r/WanderingInn

I am crushed by the new narrator. All the drakes sound like Germans. I'm only 30 minutes in and I am not sure I can do it. Does it get better or should I just go to reading instead?

Forget plot reasons because I know the plot is better off because of the situation, but just strategically/militarily...

I was thinking about this and it feels like the North of Izril should not have existed in its current form.

1. The drakes have held the chokepoint city (Liscor) for a long time. For some unexplained reason they do not build a larger wall, or fortify the city to be a military might. I understand for lots of plot reasons why Liscor must be a "border city" and cut off from the rest but strategically its kind of silly. But even so the humans have no standing military fort or anything nearby. The Southern human cities are sacked or destroyed by monsters, bloodfeast raiders and goblin lords in the story with very little effort.

2. The North feels so much smaller and emptier than the South. It has 2 cities on par with a walled City vs the 6 of the Drakes. The drakes also have a ton of smaller cities with walls that all seem to be on par with any smaller human city mentioned. This might be part of point 4 but it feels like an emperor showing up and starting an Empire would never have worked in the South because the drakes would have shut it down immediately. Drake city population and army numbers always sweem to dwarf the humans as well.

3. Drakes have standing armies and military discipline. They have watches that are on par with militas. Humans have militias, conscript armies and only the Veltras standing army. Their watches are mostly bumbling fools.

4. Humans were diminished by the Goblin King and the Drakes are stalemated by the Antinium so it makes sense for the last 20 years. Any time before that though it seems like the drakes could have just waltzed into the North and expanded easily.

5. I dont know where to begin with the idea of the bloodfields battles but it seems to me like they only benefit the North. The drakes let them come into their territory for a sparring match every year.

The only thing I can think of is something like the vaults of First landing, Regis especially with things like the Crown of Flowers. Maybe the Terland golems as well? We know they are holding back those 2 things at least from yearly conflicts. Veltras shows its teeth openly, and El is diminished. Wellfar is a naval power which seems mostly checked by Zeres in theory.

Just a fun thought exercise but I was trying to figure out why the drakes have accepted this stalemated "cold war" for lack of a better term.

Do you feel like you are missing anything when reading the books vs the webserial? I'm asking because I kind of want to actually read the books, but don't want to miss out on the different colored texts and hidden text and formats and stuff.

Not gonna lie, Deilan El's little part in this chapter REALLY made he like this guy, his response when he finds an earther?

>A nice young man, much taken with El creations. Deilan had even gifted him a crossbow and Kaalblade. The [Lord of Splendid Creations] hadn’t insisted Christopher stay with the House of El. He’d been mildly shocked when, later, one of the Wellfar Admiralty had shouted at him about the matter.

>“He didn’t want to stay. What should I have done, kidnapped him?

>That…was who Deilan El was. It had confused the [Lady] into silence, because it was an answer she hadn’t expected. In that sense, Deilan El supposed he might have thrown potential profits away. Just like Maviola El, Fulviolo, and his predecessors.

>Well and so, he’d answer to her face if they ever met again.

... If that wouldn't make Maviola Proud of you, what you did when that Taima bastard hit your servant absolutely would

>So saying, the [Prince] picked up the left-handed Kaalblade from Zelonica’s hand, then, with the same motion, backhanded her across the face. She fell down with a cry, and Deilan blinked down at her. The [Prince of Taima] rubbed his hand ostentatiously.

>“Commoners. Addressing me as an equal. I have had no less than ten incidents in First Landing. Doubtless, this is just because she is a half-Elf, and her kind is known to speak out of turn, Lord El. I do not hold it against you. Now, where are these targets?”

>He turned as his [Knights of Taima] shifted. Because they had seen how well this encounter ran the last ten times it had occurred in First Landing. All with non-nobles, which had meant the [Prince] tended to get away with it like everywhere else.

Followed by him calmly walking with him and setting him up for this

>The [Prince] stared ahead obligingly, then turned his head to ask what he was gazing at, because he just thought it was a side of the metal contraption. That was when he realized Lord Deilan had gotten on a workbench. Then the [Lord] kicked the [Prince]’s head into the side of the metal rune-printer.

>He wasn’t good at fighting, and Maviola had always said that if he was going to start a fight like that, he’d better have the advantage of surprise, height, something hard and painful, or ideally all three. He leapt down as the [Knights] began to shout, then the crack-hiss of a dozen Kaalblades igniting made them go silent.

>Lord Deilan landed on the [Prince], who made a hublagh sound. Then he just improvised. And he thought—well, he was no Maviola El. But it was amazing how many moves you could think of when you were mad. Here he’d thought he was so even-tempered. But even the [Lord] of House El could produce a flying drop kick when needed.

Deilan El, you sir have inherited Maviola fire, you may not burn as bright, but you burn just as hot.

It also says something about how they saw him, and just how lucky that prince was. Imagine if the prince had tried this in Terland lands given how Ulva reacts to hearing this knews? Imagine him pulling this on a Veltras... Imagine him trying this on Reinhart lands. Reinharts may treat their own servants like crap, but i dont doubt for a second that even the worst of Reinharts has a "i can break my own shit but that doesnt mean you cant". Gods in heaven above, imagine if he'd tried pulling this in Magnolia's lands, or hell below on her servants. They'd never find enough of him to bury.

I had to share this for those who want to pretend to be playing against Neirs or Erin! Tonight’s doomscrolling has an up side!

Even early in the series, the narrative pulls no punches in explaining what the original chieftain of the Flooded Water Tribe was planning to do to Erin. And that's not even going into The Mountain City tribe, Roshal, or many of the more horrifying instances in which it is brought up. In my opinion, these are just as nightmarish as anything in "A Song of Ice and Fire"/"Game of Thrones", "Berserk", or "Goblin Slayer". What do you think explains the difference in response?

In 9.41 part 1, Erin is stressed out and this line really caught me off guard. It wasn't a big moment or anything super dramatic relative to the rest of the story, but it just showed pure unadulterated frustration and worry leaking out from Erin:

“Just another reason to get ready. And another reason to think about…damn. Damn, damn, fuck. Where’s Chaldion?”

I dunno if its worthy of its own post especially since its old to people who are caught up, but the chapter reddit thread didn't mention it or if someone did I missed it.

For a character who speaks like she is trying to get a PG movie rating most of the time I thought it was really well placed. I don't remember her ever cursing in the 11 million words before this so it really drove home how upset she was.

From the early KOD chapters I was under the impression that solders were generally low level in their [Soldier] classes.
Most of them aren’t carrier soldiers who spend their whole lives in the army and reach level 20 in their [Soldier] classes. That seems more like a Liscor or Drake thing.
I was under the impression that most soldiers were low level in the class and got it when they signed up for the army.
I thought level 20 was like the veterans.
So why does Cloth refer to the Reim soldiers in the Coliseum as average even though they likely have way more levels in a combat class than an average conscript?
Or was he referring to average soldiers in Reim which generally level quicker due to the influence of Flos.
Also this is a side note but I really enjoy seeing the Lizard folk army a few chapters ago I thought the way classes interacted with the evolution of the lizard folk was very interesting in a combat setting.

Obviously as you gain levels you have a chance to change your class. Most people specialise. For example if a warrior mostly fights in the dunes he will become a [Desert Warrior] and gain Skills that help him fight in the desert.
A thing with mages is that they have the option not to specialise and instead be a [Mage], [High Mage], [Grand Mage] and, [Archmage]. We know other classes have similar upgrades for example a [Tactician] becoming a [Strategist] at level 30 or a [Trader] becoming a [Merchant] at the same level.
Do you think the [Warrior] class also has something similar? Also can you get [Sage] from level 1 or is it a class you get with certain requirements like [Strategist]? Alidamus indicates that you already have to have [Scholars] and similar classes to create [Sages].
Since we know [Great Sage] exist like the one in Nerrhavia’s fallen at what level do you have to be to be a great Sage. From what we have seen in the deadlands I would assume that Sage is a very important class to the history of the Innworld.

I'm on the Wind Runner, but looking back on the Tears of Liscor, I had this visual of Numbtongue ripping a certain song. Wondering if anyone else thinks of songs he plays.

For me, it's Coheed and Cambria : Welcome Home at

5.62

"He heard a song. It echoed across the hills. Noears looked and saw him." I played it in the background while they were at this part, fighting Reiss and got chills!

One thing I think about when reading is how I would survive, or how I would rise to power (probably pretty poorly in regards to either goal). What would your Innworld strategy be?