Not Durthu and Coeddil, the Old Ones seeded Athel Loren themselves (see my last post).
I believe the relevant Hags live in the besieged Shirokij villages, the ones that no one can leave alive. Making contact with them before Kislev forces enter the Shirokij will require us to slip through enemy lines.
Still surviving and coherent? Very few. Most of them are probably sleeping. Dragon Empeor and Moon Empress are probably the most prominent ones that are still awake.
The plot twist no one saw coming.
Do you want to expand on that?
The Griffon's Tail gets it's start a few decades early questioning what the relationship is between the Empress and this less-than-unknown Grey Wizard.
I sort of imagine that Mathilde's description is way off what she actually looks like. I'd imagine that her early years would describe Mathilde as a confident Femme Fatale type character rather than the awkward young adult who was mainly working off of too many romance novels.
People get her height completely wrong, but everyone she meets is too terrified to mention they expected someone two feet taller.
I was curious to read this and after a bunch of searching I think I found it:
Back cover blurb on a pristine copy of The Lady Knight Witch Rides 2: Shadows over Lorelim, sitting on an exquisitely crafted nightstand.
Tensions rising between the northern Provinces, KNIGHT LADY MAGDA WESSEN, genius POLYMATH, friend to GODS and PARAGON of WITCHSIGHT has travelled far from her mountain home and love. Responding to the PROPOSITION from the SEDUCTIVE SYLPH CÆURTH, Magda has entered her GLADE to treat with the WOOD ELVES of LORELIM, whom she believes are pivotal to the brewing conflict.
MAGDA finds herself ENSNARED in the byzantine local politics through the impassioned APPEAL of the beautiful QUEEN MARILITH, pressed by factions within and BEASTMEN without. Complicating matters is the return of the DEBONAIR and enigmatic VON HEARTSMANN, brilliant LIGHT WIZARD to Magdas SHADOW. Magda cannot be certain of his LOYALTIES, even as she once more finds herself INTRIGUED by his skill and insight. Her trusted companion and RIGHT HAND, golden JURGEN THE GLIB finds his own eye turned by an athletic ELVEN EXEMPLAR, diverting his focus when Magda needs him most.
Caught between CÆURTH, MARILITH and VON HEARTSMANN, uncertain of her allies, in an unfamiliar environment, will Magda's PURE HEART, unrivalled WITCHSIGHT and MIGHTY MHORNBLADE cut through this political web and maintain her purpose? Can she resolve the IMPERIAL TENSIONS, and perhaps UNLOCK the MAGICAL SECRETS at the HEART of Lorelim? Most of all, will Magda find her way back to her faraway JADE LOVER, with these TEMPTING examples of MAGICAL PUISSANCE all around?
Not greatly pleased with this one, most feels somewhat laboured, but I recall someone mentioning they missed these, some time back. The title/subtitle in particular seems uninspired, because it was. Normally the better ones flow naturally and immediately when I read the particular inspiring passage or comment, here it was less focused, really only the opening coming from the last page or two of... familiar-sounding, effusive praise for our protagonist.
There's quite a few of those in the Apocrypha, though most of them were from pretty early. I think the meme died out a bit after we headed to Eight Peaks.
You don't say...
There's maybe six to eight(?) or so in the 'Romance Verse', most from the early days. Their first appearance was actually in a live-action farce organised by Ranald.
Yeah. I write them only when the muse strikes- an advantage of not having to meet regular word counts to keep a horde of avid questers happy. The typically small, inspirational moments that have triggered my minor muse seem to have become less common over time.
I do have a soft spot for Mathilde, the Great
[x] Bring in the Kreml Guard
…I still want to know if our braids count as a beard for this.
I don't think that rules out mundane scouts, because that bit on how only Mathilde has a chance at moving unseen only covers one type of scouting. In a military operation reconnaissance in force is equally valid; in fact skirmishes, where small forward detachments of one army deliberately get into small fights with other armies and both do damage and learn about what type of resistance they're facing, have been part of war for centuries. If the dryads see the normal scouts, but some of the normal scouts survive, then that's still information.
Alas, we had help saving Vlag.…I still want to know if our braids count as a beard for this.
I'd argue not- we had help with the army of daemons of course, but Vlag was saved when Mathilde cut the connection.
Mmm. I'd dispute that too, certainly from the point of view of someone like Kragg who values singular pinacles of expertise higher than building broad bases of skill. Our Windsight of Superior Skill, insight and knowledge did the deed.
Like others said, Mathilde found the connection, figured out a solution, and then carried it out. The army just helped clean up afterwards.
