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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Joshua Randall" data-source="post: 9584260" data-attributes="member: 7737">Commentary, continued:The following tables show each statement organized first by location and then by temporal order as best I can tell based on the verb tenses.General Location: Tikandian mainland<table style='width: 100%'><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>Specific Location</td><td style='width: 33.3333%'>Verb Phrase</td><td style='width: 33.3333%'>Verb Tense = When</td></tr><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>everywhere</td><td style='width: 33.3333%'>The evil has already spread …</td><td style='width: 33.3333%'>perfect = recent past</td></tr><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>swamps</td><td style='width: 33.3333%'>The paladins have left their guard posts….</td><td style='width: 33.3333%'>perfect = recent past</td></tr><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>swamps + Saven</td><td style='width: 33.3333%'>[Arno] is using that [evil] power to control the paladin guards.</td><td style='width: 33.3333%'>present continuous = now + ongoing into the future</td></tr><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>Saven</td><td style='width: 33.3333%'>Arno is at the cathedral in Saven, urging the arch cleric….</td><td style='width: 33.3333%'>present continuous = now + ongoing into the future</td></tr><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>Saven</td><td style='width: 33.3333%'>You (Carr) must go to Saven and confront Arno with the sceptre. [says Perth]</td><td style='width: 33.3333%'>imperative = immediate future</td></tr></table>General Location: Seagate Island<table style='width: 100%'><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>Specific Location</td><td style='width: 33.3669%'>Verb Phrase</td><td style='width: 33.2998%'>Verb Tense = When</td></tr><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>unknown</td><td style='width: 33.3669%'>Arno has discovered a source of evil magical power….</td><td style='width: 33.2998%'>perfect = recent past</td></tr><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>College Arcane (?)</td><td style='width: 33.3669%'>The evil that Arno has summoned….</td><td style='width: 33.2998%'>perfect = recent past</td></tr><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>College Arcane</td><td style='width: 33.3669%'>Haslum tried to combat Arno’s designs and he vanished in the attempt.</td><td style='width: 33.2998%'>preterite = non-recent past (but must occur after Arno discovered the source of evil power)</td></tr><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>all ports</td><td style='width: 33.3669%'>Those evil creatures now control….</td><td style='width: 33.2998%'>present indicative = now</td></tr><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>College Arcane</td><td style='width: 33.3669%'>Come and wield the sceptre against the evil Arno in your father’s name. [Thayne says]</td><td style='width: 33.2998%'>imperative = immediate future</td></tr><tr><td style='width: 33.3333%'>College Arcane</td><td style='width: 33.3669%'>We should consider another plan to get Arno out of the academy. [Carr says]</td><td style='width: 33.2998%'>infinitive = future</td></tr></table>What these tables mean to me:(1)The actual choice should not be between Saven and Seagate Island, because that is a choice between a specific location (a city) and a general location (an entire island).The actual choice should be between either<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the Tikandian mainland vs. Seagate Island (general locations), or</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Saven vs. Freeton (specific cities). (Freeton is where the College Arcane is located.)</li> </ul>(2)At some point prior to a year ago, Arno discovered some source of evil power. We don't know where that discovery took place.AFTER that discovery, Arno then summoned something evil there.AFTER Arno found and/or summoned evil things, Haslum tried to stop Arno. To do so, Haslum summoned a demon (WTF, Haslum!).There is some verb tense confusion here because both of Arno's actions ("has discovered" a source of evil magical power and "has summoned" something) are in the perfect tense, which is usually recent past; while Haslum's actions ("tried" to stop Arno, then "vanished") are in the preterite which is usually non-recent past.These verb tenses would normally imply that Haslum's actions took place longer ago than Arno's actions… except that doesn't make any sense. It is illogical to state that Haslum "tried" to stop Arno before Arno did anything that needed to be stopped. And moreso, it is very illogical to say "Haslum vanished" before Haslum confronted Arno.Thus I assume that despite the perfect tense / preterite tense mix-up, the order is as I have it listed (Arno discovers a source of evil magical power; Arno summons something evil; Haslum tries to stop Arno; Haslum vanishes).Anyway….AFTER Haslum's defeat, Arno's evil then spread to the Tikandian mainland. This could mean figuratively (Arno's influence grew to encompass not just Seagate Island, but also Tikandia) or literally (the evil thing that Arno summoned physically relocated from Seagate Island to Tikandia).AFTER that spread of evil, Arno used his power to suborn the paladins. And finally…Arno IS CURRENTLY urging Archcleric Oram to send troops against the Kandians.Note that this late statement means that Arno is physically located in Saven, right now.(3)Thayne's request that we go to Seagate Island / College Arcane and Perth's request that we go to Tikania / Saven are both present imperative commands to confront Arno at two different locations.Thayne: "The evil that Arno has summoned to Seagate is more powerful than Archcleric Oran’s gods. Carr, you’ve got to use the Sceptre of Bhukod against this diabolical force! [...] Come back with me, Carr, and wield the sceptre against the evil Arno in your father’s name."Perth: "Why go to Seagate?" Perth interrupts. "The evil has already spread to the Tikandian mainland. Carr, you must go to Saven and confront this Arno with the sceptre."How can you be asked to go to two different places to confront the same person?To make it even more confusing, earlier in his speech, Thayne stated that "even now" Arno is "at the cathedral in Saven", so Thayne doesn't agree with himself about where Arno is currently located.If Arno is "even now" in Saven, then why would Thayne give the grammatical imperative command "come back with me" (to Seagate)?In addition, Carr proposes that we need a better plan to get Arno out of the College Arcane which implies that is where Arno is located.You could maybe twist the language here to mean that we need to remove Arno's influence over the College Arcane, but no normal person would say "we need to get so-and-so out of such-and-such place" if they meant "we need to remove so-and-so's influence over such-and-such place".Bottom line: according to the book, Arno is in two places at the same time. Arno is simultaneously in Saven where he is urging the Archcleric Oram to send troops against the Kandians, and Arno is also on Seagate Island where he is… well, it's not clear; gloating over his defeat of Haslum, maybe?---I sympathize with gamebook author Morris Simon. This is an elaborate plot with multiple moving parts. (There are quite a few more moving parts that you, dear readers, don't know about yet.) That plot then has to be explained by multiple narrators -- mostly Thayne, but partially Carr's interior monologue, with a few tidbits from Perth and Dalris -- each with imperfect information. And that plot has to lead up to a choice of locations that is the first big split in gamebook paths.The complexity got away from Dr. Simon and led to the confusing situation we have here.---All that said -- where should OUR Carr Delling go?<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Where this mess started: Freeton (College Arcane's location) on Seagate Island.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Where Arno is now: Saven on the Tikandian mainland.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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