19 June 2007
Steps to the Dragon: 16,766/983,234. Today: 5,293
Terrain: Steven passes through a variety of terrain, including forest, mountain, desert, and urban. His instinct is to go around rather than through. This is one of the things that make his journey so arduous and long. He comes to a lake, he goes around it. A desert--he goes around it. Mountain? He has to determine if he really has to go over it. The key element is that he avoids conflict and the very things that would harden him for battle. That is also the path his companions have chosen, so when his path steadily becomes more difficult, they continue on their easier paths, making it inevitable that when it comes to the really hard parts, he is alone.
This will also bring him back closer to home than he has traveled. If he had taken the more difficult route, he would have gotten ther in fewer footsteps, though it might not have taken less time. Certainly if he visits his village again, he will find the village much closer than he imagined.
The dragon: If the dragon is able to manifest himself in different forms, he might be one or more of the traveling companions. He might also be the loremaster who originally incites the village into drafting a dragon-slayer.
The travelers: I'm thinking there is an element of the Canterbury Tales in all this. As Steven meets the various travelers, each has a story to tell. This makes it possible also to meet people who don't join him for the trip, but who have a story to tell--like Ranihaha: "Bridges are a great hindrance to commerce." The story is told by someone he encounters, not by someone who travels with him.
Terrain: Steven passes through a variety of terrain, including forest, mountain, desert, and urban. His instinct is to go around rather than through. This is one of the things that make his journey so arduous and long. He comes to a lake, he goes around it. A desert--he goes around it. Mountain? He has to determine if he really has to go over it. The key element is that he avoids conflict and the very things that would harden him for battle. That is also the path his companions have chosen, so when his path steadily becomes more difficult, they continue on their easier paths, making it inevitable that when it comes to the really hard parts, he is alone.
This will also bring him back closer to home than he has traveled. If he had taken the more difficult route, he would have gotten ther in fewer footsteps, though it might not have taken less time. Certainly if he visits his village again, he will find the village much closer than he imagined.
The dragon: If the dragon is able to manifest himself in different forms, he might be one or more of the traveling companions. He might also be the loremaster who originally incites the village into drafting a dragon-slayer.
The travelers: I'm thinking there is an element of the Canterbury Tales in all this. As Steven meets the various travelers, each has a story to tell. This makes it possible also to meet people who don't join him for the trip, but who have a story to tell--like Ranihaha: "Bridges are a great hindrance to commerce." The story is told by someone he encounters, not by someone who travels with him.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment