Tag Archives: timonium

The Gate That Locks the Tree – Act 3, Scene 1

In the Hall of the Mountain King
Enter Talizea, Miri, Jeeves, Val Con, the Tree, clowders of cats and kindles of kittens

In which the house is unsettled.

“In the Hall of the Mountain King” is the title of a famous piece of music by Edvard Grieg, originally written as incidental music for Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt. The relevant bit of the play tells how Peer Gynt visited the court of the Mountain King and formed a connection with one of the King’s daughters, not entirely to the satisfaction of anybody involved. The supernatural and inhuman Mountain King’s most famous moment has him proclaiming a philosophy of supreme selfishness that regards everyone and everything else as inconsequential.

…and I’ve said all this before on the blog, because Crystal Dragon used “In the Hall of the Mountain Kings” as a chapter title when it had a sequence set in the domain of the Great Enemy. To have the same metaphor now applied to Jelaza Kazone is, to say the least, disconcerting.
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Accepting the Lance – Chapter 57

Bechimo

In which Aberthaz Ferry has things to do.

I am, naturally, pleased that Bechimo has decided not to be bothered any more by Theo’s decision from earlier, but I don’t really see why it happened now in particular. What has happened to change his mind?
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Accepting the Lance – Chapter 56

Jelaza Kazone
The Tree Court

In which Emissary Twelve is making rapid progress.

The authors are playing with the timeline a bit in order to spread characters’ scenes out, I think. It’s unlikely that Miri’s last scene (showing the beginning of a long afternoon at the office) took place after Val Con’s last scene, which ended with him getting the message to come to the Tree Court — unless he took a very relaxed stroll from the outer garden to the Tree. Or perhaps I’m underestimating how long the conversation at the Tree takes; after all, a Turtle is capable of some impressive pauses for thought.

Accepting the Lance – Chapter 53

Bechimo

In which there is a free and frank exchange of views.

In all the excitement, I don’t think anyone got around to reading the emergency pinbeam message. It should be okay, though; most likely it was just a heads-up about the thing that happens at the end of the chapter, which went okay anyhow.
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Accepting the Lance – Chapter 51

Bechimo

In which the Pathfinders discuss progress.

The cats are making themselves at home. I wonder if they intend to become members of the crew as well.
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Accepting the Lance – Chapter 49

Bechimo

In which the Pathfinders join the conversation.

Chernak and Stost are welcomed back with some of Clarence’s baking — more maize buttons?
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Accepting the Lance – Chapter 37

Bechimo

In which it’s time to call in the professionals.

I’m amused by the bit where Theo compares the current gathering to a faculty meeting.

If Bechimo does decide to pursue, as a long-term project, the question of how many devices from the old universe are still wandering around in the new, that might provide a reason beyond personal preference for the two Pathfinders to rejoin the crew.

Accepting the Lance – Chapter 34

Blair Road
Boss Conrad’s House

In which Boss Conrad has breakfast.

Pat Rin’s conversation with Cheever reminds me of the old days when they were still getting used to each other. Apparently Pat Rin is still capable of surprising him.
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Accepting the Lance – Chapter 32

Surebleak Port
Portmaster’s Office

In which Team Leader Kasveini has her limits.

The idea that social change on Surebleak works from the bottom up, by improving the lives of the people at the bottom of the heap, was a major theme of Dragon in Exile. Part of it was that, as seen again in the Road Boss’s meeting here, it’s harder for the Old Ways to come back if everyone knows they’re better off under the new ways.

Dragon in Exile also saw the origin of Kareen and Kamele’s project collating the historical documents of Surebleak.