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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Joshua Randall" data-source="post: 9573893" data-attributes="member: 7737">It’s mind bogglingly risky and stupid, right? There are not one but two different “touch it and die” plot gateways in the book, and for both of them, the advice to Carr is along the lines of, “It’s probably safe. Maybe. We think.”It isn’t just WIS 3 Carr who makes a risky, stupid choice. It’s everyone in the book.The plot would be better and stronger, with more of a sense of danger, if Team Good Guy emphasized how much effort they’ve put into determining that it is safe for Carr to touch the door and the sceptre. He’s the chosen one after all. Thank goodness they located him (heh) because now they can solve the death-door and death-sceptre dilemma.Or, the plot could emphasize how this is a desperation Hail Mary play, particularly with the sceptre: Landor trapped it against anyone but himself. Carr is 50% Landor. It might be enough and we have no choice but to take the gamble because… well it would have to be because Beldon was on the cusp of realizing his evil schemes, which would have to exist and be detailed enough to be scary.Instead of either of those approaches, we get this weird middle ground where everyone “thinks” this and that about the door and the sceptre, there’s no coherent explanation for WHY anyone thinks anything, and it drains all tension out of the endgame.“You touch the door of doom that has been killing people for 15 years! It’s totally fine.”“You touch the sceptre of dweomer-y destruction that was crafted by an archmage whose power eclipsed the gods! It’s totally fine.”Our adult appropriate backstory involving adultery and inappropriate relationships leads to a better and more coherent explanation for why Dalris would be sent on what is otherwise a literal suicide mission.Awesome nitpick.To piggyback: we are about to learn that Perth is capable of casting 6th level druid spells. Which means he also has access to…Commune with Nature (5th level) — this alone can find Carr eventually. It might take a few tries, but Perth can cast this every day.Speak with Plants (4th level) and Speak with Animals (1st level) — Perth can ask every living being on Seagate Island for information.Animal Summoning III (6th level) — Perth can summon a bunch of Hit Dice worth of animals, some of which are going to have specialized search capabilities such as excellent eyesight, flight, excellent smell, the ability to travel long distances, etc. Heck, he could literally summon the lions that apparently infest Seagate Island.There’s simply no excuse for why Team Good Guy couldn’t find Carr until “this week”, except that is how the plot is written.</blockquote>

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