Just learned about Transi aka Cadaver Monuments and this is 100% the aesthetic I was picturing for the Tansul Barrowdell and Tansul/the Tachonis I’m sick. Like look at these Gothic Body Horror Momento Mori:
There are some that are even more detailed than these two that I don’t even want to post because honestly they gross me out that’s how good they are. I haven’t felt like this since I first read Baudelaire for the first time.
it's fascinating to me that in a cast so strongly interwoven (friends, family, lovers, enemies, political tools, and more) that matt chose to build a character entirely upon devotion (a knight) but not devoted to any of the cast. aranessa's featured heavily in the overture thus far, and yes, it's because she's thjazi's estranged widow, but she's also Julien's devotee.
I finally went back to rewatch the memory of Maywyn’s death more closely and I’m realizing that a lot of (understandable!) assumptions are going around as facts and the memory is more ambiguous than I first thought. My point being I don’t think we know for sure if Maywyn died before or after Sylandri did, or what exactly killed her.
When Ashley tells Brennan what memory Valeus sees she says “…being on the battlefield, right before Sylandri was killed”. Brennan then describes Thaisha/Vaelus seeing The Last Arrow crossing in front of Maywyn’s and being able to see her eyes and see the moment her soul leaves her. The exact sequence and the limit of what we know is they first see the arrow, then the light, then she dies, and then the axe cleaves into her.
I think a lot of people (myself included) assumed the light was from Sylandri dying, and don’t get me wrong that is a strong possibility maybe even the strongest, but that still doesn’t mean it’s the only possibility. For example while Imho it’s less likely it could be light from a spell cast by another combatant (or Sylandri), or more likely is it could be a property of The Last Arrow itself. I just think it’s important to keep that uncertainty in mind for now. First so no one gets too attached or confident in where this is going, but also because it means this is likely not the last we’ll be hearing of this, among other reasons.
And to me at least, Maywyn’s exact CoD being something we still have to seek the answer to is just as if not more interesting than any of the possible answers. It makes what happens even more haunting to me — because now all we know for sure is Maywyn’s soul just leaves her body after the light. That’s why she doesn’t defend herself from the axe, by that point she’s already dead. A beautiful elven warrior, cut down in battle without any visible resistance or chance for final words or possibly even comprehension while her sister watches unable to do anything that would make a difference. (From a meta perspective, if this is representative of a failed WIS or INT saving throw what a way to describe what a death from that would look like.)
I wonder if that question haunts Vaelus too, or if it was only left ambiguous to us and Thaisha? If so, I wonder if it’s prevented her from finding closure? (For that matter do these semi-immortal elves even have funeral rites to provide some closure?) With Thjazi’s cause of death now up in the air, and the Tachonis’ plan with the Davinos and Royce only starting to come together, searching for answers how and why the people they cared about died may be another thing bringing this unlikely party together.
like it's so easy to just say julien's an asshole that buys into the noble family tradition/bullshit, esp thru the eyes of matt as a player; he's playing Lawful Good in a party of outlaws, showcasing how that alignment is in conflict with the story and/or change in general. It sets him up for a good character arc and good PC conflict and it's an idea i've had myself. it's honestly probably the better set up, leaving room for the story to happen to him.
but my dumb ass wants it to be complicated. like at the very least that he and thjazi used to be close and julien felt personally betrayed when thjazi joined the rebellion. cause it does feel personal and complex already at this point. but that could just be a testament to the gravitas matt brings w his acting
