Earth Bond chapter 10 - discussion (Spoilers)

[GBLW]

And the first question that comes to mind is; How long can a young Chromatic hold her breath?
The second question: How well does a young Chromatic swim, if at all?
The third question: Has anyone else noticed that Kell seems to draw female friends amongst other draconic groups/races and if so will this young Chromatic, fourth of the senior class, become one of them?

kp

[Fel]

You assume that "#4" is inherently friendly.

Remember what she's doing. She's trying to find the earth dragons.

She might think the earth dragons aren't as dumb as her elders believes, but she's still doing what they tell her to do. You CAN respect an enemy.

And inside tip: #4 didn't actually swim. She CAN'T swim, none of the chromatics really can outside of instinctive dog paddling and using their flying buoyancy to keep from sinking. Her natural talent is floating magic, and she can use it on herself to levitate, much like the sky dragons do. She used her magic on herself.

And she could hold her breath long enough to get down into the den, obviously.

[GBLW]

You assume that "#4" is inherently friendly.

Remember what she's doing. She's trying to find the earth dragons.

She might think the earth dragons aren't as dumb as her elders believes, but she's still doing what they tell her to do. You CAN respect an enemy.

And inside tip: #4 didn't actually swim. She CAN'T swim, none of the chromatics really can outside of instinctive dog paddling and using their flying buoyancy to keep from sinking. Her natural talent is floating magic, and she can use it on herself to levitate, much like the sky dragons do. She used her magic on herself.

And she could hold her breath long enough to get down into the den, obviously.

Nope, didn't assume that she's friendly, but did assume that #4 and he would be 'respectful' opponents with a tinge of a draw between them. Besides, I think he has something she wants - badly, but neither of them know it yet.

As for her holding her breath, I was thinking about #4 doing further explorations toward the Earth dragon's new hideout and wondered if she would need to be rescued while in the underwater passage.

[kd7mvs]

I like fourth of the senior class, she's smart and has an open mind. And I find it ironic just how close she was to the entry to the Earth Dragon city.

[SYED]

Its one thing to find the city, its a whole different thing to get out again. My bet is she tries to check out the sunken tunnel only to get grabbed by some very suprised ED. SHe might be an accomplished student mage, but facing multiple stakes in close quaters will help keep her under control. SHe will likely ask to see a spike especially if she sees the shanker Kell has. Her collection of small magics will likly be woven in to the spikes. I wonder if at least the stone shaping magics will be able to be used by the ED. To get her name she has to add to magical lore, if she gives magic to ED, then that would be enough.

WHy not simply ask the dragons to help with policing the area around the volcano? dont flame the idiots, simply grab them and dump them in the nearest body of water. Entertaining for both the soldiers and the lady dragons. ANd it would be a hell of a story for the reporters. DAvie meets dragons, I wonder if he will start magic education as well. they should ask for a crystal to test for human mages as payment. Will an interview be with the fire dragons, or will the ED, get kell to make interviews.

The libraries are named for famed cities Constantinoble and Rome, SO likely a Camelot, Atlantis, Alexandria and other cities of legends. THere are nine libraries with a tenth one in the council chamber. That doesnt account for the private collections. I wonder if dragons saved books and texts thought lost from libraries that were burned and destroyed.

So ED can make powerful artifacts using their tail spikes, I wonder if they have a gift with names. That would be a big advantage against wizards.

I wonder if there are consequences to living isolated on the island, was that what deepened the dragon divide. the wards to protect the island, puch the dragons to rtheir extreame.

How long till the book of magic and the location of the island is leaked? Even if they cant see it, they will gather in the waters.

[Dreamer]

You assume that "#4" is inherently friendly.

Remember what she's doing. She's trying to find the earth dragons.

She might think the earth dragons aren't as dumb as her elders believes, but she's still doing what they tell her to do. You CAN respect an enemy.

True, but the trend of her thoughts already is foreshadowing that she is questioning the assumptions, logic, and even the very authority of her elders.

And inside tip: #4 didn't actually swim. She CAN'T swim, none of the chromatics really can outside of instinctive dog paddling and using their flying buoyancy to keep from sinking. Her natural talent is floating magic, and she can use it on herself to levitate, much like the sky dragons do. She used her magic on herself.

And she could hold her breath long enough to get down into the den, obviously.

I know that CDs all have feathers and not fur, but when #4 went to the WD den, did anyone else have the mental picture of a wet cat with it's head sticking out of the water and a very disgusted look on its face?
http://pictures.4ever.eu/fun/animals/wet-cat-149493
http://amazingdata.com/images/Extremefu ... tcat28.jpg
http://amazingdata.com/images/Extremefu ... tcat13.jpg


Oh, and Fel, can the CDs use magic to create an air bubble around their head (enough to last about 10 minutes)?
http://amazingdata.com/images/Extremefu ... tcat23.jpg

[expedient]

Just in case this gets lost in the back of peoples minds:

"Oh hello Mister Secretary, what an enchanting statuette you have. It that a dachshund?"


Question for Fel: Did gathering all the dragons onto the island coincide with with a golden age of growth in the magical abilities of the chromatics? An age which they passed off as an advantage to having all the chromatics, and their knowledge, gathered together but really was because having all the dragons there increased the magical potential available to them.

[Fel]

Not exactly.

But having all the chromatics in one place did let them pool their knowledge and expand their knowledge of magic, so it did have an unforeseen benefit for them.

[Lochar]

It also gave them better access to shankers, without having to make payment for them.

[Mad Monk]

There seems an almost unnatural eagerness amongst the dragons for Jenny to learn Magic. First Hinado, now Sessara are determined to help Jenny learn, even though Sessara said "Never reveal your strengths and weaknesses, even to your friend. Your friend today may be your enemy tomorrow"

As an aside, a lot of magical chants and prayers actually work when you are making something. They were a way of measuring time, in a period before accurate timekeeping. Recipes have survived which require you to say two "Aves" (Hail Marys) before adding the next ingredient, and with things like enameling, you have to wait for a while once the temperature is reached, so saying a prayer is a good way of judging the time, while the molten glass flows.

Other things work in unusual ways - Pliny the Elder writes in his "Natural History" - "Catarrhs oppressive to the head can be cured by kissing a mules nostrils" - This actually works! First off, you get a mule happy that someone has shown it affection, but in Roman times, mules were beasts of burden. As such, their stables were not kept as clean as a horse's stables, so there was the reek of stale urine, which has a high ammonia content, which in turn is a powerful decongestant! In fact, it is more effective than many commercial products available today, to the point that the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry has suppressed the creation of mules, because they were threatening their profits! After all, when was the last time you saw a mule?

[ANTIcarrot]

I'm wondering if 4th has a pet pony called Dull...

So not only are shanks powerful spell components, but (maybe) Earth Dragons also broadcast magical energy in some way? And if they leave, then 'permanant' spells soon run out of energy. What do the scions do anyway? Part of the island's stealth system?

And a question: Magic needs organic material to create organic material. Hence the Cromatics can't turn rock into food. Not to put too fine apoint on it, but don't they have plenty of raw sewage? Or are there any number of reasons why that would be a bad idea?

[miraborn]

Methinks the Almighty Fel is demonstrating yet again that Gods (in this instance Gaia) can and do interact with the material world when it suits their whim.

“Ridiculous. Earth dragons have magic, young earth drake. They have the most powerful magic of all.”
“Really,” he said with so much sarcasm that it almost dripped from his maw.
“Not all magic is what can be cast in a spell, or what can be seen with the eyes,” the voice intoned, taking a gentler tone. “A lesson the chromatics should understand more than any other dragon.”

. . .

There was a light, almost tittering laughter. “Clever, the earth dragons were always very clever. You have put the unyielding stone between you and them. In time, they will remember what it seems they have forgotten. In time.”

. . .

“Matters are unseemly,” the voice declared, and the shimmering seemed to move again. “The chromatics have forgotten, or perhaps they refuse to remember. But it is of no moment. Some time separate from them within the embrace will open their eyes to the reality of their situation, as it will for you. You are welcomed back within the embrace, earth dragon,”

[expedient]

It was in trying to answer the question of the connection between the earth dragons and the chromatics magic that I asked the question above of Fel. He doesn't rule out that the earth dragons contribute to the flow of magic but his answer suggests that this is not quite right. So that leaves Gaia "removing favor" as the most likely/obvious answer left.

A single earth dragon out of an entire generation may grow one of these.

This suggests that there isn't a living connection between the crystal spikes and earth dragons. So, just being beyond the reach of a magical connection with the surface shouldn't be dissolving the scion.

What do the scions do anyway?

They're the name given to the magical portals to travel great distances. Or do you mean how do they work?

[ANTIcarrot]

What do the scions do anyway?

They're the name given to the magical portals to travel great distances. Or do you mean how do they work?

Ah. Whoops. No, just having a D'oh moment.

[ANTIcarrot]

It was in trying to answer the question of the connection between the earth dragons and the chromatics magic that I asked the question above of Fel. He doesn't rule out that the earth dragons contribute to the flow of magic but his answer suggests that this is not quite right. So that leaves Gaia "removing favor" as the most likely/obvious answer left?

I'm not sure I agree with that logic. Fel may have been (delberately ) talking at cross purposes to your question, but it's possible. There may also be some kind of silly rule at play about only so many clear-shanks allowed to work at once.

Either way it may be significant that it was the newest scion that failed. Presumably it didn' have the same inertia and/or acumulated reserves as the others did. If EDs are a energy source or some kind, we can expect them to continue to fail in chronological order, newest to oldest.

Oh! And an interesting speculation. Scions release a significant amount of energy when they fail, do they not? Randomised high energy physics events tend to produce radiation/shock pulses which are detectable from large distances...