Volley of Miscellaneous Questions!

Re: Another Volley of Miscellaneous Questions!

no subject

no subject

After all these years.