May-17-2010, 05:09 AM (UTC)
Hi, there are a couple of points I'd like to add.
For one thing, Others aren't changed Dragons, they are changed Sea Serpents, are they not? I see to remember that the Others Island was the beach where Dragons laid their eggs, so presumably when a abomination hatches, it lives on the island. Presumably, Others aren't able to swim freely out in the ocean like serpents can. So, I think this puts the Others' treatment of She Who Remembers in a somewhat different light. As (altered) larval dragons, the Others must want to congregate around She Who Remembers as much as the serpents do. Since they couldn't follow her out into the ocean and to the Rain Wild River to cocoon, they locked her up in that cave so she couldn't get away. (For that matter, what would hatch if an Other spun a cocoon?)
Second - the Skill is said to occur when the blood of people from the out islands mingles with that of people from the mainland. As there is an elderling city in the out islands, why doesn't the skill crop up in those people? I think there is more to the skill than it just being a side effect of contact with dragons - otherwise, surely it would have appeared in the Rain Wilds at some point.
About Fitz and the skill road. Kettle was a much more experienced Skill user, and she didn't have any of his drifting problems. So, I think we can chalk his trouble around the memory stone up as relating to his inexperience. That, or it's what happens when you mingle the greater magics.
For one thing, Others aren't changed Dragons, they are changed Sea Serpents, are they not? I see to remember that the Others Island was the beach where Dragons laid their eggs, so presumably when a abomination hatches, it lives on the island. Presumably, Others aren't able to swim freely out in the ocean like serpents can. So, I think this puts the Others' treatment of She Who Remembers in a somewhat different light. As (altered) larval dragons, the Others must want to congregate around She Who Remembers as much as the serpents do. Since they couldn't follow her out into the ocean and to the Rain Wild River to cocoon, they locked her up in that cave so she couldn't get away. (For that matter, what would hatch if an Other spun a cocoon?)
Second - the Skill is said to occur when the blood of people from the out islands mingles with that of people from the mainland. As there is an elderling city in the out islands, why doesn't the skill crop up in those people? I think there is more to the skill than it just being a side effect of contact with dragons - otherwise, surely it would have appeared in the Rain Wilds at some point.
About Fitz and the skill road. Kettle was a much more experienced Skill user, and she didn't have any of his drifting problems. So, I think we can chalk his trouble around the memory stone up as relating to his inexperience. That, or it's what happens when you mingle the greater magics.