Monday, November 17, 2014

Case Study No. 1678: Jadrek, the Rethwellan Archivist

Oathbreakers- The Archivist
4:34
The Archivist

Album: Oathbreakers
Lyrics: Mercedes Lackey, Leslie Fish
Vocals: Michael Longcor

This album and more from this artist and
others can be found at http://www.firebird arts.com/

The Archivist

I sit amid the dusty books
The dust invades my very soul
It coats my heart with weariness and chokes it with despair
My life lies beached and withered on a lonely, bleak, uncharted shoal
There are no kindred spirits here to understand, or care

When I was young, how often I would feed my hungry mind with tales
And sought the fellowship in books I did not find in kin
For one does not seek friends when every overture to others fails
So all the company I craved I built from dreams within

Those dreams -- from all my books of lore I plucked the wonders one by one
And waited for the day that I was certain was to come
When some new hero would appear whose quest had only now begun
With desperate need of lore and wisdom I alone could plumb

And then, ah then, I'd ride away to join with legend and with song
The trusted friend of heroes, figured in their words and deeds
Until that day, among the books I'd dwell -- but I have dwelt too long
And like the books I sit alone, a relic no one needs

I grow to old, I grow too old, my aching bones have made me lame
And if my futile dream came true, I could not live it now
The time is past, long past, when I could ride the wings of fleeting fame
The dream is dead beneath the dust, as 'neath the dust I bow

So, un-regarded and alone I tend these fragments of the past
Poor fool who bartered life and soul on dreams and useless lore
And as I watched despair and bitterness enclose my heart at last
Within my soul's dark night I cry out,
"Is there nothing more?"
Tags: Filk Mercedes Lackey Leslie Fish Michael Longcor Oathbreakers the archivist
Added: 4 years ago
From: SavitarTheSurfingGod
Views: 6,108

From last.fm:

Mercedes Lackey is a science fiction/fantasy author who's also a lyricist. Most of her songs correlate to her stories that are set in the fantasy realm of Valdemar.

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From mercedeslackey.com:

CD: Oathbreakers
Oathbreakers features singers Leslie Fish, Heather Alexander, Frank Hayes, Michael Longcor, and Juanita Coulson. Features lyrics by Mercedes Lackey.

Songs include:
The Leslac Version * Contemplations * There's Always a Reason * Surprised by Joy * Love Found * Need * Oathbreakers * The Sunhawks * Suffer the Children * Swordlady, or "That Song" * Mirror Spell

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From amazon.com:

Oathbreakers (Vows and Honor, Book 2)
by Mercedes Lackey

Publisher: DAW (January 3, 1989)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0886774543
ISBN-13: 978-0886774547

Evil had cast its shadow over the kingdom of Rethwellan. When Idra, leader of the Sunhawks mercenaries, failed to return from a journey to her home, Tarma and Kethry, warrior and mage, set out in search of their vanished leader.

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From wikia.com:

Kethryveris of House Pheregrul, member of one of the Fifty Noble Houses of Mornedealth. Adept of the White Winds school of Magery, originally founded by Gervais the "Lizard Wizard". Kethry was sold into "marriage", by her brother, to a pervert who preyed upon young girls. She escaped and ran away to the White Winds school were she was given the magic sword Need by one of the teachers in the school who thought that she might have need of it in her wanderings. The story of her meeting with her partner Tarma is told in Sword Sworn originally published in Marion Zimmer Bradley's anthology Sword And Sorceress III and later in Mercedes Lackey's anthology Oathblood. As part of that bonding Kethy agrees to help Tarma restore the Clan Tale'sedrin and teases that she will become just a "Shin'a'in broodmare." She and Tarma become mercenaries eventually joining the Sunhawks commanded by Captain Idra. Idra was a princess of Rethwellan who chose to leave her priviledged life and become a mecenary and through her skill rose through the ranks to become captain of the Sunhawks and beloved by her followers. After Idra's death at the hand of her traitorious brother Char, Kethry and Tarma as well as the other Sunhawks, are key to the coup that places Idra's other brother, Prince Stefan, on the throne of Rethwellan. During the coup they meet Prince Roald of Valdemar with whom they become friends. As a reward for their service they are given lands and a manor house and found the school of their dreams. Kethry falls in love and marries the former Rethwellan archivist Jadrek and their children are raised with the knowledge that they can choose whatever life they wish but many chose to become Shin'a'in thus giving life to Kethry's promise to restore the Clan of Tale'sedrin.

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From google.com:

"Lady Kethryveris, may I present Jadrek, the Rethwellan Archivist."

For some reason Tarma liked this man even more than she had the Horsemaster, liked him immediately.

The mage-light behind them lit his features clearly. He was a man of middle years, sandy hair going slightly to silver, his face was thin and ascetic and his forehead broad. His gray eyes held an echo of pain, and there were answering lines of pain about his generous mouth.

That was an odd mouth; it looked as if it had been made expressly to smile, widely and often, but something had caused it to set in an expression of permanent cynicism.

His gray tunic and breeches were of soft moleskin, and it almost seemed to Tarma that he wore them with the intent to fade into the background of wherever he might be.

This is a man the Clans would hold in high esteem - in the greatest of honor. There is wisdom in him, as well as learning. So why is he unregarded and ignored here? No matter what Idra said - I find it hard to understand people who do not honor wisdom when they see it.

"I am most pleased to make your acquaintance, Master Jadrek," Kethry said, softly and sweetly, as she gave him her hand. "I am more pleased because I had heard good things of you from Captain Idra."

Tarma felt for the hilts of her knives as inconspicuously as she could, as both men jerked as if they'd been shot. This had not been part of the plans she and Kethry had discussed earlier!

The Archivist recovered first. "Are you then something other than you seem, Lady Kethryveris, that you call the Lady Idra 'Captain'?"

Kethry smiled, as Tarma loosened the knife hidden in her sleeve and wished she could get at the one at the nape of her neck without giving herself away. Damn - I can't get them both - Keth, what the hell are you doing?

"In no way," her partner replied smoothly. "I am all that I claim to be. I simply have not claimed all that I am. We hoped to find the lady here, but strangely enough, we've seen no sign of her."

Keth-- Tarma thought, waiting for one or both of the men to make some kind of move, --you bloody idiot! I hope you have a reason for this!

The Horsemaster continued to stare in taut wariness, and Tarma had a suspicion that he, too, had a blade concealed somewhere about him. Maybe in his boot? The Archivist was eyeing them with suspicion, but also as if he was trying to recall something.

"You... could be the chief mage of the Sunhawks. You seem to match the description," he said finally, then turned slightly to stare at Tarma. "And that would make you the... Scoutmaster? Tindel, these may well be two of Idra's fighters; they certainly correspond with what I've been told."

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