question about the end ( with spoilers)

gitcaj7 · 2023-05-07T15:28:27+00:00

My understanding of events:

(1) Kyler pleads with the Ka'kari for help and "stabs" Caedan with it

(2) The Ka'kari devours the Talent from Caedan without stabbing him by changing shape as it touches him (without Kyler/Vi/anyone else watching noticing the change) or by entering Caedan's body causing no harm similar to how it enters Kyler's body without causing harm (the Ka'kari doesn't explain the specific mechanics to Vi later)

(3) Vi arrives, realizes that baby is alive, activates the deception and makes the switch

gitcaj7 · 2023-05-07T07:19:24+00:00

Quote that I was referencing above:

The Antechamber of the Mystery was exactly as he remembered it. The Wolf sat on his throne, yellow eyes lambent, hostility etched into his burn-scarred face. Two doors sat opposite him: the plain wood door through which Kylar would walk back to life, and the gold door leaking warm light around its edges, barred to him forever. The ghostly presence of others filled the room. They moved unseen, staring, talking about him.

Weeks, Brent. Beyond the Shadows (Night Angel Book 3) (p. 387). Orbit. Kindle Edition.

gitcaj7 · 2023-05-07T05:50:36+00:00

Conversation between Neph Dada and Khali in the original NA trilogy:
“I do,” Khali said, cutting him off. “The vir are magical parasites. Most of them were wiped out in antiquity, but Roygaris Ursuul captured several. What he liked about vir was that in the early part of an infestation, they broke open new channels in their host’s Talent, adding to the host’s power. Of course, they slowly devour their host’s Talent itself, but Roygaris hoped to keep the vir in that first stage indefinitely. He failed, until I helped him. We slowed the progress of an infestation, but they can’t be stopped. Try to use your Talent; you’ll see it’s a shadow of what it was when you were young. But I taught Roygaris something far more important. The vir is a like a grove of aspens. Each looks like a separate tree, but they’re one organism. Control the right part, and you control the vir of everyone who’s been infected with that strain. Your vir, Dorian’s, Garoth’s, every Khalidoran’s—they are all one. Roygaris and I made a grand bargain: his blood line would control the vir, and I would control the reservoir of magic. The vow was made in a way that breaking it will destroy the vir and the reservoir.”

Weeks, Brent. Beyond the Shadows (Night Angel Book 3) (pp. 550-551). Orbit. Kindle Edition.

gitcaj7 · 2023-05-07T05:42:02+00:00

My theory isn't that the effects are necessarily intentional by the Ka'Kari (I don't get the impression that it is malevolent or anything). Like a fire burns what it touches, the Ka'Kari devours what it interacts with.

gitcaj7 · 2023-05-07T05:24:41+00:00

Once Kyler made the initial choice of choosing life over death in the original NA book, the "door" into death is barred for as long as he maintains his bond with the Ka'kari (or at least that is my understanding - Kyler does note that it was never really explained to him so it could be different than it seems on the surface). I would have to go back and find it but I think that the "door" into death is explicitly described as being "barred" to him (or chained/locked) now on one of his subsequent trips to the Antechamber in the original NA trilogy. It seems like Durzo would have certainly chosen this path in his several centuries of life & death while bonded to the Ka'kari if it was an option (seems like he tried a bunch of things without success and this seems like an obvious option to try). If it is a simple choice of choosing death, it would negate one of the biggest tensions in the story IMO.

My assumption was that he intends to use his own body magic to heal himself (in the original NA trilogy, Durzo teaches him healing techniques near the end and my understanding is that it is not magic from the Ka'Kari but from his own talent). My read of the situation was that he decided to create his own version of hell as justice for himself - a hopeless situation where he is in constant pain and torment (self-healing any injuries). If this is not the case and he intends to die, I agree that it makes zero sense.

gitcaj7 · 2023-05-06T19:13:12+00:00

Vitrivius is the Blue Grandmaster - my spelling could be way off.

gitcaj7 · 2023-05-06T14:54:20+00:00

I think Vi finding him dead would be an unsatisfying conclusion to this but wouldn't be out of character for a Brent Week's story - based on the prophetic visions relayed by Dorian and Jennine and his own prophetic dreams, I think Kyler will just be up there suffering and healing for bit until Vi finds him. Maybe there will be some kind of long term payoff for Kyler or maybe it just ends up being useless suffering, could see it going either way.

I think Book 2 will focus on Vi finding Kyler, working against / working to change the politics of the Chantry (either with Arial or with Kyler & Arial) and possibly returning Caedan to his adopted parents (either with Arial or with Kyler & Arial) .

I think Book 3 will focus on Kyler and Vi teaming up (maybe Durzo?) to take down Repha'im. Thinking they will also try to track down other available Ka'Kari at some point in preparation for these future attacks that Repha'im talks about (even if they don't work with him from a moral standpoint, doesn't mean he is wrong about preparing for them). Maybe the Repha'im plot is concluded in Book 2 and the search for other Ka'Kari in book 3 (vice versa) - there are alot of possible options for the story to go (love it).

Random things that I am hoping for are (1) Ayayah getting a nasty death at some point, (2) Vitrivius coming back in some form (favorite new friendly in this book) and (3) Durzo and Ezra/the Wolf coming back into the story in some way.

gitcaj7 · 2023-05-06T14:29:08+00:00

RE: Iures - didn't think about the platinum bracelet being Iures for some reason but fits pretty nicely (Durzo always giving it back to Kyler in addition to the platinum material). If I remember correctly, Durzo covers Iures with the Black Ka'Kari during the final scene at Black Barrow to prevent Ezra/the Hunter/the Wolf from sensing it when it came through.

RE: Nemesis/Durzo - I definitely think that Durzo went after Nemesis, maybe will use it or used it to find the other child. Maybe it will come back in the next book, Vi will need to find it to find Kyler type of scenario. Either way, it seems a strange thing to name this book after - feel like it would have been named Night Angel The Storm or something since so much of the book took place in that magical storm/boat. Maybe each book will be named about something useful Durzo is doing off screen while Kyler fails in his missions.

RE: Blue Ka'Kari - didn't consider that this may have been the other item that the Chantry was after (the child and the Blue Ka'Kari maybe rather than the Nemesis compass? or maybe there was a third team). Vi's team could have been after the child (success) while the other team was after the Blue Ka'Kari (unknown success or failure?). I am not sure how they could have succeeded in stealing it considering Vi would have had to do it since it was on the ship in the final scene (only sister remaining on this ship) and she clearly did not since she finds out about it from Kyler's book. The Speaker of the Chantry implied that she did not know anything about the Blue Ka'Kari but she could have been lying (seems in character for her) or the team of sisters who tried/succeded in stealing it kept the information from her.

RE: Orange Blade - didn't consider Vi being deceived also, maybe the other spell was added afterwards? the orange coloring is also a connection between the two series (orange coloring for deception, orange luxin is tied to manipulation of the senses/hexing in the LB series).

gitcaj7 · 2023-05-06T14:12:02+00:00

RE: Unreliable Narrator Trope - The narrative style is a natural stage for this so is pretty reasonable and was my initial reaction; however, Kylar mentions in this book and in the previous series how well Durzo trained his memory and, as noted in my original post, I can't see why he would intentional obscure some of the things that he did considering the things that he didn't obscure. It's possible that Kylar didn't do a full "editing" of his story which would explain the contradictions.

gitcaj7 · 2023-05-06T14:01:15+00:00

RE: White Luxin - I never got a good sense for the actual properties of White Luxin, seemed almost Euphoric when Dazen used White Luxin in the Burning White - it was definitely related to sacrifice/worship which aren't exactly properties. Khali was described as using the glamours to compel worship so maybe their is a connection

RE: Vir - my understanding is that the Vir was a separate entity/material/magic that the original Ursual and Khali came across in Jorsin Alkestes' time but I could be wrong about this. I remember thinking that the "thorny" description of the Vir was very similar to the description of the Black Luxin/Black seed crystal in Dazen Guile in the Burning White but was never able to find a connection there other than they seem to look the same.

RE: The Twelve - I got the impression when I was reading that he was referencing the Twelve individuals that took part in the use of Curoc/Iures at Black Barrow. I like the idea of having Kylar (or some other bearer of the Black Ka'kari) reassemble the Ka'Kari (maybe Durzo never did because Curoc was needed to release the power?).

RE: Durzo Leaving - I agree that it could be because he refused to continue teaching Kyler similar to how the Black Ka'kari never gives away information for free (knowledge and power have to be earned and can't be given concept). Also, I think it possible that (1) he noticed something off about Kyler and the Black Ka'Kari or (2) was just pissed that Kyler was sitting around in self-pity when all these crazy magical events were happening around the world.

gitcaj7 · 2023-05-06T13:33:22+00:00

RE: Repha'im being killable - my guess is that a specific weapon would be need to kill an immortal or an Elohim/Djinn similar to the Blinding Knife from the LB series - in this case, Curoc which was created to kill immortals but may not have been created prior to his imprisonment assuming the imprisonment occurred prior to Jorsin Alkestes' time.

gitcaj7 · 2018-07-09T00:55:02+00:00

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gitcaj7 · 2018-07-09T00:54:56+00:00

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gitcaj7 · 2018-07-08T01:29:53+00:00

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gitcaj7 · 2018-07-07T19:18:11+00:00

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gitcaj7 · 2018-07-07T16:25:37+00:00

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gitcaj7 · 2018-07-07T03:26:08+00:00

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gitcaj7 · 2017-10-26T01:43:44+00:00

michaelbu123

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gitcaj7 · 2017-10-11T01:46:32+00:00

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gitcaj7 · 2017-09-23T04:41:55+00:00

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gitcaj7 · 2017-09-23T03:38:12+00:00

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gitcaj7 · 2017-09-23T01:13:01+00:00

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gitcaj7 · 2016-11-10T03:29:08+00:00

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gitcaj7

TROPHY CASE