Okay. Ash's hair being used on an arrow was fresh in my mind on this re-read. I'd forgotten all about an earlier arrow.

{ A Fortress of Grey Ice, Chapter Seven, "An Arrow With a Name" }

The Listener gives Raif "Divining Rod", and it is fletched (?? not sure if this is the right use for the word ??) with Old One hair.

Apart from a huge amount of awesome stuff the Listener hints at (and just outright says), it's an interesting parallel.

Is Ash an Old One?

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Quote:

Death smiled as she withdrew. Kill an army for me, Raif Sevrance. Any less and I just might call you back.

I don't think that Ash is an old one, but it is a very interesting pick up, Unguru.

Remember though that Divining Rod unlocked the Fortress for Raif, and broke through the Old Ones magic.

With Ash's hair, the arrow destroyed the Unmade (maybe you could say it broke through their magic?). I think if anything, Ash's power is similar to the Unmade and Endlord power, which is why she is so dangerous and the Sull want to kill her (or some do at least).

However, it does indicate that there is a lot of power in inanimate objects in this world (hair, powdered stones etc). I imagine that the gods of this world (be they clan gods or unmade or sull gods) use people and inanimate objects to channel their powers. I don't think that they touch the world directly.

Bear,

Yeah, it does seem a big leap for Ash to be an Old One.

[SPOILER, Book 4 Prologue]



As to the gods, I'd say from the prologue for Book 4 that we are going to get a clearer view of their working in the world.

At least, we'll have "greater powers" working far more visibly to us, the reader. Already, from Sadaluk's vision, we seem to have been introduced to the arch enemy. Although, as I write that, it occurs that the massive presence is not written by JVJ as good or evil, it just IS.

Hmmm. More to ponder.

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Quote:

Death smiled as she withdrew. Kill an army for me, Raif Sevrance. Any less and I just might call you back.

the presence that Sadaluk hears and feels is creation, the power that made the gods and the endlords and everything else.at least, thats what I took from the chapter

Yeah, that's right. Like i amended, it just IS. But it's intriguing that we only now get a glimpse of it. What point would there be to introducing Creation now? Is this so we have an understanding of the depth of this world? Or more. That there is something more vast working behind the scenes. Can this "Creation" manipulate behind the scenes? From the chapter it sounds like it hasn't, because it's only as Sadaluk approaches that it becomes _aware_ of him.

Hmmm. Lots of thoughts.

_________________

Quote:

Death smiled as she withdrew. Kill an army for me, Raif Sevrance. Any less and I just might call you back.