Tahngarth’s Tale (A Rath and Storm Short Story)
Hello, all. Welcome back to the anthology mini-review series for Rath and Storm.
This part of the review will cover the 2nd story in the anthology, “Tahngarth’s Tale”. Please see the review series introduction if you’d like an overview of how this anthology is being handled. Otherwise, let’s fly.
STATS
Title: “Tahngarth’s Tale”
Anthology: Rath and Storm
Author(s): Hannovi Braddock
Genre: Epic Fantasy
First Printing: July 1998
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast LLC
SPOILER WARNING
Mild, unmarked spoilers for “Tahngarth’s Tale” will be provided throughout this review. Heavy spoilers will be confined to clearly labeled sections. I will keep the first paragraph of any given section spoiler-free.
Heavy, unmarked spoilers will be provided for the framing device of Rath and Storm as well as for all short stories that preceded this one within the anthology.
Throughout this review, I will also be providing heavy spoilers for events at other points within within MTG canon, including events that occur during the Artifacts Cycle. While I will be steering clear of details that would spoil the progression of this book specifically, there is a strong chance that you will figure out certain spoilers if you pay attention to these bits of lore. I’ll confine the heavy spoilers that are relevant to this book into clearly marked sections.
STORY (HEAVY SPOILERS)
After collecting Gerrard, the Weatherlight’s next stop is to the forests of Llanowar to collect Mirri. Tahngarth is not pleased by this: he is already chafing at the idea of having Gerrard as the captain of the ship, seeing Gerrard as unreliable. With Mirri, they are wasting further time by diverting to collect another unreliable person.
When the crew finds Mirri, she tells them that she cannot leave Llanowar until she helps destroy a fungal monster known as aboroth, which will rise and threaten the village where she lives in two days’ time. Tahngarth is outraged that even more time is being wasted.
When the day comes for the aboroth to rise, Gerrard impresses Tahngarth with his ingenuity and valor. Tahngarth admits that Sisay’s faith in Gerrard is not misplaced and that Gerrard can be relied upon.
RATING: 6 / 10
“Tahngarth’s Tale” is a character study that makes sense but lacks emotional punch.
The story provides 1st Person insight into a character who is framed as neither eloquent nor tactful from anyone else’s POV. Tahngarth’s gradual acceptance of Gerrard’s return to the ship should, in concept, be very satisfying. Braddock also sets up all the necessary elements for a rewarding payoff.
Unfortunately, the payoff is devalued by Telling the climax instead of Showing us. We don’t get to experience the final battle with the aboroth. This makes sense in terms of keeping the story short, but this also means we’re not experiencing the moment where Tahngarth actually comes to respect Gerrard. So while the ending makes sense and is enough to keep carrying the overall narrative of the anthology forward, it just isn’t satisfying on its own merit.
ANALYSIS
Plot
I think this is a very functional plot for the story being told. Tahngarth is put in a series of scenarios in which he butts heads with (and gets passive-aggressive with) Gerrard, until finally a challenge arrives where Gerrard proves himself worth of Tahngarth’s trust and loyalty.
The problem, as stated above, is that final challenge. We are Shown how Gerrard makes mistakes and pushes Tahngarth’s buttons before this point. When the story gets to the big finale, though, we are Told what Gerrard does is very simple terms. We’re not so much along for the ride with Tahngarth as we are listening to Tahngarth give a debriefing. What we’re Told makes perfect sense as both a solution for Gerrard to implement and something that would convince Tahngarth that Gerrard is reliable. Since we aren’t experiencing it with Tahngarth, though, there no emotional weight to it. It ends up feeling unsatisfying.
Character
As one might expect for a 1st Person POV character, Tahngarth gets a lot of depth. His narrative voice shops him to be more insightful and eloquent than his dialogue might suggest, with the story acknowledging that he has trouble conveying complex ideas when speaking human languages. We learn about his past, including how his family was inclined towards worshipping the minotaur god of justice, which provides context for his grudge against Gerrard. The story overall paints a picture of a character for whom loyalty and responsibility are just important as they are for Gerrard. The main difference between them is how loyalty inspired them to react to the events that caused Gerrard to leave the Weatherlight in the first place.
Speaking of Gerrard, Braddock does a good job of framing his actions through Tahngarth’s perspective. He really does come across as incompetent, unprepared, and irresponsibly carefree throughout much of this story. Him defeating the aboroth is (at least in concept) a massive shift in his presentation that reflects Tahngarth’s changing attitude.
This story also serves as an introduction for both Orim (the ship’s healer) and Mirri (the spellcasting cat warrior that group has come to Llanowar to collect). While Mirri doesn’t get a lot of characterization, Orim serves as Tahngarth’s conscience, counseling him that the flaws he sees in Gerrad are projections of his own flaws. The fact that she speaks Tahngarth’s native tongue also helps to sell the idea that the bare have a close bond.
WIZARDRY
“Tahngarth’s Tale” has strong bones. I just feel it was denying the material needed to stick the landing. If this story could have been made a little longer so that Braddock could have Shown us the final battle instead of summarizing it, I think this story would have delivered the emotional punch needed to fully sell Tahngarth’s character arc.
Tomorrow, we’ll continue this series with “Ertai’s Tale”. Given what happens to Ertai later into the MTG timeline, I am anticipating a story that is much darker than the two thus far.
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