#kingdom of duren

[wheretwofacesmeet]

[raylasrightbraid]

before arc 3 was announced, im not gonna lie, i was kinda disappointed that we wouldnt have been able to see all the human kingdoms besides katolis 😓

BUT NOW WE DO HAVE THE CHANCE IF NETFLIX ISNT GONNA BE A LITTLE BITCH AND GIVE US THE SAGA SO PLEASEEE

REWATCH, GIVE TDP SOME ATTENTION, LIKE EVERY OFFICAL POST, BUY SOME OF THEIR MERCH, MAKE CONTENT- IDK

[jelzorz]

184.

Ezran gets the message as Aunt Amaya and Queen Janai's wedding draws to a close. It's been a big day, joyous for the most part, almost-civil war in the middle notwithstanding (although that wasn't so bad either—Sol Regem had never appeared, and Queen Janai's forces overpowered Karin's easily in what must have been the quickest battle in history), so Ezran expects it to be from Callum, catching him up on whatever they've been up to, or Soren, writing to keep him up to date on whatever's happening at home.

It is from Soren, and it is news from home, but it's not good in the least.

It's four sentences, barely even a paragraph, Soren's usual untidy scrawl untidier still in the haste he must have written it in:

Sol Regem attacked. Castle gone. ? Casualties. Send help.

Ezran stares at it, unable to form meaning in the words because it can't be right, he must have misread it, there's no way—

Corvus swears. Queen Aanya gasps. The world speeds back into motion and Ezran sinks to his knees, his pulse rapid and thundering in his ears.

No. No. Katolis isn't—

"We need to get back," says Corvus distantly. "I'll get the horses. Gen—Queen Amaya, something's happened—" his voice fades as he hurries away, and then there's movement that Ez doesn't really register as Queen Janai starts ordering her men to pack supplies. Beside him, Aanya grips his shoulder and calls for her brother, snapping commands at the men around her before they start rushing off too.

"Hey," she says gently. "King Ezran, can you hear me?"

Ez opens his mouth and closes it, not quite present enough in his own mind to answer her.

"Ez."

His breath rushes in, and Aanya's face comes into focus before his, her eyes full of concern.

"Queen Aanya," he croaks. "I-I'm so sorry, we have to go. I have to get home—"

"I know," she says gently, her fingers tightening briefly around his shoulders. "I've sent a message to Duren for aid and supplies. My brother is rounding up our troops now and we'll depart as soon as they're ready. Can you stand?"

"I—" Ez breathes in again, but it's sharp and shallow, more of a gasp than a breath at all. His throat hurts. His eyes sting. For a moment, he thinks he might cry, but he's King, and he can't, he won't, not right now. He blinks furiously, his lungs tight. "Aanya—we?"

"Yes, we," she says. "We're coming with you. You need help."

"I havent—I can't ask—"

"Yes, you can, and you're not." She tugs him to his feet then, her fingers tight around his. "It's going to be okay."

Ez almost doesn't believe her. How can things possibly be okay at a time like this? But Aanya's hand is warm and firm, a comfort he hadn't realised he'd needed, and though her smile is pinched with worry, there is comfort in that too.

"Thank you," he mumbles.

"Don't mention it," she says. "Katolis has always been a friend to Duren, and friends don't let friends' kingdoms burn. Let's get moving."

Ez nods and follows, the world growing sharper and clearer with every step he takes. When he breathes in, he breathes in fully, and Aanya squeezes his hand once before she lets go entirely. She said not to mention it so he doesn't, but he thanks her again mentally anyway, eternally grateful that Katolis has a friend in Duren indeed.

[stuck-in-jelly]

Details i think about constantly from the novelizations of The Dragon Prince:

King Harrow made that doggy door for Bait himself instead of letting the royal carpenter do it

Viren calls hugs ‘familial clasp’

Amaya makes Ezran and Callum a full breakfast at the Banther Lodge and is described as ‘A breakfast connoisseur’

Corvus wears a cloak in his initial appearance

When Viren first tries to sieze the crown he fully puts on coronation robes before Amaya stops the ceremony (side note i couldn’t stop laughing thinking about it in terms of having your wedding crashed)

When Gren hesitates translating Amaya saying ‘Bullshit’ she turns to him and signs ‘Say it.’

Its stated that Soren ‘adored Callum and Ezran.’ And he hoped that they were still alive (said when Viren told him to kill the princes)

When Ezran was drowning in the icy water trying to get Zym he dreamt of his mother hugging him

Soren pretended he thought Claudia’s nose tap was stupid whenever their dad was around cause Viren thought it was stupid. But when their dad wasn’t around Soren would tap his nose in response to her

Soren calls Claudia “a daddy’s girl” (way to drive in the foreshadowing)

King Harrow was going to listen to Sarai and not kill the titan but Viren told The Queens of Duren the cost Katolis would pay and they refused help if Harrow’s Kingdom was to suffer as well

Corvus waited for Claudia to leave for the bathroom cause he knew he wouldnt be able to fool her but could fool Soren. Only reason he didn’t make it was cause Claudia came back just in time to trap him again

Oh yeah Ezran not only can speak to animals and sense their emotions. He can FEEL their pain. He felt Pyrrah’s pain when she was shot.

Opeli during a council meeting with Harrow as king objected one of his ideas then became scared she would demoted or killed but Harrow assigned her head of the council that day

Ezran recognizes Corvus? (Possibly cause he was in Amaya’s Battalion)

When Soren makes his Dragon Smash Boy ‘Haiku’ and Claudia tells him he got the wrong number of syllables he yells “Well, Im rebelling against the tyranny of the Haiku!”

Claudia was in the puzzle house when Viren and Kpp’Ar got into their argument and accidentally overheard them

Amaya initially offered her hand to Janai when she was dangling off the cliff but Janai refused it.

[m4rs-ex3]

trailer screaming part 1

say it with me now: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ok

i was trying to see ezran being sad but then i saw fucking corvus. 170% seeing soren and running to him oh my god holy shit

oh yeah yeah that's that good shit.

the way we keep seeing the spirits of those cave fuckers i KNEW that those things were way too cool/horrifying to go to waste and apparently they knew it too. also i guess zym fucking killed them

well oh my god that's so coo

WHO NOW WHAT

oh hell yeah fuck shit up bestie!!

i'm very happy to be back at the banther lodge, and i assume this is an impromptu council meeting, but i can't get over the fact that this is literally the last supper. go ahead and tell me it's not

a) i am so happy that aanya is joining the ez and sorvus gang like hello they are a perfect group and b) dunno where tf they are but CRYSTAL CAVERNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@#!!!#W!!

*kissing noises*

a) yay astrid's here b) sorvus, pyrrah, astrid and rayla in lux aurea... yeah i don't even know what so think about that

my. fucking. GIRLS

from "my heart for xadia!" to "for ALL of xadia" oh you know she's including the human kingdoms in that now

"we all made mistakes" that's fair but i don't think i like you saying it

making a separate post for the rayllum scene don't you worry

what can i say except this is the sickest thing i've ever seen??

why's bro just fuckig standing 😭

FUCK SHIT UP!!!!!

HELL YES RUN FOR YOUR LIFE PLEASE LET THIS BE WHAT I THINK IT IS IVE BEEN WAITING FO RTHIS DAY

noo the bisexuals are fighting

ok but this syncs up pretty perfectly with the teaser image (based on both the sky + the layout of the banther lodge lot) as well as ez parting the guards so my guess is that runaan has been broken out of jail (probably not literally but who knows), soren is pissed and wants to fight about it, and ez comes to break it up

also the rayllum scene is once again at the lodge and with different lighting so it either takes place before or after and i pray it's after

1) slay 2) i have no fucking idea where she is. maybe i'm just stupid maybe not. duren perhaps? idk

he's not happy but honestly the charred ends are an absolute LOOK (i see he's taking a page out of claudia's "dyed tips" book)

to be continued~

[sorinethemastermind]

The Banther Lodge

In which the Katolis survivors arrive at The Banther Lodge, and Corvus and Soren remember the last times they were there. #Sorvus

 Corvus remembered the last time he had been at The Banther Lodge. It had been back at the start of all of this, when General Amaya had tasked him with tracking down and rescuing the princes. Of course, they had never needed saving in the first place. It was something they could laugh about now, and Rayla seemed the find the place a bit nostalgic, if in a bittersweet way; going to show Runaan around the cabin and the spot where they’d set off on the river. He faintly overheard something about a giant fish before they turned a bend and vanished from sight.

 The camp was already in the process of being rebuilt, and he could see Soren out of the corner of his eye helping a family to erect their tent. As much as he wanted to go over and lend a hand, he knew their skills were better allocated separately in these circumstances, and so walked to the far side of the camp where there was nobody else with a Camp Katolis level of knowledge of tents and knot tying to offer assistance. 

 It had been wise of King Ezran to bring everyone here. The lodge itself was big enough to offer shelter to the wounded and smaller children, protecting them from chill nights and offering some much needed comfort, and the clearing outside had plenty of room for the tents and a great big fire pit, so that they needn’t overcrowd any one location. Maybe there would even be some food left over in the pantries and they could supplement their new diet of berries with some more familiar flavors. Corvus wondered if he could catch fish in the river.

 And of course, it was easier to mark on a map than some spot in the woods was, which also meant it would be much easier for the relief effort from Duren to find them. Corvus had to admit he was a little surprised by how quickly they had responded to Ezran’s request for aid. They had only sent crows out to the other kingdoms a few mornings ago, and yet they had gotten a reply almost as fast as birds could fly.

 The trek to The Banther Lodge had taken several days, and based on Queen Aanya’s reply, they could expect aid to arrive anytime now. So all they had to do was find enough food and keep morale up until they got here and could help put things to right for good. Not that Corvus really knew what that looked like without the castle, and these people’s homes. And with Aaravos on the loose. And with Claudia-

 Corvus’ foot caught on a small circle of stones that hadn’t been there the last time he’d visited. Looking down, he saw the charred remnants of a small fire pit. Claudia. It made sense that they would have traveled through here on their way to the castle, but the idea still hadn’t occurred to him until now. He glanced up, looking around for any other signs of their passage. But it was pointless. Their path would only lead back to the castle and the fire already looked at least a week old. Corvus sighed, kicking dirt and leaves over it until it was indistinguishable from the forest floor around it. Maybe it was better that Soren not be reminded of her right now, when there was nothing else that could be done. Not until the survivors were safe.

 Where was Soren, he realized, glancing about again. He had spent a good amount of time flitting from group to group, and now, with most of the tents set up and the injured done being carried into the lodge, he couldn’t spot him anywhere. A chill of fear ran through him. Could he have found some other sign of his sister and wandered off to try and find her? Or was she still here somehow, having returned after finding the castle in ruins?

 Corvus’ feet carried him quickly into the lodge, the only place he could think that she could have hidden, but a quick survey of the rooms found them all empty. With his heart thudding heavily in his chest he exited the building and rounded it’s corner, letting out a sigh of relief as he caught sight of his partner. 

 Soren was sat on the edge of a stone bridge that crossed the river, feet dangling over the water. His shoulders were hunched, hair falling into his face and obscuring his expression from view. But Corvus didn’t need to see his face to guess how he was feeling.

 He walked up beside him quietly, maybe a little too quietly, because he jumped when he spotted him, nearly toppling forward into the river. Only Corvus’ quick reflexes and steadying grip stopped him from falling headfirst into the water.

 “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” Soren exclaimed once he’d steadied himself, though he was laughing a bit too. 

 “Sorry.” Corvus boosted himself up to sit on the stone wall beside him, studying his expression carefully.

 Soren’s smile faded as he watched, and he looked back out over the water. Corvus waited until he was ready to talk. 

 “The last time I was here…” he said at last, voice trailing off.

 Corvus leaned a shoulder against his, and Soren wrapped a hand around his waist, pulling him in closer. He took a breath and started again, eyes still fixed on the water lapping just below their feet.

 “Last time I was here we were trying to find the princes. I called them the step-prince and the crown runt.” he recalled with a wince. “And Clauds-” his voice faltered on her nickname before he tried again. “She was going to cast this spell to track them, and we had to go and get all these weird ingredients, and there was this cave full of glowy things, and I made a really great joke but I don’t even know if she got it and-”

 He let out a huffing breath, “and I can’t help but feel like if I’d told her then, when she was like that, when I was still her brother, that maybe she would have listened to me. That maybe she’d be here right now, and we could go to that cave and collect the glowy things and use them to, I don’t know, track Aaravos or something. Or we wouldn't need to because he wouldn’t even be out!” Soren threw his hands up into the air, almost knocking himself into the river again, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Because if I had just been a better brother we wouldn’t even be in this mess in the first place.”

 “You are still her brother.” Corvus said after a moment, once he’d calmed down. “And you were a good brother. You couldn’t have changed this.”

 “I left her.” he said quietly. “Just like Mom left us.”

 Soren had never talked about his mother, not once in the years Corvus had known him. He had rarely talked about his family at all, other than the occasional quickly stifled comment. 

 “Soren, I don’t know why your mother left, but whatever happened is not your fault. Just like how what Claudia has done is not your fault.”

 “But-”

 “No buts.” Corvus cut him off with a shake of his head. “For someone who’s always comforting others, you sure are bad at being comforted.”

 The corner of Soren’s mouth twitched up a bit and he leaned his head on Corvus’ shoulder. “Thank you. For being here. And for listening.”

 “I’m sure that if you just told the others-”

 “I don’t want to tell them.” Soren muttered into his neck. “I only really want to tell you.”

 Corvus didn’t know why that made his face all warm, not when everything was so dire and Soren needed his help, but it did.  “I’m happy to listen. And you’ve done everything you could. You may have made mistakes, Soren. But you’ve always had a big heart. These were her choices. Not giving up on her is all you can do now.”

 “I won’t. Give up on her, I mean.”

 “I know.”

 “Do you think…”

 “I think she knows it too.”

[herwrittenuniverse]

What do you think Kpp'Ar knew?

When Viren comes to ask for The Staff of Ziard and eventually take it by force , Kpp'Ar refuses. Before he's coined, he tells Viren, "I told you that staff must never be used again."

How do you think he knew that staff was dangerous? A spell gone wrong? A gut instinct? A sudden urge to stop seeping life from creatures in order to do Dark Magic?

Here's the thing. We know that Aaravos has been manipulating events for centuries. Viren was just a pawn in his plan for his release. Even without the mirror (which definitely advanced things), Aaravos would be able to communicate and control Dark Mages because of their connection to Dark Magic.

And we also now know that Aaravos' story is that of revenge. He is a parent mourning the unjust death of his child.

I can't help but think that Aaravos preys on those that have deep connections because he knows how far people will go to protect those that he loves. And Kpp'Ar, being somewhat of a loner, doesn't really have any of those connections.

Maybe Kpp'Ar would have been able to break that cycle of using Dark Magic to protect those that you love...if Viren hadn't intervened.

Viren's motif throughout the show ("I'll do whatever it takes - however dangerous, however vile") proves how far he will go for his family - and we see the results and aftermath of those actions. Claudia clearly follows in his footsteps.

They will do anything to protect their family and those they love.

But Kpp'Ar seemingly didn't have anything - or anyone - to protect.

So...would he have been able to break the cycle?

And really, that's what Dark Magic is, right? Being so desperate to help others that you'll take the life of something in order to preserve something else. It's present several times throughout the show - going back to the kingdoms of Katolis and Duren, to Claudia and Viren, and Callum and Rayla. Heck, the show even opens with Ziard using Dark Magic to protect the city of Elarion.

Kpp'Ar wasn't blinded by his love of others - and maybe that was the key. Maybe Kpp'Ar knew that's what needed to be done in order to break the cycle.

[temerity14]

Several Sentence Sunday

(from a slightly older fic i haven't worked on in a while. hoping to get Ch5 up on Tuesday-ish)

“Pardon me, Your Majesty,” Lord Fillian called, squinting at Queen Aanya’s hand. “But is that… a ring?”

Aanya flinched, glancing at Callum and Rayla. “It… yes, it is.”

“Do you perhaps have news to share with the congregation?” Lady Enquine asked, frowning slightly. 

Aanya sighed, closing her eyes. “I thought it irrelevant to the topic at hand, but… yes, I do,” she stood, folding her hands neatly in front of herself. “Early on during our trip, King Ezran proposed to me. We are engaged. The Prince and Princess are witnesses to this fact, as are most of the guards who accompanied us.”

“And you thought to keep that from us?” Lord Fillian snapped, slamming a hand on the table. “The King of Katolis goes missing immediately after becoming engaged to the Queen of Duren?”

“What are you insinuating, Fillian?” Callum siad, his tone icy. 

“Nothing more than that the timing seems rather convenient, Prince Callum,” Fillian hissed, glaring at him. 

“Do you truly believe that I would attempt something so idiotic?” Aanya asked, looking down at him, an amused smirk on her lips. “To dispose of my fiance - one I have no concrete ties to, beyond a verbal promise - as you say, immediately after becoming engaged?”

“Surely she would have waited until they were married,” someone mumbled. “It would indeed be rash to take action so quickly.”

“I am just trying to point out that–” Fillian said, his volume rising rapidly.

“Inside voice, Fillian,” Naomi called, tutting. 

Fillian flushed, sitting back in his chair with a scowl.

“We are getting off topic,” Opeli called into the break in conversation, straightening. “The matter at hand is King Ezran’s disappearance and what we must do about it.”

Soren raised a hand from his place behind Callum and Rayla. “As the Captain of the Crownguard, I can quickly mobilise well equipped search parties to continue looking for the King. We had little luck earlier, but that’s no reason to stop trying.”

“That is sensible,” Opeli said, nodding. “All in favour?” 

A ripple of ‘ayes’ ran down the table, and Soren bowed.

“I will start immediately after the meeting,” he said.

“I suppose our main concern after finding the King is who will take charge while he is missing,” Lady Enquine said. “As he is the last of Katolis’s royal lineage.”

A murmur ran down the table, noble’s eyes flitting from face to face as they realised it was fair game. 

“Ought we nominate a regent of sorts?” Ankine suggested, steepling his fingers on the table in front of him, a predatory glint in his eyes. “We could take a vote–”

“Oh, and I suppose you’ll bribe half the table?” Fillian snapped, scowling. “All you want is power for yourself, you couldn’t care less about the kingdom–”

“Rather hypocritical of you, Lord Fillian,” another lord put in, glaring at the man. “You accuse Lord Ankine of bribing, not incorrectly, but I believe you like to hold land hostage–”

“Preposterous!” Fillian spluttered, his face going red. “How dare a mere count–”

“Well, you’re teetering on the edge of bankruptcy–”

“Says the person with only corn left in his coffers!”

“Oi!” Naomi yelled, slamming her hands down on the table, glaring at the nobles as they shrank back from her gaze. “Cool it!”

A young man clad in leather by the doors stepped forward, raising a polite hand. 

“You may speak, Corvus,” Opeli said, nodding at him.

“Pardon my ignorance, but oughtn't the regent - if we must have one at all - be Prince Callum?” Corvus said. 

[milevenstancyendgame]

Okay, so @starryarose and @celestialowlryx pointed out that Aanya might give refuge to the citizens of Katolis, and I've been thinking the same, because it would be the perfect way to mirror Harrow and Sarai helping Aanya's mothers/the kingdom of Duren with the famine back then! History repeated, but in a good way (pssh: it can be a narrative of love).❤️🩵

[runaans-missing-horn]

Here are some things I would like to see in S7

This is at the top because this is a MUST. Ethari screentime and Ruthari reunited, we've waited, and now we must be rewarded.

More Aaravos backstory? I know we had that major bomb dropped the he himself had a daughter (Who, even though she had like 5 minutes on screen, I have grown too sentimentality attached to.) But I would like to see more, after all, he's still a mystery.

The kingdom of Duren. As we know, Kitolis was burned down by Sol Regum, and Queen Anya was there when Ezran reseved the news about Katolis, so maybe the Dragang + Runaan might be invited to Duren?

Terry betraying Claudia. The reason I would like to see this is because Terry doesn't seem to like Aaravos, like at all. While Claudia sees him who is like Viren, Terry however has more common sense and sees that Aaravos is just manipulating Claudia, so mabye Terry might have to betray Claudia by selling her out to the Dragang in order to save her from Aaravos? Just a thought.

[wheretwofacesmeet]

[moon-sky-sun-earth-ocean-stars]

Tales of Xadia characters-Blayne

Name: Blayne Pronounce: She/her Kingdom: Duren Profession: Beekeeper Information: Blayne has an apiarist and she is really obsessive about that. She thinks she saw all of Xadian history through her bees. The bees do create an amazing honey.

[luniviravosshipper]

Over Analyzing and Theorizing Things About Captian Skall

I’m not sure how I feel about making this my first post on this blog (since I haven’t finished setting it up), but I just had too many thoughts on this to not share them. Also, this is going to be a bit of a ramble because it’s late at night and I’m tired so I’m not putting too much effort into making it structurally sound. I’m really just brain dumping my thoughts here.

So firstly, I want to point out Captain Skall’s character introduction because I find it intriguing.

At the very beginning of the poem, it states that she “did scrawl a journey by river and sea”. Scrawl means to write something rapidly and carelessly so that could imply that she was hastily mapping out her plan of travel. It also says that as she began to travel and claim “her legend” she “called herself free”. I wonder if it’s trying to suggest that perhaps she was running away from something. Especially if you take into consideration the middle line, “from the isles without name”.

On the map of Xadia and the Human Kingdoms, there’s the Independent Isles that appear in the bottom left hand corner. Could this maybe be where it’s saying she comes from? If so, I can’t help but to speculate what exactly she was trying to run away from there if she was because we know so little about it. It’s also interesting because as we read on through the rest of the poem, it seems like the themes of freedom and adventure are pretty evident throughout it. I wonder what that says about what we’ll learn about her character in the future.

“Past the uneven towers” is undoubtedly referencing Katolis.

And I’m guessing that the part about the fields is referencing Duren, mainly because they’re known for their farming.

I feel like the last part of this stanza may actually have a deeper meaning to it. The verse’s focus on her not wanting to settle in Duren might be intentional. And I have one idea of why the writers might have included it.

According to TDP wiki, Duren used to have a queen that was considered to be cruel because she banished a lot of people north and she was eventually overthrown by those who banished her.

North of Duren is Skall’s Hook. And we do not know what happened to the queen after she was overthrown.

I’m not sure of it. But it may be possible that she was either this queen or at least associated with her. I mean, again, I’m not set on that idea, but I just think it’s a possibility to consider especially as we read on.

The next part reveals she hungered for glory instead of bread and so she continued on her journey north. This again seems to imply her longing for adventure and freedom. But her not hungering the bread of Duren could be important in itself too. Bread can sometimes be symbolic in writing. Bread is oftentimes associated with things like prosperity, abundance, inner fulfillment, and generosity. And it also notes of how bountiful the supply of Duren was. So I wonder what it could be saying in terms of symbolism. Did she find something in Duren that might have provided her with these things but she refused to accept them into her life? Who knows?

Also, sort of an interesting detail here. The writer’s specify that it’s autumn which comes before winter and she’s heading north where it’s cold. Story wise, they could also be using this to indicate a shift in her story where things take a dark turn when she leaves Duren, again, playing into that idea that she might have left something in Duren that she shouldn’t have.

Now, a lot could be interpreted from this next section and I don’t even know where to start because I have so many ideas of what it could mean. But I’ll attempt to.

It states how she goes on her journey “forgoing a man who’d have made her his bride”, as in she was either running away from a man who proposed to her or is traveling to him to decline him. (The wording here is weird because I don’t know if it’s trying to say she’s traveling away or towards the man.)

Her avoidance of this marriage could be seen as another sign of her valuing her independence over what might be best for her (as it is later on revealed in the poem that she does in fact love the man).

But I think what the bigger question here is who is this man and what is the context of this proposal?

If she’s traveling away from the man, I think the interpretation that she is running away from some sort of arranged marriage as I’ve seen some people suggest makes the most sense here. I think that’d also be very fitting with the theory that she might be the cruel queen of Duren. On the other hand though, if she’s traveling towards the man… I mean, there’s not much else that we know of that's north besides the Frozen Sea, Skall’s Hook, and the Star Scraper. And I can’t really imagine who would really be in that direction.

Unless, of course, it was Aaravos.

Aaron Ehasz stated a long time ago that there was a very important person to Aaravos and that their name would appear on the TDP map. It seems very possible that Skall was the person he was referring to.

Although, I don’t really favor this interpretation of the text. It’s not because I don’t think it’d make sense for her to be the person that Ehasz talked about, but because I’m not sure about Aaravos being the one to propose to her. He could still very much have a connection to her but that doesn’t mean this poem is necessarily talking about him. We know so little about Aaravos as a character or as a Startouch elf and so we have no idea why he would be interested in pursuing her. Still, that doesn’t exempt him from being considered a possible suitor of hers. We'll just have to find out more on this later.

I don’t really know what this part is talking about because we don’t really have an idea of what Skall’s hook actually is yet. Maybe that’s where she attempted to confront Aaravos? But I’m guessing there’s more that she did there as well. If we’re following the theory that she might have been connected to the cruel queen of Duren, maybe she traveled to Skall’s Hook to save the people there that the queen banished.

This seems to be further emphasizing Skall’s longing for travel and exploration, but at this point it seems like it’s trying to portray it as almost like a form of greed. Skall continues to look for more ways to leave an influence on the world when she already did and only ends up getting stuck in the Frozen Sea because she can’t settle for what she already has.

At the very end of it all, she ends up dying there as she contemplates her true feelings for the man and how she wished she could confess them to him.

I want to point out how it states that “she found peace” in her last days there. I think that’s interesting for the writers to note of since the ending of the poem basically suggests that she froze to death and I wouldn’t typically consider that to be a peaceful way of dying. What makes this most odd though is that there’s no comma to indicate a separation in different clauses here. So like instead of saying “and while she found peace, she wished that…” it says “and while she found peace she wished that…” Considering the implied themes of her character, I think this might be saying that as she was dying she was finally given some time to reflect on her life and she began to see things with more clarity. That could be why she finds her last days so peaceful, not because of how she died, but because she finally developed understanding of herself and her faults. I don’t know, maybe I’m way overthinking this. I just find it interesting how they punctuated this sentence since it implies she might have actually found peace while contemplating her feelings for the man instead of finding pain in realizing those feelings, which could say some things. Also, this entire ending really just puts into question why she was going to forgo the man in the first place.

Now, for some other thoughts I have too that don’t necessarily come from the poem directly.

I don’t know when Captain Skall lived specifically, but there’s a couple of other characters that I have a feeling might be associated with her besides Aaravos and the cruel queen of Duren.

Sir Phineas Krist and Delilah Giehl were travelers together and it could be possible that at some point they bumped into each other or even traveled together. The only thing that really makes me doubt this is that they lived during the era of Sol Regem and Captain Skall most likely had to live afterwards. But they were also the writers and publishers of the Lost Secrets of Xadia book which had the excerpt about Aaravos in it that came from the show, so they could just be connected by their shared association with Aaravos.

She might have some connection with Kim’dael too.

Okay, so this inspired by another theory I’m developing based off of Captain Skall and where she’s from. I saw someone on the TDP discord talk about this and I really like the idea so I’m going to share some of mine based off theirs.

Moonshadow elves had a significant role in helping banish the humans to the west. It could be possible that a lot of them got trapped in between the west and the east in the process of this. In fact, it’s even confirmed that some did get stuck on the west side of the continent.

What if some of these elves, perhaps unable to return to the Moonshadow forest and were too fearful of the humans to interact with them, decided to settle on the Independent Isles?

I mean, that does look suspiciously moon shaped if you asked me. It could be hinting to something.

What if Esmeralda felt trapped there by the other Moonshadow elves and wanted to escape from them? That could explain a lot about her need for freedom seen throughout the poem. She could have been a human who was supposed to be exported by the elves but got trapped with them on these isles and was forced to retreat in order to guarantee her safety. Or, alternatively, she could have been a Moonshadow elf herself who didn’t agree with the other elves’s distaste towards humans. (I’d imagine that if she was one she was able to travel the human kingdoms by disguising herself via the use of illusions.)

Now, here’s where her connection to Kim’dael comes in.

Kim’dael and the Order of the Bloodmon reigned during the era of Luna Tenebris. From what I understand, the humans were banished from the east at the beginning of her era. She reigned for 700 years, roughly 300 years before the current timeline of the show.

We have no idea what’s on these isles or what’s happening on them now besides the possibility of Moonshadow elves being located there. 700 years is a long time, like it’s practically the amount of time the human kingdoms existed for, and a lot of events could have taken place during the reign of the Order of the Bloodmoon. And let’s not forget, we know very little about Kim’dael’s origin story. She could have very much had an association with Skall as a Moonshadow elf. What if Kim’dael even came from these Isles like Skall did? I don’t know, this feels like a lot that I’m throwing out there, but overall I think we should consider some of these things. I'll probably make another post elaborating on this theory later.

She also might have had a run in with Akiyu. This isn’t really based off of anything, I just feel like we haven’t seen all of Akiyu yet. She’s probably more involved in Aaravos’s imprisonment and backstory than we have so far learned about, especially since apparently all information on her has vanished in Xadia like all information on Aaravos did. I know that Skall was traveling in the west and Akiyu could have been very far east where the Tidebound Archipelago is at the time she was traveling, but she was traveling by water and we don’t really know much about Akiyu’s backstory so… maybe they met? I don’t know, this might be a bit of a stretch. You might have to just ignore this part lol.

Anyways, that’s all my thoughts for now. I might add onto this more later, but I think that’s essentially all I have to say right now regarding Captain Skall and what we might find out about her.

[jelzorz]

163c.

a and b

It's quiet in the castle when they're out. Opeli had thought she was used to it, and there was a time, not so long ago, that she'd welcomed the peace. It's not to say she didn't enjoy their company—they were younger in those days, louder and more boisterous, and she was a stick in the mud to begin with, let alone a stick in the mud with frequent migraines.

They're all grown now, and these days, they are her friends, not her wards. Ezran can rule without her guidance, and Callum and Rayla are married, and Soren is a fine Captain of the Crownguard, and a better friend to her than she will admit. They go where they're needed, when they're needed, and Opeli stays to hold the fort as she's always done, managing their correspondence with the other kingdoms and praying for their safe return.

She still worries though. It's a difficult habit to shakw. It was part of her job to worry over them for so long that it's second nature now, and they're only in Duren, where the road is familiar and wide and well traveled, and they are a knight, an ex-assassin, an archmage, and a king who can talk to animals, but still, Opeli frets, and moreso than usual. Three times now, she has caught herself watching the northern horizon, hoping to see their horses on the road into to town, and three times, she has had to go to Barius for tea to help shake the anxiety gnawing at her bones.

"You worried less when they were younger," points out Barius, sliding a plate of jelly tarts across the table to her as well. Her tea is still steeping and Opeli drums her fingers on her tea cup, eyes drifting to the empty seat beside her and thinking of early morning conversations in the near dark. "You know they're fine."

"Yes," says Opeli levelly. "But be fair, Barius, they went to help Queen Aanya with a recent attempt on her life, you cannot blame me for being concerned."

"There's a difference being concerned and being neurotic," drawls Barius, taking the seat across from her. "This is the third time this week you've asked me to brew Claudia's calming tea for you. Should you perhaps see someone about your concerns?"

"Who is there to see? I am usually the one people come to to discuss their troubles."

"Yes, and one of the things I've heard you say many a time is to know when it's time to seek further help."

Opeli snorts into a jelly tart. "You of all people should know I am terrible at taking my own advice."

"I do know that," chuckles Barius. He studies her for a moment, and too late Opeli realises she's staring at the empty seat beside her again. Her eyes flit away, but not quickly enough for Barius to misunderstand. He waits until she sips at her tea and pours his own, eyes far too knowing to be comfortable. "Is this because of the last assassination attempt?"

Opeli tries not to wince. The last assassination attempt, though taken care of quickly and discreetly, was not without injury on their side. Opeli can still feel blood on her hands sometimes, warm and sticky and too red against the white of her hood. They never even came near Ezran, but it was Soren who took the brunt of the damage, and her fingerprints are still marked on her copy of Iustita in his blood. "No," she says stubbornly, which is only half a lie.

Barius raises an eyebrow at her. "I meant no disrespect, High Cleric," he says. "The Captain was fine, after all, but I can see how the early mornings can feel lonely without him."

Opeli almost spills her tea. She makes a face at him, scandalised, affronted, but her mouth goes dry at the mention of him and she's too caught off guard to deny it. "I—what—I did not say—"

"This is my kitchen, Opeli," says Barius drily. "There are two cups left here most mornings, and who it's for is a relatively easy process of elimination. We've known each other long enough now that I'd hope you can be honest with me about these things."

Opeli feels warmth flood her cheeks, because the way Barius looks at her over his tea is too knowing, and there's no lying her away around this. "You can't say anything," she says sharply.

"What would I say?" asks Barius. "Who would I tell? My loyalty is to the crown and royal family."

"That is not comforting, neither of us are the crown."

"But you are both the royal family," he points out. "No one would argue that. In a few years, you may be formally."

She shuts her mouth, her face warm and not because of the steam rising from the lip of her teacup. "You're not..." She trails off, unsure how to finish the sentence, but Barius eyes her seriously over his cup, and for the first time, Opeli knows what it's like to be on the other side of her stare.

"It's your business," he says, "but you're still my friend, Opeli. Whatever is going on between you both... it has consequences for you. I don't doubt the Captain's intentions but you still have vows to uphold."

Opeli looks away. She's broken them already, and Barius does not ask, but she knows he knows that too.

"Are you happy?"

Opeli blinks then, caught off guard again for the second time in the same conversation. Barius reminds her of her father sometimes, and she'd thought he would disapprove or reprimand her for being involved in something so scandalous. But there is only concern there; genuine concern, and hope for her and for something even she doubts she can really have.

"Yes," she says quietly. "More than I thought I would be."

He chuckles and reaches across the table to pat her hand. "I'm glad for that at least."

[stuck-in-jelly]

Ever think about how Harrow had to not only go home to explain to his step son that his mother isn’t coming back but then also had to turn to the Kingdom of Duren only to return a ring to child still in a cradle

[raayllum]

I have a question that has been very divisive in my friend group of people who enjoy tdp.

What direction do you think they'll take Callum's magic in:

Do you think he'll master his Sky Arcanum, following the footsteps of Ibis, especially with his staff.

Or, connect to and become a master of all 6 primal sources, like Aaravos, but for good and love.

And more importantly, what idea do you enjoy more as a concept?

First off would just like to say your header is incredible.

As for your actual question: Callum is a character who chases magic out of a desire to learn and have agency. It becomes a fundamental part of who he is ("I will learn magic. It's who I am") which eventually manifests in him literally creating magic inside him (an arcanum). This transcending of limitations and what other people thought was possible means that Sky (representation of Freedom) was the perfect arcanum for him... to start. After all, seeing through illusions and crafting your own reality is very Moon arcanum-y, and there's been a decent amount of foreshadowing that he might connect to the Moon arcanum next for a while now ("After all, you really only know the appearance itself" "Now you're starting to sound like Lujanne" from 3x01). By forging a manual connection to one arcanum, it naturally begs the question of why wouldn't he at least try to connect to others in a similar manner?

All of this to say: I'd be surprised if Callum isn't connected to all 6 by the end of the show, for a few reasons.

While Callum being connected to primal magic is extraordinary on its own, and it's certainly an accomplishment... it ultimately means next to nothing if Other Humans don't also follow in his footsteps. A lack of access to magic is what created a lot of issues in the world of Xadia, and evening out that score / removing the need of dark magic is the ultimate way to Break the Cycle, as the wheel has always spun on magic and dark magic. If other humans don't connect, we're right back where we started. And humans being connected to Sky would be great, but there's so much more out there, and Callum will only really be able to be a teacher for all the arcanums if he knows and understands all the arcanums... hence, Archmage. (It'd also be very nicely full circle, given that Callum starts off as part of a lacklustre student-teacher pair in 1x01, and growing to become a wise and understanding teacher.)

Callum's parallels to and eventual rivalry Aaravos are mostly dependent upon Callum gaining more magical prowess. Right now they don't have a ton of parallels, but they are undeniably wrestling for narrative control. Aaravos is also underestimating as being just another dark mage like all the rest, "and destined to play right into my hands" but Callum will be, eventually, so much more than that. And thanks to Aaravos, we know a six primal archmage is possible. Seems only right that Callum would become his literal mirror.

One of the core weaknesses of Xadia is their insistence on isolation. Exile is their most common punishment and they literally split the continent in two. Elven society is generally very segregated according to their primal with only a handful of exceptions in ways we know don't exist in the Human Kingdoms (Duren coming to Katolis for aid; Lissa being from Del Bar and marrying a man from Katolis, etc). We see that the arch dragons are more likely to fight than convene with each other successfully and that since imprisoning Aaravos, they basically all went no contact. Xadian characters are also more likely to want to do things alone (Runaan, Rayla, Zubeia) than to pull on all possible resource areas, and the human villains who hate them (Viren) are also more likely to be isolationist. VS the princes ("We're in this together" in 1x05, "This is a chance to solve our problems together" in 4x03, Opeli and Corvus going to Duren for aid) and the Human Kingdoms. Kasef, however antagonist, believed in and depended on the collective. Karim starts to lose his shit in S4 precisely because New Aurea isn't going to be entirely Sunfire elf in nature; I don't think he would've responded to other elves any better than he did humans, honestly. Okay, great, so what? Well the one Xadian character we have who hardcore rejects that isolationist attitude in regards to a primal source with his very existence... is Aaravos. And that elves, humans, and dragons all presumably worked together to imprison him once before. It would make sense that the kid who is going to be the key (or one of the keys) to his defeat would likewise carry that same Rejection of Isolation, and instead embody literal Magical Solidarity by having access to all magics.

As for which I prefer, it depends. I think canon could do just about anything and make it work, and so long as we see other humans connect to arcanums (with or without Callum's help) I have no other Narrative Requirements, I think, in regards to places I think the story has to go in order to function narratively, in the end. He could master just sky magic, and as long as other humans are able to connect to arcanums, I think that'd be just fine.

If I'm writing fic, and I want Callum to be more limited for plot / angst reasons, I'll probs just write him as a sky mage. Magic is useful but can't (and should not, for story reasons) be able to fix everything, and is still only as useful as your brain can figure out how to use it, anyway. By and large, a magic system is only as good as its limitations, as that is what allows a story to have conflict, and places to show off creative thinking (with or without magic).

But generally (in post-war / late season speculative stuff; in looking at where canon is going, etc) I lean towards Archmage Callum and always have, and dumped all my headcanons about it accordingly into this fic (order of connection, how each of the arcanums feel different, dual wielding, what it brings between him and Aaravos, etc).

I would also love for Callum to get his own staff at one point, simply because it'd be nice to have a weapon 1) of his own and 2) wasn't yet another thing he inherited from a dead man (the cube from Harrow, the mirror from Viren) but if he uses the staff all throughout the show, that's perfectly fine too. Just means I get to write a fic where it gets destroyed for some reason, and then him (and maybe Ethari) get to help design and build his own for Reasons