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Stump the Author---And WIN!

11K views 80 replies 8 participants last post by  Archer 
#1 ·
Okay, while we're all having fun reading Elfhunter (hopefully we're having fun), let's test your abilities at Stumping the Author!
If you ask me a question related to matters Alterran that I cannot answer, you will win either a. a hard copy of the book or b. a t-shirt. Your choice!

We had a thread like this on the Amazon page. It was started by a reader, and it was a lot of fun...somebody finally DID stump me, too!

Try it...you might just flummox me!  :)
 
#27 ·
archer said:
Winter: Okay, that makes more sense. STILL better than I can do. :)
Evil plans are best discussed in private, so I'll send you a pm.

(muahahahahaaaa!)
Awww C'Mon Archer -- I wanted to hear how you explain to someone in Norway that Poland is actually in Indiana!! ;D ;D ;D
 
#29 ·
That makes absolutely NO sense to me!! Poland, Indiana, America....?!!! :eek:
 
#30 ·
Winter9 said:
That makes absolutely NO sense to me!! Poland, Indiana, America....?!!! :eek:
Wait till you find out that Cairo is in Illinois in America :eek: and the London Bridge is in Lake Havasu City in Arizona in America!! ???

Its a strange world out there!!
OR
a strange country over here???

Poland is the name of the small town in the US State of Indiana near where Archer lives, Cairo is a town down in southern Illinois at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The London Bridge in Lake Havasu City is based upon the famous London Bridge -- seems some guy bought the original masonry from the 1830's London Bridge from the City of London and had it moved to Arizona and built his bridge.

Did you know there's even an Oslo in Minnesota (population about 320), and one in Florida???
 
#31 ·
WHAT?????!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: I didn't know... Strange world indeed!
 
#32 ·
What kind of magic can Lady Arialde do?
 
#33 ·
Arialde is a water-spirit, and as such she has some control over weather and waters. She can cast thought over great distances, especially to others of her kind. She has premonitions and sometimes becomes aware of things as they happen--either through the Stone of Leir or by her own inner vision. She is more 'mystical' than 'magical'.

I would not want to make her angry, either!

Shandor is a spirit of air; Kotos of fire; Duinar of earth. As you'll soon learn, they each have their own abilities. 
 
#34 ·
You know, you should truly get the title UNSTUMPABLE!!! You haven't written this world, you have LIVED it!! It's awesome!!
 
#35 ·
You can probably answer this, but I have my own guess, upon which I will elaborate. Wrothgar wants to get "back into power" but power over what? Was he a king, an emperor, a god? Who deposed him?

My guess would add H.P. Lovecraft to your list of influences, whether or not you have ever read him. I would postulate that Wrothgar is an elder god who was in power over all of Alterra, before it was called Alterra. He was in charge of the whole planet before Aontar came along and decided that it would be a much nicer planet with elves and dwarves and humans on it. Aontar banished Wrothgar to one little corner of the world, not being able to completely destroy him.

I am probably completely wrong, but it makes sense to me.
 
#36 ·
Robin:

(I started reading Xanth. What fun!)

Actually, you're not too far wrong. What Wrothgar REALLY is (as far as  his classification in 'Peterson's Field Guide to Evil Beings and Nemeses of the World') is not known by anyone except perhaps for Aontar. It is believed that Light (Aontar) and Darkness have always existed together--you know, the old 'no Light w/o Darkness' thing--but in fact the great Dark Power (of which Wrothgar is only a part) coalesced a part of itself in the person of Wrothgar. Aontar did the same thing with the Asari (they really are offshoots of the powers of Light).  Because Evil is selfish, it manifested in only one location (we might have had battles between lesser 'evils' until only one prevailed, but there's only one now in the West). A few of the Asari were persuaded to join the Dark forces, with the result that they were completely under the sway of Wrothgar. The Light Asari are still allowed their free will--love never interferes with choice.

This same sort of phenomenon probably goes on all over the universe, but Alterrans are mostly unaware of it. Interestingly, their astronomers (particularly in the East and South) are beginning to speculate upon the existence of other worlds.
Wrothgar desires what darkness always does--to smother the Light. He (it) would see the abolition of enlightenment and free will because, where there is will, there is choice. Who would not choose love if given the opportunity? Conscience, empathy...these are the forces that Wrothgar loathes. He is interested in controlling and not having any argument from anyone.

Aontar sent the Asari to combat ignorance and mindless obedience. They are the bearers of enlightenment--educators who teach their 'children' about the benefits of things like self-sacrifice, empathy, and the recognition of what is really important to the well-being of the spirit. Their teachings make it possible (and likely) that the right choice will be made on the Eternal Shore.

 
#37 ·
Another addendum to Robin's question:

Wrothgar is NOT the only manifestation of Evil in Alterra--he's just the 'baddest bad-guy in the West'.

There are things going on elsewhere that nobody of our acquantance knows about (except maybe for Shandor, who seems to know a lot more than he lets on).  ::)
 
#40 ·
Well...I doubt very much that anyone else in the Company would allow Gorgon to actually join them. He doesn't work and play well with others. Even if he 'saw the light' and renounced his evil ways, Nelwyn, for one, would never trust him. Without Nelwyn on board, there's no Galador on board. Gaelen, of course, loathes Gorgon to her very core anyway. He'd have to do some AWFULLY convincing 'mea culpas' to ever be allowed to join them. I doubt Fima or Orogond are capable of forgiving him, either. They might make a real effort, but they'd never trust him.

IF allowed to join, whether he was in charge of a given adventure would depend on its nature. If, for example, the plot was to infiltrate Tur Dorcha (a rather foolhardy idea), Gorgon is the only one who knows the inner workings, and he would be a natural 'first chair'.
 
#41 ·
You know I have thought a lot about this thread.
I have read everything you have written (that I can find).
And I KNOW that I will not be able to find a little item that you have forgotten about to stump you with.

So I am not going to try to stump the author with ElfHunter items.
I guess I could ask a question about the general nature of the universe and hope you don't know the answer.
Hmmmm.  Not likely - I am too lazy to be able to figure out something that you would not know.
And I am content to have found out the things about Alterra that you haver written about.
But I HAVE been enjoying the questions that the other posters have come up with - and your creative answers.

I will go immerse myself in the Book Klub now that I have more time and see what trouble I can stir up there.

Just sayin.....
 
#45 ·
geoffthomas said:
You know I have thought a lot about this thread.
I have read everything you have written (that I can find).
And I KNOW that I will not be able to find a little item that you have forgotten about to stump you with.

So I am not going to try to stump the author with ElfHunter items.
I guess I could ask a question about the general nature of the universe and hope you don't know the answer.
Hmmmm. Not likely - I am too lazy to be able to figure out something that you would not know.
And I am content to have found out the things about Alterra that you haver written about.
But I HAVE been enjoying the questions that the other posters have come up with - and your creative answers.

I will go immerse myself in the Book Klub now that I have more time and see what trouble I can stir up there.

Just sayin.....
I'm not one to write if I don't have anything to add, but I'm really enjoying this thread, and I had to LOL at Mr. Just (Geoff).
 
#48 ·
And everyone else's day, always :D
 
#49 ·
What if Gaelen got superpowers? And could fly and shoot power bolts out of her eyes? Wouldn't that be cool?

Sorry, I'm just being silly.

I'm off to start counting people for the federal government. If an enumerator comes to your door, please be nice, it's a hard job.
 
#51 ·
This is somewhat of a rhetorical question since I know you've thought of it and likely have the answer, but I'd still like to know...why do elves go one place when they die and men go another?  Why could they not go to the same place to be joined forever after death, even if the deaths were very long apart?
 
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