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Shur'tugal's Exclusive Interview with Christopher Paolini
The staff of Shur'tugal were able to sit down with Christopher Paolini for the first interview in quite a while, eager to discuss Brisingr and what awaits our Inheritance friends as their journey continues. Like any good author, Christopher Paolini still keeps his lips sealed on spoilers for Brisingr, so you need not worry!
Thank you to every fan who contributed questions to our interview!
If a person makes a vow in the ancient language, what are the possible ways to break it? Can the person they vowed to give them permission to break the vow?
If you make a vow in the ancient language, the power of the language will compel you to fulfill your oath, whatever it might be, which is one reason elves and spellcasters must choose their words with such care. That’s not to say some flexibility isn’t allowed, however. If Arya said in the ancient language, “I hate Durza,” it would simply be a statement of fact, and if her feelings changed, she could then say, “I do not hate Durza.” Even if she said, “I will always hate Durza,” at a later time, she could still say, “I do not hate Durza,” since both statements would be true from her point of view at the moment when she uttered them, which is all that matters when speaking the ancient language. But... if she swore that she would always hate Durza, then her oath would bind her forevermore. Once someone formally gives their word in the ancient language, they cannot go back on their promise so long as who they are still exists.
If the oath you swear is to another person—such as Murtagh’s oaths to Galbatorix—that person can release you from their obligations if they so wish. Brisingr contains more information about how one can or cannot free themselves from a promise in the ancient language.
If one believes something is true, but it actually is not true, can they still voice it in the ancient language?
Yes, if you believe something is true, then you can say it in the ancient language. It’s entirely possible to write things you know are false in Elvish, but no one will be able to read them out loud.
About how many strong human men (like Horst) does it take to equal Eragon's new strength?
Eragon is as strong as a very fit elf. I’d rather not quantify his abilities any more than that at the moment.
What other colors do dragons come in?
Every color. Usually the colors are solids, with lighter shading on the wings and undersides. There are no striped or polka-dotted dragons.
If you could have lunch with five Inheritance characters, which ones would they be?
Eragon, Arya, Saphira, Brom, and Nasuada.
Of all the trials and tribulations Eragon and Saphira have encountered so far, which would you suppose is the most significant in the course of their destiny?
All were necessary for them to become who they needed to become. From Eragon’s point of view, the most important event was the moment he chose to take Saphira’s egg home with him, as everything else in the Inheritance cycle has transpired from this.
Is there a storyline in Brisingr following Murtagh's point of view, or is his story all seen from Eragon's POV?
I’ll leave that for readers to discover. However, I will say that you’ll have the opportunity to experience Saphira’s point of view on several occasions in Brisingr. It was challenging to depict scenes from the standpoint of a dragon, but I had a blast doing it. Saphira really is a wonderful character to write; she has so many interesting thoughts and opinions.
Is there a possibility that Selena is still alive, and could she possible be dwelling within the Spine...where dragons might exist?
No comment.
Does Shruikan feel bonded to Galbatorix, does he want to escape?
Galbatorix and Shruikan do not share the traditional dragon–Rider bond. Galbatorix forced Shruikan to serve him through various spells and mental tricks. Their relationship is a mockery of the one Eragon and Saphira share. What Shruikan may or may not feel about his lot in life, however, has yet to be discussed within the series.
Is Isidar Mithrim more important than it currently seems?
Possibly.
Are the grey folk still in existence? Will they intervene in the story?
They no longer exist, although their descendants may. Other than that, no comment.
Prior to contact with elves, did dwarves have any significant magic powers, or did they at least know about its existence?
Dwarves did know about magic before the elves came to Alagaësia—magic is a fundamental property of the world of Alagaësia, just like heat or electricity—although their grasp of it has never been as sophisticated as the elves’, partly because the elves use the ancient language as their native tongue, which no other race does.
If you had known when you started the process of writing your story that it would be four books instead of three, would you have changed anything in Eragon or Eldest?
No. I’ve always told the story the way I wanted to. The size of the plot in this last book just turned out to be larger than I anticipated.
Did the dragons have a language that they spoke before they knew how to speak in the ancient language?
Dragons never developed a language of their own, which is one reason the elves had such difficulty communicating with them when the two races first encountered each other. The dragons spoke to each other using a series of interconnected impressions—images, feelings, sounds, smells. An example of this is when, in Eldest, Glaedr conveys to Eragon and Saphira the unpronounceable name of the dragon who helped form the bond between the elves and dragons.
Are there such things as good Shades?
No. The only spirits who would seek to seize control of a human body would be those who were so enraged at being summoned, they wanted nothing more than to wreak havoc on the material world.
Does it make it harder to write when you know that so many people know the story, as compared to when you were only writing for yourself?
Every book is difficult to write in its own way. I’m certainly aware of the large readership the series has acquired, but all I try to do is tell the story as best as I can. I probably spend more time than I did before on all the little details, trying to make sure they’re consistent, but other than that, I really haven’t changed my approach to writing.
Why didn’t Eragon drain energy from his enemies during the last battle? That could refresh him once he was tired and also kill them, as that was his objective.
1. Many of the soldiers were protected by wards that prevented Eragon or any other spellcaster from killing them all with a single spell. This is one reason Eragon spent a large part of the Battle of the Burning Plains hunting Galbatorix’s magicians, who were protecting the soldiers.
2. Unless Eragon takes great care, it’s very easy for him to draw energy from all of the living beings around him, including those he would not want to harm, such as friends, family, allies, etc. He has to make a conscious effort to restrict his efforts to a specific target, which is difficult to do amid the confusion of battle. (Keep in mind, this is also a new skill for Eragon. He’s yet to really master it.)
3. The spell is an inefficient way to kill large numbers of enemies. It takes a relatively large amount of time to drain a person of energy compared with just lopping off their head or, if they’re unshielded by magic, casting a death spell.
4. Eragon has yet to really encounter this limitation in the series, but his body can only absorb a certain amount of energy before his flesh becomes saturated. At most, Eragon could probably assimilate the energy from between five and ten warriors, depending on their state of exhaustion. Even if Eragon channeled the excess energy into Saphira or into the gems in his belt and the pommel of Zar’roc (since this was before Murtagh stole his sword) he still would not have been able to store all of the energy from the hundreds of soldiers he and Saphira killed on the Burning Plains.
The Ra'zac are a truly impressive work of evil, what inspired them?
Thank you. Beetles and crickets.
Will we get to meet King Galbatorix in person in Brisingr?
No comment.
During the war with the Forsworn, did the already limited werecat population suffer casualties and if so, to what degree?
They did suffer some casualties. We’ll learn more about the werecats in Book Four.
Is it possible for the same spirits who formed one Shade that has been killed to form another Shade (after possessing another spellcaster) with the same personality?
No. The same spirits could form another Shade, but not of their own free will. They would have to be summoned by another spellcaster. And even if they were, the personality of the re-formed Shade would be somewhat different, since a Shade’s character is an amalgam of the spirits’ consciousness with the spellcaster’s.
What is the Dwarven name for the Beor Mountains?
They don’t tell outsiders, so I couldn’t say.
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