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Grim Tales - A Princely Favor - Champion of Fenrir Book IV - Chapter 5
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Grim Tales - A Princely Favor - Champion of Fenrir Book IV - Chapter 5
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43 comments
But Grim should steer away from comments like "Good Girl" with her
Very curios to see what the hell these experiments are about. Sounds like something Dr. Liche would be interested in.
I can only imagine Serana's pain seeing how Grim could connect with the web of life. Perhaps this will provide some motivation to follow through with her decision to cure her vampirism. Time will tell.
Magnificent work Wolf!!!
Lol I don't think Despair wants Dr. Liche getting into her laboratory and messing things up ... Despair is probably more trouble than even Dr. Liche wants to try and take on. Not that I would mind seeing the two of them going at it.
As for Serana, well hopefully she will gain some insight into herself on this mission and maybe that will help her in the end. From what Nataly has indicated I don't think she is all that willing right now but she is thinking about it.
I really enjoyed it during a break at work. The only lack is that with the smartphone I can not hear the music, which is an aspect that I find increasingly important.
Very nice speech about the energy of life that also explains the affinity of Grim defender of nature and its vital energy, with Meridia, a strange daedra truly rather far from the bad reputation that surrounds the Daedric princes. Since they are the elves, who established the categories of Aedra (our ancestor) and Daedra (not our Ancestor), Meridia is a aedra that for love for a spirit is expelled from Aeterium. Meridia is a deity who loves life and is mixed with her allowing it. And it is too bright, for the leisure altmer culture, obsessed by the fall in the materiality and mortality, so that life is an evil creation and the product of Lorkhan, evil and deceiver god. Meridia is life accepted for what it is, immortal in its essence, in which the becoming that overwhelms temporal forms, is not a disaster or a tragedy, but a joyful flow, a dance and a harmonious blend of life and death, of Being (anu ) and Non-Being (Padomay) that to quote the ancient greek philosopher Anaximander, must be accepted without groped to prolong the mortal form over their time, as the true immortality is the cosmic energy and its endless flow. The undead is opposed by Meridia because it is the result of the dream of a perverse and grotesque immortality that violates the law in an effort to preserve the shape of the material and make it prevail on the immortal essence.
Serana in this sense represents the Undead, that slowly repents, and Grim gives her a good lesson, asserting that his relationship with the energy is not like her, needed to parasitize the energy embodied and crystallized in the other life forms to persist beyond their physical time, but an exchange within the stream of life, where in fact the death, although distressing, is inherently accepted because part of that eternal flow.
But then why did Meridia is a daedra, if so luminous? Meridia fall from heaven because she loves the spirit but only that. For her, everything is good and everything is ok, except that which contradicts this assumption. The love of Meridia is an abstract feeling, unable to become flesh and feel compassion for the concrete forms, condemned to emerge and fade back into the flow. Meridia does not understand all the suffering of these forms, does not understand why they want to extend their time and ask themselves the meaning of their fate. For Meridia, life does not need to make sense.
But Lorkhan conceived the Mundus as flawed and wrong, just to know the actual mortality and suffering that can lead mortals to triumph over them. Only those who have gone through mortality, can ascend to higher states of being. If the meaning of everything is love, love for Meridia is still partial and abstract, insufficient and very far from that necessary.
Really wondeful work Jonathan.
So I really appreciated your insight into Meridia in such detail as it helped me form some more ideas about her myself. I don't want to quote to much but this is to good to bypass:
Meridia is life accepted for what it is, immortal in its essence, in which the becoming that overwhelms temporal forms, is not a disaster or a tragedy, but a joyful flow, a dance and a harmonious blend of life and death, of Being (anu ) and Non-Being (Padomay) that to quote the ancient greek philosopher Anaximander, must be accepted without groped to prolong the mortal form over their time, as the true immortality is the cosmic energy and its endless flow.
I really like this description a great deal as I think it describes her well - at least her positive side. As you later explain she has her failings in that she is to singular. Anything outside of her definition is a problem and I think that also fits the idea of her as very strict. She reminds me a bit of a very holy and fanatical Paladin that is incapable of seeing gray. Perhaps a little like the Templars from Dragon Age.
Glad I expressed Grim okay in this sense. One thing that may not be very clear, if only because I talk about Grim's afterlife (as well as my own and my dogs) is that it isn't his wish to be immortal. His body will die and his soul will most likely go under a variety of stages of growth. He is destined to become Fenrir's successor BUT Fenrir is not a true immortal like the Princes. Eventually Fenrir will rejoin the eternal flow .. perhaps a part of him becoming part of Grim in the process. His soul ... well at the moment I see it going through the same process a mortal will. While his life is extremely long I consider him a mortal spirit in a sense. I am still groping with terminology and ideas on his status and fate, including Grims.
Not sure if you recall but Lorkhan is the one that somewhat tricked Hircine and Kyne to have Fenrir (along with some other things) and Fenrir and Grim have a small part of Lorkhan in them. I will admit I busted some lore here and went off on my own as I see Lorkhan as more of a good deity ... at least to mortals ... and that his actions were to make a "world" where beings could have a testing ground so they could reach a state of higher being (somewhat what you said). It is that part of Lorkhan that makes them mortal (Fenrir and Grim). Not really related but personally I do not think I want immortality of mortal life myself. I think I would go insane - from seeing everything die around me and boredom and just the length of eternity. I do have a very strong fear of death and love my "I" and have a hard time picturing myself not existing in a self-aware state. But at the same time I know eventually I would long for eternal sleep even if the idea frightens me now. Just tossing that out there to explain a bit how I see Grim (who is a little bit of a reflection of me - he is my ideal self as well as a chance to let loose my animal aggression (the beast) in a safe environment (a game) and explore that aspect. Also why I have a hard time tormenting him to much *grin*.
Ooops rambling again - you always do that to me. Thanks again for the nice comment and the insight on Meridia - as I seriously enjoyed that very much!
This was my favorite part in the story..... the way they talked to each other "Serana pondered this for a moment and then her eyes flew wide open in mock surprise as she exclaimed, “So you feed on it like a vampire does a living person?”
“What? No! It is nothing like that.” Grim sputtered, clearly disgusted at the very idea. “This is a mutual sharing of energy. It doesn’t kill anything nor do I steal it by theft or force; it is freely given.”
Chuckling at his flustered face Serana asked, “Mutual sharing? Then what do you give back? What do you share?”
Annoyed at being so easily baited Grim almost wasn’t going to reply but feeling defensive he explained anyway. "
Amazing shots.... look forward to the next chapter
Oh I think Serana does love Dannee. Perhaps there is a bit more than just friendship love there but probably not to much. Serana has trouble with men thanks to Molag Bal and his rape. Grim doesn't know that though ... but in a way Grim and Erik are good for Serana. She has nothing to fear from those two as far as romantic overtures or even simple sexual ones. Erik is a big softie and she already likes Erik a lot. Grim is big and burly and rough but he respects her overall (even if he calls her a good girl lol) so she may get used to him.
I adored the opening to this chapter – with the description of the fog ‘maggot white fog’ being one of the best descriptions of thick fog I’ve ever come across. Then I loved how you began to introduce Despair’s miasma and its effect on the group; them beginning to question their purpose and the mission… it was particularly touching that Grim held Erik as he battled that despair (and the endearment ‘little bear’ made me choke a little as that’s what I call my little black dog who’s unwell at the moment so I got very teary at that bit)! I was impressed that it was Serana who dispelled the miasma; she definitely has layers of power that one. I cracked up when she and Grim shared a smile then realised with horror what they’d done and went back to scowling (that was such a great visual)!
The banter between Serana and Akiroh was also brilliant; the little sniping at each other was too fun to read. I liked the description of ‘holes’ or voids as how Grim and particularly Wolfgar sense the undead. Very unique but appropriate way for these two being who are so in touch with LIFE to ‘see’ unlife.
Again, your descriptions this chapter are phenomenal; the way your described the room ‘reeking of blood and misery’ really created an image in my mind of the chamber. Then that epic battle! Words and images were spectacular and conveyed the furious scrap between living and undead, culminating in that blast from Dawnbreaker. A great scene.
Had to chuckle at Grim’s use of ‘good girl’ with Serana; I’m afraid I’d have been a bit incensed had the big lug called me that too! He’s so out of practice with girlie girls (makes me wonder what he’d have made of Fleur). I like Serana’s longing to be back with Dannee and HER way of doing things; rubbing shoulders with the big Grim is so not to her refined taste!
Pretty creepy what the vamps seemed to be up to with their experiments. I can only imagine the horrors their victims must have gone through down in that cavern. Seems as though Erik too was particularly upset at that thought – his anger at what he found in the pit clear on his pale and drawn face.
Serana’s view of Grim’s ability to ‘draw in’ nature was interesting. Though she was probably just trying to stir him up by comparing him to a vampire, it was interesting that ultimately it was SHE that got upset at the turn in the conversation. I think she really has begun to miss LIFE and is envying the life she sees in those around her (Grim and his crew, but also Dannee and even Sam who sparkle so much with life). I kinda feel sorry for her.
I wouldn’t worry about the Dawnbreaker conundrum; anything’s possible in high fantasy!!
Loving the teaser shot; seems Grim is going for a trip into the Soul Cairn if I remember that stairwell correctly…
And many thanks for the dedication hon; it’s only with rewrites that we perfect our ‘craft’… or so said my 10th grade literature teacher
As I mentioned I worked on this story in 3 iterations. It definitely helped although the time spent on it was exceedingly longer than normal. Always hard to balance the time investment versus remembering this is Nexus and ... well you know. Still I wanted to the fog to set the right mood and be a good precursor to what is coming. Also Erik is the weak link in this case. I feel really bad for himself as he refuses to leave Grim's side and yet he is putting himself at great risk. Still he is not just a simple farmer anymore. He can fight as well as Akrioh almost (which is to say he is a master) and he IS a werewolf and is strongly favored by Hircine. I did not know you called your dog little bear and saw those images - poor guy, I hope he will come out of it okay and he has someone like Grim and Wolfgar to look after him ... although I know you will take one of those roles as well.
While dialogue is not my strongest area I pushed a lot more this time. One reason is simply you only grow "muscles" by working them out - each time a little harder. So I need to stop avoiding dialogue and work with it more ... while also not making it forced or add it where it is not needed. I do it much easier in my head then on paper/electronic. But then I suspect things always seem so much more epic and cool inside our own brains.
Anyhow thanks for those nice words on what I am doing with Serana as well as Grim. I am also trying to keep Serana the one from Nataly's world - and that means making her think of Dannee and not being to different. On the other hand she is a way from Dannee's umbrella so I think maybe it will help her confidence to do this on her own, while also feeling very sad about things. As you wrote it is hard for her as Grim lives and breathes life and nature - it is part of who he is. He is a constant reminder of what she gave up in a way she may not have thought about before. Dannee and Sam are also very full of life but they don't rub it in like salt in a wound. Instead they do their best to embrace Serana and share their life with her. I highly doubt Grim will (or could) do that. But just perhaps they can find a form of mutual respect between them, and possibly some trust.
Got big plans for chapter 6 and 7. At the moment looks like it will be 9 chapters total ... so about 6 more than planned :p
And yes those are the stairs to the Soul Cairn in that teaser shot :-)