originally posted by Julie
Thank you Janny- now PLEASE finish this book!!!
My take: Arithon, the Fellowship, and the Koriani entered into an agreement born out of desperation due to the incursion of free wraiths. They(wraiths) as well as Arithon are being held "out" of Athera since society did not collapse. From the previous snippet we know that the Fellowship owe something to the Koriani. I got the feeling that the Koriani think they are getting more than they actually will. Arithon's daughter cannot be "handed over" since she has free will and is not a commodity. She no doubt has a big role to play in her father's salvation as seen at the moment of her conception.
originally posted by Pablo Krause
I wonder if Arithon is on Athera at all. If my memories are correct, besides the few wraiths at Rockfell, the big rest of the mistwraith' self is on the splitter/other worlds like Marak. So if Arithon is still on Athera in body and/or spirit there had to be a mass invasion of free wraiths from space, or the Fellowship/Koriani opened a rift between the worlds "An uncanny rift opened up underfoot" … how'd they do that without mass invasion of wraiths??? And "countless of millions" implicate a numerous wraith battle per day! Battling 14 wraiths per day would lead to just one million (365Days * 200Years base assumption) freed human souls. Heavy workload i'd say … So if he is on Athera these wraiths had to be guided/channeled directly to him without risking a flow of others coming too. Space Opera?
originally posted by Kirsten Laurelle Wallace
This is wonderful! Thank you so much for the excerpt, Janny. Everytime I read some of your writing I always have the urge to reread the entire series. 
originally posted by Thomas Fairman
My two cents,
Arithons daughter cannot be handed over as this would be a violation of the law of the major balance, something the fellowship cannot do regardless of how much they may want to. Also isn't she supposed to be under the care of the Biedar now and I cant see them letting the Koriani get their hands on her in any way shape or form given their longstanding emnity. Also it can't surely be a large scale space invasion of wraiths as this would overwhelm the defences far faster than Arithon or anyone else could deal with them.If he is being brought one, or even two or three, a day that implies the would have to be stored somewhere e.g. Rockfell.
I think that this is nothing to do with Marak, rather this isthe fellowship trying to free the wraiths that form the mistwraith, finally solving that problem - The mistwraith could have again threatened to break out of Rockfell and the Fellowship were forced to call on Arithon to combat them one by one until the entity of the Mistwraiths wraiths were freed. Also this could be an attempt by the fellowship, by freeing the wraiths to heal Traithe and regain that part of his mind taken by wraiths earlier.
I would think that the Koriani matriach is probably still Selidie/Morriel - she has obsessed with survival and I cant see her failing in the preceding 200 years as she has survived over 1000 years. Also she has been to an important character to simply do away with out of shot so to speak. Moreover I dont think the fellowship would let her just die, not without coming up with some way to save Selidie - remember she is an innocent in all of this.
Anyway thanks awefully for the snippet, cant wait for the book now - but how is that state of affairs any different to before the snippit I ask?
originally posted by Auna
Holy cow! Wow is all I can say. I'm all tingly with anticipation. Great snippet.
I'll have to plan on dropping life when that book gets in my greedy paws!
originally posted by Phome
I fail to check the site for 5 days and this is what happens!
Exquisite.
originally posted by Mark Stephen Kominski
You and me both, Phome, although I unfortunately had the plague, and couldn't have come here with sufficient cognizance to appreciate it. A nice surprise to return to, however. I don't quite know what to think…yet! Must cogitate…
*Sneaks back out, snippet mongering urge sated for the nonce…*
originally posted by motley
Haven't been on in quite a while, nearly a year, and there's a snippet! Great…
Intense feeling … trapped again? I like the suggestion that it's chosen.
Looking forward to it…
originally posted by Michael Nicholson
Thank you
originally posted by Dan Henby
My $0.05:
EITHER Arithon is working to free the wraiths in Rockfell,
OR he is somehow INSIDE the Great Waystone and is freeing it somehow, so that its malevolence is removed?
As is apparent, I think he allowed himself to be imprisoned, for the purpose of freeing someone. Thus, he is working WITH the Prime Matriarch in this situation. Is it Selidie? Not sure. Only if she managed to remove Morriel.
Janny, FINISH! (please?)
originally posted by Laneth Sffarlenn
Personally, I don't think these are the wraiths in Rockfell - it makes me want to get the book out again, but from memory there weren't that many wraiths imprisoned to begin with so for him to have battled "millions" in the same way, each day that passes, it makes me think that these are new wraiths, and that was the dire need that drove Arithon to volunteer his services.
originally posted by Thomas Fairman
I rememeber somewhere, I think in CotM it refers to thousands of entities. Millions may simply be a figure of speech in the sense that it would feel like millions to Arithon if he is endlessly fighting wraiths - see the calculations by Pablo
originally posted by Hunter
The Mistwraith on Athera involved myriad entities… the remainder left on Marak was the entire population of Marak… millions if not billions. We know that the wards on Athera weren't properly set by Asandir and Kharadmon is still trying to fight them. I suspect all of the wraiths have found their way to Athera.
If Arithon is fighting them one at a time (big presumption) one wonders how it might be arranged that only one entity at a time can get to Arithon. It has been mentioned in the books that the bardic skills can release the wraiths across the veil as they are currently held against their will (necromancy anyone?) but the main question was how to winnow them out separately so they could be individually released. A bit like the end of Curse where Arithon released the spirits of the Deshir clan women and children that Lysaer torched.
originally posted by Mark Stephen Kominski
As a continued twist on this wraiths-found-their-way-to-Athera thought (h-u-g-e stretch, probably larger than Hunter's), the Koriani have somehow found a way to either subject the wraiths to their will, channel their attention, or formed an unholy pact with them…(Gulp!)
This deals (kind of, work with me here) with "overwhelm the defenses" issue, but what a mess…
originally posted by Clansman
Anybody remember that big beacon that the F7 sent into outer space to direct Kharadmon back from seeing what was happening on Marak? And how that poor spirit had known how to come back, but was kept very busy evading wraiths in order to avoid becoming one of them? When he got back, he indicated that the wraiths now had a path to follow to Athera.
Is this not the long-threatened (over the entirety of Arc III) invasion of free wraiths from outer space that might have somehow fallen upon Arithon to deal with? This is not a speculative thought, as it is coming from my memories of the earlier parts of Arc III. If I am wrong, let me know.
Need to re-read…
Anyone else agree/disagree?
originally posted by Thomas Fairman
I am not sure. I can't remember the exact quote but it was something along the lines of 'as long as every tree and living thing that had leant its lifeforce to the beacon remained the wraiths would have a path to Athera'. Is it not possible that over 200 years we have now reached the point where the spell has faded and can no longer be traced. Moreover I hardly think that the Seven would have been idle during this period. Surely one of their main tasks would have been coming up with a more foolproof shielding method and defence against the wraiths so the whole problem may no longer exist
originally posted by Julie
Can't remember which book this happened in but when Morriel goes to Althain to have her Waystone restored to pre F7 "tampering" Asandir tells her about the beacon. She surmises at that point that Arithon's bardic talents may be used to deal with the wraiths. I think as corrupted as she has become, she still holds to the tenets of the Sisterhood to protect humanity . The seals at Rockfell have been compromised and reinforced- perhaps those are wraiths Arithon is dealing with once and for all.
originally posted by Pablo Krause
I just realized why it's such a pleasure to come here and look. All these thoughts about lose ends in the story, how they might fit togehter or what makes them fit togehter into one colour-woven carpet. Still it's not possible to go back and see the whole thing, just glimmering facets. Maybe thats what drives storytellers - besides the word crafting.
Some language thing: Is there a difference about "throwing my $0.05?" and "throwing my two cents in"? It's describing the same content i think. I had to look for this expression on wiki. And Dan, was this meant ironical? Still working on my english.
I agree to Thomas. The spell of the beacon might have faded now. Like the spells around rockfell do, or even the barrier thats around Athera. What's the point about building some huge, invulnerable barrier in a story that won't crumble? Doesn't make sense IMHO. And the barriers need some regularly update from the F7. Which are in some kind of trouble, because they need a new caithdein for Lysaer (snippet one or two? That tawny/talith like girl?) And Necromancy might also play a role, in this wraith thing, but i'm still thinking about the necromancy-koriani-biedar connection (some hunch. I'm still re-reading and just finished FP).
So many lose ends… A half dragon/davien, what's with Elaira (happy ending: queen of rathain or koriani prime? sethvir mentioned real trouble if elaira would become prime matriarch somewhere in FP). Lirenda also has to play a final role (bringing the koriani down, because of her suppressed passion), Arithon imprisoned, some half/sane? Lysaer, Cyladis still missing on (Los Lier? Another energy plane?), koriani-biedar conflicts that are solved by Arithons descendants?, wraiths…
… my head is spinning …
originally posted by Pablo Krause
Oh and Dakar has to become a full member of the Fellowship, if everything fails to get them restored to seven. Would be realy funny, after all of his trials
originally posted by Jeff
Thank you, Janny!
Regarding: "when the edge of his temper reached a peak intensity", I'm anxious to read more to find out why that is when Arithon is given the lyranthe; and what happens to cause him to relinquish it.
To other posters:
1. Regarding whether or not Morriel/Selidie is prime and the condition of her hands, read or re-read the first sneak preview. In this (5th) preview, when the "old woman" brings the lyranthe, no mention is made of her hands.
2. Regarding Dakar (or Verrain) becoming a replacement to complete the Fellowship, I believe that Janny has mentioned somewhere in the forum that that won't happen. I think it has something to do with the nature of the dragons' binding. If I understand correctly, no amount of training could produce a Fellowship sorcerer. It was a one-time event that could not likely be repeated as the confluence of circumstance and potential was unique.
Then again, maybe mature dragons could do it with the benefit of human insight/perspective. Even then, it would be unlikely as there would probably be a different 'congregation?' of dragons than the one which bound the Seven.
–Any corrections are welcome--