This wasn't what I'd expected out of a segment titled "The Council Chamber." I was all set to experience some sort of tedious bureaucratic proceedings from the eyes of a man who had little patience or such things. Instead, we got a glimpse at the troubles that can come with military forces that draw their soldiers from disparate, sometimes rival societies. We see some of the moral and legal standards those people are held to, as well as how duels are used not just as a means of obtaining personal satisfaction for a perceived slight, but how they tie into legal proceedings, too.
If I were to offer one bit of criticism, though, it would be the ease with which Sparhawk changes his mind. The Captain's change in tone felt fully believable because of his fear of punishment at the hands of Rhyslin, but Lieutenant Sparhawk was defiant throughout. I can see him viewing Rana and the rest of Rhyslin's crew as no longer being prey, as he puts it, but I struggle to believe he'd extend that to the entirety of their people with how he was behaving beforehand. Otherwise, this was a well paced and tense entry that showed a lot of the friction that can come from trying to bring different societies together.
That's a good point. I'm going to have to revisit and fix it. I'm still putting together the luchd-fiadhaich of the far northern plains (wildmen) and their society. I keep going back to them thinking that Ciad-Ghin are prey species. Sparhawk may become a recurring character and I will need to work on why he was banished from his society. It will probably have something to do with prey species and him thinking they are not even important enough to hunt or capture. I'm considering making the prey species the Fallen or Green Ciad-Ghin. I may save this for the next book.
This wasn't what I'd expected out of a segment titled "The Council Chamber." I was all set to experience some sort of tedious bureaucratic proceedings from the eyes of a man who had little patience or such things. Instead, we got a glimpse at the troubles that can come with military forces that draw their soldiers from disparate, sometimes rival societies. We see some of the moral and legal standards those people are held to, as well as how duels are used not just as a means of obtaining personal satisfaction for a perceived slight, but how they tie into legal proceedings, too.
If I were to offer one bit of criticism, though, it would be the ease with which Sparhawk changes his mind. The Captain's change in tone felt fully believable because of his fear of punishment at the hands of Rhyslin, but Lieutenant Sparhawk was defiant throughout. I can see him viewing Rana and the rest of Rhyslin's crew as no longer being prey, as he puts it, but I struggle to believe he'd extend that to the entirety of their people with how he was behaving beforehand. Otherwise, this was a well paced and tense entry that showed a lot of the friction that can come from trying to bring different societies together.
That's a good point. I'm going to have to revisit and fix it. I'm still putting together the luchd-fiadhaich of the far northern plains (wildmen) and their society. I keep going back to them thinking that Ciad-Ghin are prey species. Sparhawk may become a recurring character and I will need to work on why he was banished from his society. It will probably have something to do with prey species and him thinking they are not even important enough to hunt or capture. I'm considering making the prey species the Fallen or Green Ciad-Ghin. I may save this for the next book.