"Descent" by Zadown

[Wyvern]

Nice story, Zadown. :-) I really liked the inclusion of Marchello, as his reactions to the Dreamer and the shift of planes were well-depicted and very interesting to read. The arrival of Palgrave Atyaer Ra Jahl was also a very interesting twist to the story, and seeing the Dreamer act in a complacent and humble manner towards the Elder Herald of Law was an intriguing change of pace. I also liked the numerous references to prophetic planewalker history that were spread throughout the story, and am curious to see how the Dreamer will use the final sliver of Blue Flame in his possession.

 

I thought that, while the initial dialogues between the Dreamer and Faaye relayed a great deal of excellent planar backstory, they dragged a little due to a lack of any urgent conflict or event. I think that if Marchello's kidnapping were to occur at the beginning of the story rather than after this initial dialogue, it would add more urgency and grab the reader from the get-go. Also, while I really liked the presence of Marchello in the story, I was uncertain of the purpose he fufilled for the Dreamer. Was he a means of testing a mortal mage's reaction to a shift in planes in the Dreamer's pursuit of knowledge?

 

Well done story, as always. :-) I'm looking forward to reading your next ones.

[Zadown]

Also, while I really liked the presence of Marchello in the story, I was uncertain of the purpose he fufilled for the Dreamer. Was he a means of testing a mortal mage's reaction to a shift in planes in the Dreamer's pursuit of knowledge?

The Dreamer was doing experiments on binding mortals by using their true name:

 

"[..] Bindin' mortals 's a waste of time, usually, given that th' taint of the one doin' th' binding renders such mortals unsuitable for most of th' rare tasks mortals are more useful than planar soldiers, but oft' what is useless teaches us a lot about what is useful..."

 

Of course, by the end of the story he found other uses for poor Marchello.

 

Part of his presence in the story was to show what the Dreamer does (and what most planewalkers do) when he isn't actively entangled with the Eternal War and the planewalker power struggels - they research and experiment, hone their skills in whatever field they are interested in. The Dreamer is a acknowledged master of binding, and as such he endeavours to keep his skills sharp.