Storm of the Dead review
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:01 am
Here is my take on Storm of the Dead, book 2 in the Lady Penitent trilogy. It is much better than the first, in my opinion.
BEWARE! Major spoilers! [b:1xi9zm3q]Spoilers![/b:1xi9zm3q] Spoilers!
You've been warned.
Ok, here goes... *takes breath*
[hide:1xi9zm3q]There have been some major changes in Eilistraee's faith. It is set in 1376, and it has been near two years since Eilistraee killed and absorbed Vhaeraun. In that time, males have become accepted (well, tolerated is a better word) in her faith as clerics. These males are mostly the "nightshadows" from Vhaeraun's faith that now serve "The Masked Lady." They participate in High Hunts, running around naked like the priestesses. You can imagine the effect this has had on after-ritual activities.
Eilistraee's symbol now appears to be a half-moon. Part of it moonlight, part of it shadow. She also accepts more underhanded means of dealing with foes, including using assassins (the nightshadows). There is a split in the faith. Those who cling to the older worship styles of Eilistraee, and the newer ones who accept her shadow aspect.
Cavatina (drow Clr 14/Ftr 8.), the DarksongKnight that defeated Selvetarm in the first novel, still clings to the older ways of worship, and is somewhat resentful and suspicious of the males. There is a great part of a chapter, that describes her on the High Hunt. It really does an incredible job at describing what it would be like to be an Eilistraeen on the High Hunt. I particularly enjoyed that bit. It later goes on to say that she pretty much ignored the shadows that came along with the moonlight in her clerical powers.
She is later betrayed by Halisstra and captured by Wendonai. She is tied up, but not gagged. He tries to make her bitter, poking at her weakness that she will never be redeemed. She sees the flaw in that logic, as the ritual of redemption had to be made for something. She then realizes that redemption isn't so much about turning from "evil" to "good," but more about facing one's own weaknesses and fears, and overcoming them for the better. Eilistraee herself then manifests protective powers long enough over Cavatina, to allow the DarksongKnight the chance to kill Wendonai.
Oh yeah, she also leads a battle against the Acropolis of Thanatos, Kiaransalee's main temple, and they would have lost if the wizard drow (Q' something?) hadn't erased her name. He did this to keep the voidstone that the followers of Kiaransalee were going to use to summon an undead army into the world, from making faezress (sp?) stronger, and thus luring more drow back from the surface into the underdark.
Apparently, faezress was part of the High Magic ritual used during the descent. The faezress lured the drow into the underdark.
There is a conspiracy theory held by one of Vhaeraun's faithful that Vhaeraun has merely disguised himself as Eilistraee in order to allow his faithful to sneak into Eilistraee's strongholds of power, and to test his faithful. The heretic also adds that the time will come for the Masked Lord to reclaim those who have been faithful, etc. A nightshadow assassin was sent to kill him, but he convinces the assassin that what he says is true. That same nightshadow goes on to lead the nightshadow section of the crusade against the Acropolis, alongside Cavatina.
For some reasons, the priestesses of Eilistraee wanted that follower of Vhaeraun dead because the priestesses were saying that it was Eilistraee who went into Vhaeraun's plane and killed him, and not the other way around. I'm not sure why it would be important as to which deity entered who's domain, as Vhaeraun is apparently dead either way.
There have also been some odd going-ons with Qilue. She "attunes" herself to the Crescent Blade (and oddly nicks herself with it, by accident it seems), and accepts the change in her faith without a second thought. There is one part where Cavatina gets irked that a male walks into the Cavern of Song and begins singing, as only females had sang there non-stop for all the years that the Promenade had been founded. She contacts Qilue, who responds with a mere "that has to change to" or something along the lines thereof.[/hide:1xi9zm3q]
*takes another breath*
Ok, I'm done with the review.
Also, I'm a (fairly) active member at the Wizards community site.
Why don't some of you join? It'd be nice to have some of my fellow Eilistraeens there. The forum is here. [url:1xi9zm3q]http://forums.gleemax.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9[/url:1xi9zm3q].
BEWARE! Major spoilers! [b:1xi9zm3q]Spoilers![/b:1xi9zm3q] Spoilers!
You've been warned.
Ok, here goes... *takes breath*
[hide:1xi9zm3q]There have been some major changes in Eilistraee's faith. It is set in 1376, and it has been near two years since Eilistraee killed and absorbed Vhaeraun. In that time, males have become accepted (well, tolerated is a better word) in her faith as clerics. These males are mostly the "nightshadows" from Vhaeraun's faith that now serve "The Masked Lady." They participate in High Hunts, running around naked like the priestesses. You can imagine the effect this has had on after-ritual activities.
Eilistraee's symbol now appears to be a half-moon. Part of it moonlight, part of it shadow. She also accepts more underhanded means of dealing with foes, including using assassins (the nightshadows). There is a split in the faith. Those who cling to the older worship styles of Eilistraee, and the newer ones who accept her shadow aspect.
Cavatina (drow Clr 14/Ftr 8.), the DarksongKnight that defeated Selvetarm in the first novel, still clings to the older ways of worship, and is somewhat resentful and suspicious of the males. There is a great part of a chapter, that describes her on the High Hunt. It really does an incredible job at describing what it would be like to be an Eilistraeen on the High Hunt. I particularly enjoyed that bit. It later goes on to say that she pretty much ignored the shadows that came along with the moonlight in her clerical powers.
She is later betrayed by Halisstra and captured by Wendonai. She is tied up, but not gagged. He tries to make her bitter, poking at her weakness that she will never be redeemed. She sees the flaw in that logic, as the ritual of redemption had to be made for something. She then realizes that redemption isn't so much about turning from "evil" to "good," but more about facing one's own weaknesses and fears, and overcoming them for the better. Eilistraee herself then manifests protective powers long enough over Cavatina, to allow the DarksongKnight the chance to kill Wendonai.
Oh yeah, she also leads a battle against the Acropolis of Thanatos, Kiaransalee's main temple, and they would have lost if the wizard drow (Q' something?) hadn't erased her name. He did this to keep the voidstone that the followers of Kiaransalee were going to use to summon an undead army into the world, from making faezress (sp?) stronger, and thus luring more drow back from the surface into the underdark.
Apparently, faezress was part of the High Magic ritual used during the descent. The faezress lured the drow into the underdark.
There is a conspiracy theory held by one of Vhaeraun's faithful that Vhaeraun has merely disguised himself as Eilistraee in order to allow his faithful to sneak into Eilistraee's strongholds of power, and to test his faithful. The heretic also adds that the time will come for the Masked Lord to reclaim those who have been faithful, etc. A nightshadow assassin was sent to kill him, but he convinces the assassin that what he says is true. That same nightshadow goes on to lead the nightshadow section of the crusade against the Acropolis, alongside Cavatina.
For some reasons, the priestesses of Eilistraee wanted that follower of Vhaeraun dead because the priestesses were saying that it was Eilistraee who went into Vhaeraun's plane and killed him, and not the other way around. I'm not sure why it would be important as to which deity entered who's domain, as Vhaeraun is apparently dead either way.
There have also been some odd going-ons with Qilue. She "attunes" herself to the Crescent Blade (and oddly nicks herself with it, by accident it seems), and accepts the change in her faith without a second thought. There is one part where Cavatina gets irked that a male walks into the Cavern of Song and begins singing, as only females had sang there non-stop for all the years that the Promenade had been founded. She contacts Qilue, who responds with a mere "that has to change to" or something along the lines thereof.[/hide:1xi9zm3q]
*takes another breath*
Ok, I'm done with the review.
Also, I'm a (fairly) active member at the Wizards community site.
Why don't some of you join? It'd be nice to have some of my fellow Eilistraeens there. The forum is here. [url:1xi9zm3q]http://forums.gleemax.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9[/url:1xi9zm3q].