Glacier's Edge: BEHOLD Ultimate Wkar's GREATEST ENEMY The Aevendrow
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2022 5:11 pm
So I finished reading Glacier edge yesterday and well, there is so much wrong there. Where to start, well the Aevendrow and all of Callidae are horrible, horrible people which I will get into in a little bit. Irennan was indeed correct with the Eilistraee reference that wouldn’t be much a single sentence in fact in the last 80 pages of the book where “Holy” Galathae prays to Eilistraee to heal another aevendrow and in the character description in the back of the refers to her as “Paladin of Eilistraee, Galathae is a leader in the defenses of Callidae and was instrumental in accepting the four strangers – jarlaxle, catti-brie, artemis entreri, and zaknafein – who happened upon the city.” Holy is in quotes up there as that is a title and not really her name, just like how Valrissa Zhamboule name is always written as Mona Valrissa Zhamboule, “mona” is her title and there needs to be a difference there either with quote or italics to show the reader that these are titles and not their proper name. The book is split evenly into three main plots, the Menzobrerranzan “Civil War” which now has boiled into physical conflict (though no open declaration of war); Azzudonna, the southern trying to figure out where she came from, and drizzt’s arc as a monk where he ends the book as a 15th level 1st edition monk and I know this because Kane literally has Drizzt duel him, though we aren’t shown who won, the drow rangers rather smug smile makes it very clear he did win the duel (though Kane made drizzt promise to never challenge the Master of winter, who kane knows will become the new Grandmaster of Flowers); The last plot revolves around Galathae and the other Callidae, basically what they do after jarlaxle returns south, however this plot is actually spread thought the whole book in short two to three page section and also highlights why the Aevendrow are even worse than Lolthites.
For starts this who Aevendrow arc is complete pointless, because the only reason why the Slaad are even a threat is because the Aevendrow refuse to mass a army to assault Ygorl’s fortress as the final half of the book reveals, there is only about 50 slaad and frost giants total, that not 50 slaad and 50 frost giants, no no no, that is between the slaadi and frost giants there is only 50 of them total not counting Ygorl who they could still drive back if not kill with a large enough army, WHICH THEY HAVE! True the N’divi and the undead do make things a little more in Ygorl’s favor, but not enough for him to beat a army of Aevendrow (though there are hints that none of the Aevendrow are above 9th level). Still Ygorl’s army was easily beaten by twelve adventures, though they didn’t beat Ygorl that was Qdeej under the request of Pikal of all people. Oh yeah, apparently Pikal still has access to ALL of his 1st edition spells and spells that clearly never existed ever, like a endure elements spell that can last all day and night long, worse Pikal cast three 7th level spells mean he not only still a 1st edition druid (or Doo-dad as he likes to call it) he at least a GREAT DRUID, I.E. a Maxed out pre-unearthed arcana druid. ARRRRAAAAAGGHHHH!!!
Now, this is why the Aevendrow are horrible people not only do they rip your memories of Callidae from your mind, which Kimmuriel explains as your memory being a ever expanding length of rope that someone cut a massive length of it out and then stitch together the two cut off ends back together as if nothing had happened, then throw again the removed section, but they literally leave anyone who goes to the fortress to die no matter what, they refuse to fight the slaadi unless they directly enter Callidae territory which they call “trying to Survive” keep in mind that they could literally remove the Slaadi from the north with easy, oh and their so called Paladin of Eilistraee is the worst of them. Heres why, normally when one of Eilistraee’s cleric comes against overwhelming force and several of their member are captures, they will yes retreat, but they will comeback in force to overwhelm the enemy force and retrieve their lost comrade wither alive or dead. Not only is Galathae ok with the councils decision not try to rescue Azzudonna (who they believe was killed by Gwen) or any of Team Jarlaxle, Galathae (who actually doesn’t know if any of them are actually dead or not because she didn’t see jack shit) flat out told Mona Valrissa and the council that they should further double down on forbidding anyone for going to the fortress again, even after Jarlaxle returns alive and informs them that everyone who was ever captured by the Slaadi are in frozen mounds alive back in the fortress, she tells him to his face they will never, ever! Let him go back to attempt a rescue, this is why Jarlaxle lets them mindwipe him. This is stupid, He made the Aevendrow even worse than the Lolthites, even they would go to rescue fallen comrades and if they were dead, they would at least avenge them. Callidae won’t do that and won’t even fight their enemy who they are very capable of destroying with easy and this isn’t just from a narrative perspective either as a lot of the book goes out of its way to fallow 1st edition rules (which rob has stated multiple times is the only edition he likes) with a couple exceptions where he ignores rules for a narrative reason I.E. he wants drizzt to be a grandmaster of Flowers, but not be tied to the monastery or how he gave Pikal a spell that doesn’t exists how he describes it in any edition , but by all mechanical game logic Ygorl could easily be beating by the 21-30th level Magic-user Gromph (his level varies between the two a lot between editions), the 19th level range/ 9th level fighter/ 3rd level barbarian and now /15th level monk Drizzt, 20th level Thief Jarlaxle, and 14th level Great Druid Doo-Dad Pikal let along a couple 100, level 3-9 aevendrow regardless of class. This story arc just doesn’t work, it never WILL… WORK… Avoid this trilogy as I sure that last book will be even worse, the last book was boring this book just made me violently omnicidally angry, there is only one good part in the whole book when Kimmuriel takes Jarlaxle to the hive mind and meets the Mind Flayer who was the GHOST KING and he is fucking hilarious and we find out the whole of the Mind Flayer hive mind are scared shitless of Jarlaxle because and I quote “He fornicates with dragons!” I was laughing the whole time the GHOST KING was on screen (so to speak).
Also Its official, I HATE THE AEVENDROW, I also hate the Lorendrow, but that because they have my FUCKING NAME IN THEIRS and I do not want to be associated with them at all and yes, my real name is Loren.
So I appoligize for the rant, but I needed to vent this out. Feel free to give feedback or state your own feels on the matter.
For starts this who Aevendrow arc is complete pointless, because the only reason why the Slaad are even a threat is because the Aevendrow refuse to mass a army to assault Ygorl’s fortress as the final half of the book reveals, there is only about 50 slaad and frost giants total, that not 50 slaad and 50 frost giants, no no no, that is between the slaadi and frost giants there is only 50 of them total not counting Ygorl who they could still drive back if not kill with a large enough army, WHICH THEY HAVE! True the N’divi and the undead do make things a little more in Ygorl’s favor, but not enough for him to beat a army of Aevendrow (though there are hints that none of the Aevendrow are above 9th level). Still Ygorl’s army was easily beaten by twelve adventures, though they didn’t beat Ygorl that was Qdeej under the request of Pikal of all people. Oh yeah, apparently Pikal still has access to ALL of his 1st edition spells and spells that clearly never existed ever, like a endure elements spell that can last all day and night long, worse Pikal cast three 7th level spells mean he not only still a 1st edition druid (or Doo-dad as he likes to call it) he at least a GREAT DRUID, I.E. a Maxed out pre-unearthed arcana druid. ARRRRAAAAAGGHHHH!!!
Now, this is why the Aevendrow are horrible people not only do they rip your memories of Callidae from your mind, which Kimmuriel explains as your memory being a ever expanding length of rope that someone cut a massive length of it out and then stitch together the two cut off ends back together as if nothing had happened, then throw again the removed section, but they literally leave anyone who goes to the fortress to die no matter what, they refuse to fight the slaadi unless they directly enter Callidae territory which they call “trying to Survive” keep in mind that they could literally remove the Slaadi from the north with easy, oh and their so called Paladin of Eilistraee is the worst of them. Heres why, normally when one of Eilistraee’s cleric comes against overwhelming force and several of their member are captures, they will yes retreat, but they will comeback in force to overwhelm the enemy force and retrieve their lost comrade wither alive or dead. Not only is Galathae ok with the councils decision not try to rescue Azzudonna (who they believe was killed by Gwen) or any of Team Jarlaxle, Galathae (who actually doesn’t know if any of them are actually dead or not because she didn’t see jack shit) flat out told Mona Valrissa and the council that they should further double down on forbidding anyone for going to the fortress again, even after Jarlaxle returns alive and informs them that everyone who was ever captured by the Slaadi are in frozen mounds alive back in the fortress, she tells him to his face they will never, ever! Let him go back to attempt a rescue, this is why Jarlaxle lets them mindwipe him. This is stupid, He made the Aevendrow even worse than the Lolthites, even they would go to rescue fallen comrades and if they were dead, they would at least avenge them. Callidae won’t do that and won’t even fight their enemy who they are very capable of destroying with easy and this isn’t just from a narrative perspective either as a lot of the book goes out of its way to fallow 1st edition rules (which rob has stated multiple times is the only edition he likes) with a couple exceptions where he ignores rules for a narrative reason I.E. he wants drizzt to be a grandmaster of Flowers, but not be tied to the monastery or how he gave Pikal a spell that doesn’t exists how he describes it in any edition , but by all mechanical game logic Ygorl could easily be beating by the 21-30th level Magic-user Gromph (his level varies between the two a lot between editions), the 19th level range/ 9th level fighter/ 3rd level barbarian and now /15th level monk Drizzt, 20th level Thief Jarlaxle, and 14th level Great Druid Doo-Dad Pikal let along a couple 100, level 3-9 aevendrow regardless of class. This story arc just doesn’t work, it never WILL… WORK… Avoid this trilogy as I sure that last book will be even worse, the last book was boring this book just made me violently omnicidally angry, there is only one good part in the whole book when Kimmuriel takes Jarlaxle to the hive mind and meets the Mind Flayer who was the GHOST KING and he is fucking hilarious and we find out the whole of the Mind Flayer hive mind are scared shitless of Jarlaxle because and I quote “He fornicates with dragons!” I was laughing the whole time the GHOST KING was on screen (so to speak).
Also Its official, I HATE THE AEVENDROW, I also hate the Lorendrow, but that because they have my FUCKING NAME IN THEIRS and I do not want to be associated with them at all and yes, my real name is Loren.
So I appoligize for the rant, but I needed to vent this out. Feel free to give feedback or state your own feels on the matter.