I hope I’m not annoying you with my frequently questioning Erogenian culture, JED; rest assured that it’s more curiosity and world-building (in my mind) than nitpicking.
That being said, I can’t help wonder whether Pontagar is giving embarrassing details on purpose when he could just say “Lenthik and I had sex, then talked, then Arrogond arrived and wanted to talk to me alone”. I know he’s been advised to tell the whole truth and I assume that’s also the effect of the Geath Fetruan (nice warping of the word “geas”, by the way!), but even so he has to keep within reasonable relevance, or the retelling could last *weeks*. (“So I took the swords that had been hanging on the wall since the last day of Lenient Justice, an annual celebration where the king of the Fire Tribe listens to any and all supplicants about wrong that may have been done to them, and on that day the petitions were…”)
Oh, and Cirina is beautifully drawn and written here. Great work as always?
Last, I can’t help wondering if it’s the redhead or the gray-bearded blond who doesn’t have a character tag. I guess the blond, since he isn’t saying a word.
The basics of the Geth Fertuan are that the magick in the potion will cause whoever knowingly tells a lie to die. This leaves a lot of possible leeway for someone to either clam up or basically ātake the fifthā which, in Erogenian society is considered as good as a lie when the circumstances are this serious, and everyone knows it. So you do get people volunteering as much as they know, and sometimes too much. Pontagarās noggin was messed with, and so he still doesnāt completely trust himself. Therefore, he is pretty much just blabbing unfiltered until someone stops him. This is why there is an art to questioning during the Gaeth Fertuan, and priests and priestesses study and practice very diligently to become proficient at sifting through and uncovering the real truths, and cutting off the irrelevant details before the spell wears off.
āGeath Fertuanā translates to āforced truthā. I have to say I didnāt have āgeasā in mind at all. In only one way would I compare myself to the great language expert and world-builder Tolkien, itās that I will often make a word simply because it sounds the way I think it should. If it sounds cool to my ear, Iāll leave it in. š
In a departure from form, I still have not named the āblondā actor in panel three, who is the speaker. Butik is Porn Mustache Guy, and Kronik is the name of the older bearded man. If blondie becomes important later, Iāll make sure he has a suitable moniker.
Warm regards,
JED
“The basics of the Geth Fertuan are that the magick in the potion will cause whoever knowingly tells a lie to die.”
Couldn’t Naurik take the easy way out and willingly lie so he would die before telling any secrets?
That’s a way out, of course… provided your prisoner is ready to take their own life. Most people who do that are either faithful servants or megalomaniac fools in the face of certain defeat.
Naurik could do that… but is he brave enough to do so, while he was cowardly enough to be seduced by the Evil Erogenian way?
The irrelevant detail reminds me of some of the scenes involving “fast penta” in the Vorkosigan books by Lois M. Bujold. See especially where Miles evades giving useful information by going off on tangents.
16 thoughts on “Details, Details … Page 1295”
RBZ
Poor Pontagar.
The Geath Fetruan won’t even let him do a Jim Carrey in Liar, Liar!
Hopefully, this means that Naurik’s Geath Fertuan will be more like the “it’s not a truth serum” guy from Ant-Man and the Wasp.
jedraft
See explanation below. š
Warm regards,
JED
Tiff Hudson
Okay, you got me wheeze-laughing.
jedraft
As my wife will tell you, at times I am still just eight years old …
š
Warm regards,
JED
jd.
I hope I’m not annoying you with my frequently questioning Erogenian culture, JED; rest assured that it’s more curiosity and world-building (in my mind) than nitpicking.
That being said, I can’t help wonder whether Pontagar is giving embarrassing details on purpose when he could just say “Lenthik and I had sex, then talked, then Arrogond arrived and wanted to talk to me alone”. I know he’s been advised to tell the whole truth and I assume that’s also the effect of the Geath Fetruan (nice warping of the word “geas”, by the way!), but even so he has to keep within reasonable relevance, or the retelling could last *weeks*. (“So I took the swords that had been hanging on the wall since the last day of Lenient Justice, an annual celebration where the king of the Fire Tribe listens to any and all supplicants about wrong that may have been done to them, and on that day the petitions were…”)
Oh, and Cirina is beautifully drawn and written here. Great work as always?
Last, I can’t help wondering if it’s the redhead or the gray-bearded blond who doesn’t have a character tag. I guess the blond, since he isn’t saying a word.
jedraft
jd,
The basics of the Geth Fertuan are that the magick in the potion will cause whoever knowingly tells a lie to die. This leaves a lot of possible leeway for someone to either clam up or basically ātake the fifthā which, in Erogenian society is considered as good as a lie when the circumstances are this serious, and everyone knows it. So you do get people volunteering as much as they know, and sometimes too much. Pontagarās noggin was messed with, and so he still doesnāt completely trust himself. Therefore, he is pretty much just blabbing unfiltered until someone stops him. This is why there is an art to questioning during the Gaeth Fertuan, and priests and priestesses study and practice very diligently to become proficient at sifting through and uncovering the real truths, and cutting off the irrelevant details before the spell wears off.
āGeath Fertuanā translates to āforced truthā. I have to say I didnāt have āgeasā in mind at all. In only one way would I compare myself to the great language expert and world-builder Tolkien, itās that I will often make a word simply because it sounds the way I think it should. If it sounds cool to my ear, Iāll leave it in. š
In a departure from form, I still have not named the āblondā actor in panel three, who is the speaker. Butik is Porn Mustache Guy, and Kronik is the name of the older bearded man. If blondie becomes important later, Iāll make sure he has a suitable moniker.
Warm regards,
JED
jd.
Thanks a lot for this beautiful explanation that neatly covers every concern! Excellent world-building.
About “geath”/”geas”, well, embrace the power of serendipity!
Thanks for this answer, and for those long years of service to this story and to us fans. Have our love, you deserve it.
Jakesdad
Like my Momma said:
āIf you don’t want to hear the answer, don’t ask the question.ā
jedraft
š
Warm regards,
-JED
Kiddeagle
“The basics of the Geth Fertuan are that the magick in the potion will cause whoever knowingly tells a lie to die.”
Couldn’t Naurik take the easy way out and willingly lie so he would die before telling any secrets?
jd.
That’s a way out, of course… provided your prisoner is ready to take their own life. Most people who do that are either faithful servants or megalomaniac fools in the face of certain defeat.
Naurik could do that… but is he brave enough to do so, while he was cowardly enough to be seduced by the Evil Erogenian way?
Freelance
Let this be the lesson: Never ask a question you don’t want the answer to.
ThoDan
yes but when and how
Jim Baerg
The irrelevant detail reminds me of some of the scenes involving “fast penta” in the Vorkosigan books by Lois M. Bujold. See especially where Miles evades giving useful information by going off on tangents.
Phoebe
AHAHAHAHAHA!!! Well, at least nobody will be questioning whether the “truth serum” is working or not…
Joe Fonebone
Love the little “smirk” on Cirina’s face in the last panel. Perhaps she is wondering what would cause Lenthik to fart so much?
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