The Illustrated Dragonlance Reread

[Forum Explorer]

Beyond that the interesting thing to me about the Laurana-Raistlin conversation was that he was pointedly advising her on how to be a leader even though at this point in the story she is one of the most junior members of the party and is not claiming any sort of leadership role.

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Does he already recognize that she has great leadership potential (which he is presumably trying to help foster) or is this another instance of Raistlin somehow knowing the future without realizing it?

And while I think Raistlin is genuinely trying to help Laurana here, much of the information and advice he gives her ends up being very bad for her. In particular the story he tells her about Kitiara (which casts Kitiara in a sympathetic even heroic light) may well have contributed to Laurana subsequently believing Kitiara could be trusted, and likewise the advice Raistlin gives Laurana that a leader must sometimes follow their heart rather than their head will lead Laurana to disaster when she follows it.

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If you take that view though, you could also argue that his advice is why she stayed at the High Tower with Strum. And if she hadn't, then Palathlas would have almost certainly fallen. For that matter the whole 'follow your heart' advice could also apply to defying her father and running away with the dragon orb.

[bguy]

It's also interesting that perhaps the most clear-cut piece of leadership advice that Raistlin gives - that a leader sometimes needs to follow their heart rather than their head - is something that what we know of Laurana suggests she does not need to hear. If anything, what we know of Laurana suggests that she follows her heart too much, what with her running off after the companions apparently without telling anyone or clearly thinking through what she was doing.

Laurana did take a lot of criticism though for running off after the companions, so maybe Raistlin was concerned that she took that criticism too much to heart and needed reassuring that it is sometimes ok for a leader to follow their heart.

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If you take that view though, you could also argue that his advice is why she stayed at the High Tower with Strum. And if she hadn't, then Palathlas would have almost certainly fallen. For that matter the whole 'follow your heart' advice could also apply to defying her father and running away with the dragon orb.

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Were either of those really heart over head decisions though?

In regards to the High Clerist's Tower, it was really Sturm that was acting out of emotion rather than reason there with him trying to send away one of his best fighters from an already dangerously outnumbered garrison just because he didn't want something to happen to her. Whereas Laurana had and articulated objectively rational reasons why she should stay.

And her taking the dragon orb was definitely a head over heart decision. The heart choice would have been to have stayed with her people to try and restore her relationship with her family. Taking the dragon orb (which meant sacrificing any chance to rebuild that relationship with her family for the good of the world) was very much a reasoned rather than emotional decision.

[Forum Explorer]

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Were either of those really heart over head decisions though?

In regards to the High Clerist's Tower, it was really Sturm that was acting out of emotion rather than reason there with him trying to send away one of his best fighters from an already dangerously outnumbered garrison just because he didn't want something to happen to her. Whereas Laurana had and articulated objectively rational reasons why she should stay.

And her taking the dragon orb was definitely a head over heart decision. The heart choice would have been to have stayed with her people to try and restore her relationship with her family. Taking the dragon orb (which meant sacrificing any chance to rebuild that relationship with her family for the good of the world) was very much a reasoned rather than emotional decision.

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High Clerist's Tower was doomed. They had no idea about the Dragon Orb, and with that lack of knowledge, they would all die as soon as dragons showed up. So no, staying around wasn't a smart move. It was sticking by your friends to the bitter end, no matter how rational abandoning them would be. Really, if the Dragon Orb didn't work weirdly on Draconians, they likely still would've died, they just would've caused more casualties.

I seem to remember Silvia actually calling Laurana out on that and saying her decision came from the heart. Something like 'your heart already knows what your head hasn't accepted.' Or something like that. We'll see once we get there.

[bguy]

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High Clerist's Tower was doomed. They had no idea about the Dragon Orb, and with that lack of knowledge, they would all die as soon as dragons showed up. So no, staying around wasn't a smart move. It was sticking by your friends to the bitter end, no matter how rational abandoning them would be. Really, if the Dragon Orb didn't work weirdly on Draconians, they likely still would've died, they just would've caused more casualties.

I seem to remember Silvia actually calling Laurana out on that and saying her decision came from the heart. Something like 'your heart already knows what your head hasn't accepted.' Or something like that. We'll see once we get there.

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Well as to the High Clerist's Tower decision after rereading the relevant conversation I'll concede you were correct about that being more a heart over head decision. That said she wasn't in command of either the garrison or the party at that moment, so it still wasn't really an example of her following Raistlin's advice (which specifically dealt with leaders having to sometimes listen to their heart rather than their head.)

As for taking the dragon orb I don't recall the Silvara conversation you mentioned. Everything about the scene where Laurana resolves to take the orb reads as a head over heart decision to me.

[warty goblin]

This is something I've never quite understood about this chapter.

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The narrative really emphasis that Raistlin is getting power over Laurana from their conversation with it even being referenced twice (once by the narrator and once by Laurana worrying it is happening), yet as far as I recall there is never any payoff to this later in the story. It just seems weird to make such a big deal about Raistlin supposedly getting power over Laurana if he never actually uses any of the information he gets against her.

It's also interesting that for all the talk about Raistlin getting power over Laurana as a result of this conversation, when we see Raistlin's thoughts in Dragons of the Hourglass Mage we see he's actually become quite enamored with Laurana as a result of their talk.

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I'm not sure it really needs a payoff though. It's an entirely plausible in-character reason for him to have that conversation, and it accomplishes some solid character work. Not everything needs to be Chekov's Gun.

6: Knights of Solamnia. Tasslehoff's glass of true seeing

Two figures watch the companions be led away to prison. They wear cloaks and deep hoods, even their hands are bandaged. One of the hooded figures says that the companions match the descriptions. The other is skeptical, pointing out that it isn't all of them, but the first says he knows where the others are. The second figure concedes the point, and says they should inform the Highlord at once. The first however stays in place, saying that the companions will obviously escape their feeble guards, and when they do, they know exactly where they'll head. And in a few hours, it won't matter anyway.


By the time they leave the Hall of Justice it's snowing. The constable has learned his lesson, and takes them through a dingy back alley, instead of the marketplace. The companions are just about to jump their guards, when they are beaten to the punch. Three cloaked figures leap out of the shadows, swords in their hands. The constable gets knocked out before he can blow his whistle, and the other guards flee. Rather surprised, and unpleasantly reminded of the draconian 'clerics' in Solace, Tanis asks who their apparent rescuers are. Sturm pushes Alhana behind him.

The hooded figures ignore Tanis however, and instead say something to Sturm in an untranslated language, who gasps in surprise and responds in apparently the same tongue. Sturm tells Tanis that these are Knights of Solamnia. Tanis wants an explanation, but one of the knights tells Sturm, in Common, that there's no time.

Flint picks up a fallen halberd (which the book calls a hauberk) and tells the knights that there is most certainly time. A high pitched voice tells the knights to simply stab the dwarf, and leave his corpse for any crows hardy enough to stomach dwarf. Flint vows that one of these days he's going to kill that kender.

At the sound of whistles in the street, everybody follows the knights though a maze of vermin-filled alleyways. The knights refuse to answer any questions, and soon they have entered the ruined center of the city; the remains of Tarsis the Beautiful. Nobody comes here now, the streets are broken and overgrown, reminding Tanis of Xak Tsaroth. The knights lead Sturm aside, and speak to him in Solamnic.

Looking around, Tanis sees that Tarsis' name had been well earned, before the Cataclysm. Now it's just ruins and massive stones lying where they've fallen. Tanis goes over to Gilthanas, who is talking with Alhana. Gilthanas introduces Tanis as the 'son of my uncle's wife' which is the polite version of bastard. Feeling the stab of that old wound, Tanis says that his mother was raped by a human after the Cataclysm. Alhana looks at him coldly, and asks if he's apologizing for his parentage, and, when Tanis sputters something in response, tells him not to, and turns her back. She tells Gilthanas that she has to return to Silvanesti to search for her father.

Gilthanas says that he wasn't aware the Silvanesti had left their homeland; Alhana says that, after a long fight, they were driven out by the same evil that forced the Qualinesti from their homes. Her father, the Speaker of the Stars, sent their people to Southern Ergoth, and stayed behind to fight the evil on his own. She did not agree with this decision, but took her people to safety before returning, hoping to find help and search for her father. Tanis asks if she has any warriors to protect her, and she looks at him, surprised that he would interrupt. Deciding to answer him, she says that she insisted the warriors remain to protect her people. As demanded by protocol, she presented herself to the Lord of Tarsis - Tanis points out that this was dumb, since she had to know that they didn't like elves. Alhana grows even paler, and says that to do otherwise would have made her appear a barbarian. When the Lord rejected her request, she informed him she would seek help on her own, since this was the only honorable thing to do.

Flint nudges Tanis and remarks that she'll get on brilliantly with Sturm. If they don't get themselves honorably killed that is.

Sturm comes back over, explaining that the knights have found the ancient library of Tarsis. Apparently records in Palanthas indicated that Tarsis held knowledge on how to fight dragons, so they sent an expedition to see if anything could be retrieved. He introduces the knights as Derek Crownguard, Brian Donner and Aran Tallbow. Sturm then introduces Tanis as their leader - which surprises Alhana - and the others. Sturm tries to introduce Alhana, but embarassingly literally only knows her name, so Gilthanas supplies the details. Alhana thanks them for rescuing her, her glance lingering on Sturm, and asks if the knights have found the information they sought.

Tanis inspects the knights. He knows enough of the Solamnic Knighthood to realize they sent their top men. Derek in particular is a Knight of the Rose, the highest of the Solamnic orders. Derek says that they found a book, however it is written in some unknown language, and they can't read it. Since it had pictures of dragons, they had planned on transcribing it, and bringing the copy back to Palanthas. But then they found Tasslehoff, who can read it. Flint explodes at this, and Tanis points out that the kender can barely read anything, let alone ancient texts about dragons.

Derek responds that the kender has a pair of magical 'glasses of true seeing' that allow him to read the text. He starts to elaborate on what the kender has read, but Tanis interrupts, saying it's probably nonsense about automatons. He'd rather like a word with the kender.

They follow Derek into a ruined building, which smells of mold. Nobody can see anything in the gloom until Derek lights a torch, and leads them down a flight of stairs, explaining that the library is underground. At the bottom they find an enormous room, completely filled with shelves, which themselves are completely filled with books; leatherbound books, books bound between boards, books made of what look like tree leaves. The floor is covered in more parchment that has spilled from overturned shelves.

There aren't a lot of pictures of this part of the story, so here's the cover of a book that takes place in Tarsis. True to the title, it sure looks like somebody got murdered.

Tanis asks how they found anything, and Derek admits it was difficult. Tanis wants to see Tas, who calls out to the half-elf. The kender is sitting at a table, next to a candle and an enormous book. There's a pair of small glasses sitting on his nose. Tanis asks where he got the glasses. Tas plays innocent, but gives it up in a hurry at the look on Tanis' face. He explains that he found them in Thorbardin, where they were just sitting out on a table. Thinking somebody had lost them, he picked them up for safekeeping, since otherwise somebody could have stolen them. Then they were so busy they simply slipped his mind until they were most of the way to Tarsis, and there was no way Tanis would have gone back to return them.

Tanis finally cuts Tas off, and asks what the glasses actually do. Tas, happy he isn't getting shouted at, explains that they let him read languages he doesn't know. He figured this out when he left them sitting on a map he'd never been able to read before. Sturm wants to know why Tas never mentioned this, to which Tas responds that the subject didn't ever come up. If anybody had asked if he had a pair of magical reading glasses, he'd have told them the truth right away. He starts to talk about what he's read in the book, but Tanis, guessing Tas is hiding something, asks how he knows they're magical and not some clever device of the dwarves.

Tas swallows, then explains that he did mention them to Raistlin, who cast a spell that made them glow, and said they were magical. Raistlin also said they were glasses of true seeing, and they'd been made by ancient dwarven magic-users. Also that they'd let Tas read Raistlin's magic, but if he did, Raistlin would turn the kender into a cricket and eat him. Tanis is impressed; Raistlin managed to come up with a threat that actually kept a kender's curiosity under control.

Tanis asks if there's anything else, but Tas says there isn't. This isn't entirely true, Raistlin also said that the glasses can see things too truly, but Tas didn't really think that made any sense. Also, Tanis is already mad enough.

Tanis finally asks what Tas has found out, and the kender happily launches into it. There's pictures of blue, black, green, red and white dragons. Also glass balls called Dragon Orbs that let the user control dragons. Flint thinks this sounds like nonsense, but Tas insists it must be true, since that's what it says and the glasses see true. Tanis agrees with the upset kender, but figures it doesn't make much difference, since the orbs were probably all destroyed in the Cataclysm, and they have no idea where they would be anyway.

Tas responds that the book has a list of locations but - he hears something and stops talking. After a moment Tanis hears it as well. Brass horns, the horns of the dragonarmies. Horns that bring death.


Commentary
This chapter did exactly what it said it was going to do. There's some Knights of Solamnia, and Tas has magical glasses that can read anything, because of course he does.

The knights become more important later on. Well Derek Crownguard does, the other two are total non-entities. I guess that's a spoiler, but honestly it's also totally obvious from the chapter itself since Derek's the only one who ever actually says anything. We do get some interesting character beats. Alhana is as hung up on honor as Sturm, they really are perfect for each other. The dynamic with the knights assuming Sturm is in charge is also worth noting, that sort of limited thinking is a major theme later on.

Normally of course one would complain that a character just happening to have a substantially powerful magical artifact in their pocket is a plot hole. However for Tas this is pretty much 100% in character. As for finding them sitting on a table, given kender's definitions of things left lying around, it also could have been in a locked chest in a locked room off a locked corridor only accessible from a locked stair and under guard day and night. Anybody could have gotten through all those locks and snuck past the guards and taken them. It's lucky he had happened along to prevent that.

Still left unexplained: Why the Knights grabbed Tas in the first place. IIRC this is explained later on, but at the moment it's pretty incongruous.

Also, things are about to get very bad in Tarsis. Very bad indeed.

[Keltest]

Amusingly, in Dragons of the Highlord Skies, Flint, Tas and Sturm have a conversation about whether the correct word is "hauberk" or "halberd." Flint, naturally, is the one calling it wrong, but Sturm gives him a way to save face by claiming that there is a word for the weapon in another language that sounds very similar to hauberk.

[NRSASD]

Amusingly, in Dragons of the Highlord Skies, Flint, Tas and Sturm have a conversation about whether the correct word is "hauberk" or "halberd." Flint, naturally, is the one calling it wrong, but Sturm gives him a way to save face by claiming that there is a word for the weapon in another language that sounds very similar to hauberk.

hahaha that's brilliant! I remember being very confused when I first read that scene and tried to picture Flint menacing someone with... a shirt?

[Sereg]

Wow. This is some great nostalgia. I loved these books and it's great being reminded of them. (Also, I actually liked the movie despite its problems)

[warty goblin]

Quick heads up. My behind has been being thoroughly kicked at work this week, and the next chapter is twenty pages long, so we will return Friday. Thanks for your patience!

[pendell]

Glad to hear it! Looking forward to it! : Provides ice for Warty Goblin's behind :

Tongue-in-cheek,

Brian P.

[NRSASD]

Thanks for letting us know! And just so you know, don't feel obligated to keep updating. This ought to be fun for you even though it's a ton of fun for us. Hope work improves soon!

[warty goblin]

Thanks for letting us know! And just so you know, don't feel obligated to keep updating. This ought to be fun for you even though it's a ton of fun for us. Hope work improves soon!

Oh I like doing these, it's just a matter of finding the time. A normal chapter takes about two hours, which pretty much requires all the non-exercise and non-food bits of the evening.

7: "-not destined to meet again in this world"

Or about the first half thereof.

The first dragons hit the city when the companions reach the marketplace.

They had left the knights, which had not been pleasant. Derek had wanted them to accompany them in escaping the city, or at least leave Tas and his glasses with them. Tanis had been forced to refuse on both counts - since they needed to return to the others in the inn, and Tas would just have run away from the knights anyway. Derek then suggested that Sturm should leave with them, but Sturm said he could not, since Tanis is his commanding officer. Derek says that this is a mark against Sturm, who should remember he isn't a knight yet. If Derek sits on the council deciding his knighthood, it will be the worse for Sturm.

Sturm goes pale as a corpse, and looks at Tanis, who is deeply surprised. But he can't dwell on this new information; the air is filled with horns, so the two groups head their different ways.

The people of Tarsis are milling about in the streets, wondering what the horn calls mean. Only the Lord of the city understands what they mean. He turns on the draconian, exclaiming that city was to be spared, that the negotiations are ongoing. The draconian yawns. The city will be spared - after it has been taught a lesson. The Lord's head falls into his hands as the council looks at each other in confusion and dawning, horrified, understanding as they see the tears run between the Lord's fingers.

Hundreds of red dragons now fill the sky, in wings of three or five. Seeing the sunset flashing red on their wings, the people of Tarsis understand that death is in the skies. The dragons fly low over the town, and the dragonfear strikes the population, driving them mad with the need to escape the wings covering the sun. There is no escape.

Spoiler: Image spoiled for size. Trust me it's worth it

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A very high contrast red dragon by Paul Jaquays. Literally the only versions of this I can find that aren't pictures of the book cover for Dragons of Krynn (a fairly solid short story collection IIRC) are either huge, or tiny. On balance, I went with huge.

Confident that any possible resistance has been broken, the dragons set about systematically razing the city. One by one, the wings dive, their breath incinerating buildings. The fires spread, generating a windstorm, while the smoke and ash fill the streets and blocking out the light. Screams of terror turn to screams of agony as people burn.

Great waves of panicked people surge through the street. Nobody has any idea where they are going - some head here, some head there - and overhead the dragons pass, killing at their pleasure. And the fires are becoming more and more terrible; entire buildings begin to blow apart from the heat. Tanis and Gilthanas are separated from the others by the panicked mob. Tanis yells for them to meet him back at the inn, but he can't tell if they've heard him or not.

Sturm grabs Alhana to keep her from being swept away in the crowd. He can't see any of the others through the ash. And soon it's all he can do to keep his feet, and keep Alhana from being going down under the waves of panicked humanity. Alhana is pulled away from him in the confusion, and he throws himself into the crowd, battering with his armored body, until he can catch hold of her wrists. Alhana is shaking in fear, and he pulls her in close. Then a shadow sweeps overhead as a dragon, shrieking in cruel pleasure, flies overhead. Sturm hauls Alhana into a doorway as the packed people in the street convulse in terror. Then fire courses through the street, and the air is filled with screaming.

Sturm holds Alhana close, telling her not to look as tears run down his cheeks. Then the dragon is past, and everything is terribly quiet. They stagger out of the doorway, until they are finally overcome by smoke and the smell of burnt flesh, and take shelter in another door. The metal of Sturm's breastplate is cool against Alhana's cheek, and she can feel the steady beat of his heart beneath.

Alhana has known she is to marry an elflord for years; they have never so much as touched. He had stayed with the Silvanesti when she had gone back for her father. Since being cast into the chaotic, she has been left in shock, disgust and fascination with their wild emotions. And when she had thought all humans despicable, Sturm appeared. Looking into Sturm's face, Alhana sees a noble pride and endless striving towards an unreachable perfection, leading to the great sadness in his eyes. She feels herself drawn towards this man, and realizes she is in greater danger from this than the dragons.

Sturm says they should move on. Alhana replies that she needs to return to her lodgings. Sturm protests that going alone is a terrible idea, and reaches for her arm, which he instantly realizes is a mistake as she stiffens and coldly informs him that she has her own companions to return to, though her voice trembles slightly at Sturm's hurt expression. Steeling herself, she thanks him for his assistance.

Sturm's face grows harder, and he bows, replying it was his pleasure to serve. However the streets are still dangerous, he should escort her. Alhana insists this is neither possible nor necessary, and she has a way out of the city. Since she does not trust humans, he cannot accompany her. Feeling Sturm tremble, she says perhaps her friends can come to the Red Dragon Inn, and assist Sturm and his companions. Sturm replies that will not be necessary. He turns to leave, but then turns back, and puts the diamond pin in Alhana's hand, saying he is glad she trusted him with it for even a few moments.

Alhana looks at Sturm, and finds compassion instead of scorn in his eyes. Wondering again at the strangeness of humans, she puts the gem back in his hand, and tells him to keep and think of Alhana Starbreeze, who, somewhere, will be thinking of him.

Tears return to Sturm's eyes, and he bows his head, incapable of speech. He kisses the gem and returns it to his belt, and reaches out for Alhana, but she withdraws, asking him to leave. For a moment Sturm hesitates, but honor demands he obey her command, so he turns back into the horror-filled street.

For a moment Alhana watches him, letting herself harden. She wishes he could forgive her - but declares to herself that he should thank her instead. Then she sends a telepathic message to her companions waiting outside the city, and scans the sky, waiting.


Commentary
This chapter has a lot of parts, which means that doing it all at once would take forever, and also make it hard to do most of them justice. I don't think I'll make a habit of partial chapters, but it seems the most sensible thing to do here.

The centerpiece of this section is of course the dragons' attack on Tarsis. We had earlier reports of dragon-based atrocities, or threats of it, but this is the first time we really see it up close and personal. . The scene with the sudden, horrible silence after the dragon passes over is chilling.

This first section is all about Sturm, who needs some positive scenes after his jerkishness to Raistlin back in the inn. First we get the surprising revelation that he isn't actually a Knight of Solamnia, although for obvious reasons this doesn't really go anywhere yet. This is a point that will become important later, i.e. pretty much half the entire book. Then we follow him and Alhana through the nightmare streets of Tarsis. This part is really well done - in a note Margaret Weis says she watched videos of the Blitz to make this section as believable as possible, and it definitely shows - and builds on the foundation of horror laid all the way back in Que-Shu. Sturm is also an ideal character to follow here, and it gives his particular ethos a chance to shine. It's worth noting that, as obviously traditionally masculine as Sturm is in many ways - and whatever Raistlin says - he doesn't suppress his emotions all that much. Rather I think he has a substantial ability to continue to perform what he sees as his duty while feeling whatever he is feeling. This is rather different from Tanis, who has a much more limited ability to compartmentalize.

This is also one of the weirder settings for a highly emotional love scene I've encountered, but somehow it mostly works. Sturm's combination of grief and horror and continued functionality is the sort of thing that would earn a lot of respect, even from somebody as generally chilly as Alhana. That he is clearly as bound to his duty as she is to hers is sort of the cherry on the honorbound sundae.

Interestingly, despite being about Sturm, this scene is mostly from Alhana's perspective. In some ways this simply a plot requirement; we need to know Alhana a bit for the rest of the book to work. But it also shows us a very different reaction to Sturm's performance of knighthood. Raistlin sees it as tedious, Tanis frequently as a pain in the ass. Alhana, coming from a similarly traditional culture, clearly values it, and therefore Sturm, in a way the others don't quite get. Since I like Sturm as a character quite a lot, I appreciate the books taking the time to do this.

[Lemmy]

On a whim, I decided to read this thread... And man! Wasn't it a blast! I loved getting that nostalgia fix for the very first fantasy novel I ever read!

I had forgotten how many scenes had made such a huge impact on my mind that I continue to reference them even after I had forgotten where they first came from.

I hope the thread keeps going... The first Dragonlance trilogy will always have a special place in my heart, no matter how much I dislike the setting.

Thank you, warty_goblin, for this wonderful journey into the past.

[bguy]

Hundreds of red dragons now fill the sky, in wings of three or five.

Does the number of attacking dragons seem a little off? In the previous book even a single dragon was treated as an immense threat, and we never heard about more than 5 dragons carrying out a single attack, so how did we go from that to suddenly having hundreds of dragons appearing?

[tomandtish]

Spoiler: Image spoiled for size. Trust me it's worth it

Show

A very high contrast red dragon by Paul Jaquays. Literally the only versions of this I can find that aren't pictures of the book cover for Dragons of Krynn (a fairly solid short story collection IIRC) are either huge, or tiny. On balance, I went with huge.

That image gets a lot of use. It was also the cover for the "Dragon Mountain" boxed campaign set released in 1993.

[Keltest]

Does the number of attacking dragons seem a little off? In the previous book even a single dragon was treated as an immense threat, and we never heard about more than 5 dragons carrying out a single attack, so how did we go from that to suddenly having hundreds of dragons appearing?

Its implied that its Toede mismanaging the army, and sending the entire extended Red Wing to attack Tarsis because the reds are bored.

[Lord Torath]

Does the number of attacking dragons seem a little off? In the previous book even a single dragon was treated as an immense threat, and we never heard about more than 5 dragons carrying out a single attack, so how did we go from that to suddenly having hundreds of dragons appearing?

I suspect this is more the fact that people are scared and running, and your enemy always looks larger/more numerous when you're scared. I think 20 reds could easily become "hundreds" in the eyes of the victims.

[bguy]

I suspect this is more the fact that people are scared and running, and your enemy always looks larger/more numerous when you're scared. I think 20 reds could easily become "hundreds" in the eyes of the victims.

Makes sense.

(Alternatively, did they have the Mirror Image spell back in first edition? If so then maybe the reds cast a bunch of those to give them the appearance of greater numbers.)

[JadedDM]

Mirror Image did exist back in 1E, yes.

[diplomancer]

I think those numbers also show the "WWII" nature of the scenes. It feels more like a city under bombers attacks than dragons sometimes.

[Jan Mattys]

I'm sad :(

[bguy]

I'm sad :(

Has warty goblin said he's pulling the plug on the reread or is he just on a long hiatus?

[Lemmy]

It's only been about a month, so maybe he's just been busy...

[Jan Mattys]

It's only been about a month, so maybe he's just been busy...

Oh I know. It wasn't a personal attack on Goblin, who's my hero just for starting this.
I just wanted to whine a bit