Blood 4

Chapter 4
Now we're somewhere else, with a woman named Lunetta and a man named Tobias Brogan. The woman speaks with an odd accent, saying “do be” instead of “are,” and “be” instead of “is.” Normally I would praise this as a good way to depict an accent that doesn't make me want to gouge my eyes out rather than try to decipher it . . . but this is Dickland, where countries hundred or thousands of miles apart all use colloquial American English (except when they don't). Thus, the accent comes across as jarring and out-of-place.
Lunetta, who is described as “squat” and gap-toothed, and wearing “scraps and patches of tattered, faded cloth,” complains that there is magic about; it seems to make her arms itch. Brogan, who has a “wiry mustache” (and yes, that's all the description we get) insults her and tells her to shut up. We also learn that there are an indeterminate amount of armored men with this charming couple.
Brogan muses on how Aydindril – which I guess is where they are – “seethes with the taint of magic.” As Lunetta natters on, Brogan orders a man named Galtero to gag her if she doesn't shut up. We also learn that Lunetta is Brogan's sister . . . lovely.
We learn a bit about Brogan and Lunetta's history (and shouldn't she be Lunetta Brogan, if they're siblings?). In brief, she's a sorceress and he's our witch hunter who uses his sister's magic to hunt down other “witches.” Oh, and Galtero calls her “streganicha,” which apparently means “witch” in Dickland. It's very close to the Italian word strega, which does indeed mean “witch.” Coupled with the name Galtero, it seems that these people are from Italy.
We learn that Brogan has a tentative alliance with the Imperial Order, though he doesn't like the fact that they use spellcasters. We also learn that he's marching into Aydindril with “a full fist – five hundred men.” I'm going to go ahead and assume that our boy Brogan the witch-hunter and his army of 500 are part of the Blood of the Fold.
The Bloodites march in, and Brogan observes the D'Haran soldiers as they do so. He notices that the D'Harans seem unimpressed with his own forces' “polished metal.” “Polish and precision often displayed nothing more than conceit.” Um . . . no, that's not really true. “Polish” means you're keeping you gear in good condition, and “precision” is sort of necessary for any large group of people operating in unison, and even more so if said large group consists of soldiers. You know, the people whose job it is to go kill other people who are trying to kill them? This is especially true in an ancient/medieval setting, where the primary weapons are swords, spears and axes. If you're not acting with precision, your buddy's flank is left exposed since your shield isn't there. Precision can mean the difference between winning and losing a decisive battle. That's one reason discipline is such a valued trait among every military above the tribal level. \~/
We learn that Brogan and his boys hail from Nicobarese, which I an renaming Nicobaritaly. Why is there a pseudo-Italian culture plopped in the middle of Generic Medieval Fantasy Land? Who knows? Brogan, it seems, is a fan of the D'Harans, and he remembers how he “had been impressed with” General Riggs, who had “accepted his counsel with interest and attention. Brogan, in fact, had been so impressed with the man that he had left some of his own troops with him to help in the conquest of the Midlands.”
Remember the description of Riggs's forces from the last book? Here's a refresher:
“Men argued over a lay of the dice, food, casks, or even bottles of drink. Some of the disputes erupted into fights with fists and knives. [Kahlan] saw one man stabbed in the gut, to the uproarious laughter of onlookers.”And Riggs and his officers:
“[Kahlan] appraised the half-dozen men sitting around the table. Four were D'Haran officers; the one with his boots resting on the table had been the man who had been yelling; one was a Keltish commander in an ornate uniform unbuttoned to reveal a filthy shirt soaked with wine and meat drippings; and one man wore plain, tan robes.”Keep in mind, we've just been told how polished and precise Brogan's troops are, and how this reflects his discipline and “deadly attention to detail.” Brogan is clearly a man who values cleanliness and organization, and he was impressed by Riggs the Glutton?
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Terry Goodkind can't keep his characterization straight between two books, given that he can't keep things straight on the same bloody page. \~/\~/
Brogan is pleased that the D'Harans “didn't hold much favor with magic” (umm . . . isn't their tyrannical ruler a wizard of a line of wizards? \~/). However, he's disgusted that they fear magic. “Magic was the Keeper's conduit into the world of men. The Creator was to be feared. Magic, the Keeper's witchery, was to be expunged.”
I seem to recall in the previous book, we got the angsty backstory of Adie the blind sorceress. I seem to remember ranting at some length about how, in Nicobaritaly, magic was believed to come from both God and Satan. I think I pointed out at the time how stupid that was. Nevertheless, since that has been established . . . what the crap is this? \~/
Also, “the Creator was to be feared”? I admit, I've never really understood the concept of “God-fearing” in a positive way, but isn't it normal to be afraid of Satan? Especially in a world where his very-much-real servants wield extremely powerful magic that even the normal wizards have no defenses against?
“There was no longer a place in the world for the ancient, dying religion called magic.” Wait; what? Since when is magic, in and of itself, a religion? Are there people in Dickland who worship magic as a force? We've seen magic-wielders who revere God (the Nuns), Satan (the Bad Nuns and Darken Rahl), the so-called Good Spirits (the Mud People, who we're told have magic) and even a mortal (the Dominatrices, who prayed to Darken Rahl), but nowhere have we seen magic itself held up as an object of worship. \~/
Furthermore, this conflicts what what Brogan has been saying on this very page: that magic is the tool of Satan. That implies that those who use magic are serving Satan in some fashion, which makes a hell (pun intended) of a lot more sense. \~/
I'm beginning to think that Terry Goodkind honestly does not know what the word “religion” means.
We also learn that God has visited Brogan in his dreams to tell him what a great job he's been doing. Yeeeeaaaah.
Brogan and the Bloodites (dammit, another terrible band name!) ride their horses up the steps of the Nicobaritalian palace, apparently just for the hell of it. A servant greets them with “Long live the king,” and we learn that Brogan recently burned the king at the stake. I'm assuming this refers to the king of Nicobaritaly, though it's not really explained. Also, can someone explain to me how a glorified witch-hunter murdering the ruler of a nation does not lead to civil war, or at least massive unrest?! Someone? Anyone? \~/
Brogan orders Galtero to take half the men and collect “her;” Brogan is going to have breakfast and then torture and murder judge “her.” No, I don't know who “her” is, and I really don't care at this point.
Brogan randomly hacks off a piece of expensive, gaudy curtain and gives it to Lunetta as a “pretty.” The chapter ends with the dramatic reveal (*snort*) that Brogan is, in fact, the “lord general” of the Blood of the Fold. Or at least it might be dramatic if there had been any doubt whatsoever.
Drinks: 8
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