Blood of Dragons (spoilers RotE incl City of Dragons)

['thul]

Not exactly correct. The White Prophets engineered this. The fool was merely the last in a long line of prophets. His task was finished with Icefyre's release, one could see that from the way his skin turned dark.

One question one might ask is if Prilkop and the fool got to their far southern destination and if they did, whether they prevented the next white prophet from heading out. It might be that there will be more white prophets in the future if they did not stop them from going out.

[Farseer]

An update on the progress of the cover art for Blood of Dragons can be found here. You will see a colour/painted version of the previous sketches if you scroll down to the last couple of entries of Jackie's (October 28th) blog.

EDIT: Thanks for shifting this up to the 'Important Threads', Mervi!

['thul]

The spear/polearm in the painted colored image looks to be extremely top-heavy.

[Farseer]

Sorry to be working backward but trying to catch up on Hobb gossip after so long away from home...

Regarding the dragons on the cover, in her October 24th blog, Jackie noted their identities as being *DH, CoD/BoD spoiler*

Spoiler

Spit, Fente, Sintara and Heeby. Obviously the former two at least gain flight ability through either CoD or into BoD. We know that Heeby was flying in DH, as was Sintara as she took off in its closing pages.

As for the spear/polearm...I will have to look back over the recent, previous discussions in more depth (and apologise if I have already said this somewhere else!) but I must admit that I can't help but think of *Farseer, LST, Tawny Man and Homecoming spoilers*

Spoiler

something Fitz noted somewhere along the way. I think it was while he was in the Kelsingra Map Tower when he was there in the latter stages of AQ, where he noted the stained-glass window of the woman and dragon (the one which has captured my imagination for years!!) . I think the dragon wore a jewelled collar but, other than that, there was nothing to suggest any kind of subjugation to the woman. In the woman's hand, or behind her, was something but Fitz couldn't quite determine if it was a weapon or a wand of office. This is what I think of when I look at the spear/polearm. Though it must surely be Rapscal who wields it on the cover, given the figure is atop Heeby, and not a 'female', it is possible that the object is either similar or the very same...after all, the window is within the map tower of Kelsingra and it is in Kelsingra where the events will take place in CoD and BoD, and discoveries made. Possibly Rapscal or someone finds the actual object that is depicted in the window and thus uses it.

I often believed that the stained-glass window in the Kelsingra Map Tower to be a portrayal of both past and future, though more future, a little like Wintrow's window that he made of the tree that beheld both a dragon and a serpent. While both were part of the realm's past, Wintrow also proved to be a contributor and a connection to their future (just as he, by virtue of his blood, was a connection to their past). I did have thoughts that the woman depicted in the Kelsingra Map Tower window could have been Nettle, given her 'Queenly' attitude, relationship with Tintaglia, and her connection to both Fitz as the Catalyst and also as the daughter of Fitz who is the foundation of the House Farseer. I also thought it could have been a depiction of the female Judge of old (similar to the female depicted with the dragon in statue form in the ruins of ancient Frengong in Homecoming), but that there was a blood connection between she and Fitz/Nettle anyway.

So, so much to look forward to discovering...

['thul]

Many interesting ideas there...

theoretical ideas. Spoilers all books

It is indeed likely that nettle got herself entangled further with Tintaglia. Her attitude also befits an Elderling queen. Far more so than Malta ever did. The fact that she is also of the blood royal, will only enhance the facts. She is mature beyond her years, and has considerable power with the skill, which we all know comes from having Elderling ancestors. Fitz may be the skillmaster, but his education was spotty, without any draconic aid and without a true teacher. Nettle has all those things he did not have, as well as more time.

It is likely that the polearm is found in Kelsingra. There are none among the crew of the Tarman that have skill in using a forge, particularly on such scale. Considering that the rain wild traders have not been had any real warfare, there is no logical reason for them to have such skill either.
That leaves two possible sources. Trade and discovery.
Trade has three key sources. Six duchies, Chalced, Jamaillia. A weapon with such blade indicates war with ground troops and/or horse-mounted troops, not ships. the last has no known neighbors on the ground, so scratch that. Chalced would only want one thing from Elderlings/rain wild traders. Dragon parts. That leaves the six duchies, and they are generally too far away.
That leaves discovery. Kelsingra is right there, so source is very likely to be that place, or its neighboring Elderling cities.

The design on the blade resembles a glaive or a Voulge. Both were used for stabbing and, if hooked on the back, pulling riders off their horses. The glaive was utilized to slash, while the voulge was used for hacking. Both of those weapons can be easily used in ceremonial circumstances, since they are typically held in the hand, where swords are sheathed.

[Farseer]

So, joost, have you finished or are you only just now up to Chapter Six (seeing as I have just commented on your pick-up which is noted in the Newsgroup)?

[joost]

I finished chapter 6 last night. I'll start a new thread in the RotE subboard when I'm halfway with my thoughts on the book so far.

[joost]

Haven't seen this one here yet: The cover of the Dutch version:

[Image: 1001004011538373.jpg]

Still can't say I like it. (It's the same image for all four books, just with different colours)

['thul]

At least it could in theory have something to do with the book... not all covers have even that little.

[Farseer]

Nothing to do with anything (I know, I am an expert in that field! ) but I couldn't help but think of Girl-on-a-Dragon when I was also thinking of this cover art for BoD last night. Yes, I think about random RotE things at random times for no apparent reason at all!

Now, I doubt there is a connection in any way (though there might be! ) but I thought of it nonetheless...now that she is adorned with the Rooster Crown, Salt, or 'the girl' aspect of GoaD (now Realder's Dragon apparently ), will look even more Elderling-like/similar to the crested BoD figure depicted on the back of the dragon in flight than she would have done previously.

You beings said that it unlikely that a dragon would allow a human to ride upon its back and I agree. Still, this comparison between GoaD (with or without the Rooster 'Crown' which does, admittedly, look nothing like a 'crest' except for its stick-out-from-your-head appearance ) and the Elderling on the cover of BoD makes me wonder if it were not more common than rare for an Elderling, at least, to fly in such a fashion. It's almost as if Salt were not only wanting to avoid being made part of the dragon that she and her coterie were carving but she also wished to achieve this goal by carving herself similarly to the form an Elderling astride a dragon would take. I doubt she'd had carved herself in such a fashion if Elderlings/Skilled Ones did not ever see a dragon as such a form of transportation or did not ever sit on one's back.

Further, this little thought makes the statue in Homecoming all the more interesting for me (if such a thing is possible...I love that thing! ), as though it confirms that the lady depicted within the basket seems to have possibly been exalted in a such a way that riding astride a dragon seems unfitting to her station...even though an Elderling did so. As I have mentioned elsewhere (the Homecoming thread - major spoilers within the link - and other places?), she is the Judge perhaps?

Anyway, the main point being, is that back in history, though Reyn was carried in Tintaglia's mouth, Elderlings did obviously ride on the back of a dragon....Salt's position confirms it, even as does the cover art for BoD.

EDIT: Sorry for the mass of edits if you subscribe to this thread!