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76-454: Linden Avery is taken 10,000 years into the Land 's past, where she meets Berek Halfhand. Donaldson returns to the Land for the third series of novels based there. We are re-introduced to Linden Avery years after she first encountered Thomas Covenant and was forever changed by the experience. We journey once more to the familiar fantasy world where everything is again under threat. Linden Avery

152-533: A "Gravelingas", or a Rhadhamaerl which also refers to the craft of stone lore. Stonedownors are typically dark-skinned, squat and muscular, though this is not always the case. Trell and Triock are both unusually tall for Stonedownors. During the Second Chronicles, their leaders are known as Gravellers, and sacrifice members of their village to use the blood to call forth the power of the Sunbane. Sunder,

228-695: A Forestal oneself. Hile Troy was willing to pay that price, to save the army under his command from defeat and destruction. The Giants are a race of extremely long-lived (but nevertheless mortal) humanoids of unusual height and strength. Giants are known for their stone lore (similar to but not identical with that of the Stonedownors), their skill at seamanship, their good humour and their love of story-telling. A common Giantish interjection is, "Stone and Sea!" Giants are resistant to cold and cannot be harmed by ordinary fire. Fire does, however, cause them intense pain, which they use to cure themselves of grief in

304-520: A concept which appears to do duty for both these beliefs: it is impossible to determine whether the sound used for this is "Worm", "Word" or "Weird", as it comes out in a blurred form sounding something like "Würd". In the Thomas Covenant stories, Donaldson takes several terms from Sanskrit that are significant in Hinduism and Buddhism and reassigns them meanings in the Land. For example,

380-451: A deep concern with moral issues; in other works, the conflict is a power struggle, with, for instance, wizards behaving irresponsibly whether they are "good" or "evil". Role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons with campaign settings like Dragonlance by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis and Forgotten Realms by Ed Greenwood are a common basis for many fantasy books and many other authors continue to contribute to

456-492: A game he called "Clench Racing", wherein players each open a volume of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant to a random page; the winner is the first to find the word "clench". Lowe describes it as a "fast" game – "sixty seconds is unusually drawn out". In 1995, scholar W. A. Senior published a full-length study published by Kent State University Press entitled Stephen R. Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Variations on

532-537: A hardy race of warriors living in the Westron Mountains, west of the Land. The Haruchai shun the use of weapons or magic, taking pride in their own physical prowess and the purity of their service, which is never given lightly. They have the ability to communicate amongst themselves via telepathy, and each can access the combined memories of their entire race. Outwardly stoic, even seemingly emotionless, they could also be considered arrogant in their beliefs. It

608-538: A meeting with Caerroil Wildwood, at which point the Forestal bestows Linden with runes for her Staff of Law. After the gift of the runes is given, the Mahdoubt's ability to time-travel allows Linden to return to her proper time, where she is reunited with her friends. When Linden recovers from her ordeal, her friends tell her that they have communicated with the voice of Thomas Covenant via Anele. They also tell her of

684-586: A mysterious man who has rid Revelstone of the hoarding Demondim. Linden confronts the man, who turns out to be the Harrow, another of the Insequent. He attempts to wrest Linden's white gold ring and the Staff of Law from her, but the Mahdoubt intervenes and forces the Harrow's forbearance, at the cost of her sanity. Linden eventually resolves to seek out Loric's krill , a powerful tool which will allow her to channel

760-621: A person who seeks such a mount must travel to the Plains of Ra and offer himself to the horses for consideration. If a Ranyhyn accepts a rider, it is loyal to that rider until death. All of the Bloodguard (apparently) are accepted by the Ranyhyn, but not all Lords have been deemed worthy. The Ranyhyn also have a limited ability to perceive the future; these horses can "hear" when their rider will need them, hearing their calling days or weeks before

836-785: A proud and gifted race, they were led into self-hatred and despair by the Ravers. They were eventually destroyed by the Council of Lords, under High Lord Loric "Vilesilencer". The Waynhim are another race of creatures spawned by the Demondim that closely resemble the Ur-viles, though smaller and lighter in color. Like the Ur-viles (who are their long-standing nemeses), the Waynhim were made rather than born. However, they do not share their cousins' self-hatred, and have dedicated themselves to serving

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912-636: A remote region of the Earth called Elmesnedene, accessible only by ship via a narrow fjord called "The Raw". Although other people are welcome to visit and even stay in Elmesnedene, time flows quickly there and even the long-lived Giants grow rapidly old and die. In their own perspective the Elohim constitute the animating principle of the Earth and the history of the Land is the manifestation of events in their own consciousness. As they regard their own domain as

988-490: A ritual known as caamora . In return for a favor performed for the mysterious Elohim long ago, the entire race of Giants are endowed with an innate ability to speak and understand all languages. The Giants' own language is very florid and verbose, and they find human speech to be rather curt and inexpressive. The Giants of the Land are sometimes called the Unhomed since they were separated from their homeland long ago. Although

1064-596: A state of pure consciousness. Donaldson has commented on his website that moksha, samadhi, and turiya are ways the Ravers describe themselves, while their other names are given by others. The first volume in the series was included in David Pringle 's book Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels . Conversely, in 1986, David Langford published an essay by Nick Lowe , in which Lowe suggested "a way to derive pleasure from Stephen Donaldson books. (Needless to say, it doesn't involve reading them.)" This proposal involved

1140-459: A trilogy, entitled The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever . This was followed by another trilogy, The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant , and finally a tetralogy, The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant . The main character of the stories is Thomas Covenant, an embittered and cynical writer, afflicted with leprosy and shunned by society but fated to become the heroic savior of

1216-413: A world-threatening problem. In many novels the hero is an orphan or unusual sibling, and frequently portrayed with an extraordinary talent for magic or combat. They begin the story young, if not as an actual child, or are portrayed as being very weak and/or useless. The hero often begins as a childlike figure, but matures rapidly, experiencing a considerable gain in fighting/problem-solving abilities along

1292-458: Is called a Hirebrand, or a lillianrill ( Lillianrill usually refers to the craft of wood lore). They are typically fair-skinned, tall and slender. During the age of the Sunbane, in the absence of permanent trees, woodhelvens became villages of wooden huts. In Donaldson's fiction, Andelain is a focal region of the Land, where the Earthpower is especially strong. In the Second Chronicles it

1368-520: Is determined to save her adopted son, Jeremiah, from the hands of the Despiser. However, before she even begins her search, it appears that Jeremiah and Thomas Covenant have ridden into Revelstone, despite the voice of Thomas Covenant previously telling Linden to "find me". The behaviour and demeanour of her two loved ones arouse suspicion and doubt in Linden. The Masters ( Haruchai ) act as hosts whilst

1444-456: Is manifested by his extremely well orchestrated and even cautious long-term plans throughout the chronicles. The Ramen tend to the needs of the Ranyhyn (see below). The Ramen's life-work is to serve the Ranyhyn, whom they hold in very high esteem. Traditionally they do not ride or otherwise subjugate the great horses, and can grow resentful of those who do. The fact that the Lords of Revelstone and

1520-668: Is never addressed in the books. There are, however, other languages extant: for example, in Lord Foul's Bane , Atiaran tells Thomas Covenant that a different language was spoken in the age of the Old Lords. (However, this appears to be contradicted in Fatal Revenant , when Linden Avery and Berek Halfhand converse together in English.) Non-humans also have their own languages, for example the barking speech of ur-viles and Waynhim,

1596-543: Is not considered to include the sword and sorcery genre. High fantasy has often been defined by its themes and messages. " Good versus evil " is a common one in high fantasy, and defining the character of evil is often an important theme in a work of high fantasy, such as The Lord of the Rings . The importance of the concept of good and evil can be regarded as the distinguishing mark between high fantasy and sword and sorcery. In many works of high fantasy, this conflict marks

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1672-520: Is one of a learned race known as the Insequent. Linden is informed that she must be careful not to upset the Law of Time whilst journeying through this age. Linden and her companions encounter the Land's ancient hero, Berek Heartthew, the Lord-Fatherer, and his sorely depleted army. The Theomach guides Linden through this meeting, mindful that their presence in this time could have a profound effect on

1748-570: Is quickly subdued by a group of female Giant-warriors, who agree to join Linden's company on their journey to Andelain. Their leader explains to Linden that the actions of the crazed Giant, Longwrath (who is the grandson of Linden's old friend the First of the Search), have been the focus of her group's activities; they have pledged to discover the focus of Longwrath's madness, which seems to be Linden herself. With Longwrath imprisoned by his fellow Giants,

1824-597: Is reserved for the trees of the One Forest of old, and their loathing of the Earthpower and all good things has led them to become Lord Foul's willing servants. The Despiser is somehow able to enhance their abilities when he pleases, but can prevent them from possessing individuals he deems too powerful (They were not allowed to possess Thomas Covenant, for instance, because his ring would make them too powerful for Lord Foul to control). This possession can be, and in some cases needs to be, facilitated by some external power. In

1900-506: Is revealed on several occasions that the Haruchai are a deeply passionate race, capable of swearing a lifetime's worth of service if sufficiently moved. The Insequent are a mysterious race of people who dwell to the west of the Land. Each Insequent has a unique and very focused skill that can seem magical or superhuman. These skills range from invisibility, virtual invulnerability or even time travel. They have an almost dismissive disdain for

1976-647: Is the most commonly used name for the ancient enemy of the Land, given to him by the Council of Lords. He is also called 'The Despiser', the 'Gray Slayer' (his name in The Plains), 'Fangthane the Render' by the Ramen and 'a-Jeroth of the Seven Hells' by The Clave. According to Roger Covenant, he also called himself 'a-Jeroth' during the time he served on Kevin's council. He is described as "the wicked son or brother of

2052-533: Is the one place immune from the Sunbane, as it is protected by the Forestal Caer Caveral. Languages: Human inhabitants of the Land (together with Giants, Cavewights, and the human inhabitants of other regions of the Earth) all appear to speak modern English, though their style of speech is usually rather formal and archaic. The strange commonality of language between Covenant and the Land's inhabitants

2128-541: The Elohim they were created by the One Forest itself using knowledge from another Elohim imprisoned within the Colossus. The Forestals actively protected the remaining forest from destruction by encroaching mortals. They were more numerous in the distant past but few survived into the era of the New Lords. By the time of the Second Chronicles, when the remnants of the ancient forest (with the exception of Giant Woods in

2204-607: The krill , her Dead appear to her: Sunder, Hollian, Honninscrave, Cail, the Old Lords - but not Thomas Covenant himself. Yet the Dead refuse to give her counsel. Reaching the apex of her hidden intention, Linden summons the breakers of the Laws of Life and Death: Elena and Caer-Caveral. Through their presence the spirit of Thomas Covenant is invoked. Yet he too refuses to give her counsel; he cannot. The Humbled attempt to intervene too, but Linden's friends win her freedom to choose by thwarting

2280-400: The krill' s resting place. Linden is besought by both the Harrow and Infelice of the Elohim to turn aside both from her desire for the powerful blade, and her hidden intentions. The Harrow tells Linden that he knows where Lord Foul is keeping Jeremiah, and that he will trade the knowledge for the white gold ring and the Staff of Law. But Linden will not be turned aside and, as she approaches

2356-483: The "most unlikeable supposedly sympathetic protagonist". In 2013, Tom Shippey , writing in The Wall Street Journal , declared that, "in time "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" will be seen as one of the self-defining works of the third millennium, our equivalent in scope and ambition of earlier epics and fantasies, from Virgil's " Aeneid " to Tennyson's " Arthurian Idylls " and Tolkien's " Lord of

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2432-524: The 'Illearth War' the Ravers were only able to possess their giant 'hosts' when they worked in harmony with the power of the Illearth Stone. They often serve as leaders in Lord Foul's armies, or as spies among his enemies. Stonedownors are humans descended from the Land's original inhabitants. They are known for their knowledge of stone lore and live in stone huts. A master of stone lore is called

2508-645: The Ardent, although both the Vizard and the Auriference are believed to be deceased. The Lords are the leaders and stewards of the Land, also known as Earthfriends. The standards for Lordship are high, so they are generally few in number. In order to become a Lord, a person must master the martial arts and the theory and application of magic. These skills are called the Sword and the Staff respectively, and together form

2584-457: The Bloodguard often ride the great horses is a major point of contention, but the Ramen tolerate this in deference to the Ranyhyn, who choose to give their service. When defending the Ranyhyn from Kresh (large wolves in service to the Despiser) or other predators, the Ramen frequently use ropes as garottes to break the attackers' necks. Ramen are organised into three "ranks": Manethralls who are

2660-459: The Creator's heart" and is the source of all evil in the Land. He is a being of pure spirit, although capable of taking on human form, and is apparently immortal: he cannot be killed, but his power can be reduced to near insignificance. On occasions when this has happened he has always been able to restore and regenerate his power. His desire to bring suffering to the earth and the Land in particular

2736-619: The Despiser. But Thomas Covenant appears distraught at her actions: "Oh Linden, what have you done?". Infelice replies that with her use of extreme power, Linden Avery has roused the Worm of the World's End, endangering the Arch of Time itself and all life in the Land. The Land (Stephen R. Donaldson) The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is a series of ten high fantasy novels written by American author Stephen R. Donaldson . The series began as

2812-596: The Donaldson short story collection Daughter of Regals (1985). It was set during the action of The Illearth War , and covers an episode from the doomed mission to contact the Giants. Gilden-Fire is told from the point of view of Korik, the senior Bloodguard on the mission. It describes Korik's selection of the mission's Bloodguard, then narrates the mission's passage through Grimmerdhore forest, where they defeat an ambush of ur-viles and kresh (wolves). The narrative ends as

2888-485: The Earthblood, Linden commands that the truth be shown concerning her companions. Instantly their true forms are revealed: Thomas Covenant's son Roger Covenant has been wearing the guise of his father, whilst Jeremiah is shown to be under the malign influence of a croyel , a parasitic being that feeds upon and takes over the mind of its host. A raging battle takes place in the caverns of Melenkurion Skyweir, during which

2964-527: The Fantasy of Tradition . It situates the Chronicles in the context of the fantasy tradition and argues that "Donaldson has created an important contribution to the canon because of his serious intent and adult concerns, his powerful mythopoesis , and his manipulation of the conventions of epic fantasy." In 2009, James Nicoll said that Thomas Covenant would win a "special lifetime achievement award" for

3040-521: The First Ward of Kevin's Lore, an ancient repository of knowledge. A student who masters both parts of the Lore – and does not opt to become Unfettered in order to pursue a private vision – is invited to join the Council of Lords at Revelstone, also known as Lord's Keep. The Lords carry special staffs that allow them to channel their power, and are easily identified by their sky blue robes. Lord Foul

3116-592: The Giants love children, they are becoming infertile, and their numbers are dwindling. Kevin Landwaster entrusted them with the first of his Seven Wards before the Ritual of Desecration. They sometimes address (and are addressed by) humans as "Rockbrother" or "Rocksister", in honor of the ancient alliance they made with High Lord Damelon Giantfriend. Saltheart Foamfollower is a Giant. The Griffins are winged lions. They are sometimes ridden by ur-viles. The Haruchai are

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3192-577: The Giants' florid and ornate language, and the native tongue of the Haruchai . In the Second Chronicles it is explained that the Giants received "the gift of tongues" from the Elohim as a reward for the telling of a simple tale, and the Bhrathair , a people who live on the edge of the Great Desert, also speak their own language, which is described only as sounding "brackish". Worm/Word/Weird. In

3268-469: The Graveller of Mithil Stonedown, manages to use the power of Loric's Krill to summon forth the power of the Sunbane without shedding blood, and learns to manipulate the Sunbane for his own purposes. Ur-viles are blind yet highly magical creatures of jet black color and are constructs of an extinct race named the Demondim. One of their most distinctive abilities is that when assembled in a wedge formation,

3344-533: The Haruchai and a bitter and long-standing rivalry with The Elohim , which has not yet been fully explained. They rarely reveal their true names, but prefer to be identified by their titles. So far only four Insequent have appeared in the stories: The Mahdoubt, the Harrow, the Theomach and the Ardent. A fifth, the Vizard, is referenced by several other characters, and a sixth—the Auriference—is mentioned briefly by

3420-515: The Humbled's attempts. Finally Linden grasps the krill , and is exalted by a transcendent surge of power: she is now able to wield both wild magic and Earthpower combined, too much power for any one being without the krill' s facility to channel such forces. With her newly acquired power, Linden enacts her secret desire and hidden intention; she resurrects Thomas Covenant, the only person she feels can help her in her quest to find Jeremiah and defeat

3496-419: The Illearth Stone, but shortly afterward she is transported thousands of years into the Land's past by the forms of Thomas Covenant and Jeremiah. Covenant reveals to Linden that he and Jeremiah plan to drink the Earthblood in an attempt to thwart the dire plans of both Lord Foul and Kastenessen, the renegade Elohim . However the trio soon encounter the mysterious and knowledgeable Theomach, a puissant figure who

3572-406: The Land , an alternate world. In ten novels, published between 1977 and 2013, he struggles against Lord Foul, "the Despiser", who intends to escape the bondage of the physical universe and wreak revenge upon his arch-enemy, "the Creator". The story Gilden-Fire first appeared as an independent novella (illustrated by Peter Goodfellow), but is now most widely available as a part of most versions of

3648-473: The Land and the Earthpower according to their own peculiar ethical system, the Weird of the Waynhim. Like the Ur-viles, they fight in a wedge formation with a loremaster at the apex. The Woodhelvennin are humans descended from the Land's original inhabitants. They are known for their use of wood lore and living in tree-top villages called "woodhelvens". The village elders are called Heers . A master of wood lore

3724-482: The Law of Time. It is during this meeting that the Theomach reveals the Seven Words of Power to Berek. The Insequent explains Linden's odd appearance and presence by dubbing her the first of the "Unfettered Ones", thus keeping the Law of Time intact. Berek senses her white gold ring, which turns out to be the Land's first encounter with the powerful alloy. Linden, Covenant and Jeremiah depart Berek's camp, leaving

3800-683: The Lower Land) were long dead, the last remaining Forestal lived in Andelain. His name was Caer-Caveral, though he was originally Hile Troy, a man from Covenant's world who had once been Warmark (commander-in-chief) of the Lords' army. As described in The Illearth War , a mortal may in a desperate situation ask for the Forestals' help by singing the Forestals' own song ("I am the forest...") - but anyone who does that must pay by becoming

3876-566: The Rings —are regarded as archetypal works of high fantasy . The term "high fantasy" was coined by Lloyd Alexander in a 1971 essay, "High Fantasy and Heroic Romance", which was originally given at the New England Round Table of Children's Librarians in October 1969. Many high fantasy stories are told from the viewpoint of one main hero. Often, much of the plot revolves around their heritage or mysterious nature, along with

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3952-432: The Rings "." High fantasy High fantasy , or epic fantasy , is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters , themes , or plot . High fantasy is usually set in an alternative, fictional ("secondary") world , rather than the "real" or "primary" world. This secondary world is usually internally consistent, but its rules differ from those of

4028-546: The Staff of Law also join the fray. A mighty battle ensues, during which Linden summons the Sandgorgon Nom for aid. An army of Sandgorgons appears and enters the melee, turning the tide of battle in favour of Linden's company; Roger Covenant retreats, and the Harrow and Esmer vanish. The Sandgorgons, communicating telepathically with Stave of the Haruchai , inform Linden that they consider their service to her to be over and they will no longer obey her summons. Linden and

4104-474: The Theomach behind to fulfill his chosen role as Berek's guide. Whilst Covenant and Jeremiah attempt to teleport the trio to Melenkurion Skyweir, the source of the Earthblood, Linden is separated from them, and finds herself lost amongst the ancient forest of Garroting Deep. Here she encounters an ancient race, the Viles. She knows from her time in the Land that the Viles will be corrupted by Lord Foul's Ravers in

4180-466: The Viles and Garroting Deep's Forestal, Caerroil Wildwood. During the ensuing battle, Linden is reunited with her two companions, who hasten her towards Melenkurion Skyweir. The trio enter the caverns of Melenkurion Skyweir. Linden's doubts and misgivings concerning her companions continue to grow, and as the three approach the Earthblood, Linden resolves to partake of the powerful, wish-granting substance before Covenant or Jeremiah. Once she has drunk of

4256-477: The Viles. They had a semi-corporeal nature, and could only achieve physical presence by animating dead bodies. They were not originally wholly evil, but their inherent self-loathing was used by Lord Foul to gain their allegiance. They spawned two other races, the Waynhim and the ur-viles. The Elohim are a "faerie" people with god-like powers. They appear (to mortal perceptions) as beautiful men and women and are capable of dazzling physical transformations. They inhabit

4332-405: The age of the Sunbane they leave the Land altogether. They are protected by their human servants the Ramen. The Ranyhyn are akin to normal horses, but are larger, always have a star and are in some indefinable sense enhanced by the Earthpower of the Land, so that their speed, endurance and intelligence outstrip those of a standard horse. The Ranyhyn can be ridden by individuals they deem worthy, but

4408-470: The ancient mountain is torn asunder. Roger Covenant and the croyel -driven Jeremiah eventually escape, leaving Linden in a state of despair. Half-catatonic, she eventually once again finds herself amongst the trees of Garroting Deep. Here Linden finds the Mahdoubt, another of the Insequent who had previously befriended her in Revelstone during her "proper" time. The Mahdoubt acts as Linden's liaison during

4484-456: The centuries to come; eventually they will spawn the Demondim, who in turn will spawn the ur‑viles and Waynhim. During this encounter Linden risks the Law of Time by attempting to dissuade the Viles from their path of self-loathing, informing the Viles of the Raver's part in their corruption. However, in the midst of her revelation, Covenant and Jeremiah contrive to instigate a confrontation between

4560-405: The company continue to the relatively new forest of Salva Gildenbourne, a wild, jungle-like expanse which surrounds Andelain. Here they first encounter one of the fiery serpent-like skurj ; the company struggle to fight it, and Linden finds she is unable to channel sufficient power from her Staff of Law as a consequence of Kevin's Dirt. At the same time Linden is attacked by a crazed Giant. The Giant

4636-465: The company encounters Esmer, who warns them that Kastenessen, his grandfather, has sent a pack of skurj to thwart Linden's attempt to recover the krill . Making a desperate stand on the outskirts of Andelain, the company manages to hold off the skurj long enough to enter Andelain, where their attackers seem to be unable to follow. As Linden and her companions enter Andelain, the Wraiths guide her to

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4712-476: The cosmology of the Land, the Earth's core consists of a coiled-up serpent called the "Worm of the World's End". When Covenant attempts to sever a branch of the One Tree by using the power of the white gold, he risks rousing the Worm (which is not fully asleep, but merely resting) and thus destroying the Earth. The Waynhim and Ur-viles believe in a principle of ethics or destiny called the "Weird". The Elohim have

4788-537: The group are in Revelstone. Linden seeks to wash away some of the effects of her adventures and Kevin's Dirt by bathing in Glimmermere, the Earthpower-rich lake above Revelstone. It is there that the ever-conflicted Esmer informs her that she must be the "first to drink of the Earthblood". Linden returns to Revelstone and accomplishes her immediate goal of cutting off the Demondim's access to a fragment of

4864-491: The humans of the Land). They are described as having "long, scrawny limbs, hands as huge and heavy as shovels," plus "a thin, hunched torso, and a head shaped like a battering ram." Drool Rockworm is a cavewight. The Creator is the mysterious being who created the Land and the universe in which it exists. This universe is referred to as "the Land" but is clearly a different reality than Covenant's world. The fundamental structure of

4940-462: The leader (or loremaster ) at the apex wields the combined power of the entire group, without weakening any of their kin in the rest of the wedge. The ur-viles initially served Lord Foul, but later turned against him by creating the creature Vain (from which the new Staff of Law was created). In The Runes of the Earth , the ur-viles have actively joined the side of "good", though their motivation remains unclear. Because they were made rather than born,

5016-525: The leaders, Cords who assist the Manethralls while training to become Manethralls themselves, and Winhomes who perform domestic supporting duties. Two other ranks are mentioned in The Runes of the Earth , Keepers and Curriers, but their placement within the Ramen hierarchy is not known. The Ranyhyn are the great horses of the Land. In the early books these horses live on the Plains of Ra, though in

5092-473: The mission leaves the forest. According to the author's foreword, Gilden-Fire was originally part of a larger, planned section of The Illearth War that followed the mission to the Giants in "real time", but was cut due to space restrictions as well as point-of-view inconsistency with the rest of the Chronicles . The events during the trek through Grimmerdhore are not mentioned in the published narrative of The Illearth War , and some information shared here on

5168-419: The only "real" place in the Earth, they rarely dabble in outside events. However, if they perceive a grave threat to the Earth, one of their number is "Appointed" to attempt to avert the threat – and to bear the cost of failing. Forestals are beings who serve the forests of the Land, the remnants of the One Forest, the great sentient wood which once covered the Land. They are human in appearance, but according to

5244-517: The origin and motivation of the Bloodguard does appear in other contexts in the published Chronicles . The rest of the mission after the Grimmerdhore passage was included in the Chronicles , via the narrative device of Bloodguard messengers. Cavewights are dimly intelligent subterranean creatures skilled in metal working and mining. They are weak-willed, and are easily intimidated by Lord Foul into serving him (though they once traded openly with

5320-434: The power of her white gold ring and the Staff of Law. Accompanied by her friends and the Humbled (three self-maimed Haruchai ), Linden leads a quest to Andelain, the last known resting place of the krill . However the company is besieged when an army of Cavewights and kresh , led by Roger Covenant, attacks them along their way. Esmer materialises, as does the Harrow. The ur-viles which had served Linden during her search for

5396-436: The primary world. By contrast, low fantasy is characterized by being set on Earth, the primary or real world, or a rational and familiar fictional world with the inclusion of magical elements. The romances of William Morris , such as The Well at the World's End , set in an imaginary medieval world, are sometimes regarded as the first examples of high fantasy. The works of J. R. R. Tolkien —especially The Lord of

5472-554: The rider makes the call. Thus, when the rider summons his Ranyhyn, it appears shortly thereafter, regardless of the distance between them. Ravers are bodiless evil spirits with the ability to possess and control some lesser creatures, and most humans as well. Giants and Bloodguard are typically immune to this power, and there are no known instances of a Raver possessing a Ranyhyn. There are only three Ravers, ancient brothers who each have many names but are commonly called Turiya Herem, Samadhi Sheol, and Moksha Jehannum. Their greatest hatred

5548-456: The term moksha , which in Sanskrit refers to liberation from the cycle of sorrow, is given as the original name for a creature of depravity and evil called a Raver. Another Raver, Satansfist, is called samādhi , which in Sanskrit refers to a state of mind in which one achieves oneness with the object of one's concentration. The third Raver, Kinslaughterer, is called turiya , Sanskrit for

5624-413: The universe, the Arch of Time, prevents the Creator from intervening directly in events in the world of his creation, and he never appears in physical form within that world. He can, however, manifest himself in the "real" world—he appears to Covenant and Linden as an old man in an ochre robe—and guides those who attempt to make contact between the universes. The Demondim are a now-extinct race spawned by

5700-505: The ur-viles loathe their own bodies and often redirect this rage towards other targets. They also do not die, except when killed, or reproduce naturally, although they do retain the lore required to construct more of their own kind and the Waynhim—however, their motivations for doing so are unlike those of natural creatures. Viles are an extinct race who spawned the Demondim. They were non-corporeal, but nonetheless very powerful. Initially

5776-452: The way. The progress of the story leads to the character's learning the nature of the unknown forces against them, that they constitute a force with great power and malevolence. The villains in such stories are usually completely evil and unrelatable. "High fantasy" often serves as a broad term to include a number of different flavors of the fantasy genre, including epic fantasy , mythic fantasy, dark fantasy , and wuxia . It typically

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