Ertai’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 3rd story in the anthology, “Ertai’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: “Ertai’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 “Ertai’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
This story is a brief character study of Ertai, an apprentice wizard on Tolaria who is assigned by Barrin to aid the Skyship Weathership in planeshifting to Rath. With three short scenes and a montage, Braddock conveys the depth of Ertai’s narcissistic arrogance, his superiority complex, and his poor social skills. The story ends with the Weatherlight departing Tolaria with Ertai aboard.
RATING: 9 / 10
I feel odd about rating this one as there really isn’t much story here. It’s hard to say that there’s even a plot. This is just a snapshot of a larger narrative. While that can technically be said about all of the short stories in this anthology, at least the previous two stories had their own narratives. This one is just characterization scenes.
That being said, it is very good at delivering concise characterization. Braddock could have just written the first scene of the book, laid Ertai’s arrogance on thick, and called it a day. Instead, we are Shown Ertai’s behavior in multiple scenarios and Told about more interactions. It provides a comprehensive picture of Ertai’s flaws, as well as the fact that he does indeed have the skills to back up his self-obsession.
I’m sure I’d find a lot more to take issue with if Rath and Storm weren’t an anthology. However, as a follow-up to two stories that had to cram plot and character work into very tight packages, a low-stakes story that is just character work fits in nicely.
ANALYSIS
Prose
Much like “Tahngarth’s Tale”, this story is written in 1st Person, and I feel like Braddock made the most of that. There is a distinct difference in the narrative voice. Whereas Tahngarth’s voice was introspective yet direct, Ertai’s voice oozes with his narcissism. There is no denying that this is a man who feel he is the best, is always right, and deserves to be recognized and rewarded for those things. It’s honestly impressive how differently these two stories read, especially when they are presented back-to-back within the anthology. Furthermore, Braddock uses the 1st Person POV to lean deep into Ertai’s biased narration. This really breathes life into Ertai. His flaws are recognizable, but Braddock uses narrative voice so that we understand why Ertai doesn’t see these things as problems to be corrected.
Scene 1 - Assignment
This introductory scene sees Ertai meet with Barrin. Barrin warns Ertai about the need to be more sociable and considerate of others before promoting him from apprentice to adept and assigning him to aid the Skyship Weatherlight on its voyage to Rath.
Of the three scenes in the story, this is the weakest. I don’t think it’s bad. At worst, it’s just heavy-handed with Ertai’s self-obsession, which is more a function of the narrative voice than the scene itself. I just don’t think the scene would be all that remarkable if it were the only character-building scene Ertai got.
Scene 2 - Meeting the Crew
Upon meeting the crew of the Weatherlight, Ertai attempts to apply the tact that Barrin asked of him - and proceeds to denigrate the crew as a whole and the power of the artifacts they wield, on the grounds that his magical power is beyond any of them.
What I really like about this scene is that it shows us what Ertai thinks is an acceptable effort to meet people halfway. He’s actively insulting people while thinking he is going out of his way to be polite and accommodating. This really emphasizes how deep his flaws run while also making him feel more relatable and human.
Scene 3 - The Test
After Ertai’s dismissal of artifacts - which is rather counterproductive for the Weatherlight, as his job will be to calibrate the ship’s core for planeshifts - Hanna insists on a test to confirm that he can work with artifacts. Ertai proceeds to be extremely dismissive of all the devices she shows him and shows off his magical talents. When a fog elemental attacks the group, Ertai then hijacks Hanna’s artifacts, using his magic and two of the devices to create a sacrificial pawn to save them from the elemental.
This scene is the closest the book comes to having a plot. Two problems are presented - the test and the fog elemental attack - and Ertai has to overcome them. It’s not much in execution. Ertai just dismisses the test and then handwaves the fog elemental attack.
It’s when this scene is considered as a final Showing of character that it really shines. Up until this point, we have only been Told that Ertai is a great wizard, mostly by Ertai himself but also through Barrin’s endorsement of his skills. This scene demonstrates, in no uncertain terms, that Ertai can actually back up his self-image. I think that was a vital inclusion. Now, when we see Ertai aggravating the crew, we will understand that they really do need him and aren’t putting up with him merely because the narrative demands that they do so. It’s sort of like how Carl Thonius’s inclusion in Ravenor’s retinue feels off until we are actually Shown his competence as an investigator. Once the audience sees that a character has a strong reason to be in a group despite not getting along with other characters (and once we see that the other characters know of this reason), it makes an otherwise ill-fitting team member feel like an indispensable inclusion.
The Closing Montage
The story ends with the Weatherlight departing Tolaria. We get a brief montage of Ertai antagonizing Tahngarth, Orrim, and Squee. By itself, these exchanges are just Telling, yet as a way to tie a bow on this particular story, they serve as reinforcement of flaws that have already been adequately Shown.
AERIAL MANUEVERS
With that, we close Part I of Rath and Storm on a high note. We ended this part on a slow bit of character work. Part II then starts off hot with action, as the Skyship Weatherlight dogfights with her opposite, Predator. We’ll get into that tomorrow with “Greven’s Tale”, the story of the Predator’s captain (whose image graces the cover of the anthology).
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