Stone 10

Chapter 10
Okay, does anyone else think the Nuns are idiots? Rather than have a rational conversation with Richard, they pull some sort of ritual suicide nonsense and refuse to tell him the reasons why he should wear the Ramalamading'Han. Because the best way to persuade someone to do something is to give them an ultimatum without information, backed up by threat of DEATH and ENDLESS NIGHTMARES. Oh, and Richard has to dispose of the corpse after Nun #2 chose to off herself.
Keep in mind, they offer this choice to children. Assuming Richard is a fairly typical fantasy hero, he's in his twenties, and the Nuns expected him to be at most a third of his age. The Nuns offer this choice to children younger than ten. And if the child refuses, as I should think most would (“Put on the collar and come away with the crazy ladies for however long they decide, and no you can't see your family again!”), one of the Nuns kills herself in front of him. And they make the child bury the corpse personally or suffer endless nightmares!
Whatever scant sympathy I might have had for the Nuns has now completely evaporated. \~/\~/\~/\~/
Richard and Kahlan are sitting by the fire. Richard comments that he hates magic, and Kahlan persuades him that magic isn't inherently bad: the two people Richard loves most, herself and Zedd, have magic (and are both horrible people, she doesn't add).
Richard reiterates how Denna collared and tortured him, although I notice he leaves out the rape. Kahlan asks about the +5 Riding Crop of Pain, and Richard touches her while touching the Riding Crop. This hurts Kahlan...wait, the Riding Crop transmits pain through the holder? When did this happen? \~/
Richard suddenly gets all emo, and holds the +5 Riding Crop of Pain while explaining that it hurts him all the time. Yes, our “hero” is a masochist; isn't that lovely? \~/
Kahlan touches the Riding Crop itself (because, apparently, she's also a masochist) and we then get most of a page of Richard describing in detail how he was tortured. Still no mention of the rape.
However, Kahlan guesses that Denna “took you for her mate,” and Richard acknowledges this. Cue another page of torture-description, both of Richard and of Denna, and I really start to wonder about Terry Goodkind. \~/
And that's basically the chapter. The short, unpleasant, unnecessary chapter.
Drinks: 7
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