Chapter 4: Page 30
One of the core themes of Beyond the Western Deep going all the way back to its initial inception was surrounding the pliable nature of history, and how our perception of events is colored by who tells them to us. As the adage goes: Who’s telling the story is just as important as the story being told. And for Rathik, he knows who he wants telling his story–it’s not the felis, and it’s sure as heck not Hardin.
For us, normal everyday folks, it’s easy for us to rationalize or minimize this kind of behavior. “Rathik is overreacting!” You might say. “Obviously the felis would be objective–that’s the whole point of their religion, right?” Well, remember that Rathik cut his teeth in the Northern Wastes, not just as a warrior, but as a descendent of Sratha himself. The burden to succeed was likely astronomical, especially in his own head, where Sratha effectively represented the pinnacle of ermehnkind.
And now, Hardin (who kept his own embarrassing lineage a secret to avoid scandal) has come along with some felis-writing scribe, abandoned an entire tribe to their fate after using Sratha’s name to pull them in, and now here he is daring to lord over Rathik and threaten him with violence? In the Northern Wastes, you don’t take that lying down.
Ermehn diplomacy is about making your point with a pointy object, preferably lodged into your opponent’s sternum.
Rathik thought that Hardin was going to bring newfound glory to Sratha’s name. Maybe if Rathik acts quickly enough, he can reclaim a modicum of what was once there. And obviously the other ermehn are going to be with him, right?
… Right?
This week for guest art, here is an absolutely fabulous piece of Quinlan done by Meadowrose Art. Check it out!
I don’t know if you’ve started reading Beyond the Western Deep yet, Meadowrose, but I do hope that if and when you do, Quinlan’s wholesome attitude validates your initial assumptions! Thank you SO MUCH for the wonderful artwork!
Ashtor has to ask why? I thought it was pretty obvious, even before reading your elucidations, Alex.
Regardless, will be very interesting to see what the coming pages hold.
Great, Rathik, brilliant. Well, they’ll all get killed with this moron running things. He has no strategic skills and no concrete plan.
Hardin is dead, all hail the new Hardin!
Nooo!
RIP Hardrin (*)
“That, my friends, is how a revolution dies.”
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo! ;-; Poor Hardin.
….Except that tribe he lead to their deaths is avenged now. Aaand the Canid he killed, depending on your perspective…
Nooooooooooooooooo! ;-; Poor Hardin.
…..Except that entire tribe he lead to their deaths is avenged. Aaand the canid he killed, depending on your perspective….
*I think my first comment got deleted, here it is again as best I can remember it. Here’s to hoping I don’t accidentally post two…*
There’s something poetic about Hardin getting stabbed with his own knife.
I did not expect Hardin to die this soon
Tronn and Salem, yes! I wonder how the rest of the band will take it-especially Kenosh…
Since the Felis religion was brought up, there’s something that never sat right with me about them: They cut off your hand if you get something wrong. Which is supposed to mean there’s an intense incentive to make sure you have your facts straight. What it actually does mean is there’s an intense incentive to tell the fact-checkers what they want to hear. It’s bound to create an “official” version of the “facts” that can never be questioned, let alone corrected. You don’t want to risk being maimed for trying to submit information they’ve already decided is false. You don’t want to risk correcting the record and getting someone else maimed, even if their information was the best available at the time they submitted it.
No wonder Rathik doesn’t want Hardin’s version of their story being sent off to the Felis.
Very interesting thoughts and observations about the felis culture there, LxL. I shall have to keep them in mind.
I’m not sure Rathik would know that much about Felis – ecept for the fact that they ain’t Ehrmen or helping Ehrmen unquestionly.
Yeah, it’s not clear just what he knows about the felis, but he doesn’t strike me as much of a scholar or as someone particularly culturally sensitive. Still, it does seem that he doesn’t trust them to tell his family’s story accurately or fairly, and I get the strong impression that his mistrust is well-founded.
Of course, now that I think of it, there’s also an element of whether he trusts Eira to be recording things accurately in the first place. I didn’t really pay much attention to that at first because it was the felis script that sent him flying off the handle. But looking back at page 23, his initial problem was that he “never gave [Eira] permission” to be “writing all this down” in the first place.
Kid, you just martyred him.
So, since last page I’ve been thinking back to Rathik’s first appearance. Specifically, this exchange regarding Hardin’s duel with the other ermehn warrior.
(note: paraphrased)
Ashtor: I would’ve rather used diplomacy.
Rathik: This IS diplomacy.
That is… a rather telling moment, in hindsight.