Having now gone through questions for the sixth Q&A with Christopher Paolini in preparation for the actual interview, our staff was presented a challenging dilemma: the amount of askable questions for this Q&A, as well as our previous one, has gone declined. We’re not sure if fans just haven’t been around to ask the right questions or if people are feeling as though they’ve started to run out of questions, however, what we were sure of is that this is a problem. We’re going to present our possible solutions to you after the break (as well as a preview of the questions we pulled from the group that we felt are good enough to ask) and we want your feedback on what you’d like to see us do to solve the problem!We’ve seen a decline in quality questions being submitted to the Q&As each time we call for them. Most people seem to be content with submitting questions we explicitly ask to not be submitted: questions on deaths, key plot points, etc – all which we are positive will not be answered. After we filter through those questions, we’re left with questions that have already been asked and answered, okay-but-not-really-Q&A-worthy questions, and then a few great questions.
Here’s what we dug up for Q&A 6:
- KVSDheeraj -Who were the three fighters who could defeat Brom, he mentioned in Eragon when Eragon beat him while sparring near Dras Leona?
- AryaxEragon-in Eldest Oromis said that Brom came from a family of illuminators. What is an illuminator?
- Tulkas-Where does the energy that Wards Du Weldenvarden come from?
- Many people ask- when Arya and Eragon were returning to the Varden after Eragon left Helgrind, a soldier said, ‘Unless we be searching for Murtagh. You heard what Morzan’s spawn said well as I did.’ What did Murtagh say?
- Is Longshanks Jeod’s nickname or surname? Few people interested in this
Did you see any questions in the comments for Q&A 6 that were better than these questions? Let us know in the comments here.
Possible solutions for improving the quality of our Q&As:
- Limit Q&As to once every two months. Collect questions and show them to the fans like we did in this post before asking Christopher. Offer one last call for better questions to be added before our interview with Christopher.
- Continue with lower content Q&As. In our eyes, this is the worst of the two options.
Have any solutions of your own? Let us know in the comments below!
We’re going to be closely monitoring the feedback you guys leave in the comments before making any final decisions as to how we proceed with future Q&As. Any ideas, comments, suggestions, feedback, etc. that you have to offer is welcome in the comments!
I’m going to close the comments for now until I have a chance to read through all of them. If we have a need for more questions or feedback, I’ll re-open the comments. Thank you to everyone who contributed!
I’ll be sure to post an update soon on how we’re going to proceed with the Q&As.
question possible : when is the last book released ? or
where are you in the writing of the last book ? begining ? middle ? end ?
sorry for my bad english, i am french
who was shruikans original rider?
with colours of dragons can you get the same colour?
who were the other three riders Brom killed?
what is galbys sword name? does he use he original or the one for shruikans rider?
ill think of some more soon…
In the very beginning of Eragon When Durza ambushes Arya and the other two elves Why do the elves not sense Durza or the urgals with their minds? I know that Durza is probably skilled in blocking his mind from detection, but what about the urgals, some of them could have also done this but surely not all of them. Also, why did Durza not mask the scent of the urgals with magic?
I’ve got a question if they are still needed. Why does Eragon keep forgeting Aren and Brom’s 7 words?
I am pretty sure I read one something along the lines of.
Dear sir, I am confused by two things in your books.
Firstly: In Brisingr the bit where Eragon inspects Katrina mind, you stated that He had ever inspected a mind before, yet in the end of Eldest Eragon did the same thing to the Urgals. am I missing something?
Secondly: In Eldest, Eragon asks the leader of the varden why Arya cant scry the elven Queen to which she tell’s him that the elves put up wards blocking anyone from using magic or something along those lines. Yet in Brisingr Eragon has to tell her just that! was it just a gap in her memory?
I have two questions concerning the elves for the Author:
How long ago did the Elves stop reproduceing on a regular basis?
How many Elves are there in total in Alagaesia?
Personally, I would say leave the commenting for submitting questions a little longer. I was not able to post mine when I became aware.
I posted the guidelines on what a good question is on the previous page in these comments.
Some of the questions in this post will be used in a Q&A.
I’m the one that generally reads through the submissions. I read every question. If it seems stupid at the beginning I’ll stop reading it though and go onto the next one. 😛
I believe that knowing this information will make the q&as better. Make it once a month and have a limit of 6 of the best questions that are posted. Tell people who post questions that pretain to the main plot and stuff that if they continue to do so they will be kept from posting in the next q&as. Sure u need to set up somthing to secure the Q&as from them but i think its worth it. Also if u want a good question: Who was the middle aged man that angela told the fortune too and is he still in the books? Please dont let the other people who spam ruin this for all of us.
Mike refer to your feedback email address.
I know you here at shurtugal.com didnt really request that we post questions here but wanted us to give you ideas on how to better the q&as. A lot of people said the same thing about getting an update from CP about the book. That wold be nice but if he was always giving us updates he would be pressured not only from his deadline he has set up with his editor but also with us his fans. not many people realize that he does have a deadline that he needs to write the book in. also there are many things to account for like writers block real life and just wanting to take a break from his “job” of writing. I think if it is too hard to get a goodly amount of questions that it should go every 2 months 3 months or every month. i would also like to ask if any of the questions posted here will get to CP or not besides the one from josephtheshadeslayer that was stated would be used as a question? also do you at shurtugal.com acctually go through all the comments word for word or just skim. also what would be nice is an update of what a “good” question would be. I have asked many questions in this comment posting in psuedonames wondering if any of the would be chosen. i would like to just state that a true fan even if his/her question(s) werent answered they would always come back to the site to learn more and they would deff not lose hope in if CP will finish unless there is news of him dying tragically. so we should just continue to wait as we have been. also i like the idea of a froum where we as a group with knowledge of what a good question is can help improve upon the questions of those around us.
AlphaRider3 I would think that so few elves were born because there would be an over population of elves and all the forest of Du Veldervarden couldn’t hold them. It’s like the Dragons they would never have too many children hatch due to the fact that it would kill all of Alagaesia. There is a balance in nature that had to be upheld.
number1eragonfan going off of what you said about sources of magic and why others don’t use that power. I would think it is because not all magicians seem to know much about magic. Its like what Oromis taught Eragon that there is energy every where u just have to look for it. You would have to learn how to sap energy and what it feels like to use it.
How is a werecat created? Are they like werewolves with the biting or can werecats mate.
And following the second one, can werecats mate with humans/regular cats? What is created from such a pair?
Q:We know Durza led Galbatorix’s army under Farthen Dur and was slayed by Eragon in single combat. We know Lady Lorana led Finster’s army during the siege and in the end defected to the Varden. Who led Galbatorix’s Army in the Burning Plains and what happened to him?
hi CP i have another question how is it that galbatorix causes thorns rapid growth. i no its from the eldinari but does he do it like how the elves sing plants.
Hey CP I was wondering how did you come with places in alegasia (hope i spelled that right). the reason im asking is im riting my own book and cant really disde on location names
i read a few comments below and many asked the same thing, how much of book 4 is done? I’ve waited a long time with no info about it and i along with many others would like atleast a rough estimate of the release date. Many people think late 2010 or early 2011, but can any good estimates be released???
A questions for Mr. Paolini,
Do any of your characters have middle names?
Are werecats like werewovles, like if a werecat were to bite a human would they become a werecat?
How did Eragon’s aunt die?
How old was Brom when he died?
As of the 3rd book, how old are all of the main charcters?
Mike I simply meant there wasn’t enough questions in the QandAs(is 10 more suitable) and I joined only the other day but I agree with you people are just asking questions already answered by the books and QandAs,rubbish questions and outright reveal the plot questions.
hell no should they be 2 months, guys this website barley gets new info and wen it does its exciting. you cant make the waiting process for info any longer wen u cant even supply it in a 1 month basis.So wat u have to do is tough it out, give out tips for better questions which is wat u have done and see wat happens okay
“For each QandA there should at least be 20 questions in the interview maybe more,they should stay monthly”
I hope this doesn’t come across as rude, but did you even bother to read the news post? Our problem is that people aren’t submitting enough quality questions (though I’ve found a lot in this news post) for us to be able to pull off quality Q&As per month. If people submit good questions, we can’t. Otherwise, we can’t.
20 questions per Q&A is completely unrealistic. I specifically stated when we started this that each Q&A would be small, so that multiple Q&As would add up to the length of an interview. Why? Because if we ask 20 questions every month, we’ll run out of questions in 2 months.
A lot of comments here…
ShurtugalLiam- Glad to see that I’m one of the first ones of that commenter-list of yours. And I’m glad to see you liked my question. I posted a whole list of questions early on in the comments for the last thing, which nobody seems to have noticed. I’d post it here, but I don’t want to waste everyone’s time.
I think that he should start up the newsletters again.
So… Could a rider kill his own dragon? ….. If Sapphira was to have an egg who would be the Father? ….. Who was Galbatorix’s dragon? …. How many years did Sapphira live in her egg?
What happened to Tornac (the horse) after Murtagh was taken by the twins?
I think you should offer a cash or book award to those whose questions make the Q&A so people try harder.
A question for Mr. Paolini:
After completing the inheritance cycle will you write another series or expand on the world of eragon?
CP will a remake of Eragon the movie be done as it was rubbish and it has such huge continuity errors that Eldest and Brisingr can’t be made into movies without a remake of Eragon(movie) and if so make them long like Lord of the Rings (Eragon was way too short)?
I have a question about a places on the map in the all the books. I noticed certain places that are similarly tagged, Farthen Dur, Helgrind, Utgard, Woadark Lake, and also the small mountain, Marna near Gil’ead. Most of these are places of importance, except Woadark Lake and Marna(as far as we know). Some of places of importance arent tagged, ex: Du Fells Nangoroth, The Burning Plains, etc. So what my question is: Is Marna and/or Woadark Lake going to be seen or be places of importance in Book 4?
Carlos212 I could not agree with you more, i hate this waiting and without even a ballpark figure for a date im beginning to think it could be years before the book comes out
For each QandA there should at least be 20 questions in the interview maybe more,they should stay monthly and we need at least weekly updates on Shurtugal.com as well as an update from CP on his progress with Book 4 every 2 to 3 months
I don’t have any questions (sorry) but if I had to choose I would say have more often and less content Q and A’s. Alot of people (including me sometimes) are starting to lose hope. After all we have don’t have alot of updates ABOUT THE BOOK. Maybe that could be an extension of the website, Status Of Book IV?
I think we are running out of questions because people are getting tired of waiting for this new book forever. I think you should give an update as to how much progress has been made.
A lot of fans have lost faith in your promises to meet the monthly deadlines for Q&As.If you stick to your promises more,everyone might regain interest.I have a few questions for the Q&A:
1.Did Brom ever meet Galby in person before Galby lost Jarnonvisk?If so,was it a friendly occasion?
2.With their current abilities,would Eragon or Arya have been able to defeat Morzan?
3.Which character in the Inheritance cycle do you believe is most like you,and why?
4.With his post- transformation abilities and
Saphira,could Eragon defeat Vrael and his dragon?
5.How much of Book 4 have you finished writing?(I.E.,1/2,3/4,etc.)
Maybe we all ran out of questions because it has been so long since we’ve had any news of progress about the book. I have started to lose hope in the book ever coming out…At least give us a title
I have a Question for you to ask:
At the end of Book Three how old is Eragon?
Dear Staff,
I believe that we should limit the Q&A to once every two months. HOWEVER, I think it would be great if in the month where there is no Q&A, Christopher Paolini would formulate a newsletter like he once did where he talked about the book and other interesting tidbits in his life.
I have a question, not sure if someone has asked it in the comments but here it is..
When magic users store energy in an object (like the riders swords or other gems), is there somthing preventing other magic users from using that magic against them? Broms ring has Broms energy in, it but eragon is still able to draw apon it. Is this because its the same bloodline or was there some “premission” given to use that power. If there is no limits why dont magic users look for a source of power from another user and use it against them?
I know its long but i just want to make sure my question is understood by everyone, if it can be reduced and still convay the same message i would be happy to have that asked as well 😀
I have more, but I don’t know if they’re any good:
•Will Elva play a larger role in Book IV? I don’t think she’ll be the next rider, but I could really see her doing something amazing, like being the one to bring about Galbatorix’s death.
•Is it possible that Eragon will be defeated at the hands of Galbatorix? Or at least for a time, long enough to do some real damage on the Varden or to himself?
•How old is Galbatorix? It’s 97 years between the time that he fled from the Riders and when Jeod and Brom stole Saphira’s egg, and Eragon is 16 I believe? But either I haven’t looked hard enough, I’m missing it, or the information isn’t there, because I can’t come up with his age.
well i think that given the two options you presented, i would rather have higher quality questions presented fewer times. if i may suggest a question or two,
“the two elf children seen in Ellesmera, they present a few questions.
1) How old ARE those elf kids? with the almost infinite longevity of elfs they could be a good 30 years old.
2) Why are they the only two kids in the whole town? Arya said that elf children are born rarely. is that because of the rareness of marriage, the heavy commitment elves consider having children to be or some other reason?
•In Eragon, in the chapter “Legacy of a Rider”, just before Brom dies he whispers seven words to Eragon. Will they be of any significance later into the story?
•Is it possible for a rider to have two dragons? Like if the rider already had a dragon, could another dragon still hatch for them? Or would the dragon in the egg sense the presence of the other dragon?
•Can you see Nasuada and Murtagh having any chemistry?
and inheritance lover:
that was the dumbest question I’ve ever seen here
I have a question:
-how many riders were there before the fall?
always wondered how many there were, i think it would put a better perspective of how powerful Galbatorix actually is.
We know that Brom really liked Morzan. Was he in love with him?
Also, to go along with my first question, is Eragon strongly devoted to Murtagh? He was really upset when Murtagh “died.”
Ah, you took what I said to heart, Mike.
It was quite annoying for me to read through 21 pages of comments and barely find any suitable questions. Here is the easiest way to get a question answered:
Your question needs to be about background information about the series. He’s not going to tell us anything that is going to happen in book 4. Simple as that.
Now occasionally we stumble upon a question that seems innocent, and he responds with that he can’t answer it at this time. Which means it’s a good topic to base a theory around. Those are the kind of questions we really need. Learning about how magic works and Werecats and such is interesting material, but we need some new theories churning.
Also, please go through the old interviews we’ve done already. We get lots of repeat questions. Especially take note of the interview that was in audio format soon after the release of Brisingr. Lots of info in there!
I have two more questions.
1) What is the floating crystal on the island of Eoam and what does it do?
2) What is the dream well in Mani’s Caves and what does it do?
a little batch of questions here:
– Was there ever a case of a dragon hatching for someone who didn’t want to be a Rider?
РI cannot help noticing that in most every description of elves mentioning their hair (aside from Bl̦hdgarm and Liotha of course), only two colors are seen: deep black, or starlight silver. Can you explain this rather restricted range of coloring, especially considering that elves can change their appearance?
– Can you explain how/why Urgals developed a viable society almost entirely based on war?
– In Eldest, Vanir was said to be rather young by elven standards. How old is he exactly?
– In Eragon, Solembum is described as having red eyes, whereas I seem to recall in Eldest the following passage: “Solembum’s golden eyes widenedâ€. Which color are his eyes then?
I had another question. What is the White Flame of Vandil (accent / on the a of Vandil)?
Has a dragon ever died when it was still an egg?
How come so many people held contempt toward the dragon riders before their fall? A lot of people seemed to hate them, all throughout the Empire. Also, what caused the people of Alagaesia to think that the riders had become so careless and lazy? And, uh, somebody else mentioned this question: will the map of Alagaesia become larger?
I dunno if this has been asked, but I have a question. Can gemstones hold an unlimited amount of energy (Brom had been placing energy in Aren since the Fall, so that must have loads). Or is there a limit.
If there is a limit, do the size of the gemstone/grade/type do anything towards it? For example, would a 10carot, high grade diamond hold more than an unpolished piece of quartz?
Mike, is it possible to change the format of the question submission to resemble something closer to the Inheritance Forums? What I mean is that someone could submit a question (same as they would a theme on IF) and then people could comment on it. Ideally people could give contructive criticisms/ideas and post what they feel to be “improved” versions of the question.
If the question violates the “rules”, has already been discussed or is unanswerable by CP then a moderator could close it.
When you go to choose the questions you could pick one of the improved versions of the question rather than just the original. You could also give credit to both the original poster of the question and the person who created the final version of it.
As the question posting system currently works some people do try to support or improve questions, but it gets lost in the clutter of other questions and posts. The proposed methods would restrict commenting to a single question/line of thought.
By the way, I think these Q&As are a great idea and one of the best things going on Shurtugal. This is just an idea to build upon it. If other people would like to add to it please do!
Why does the Belt of Beloth the wise contain six (12?) diamonds, if the single jewel on Oromis’ sword and Brom’s ring can hold seemingly limitless amounts? If it’s an enchantment that enables Oromis’ jewel and Brom’s jewel to hold so much energy, why not do that with one diamond on Beloth’s Belt?
In Book 3 Arya mentions the Dream Well as an an example of wild magic. What is the Dream Well and what are its properties?
In Brisinger, Eragon takes three orbs of Gold to deal with payment of debt and to prepare for Roran and Katrina’s wedding. He repays Jeod for his hospitality in Tierm and repays Gederic for the leather he stole in Eragon. Is he going to repay Horst for the meats he purchased from Sloan in Eragon?
Does galbatorix have thorns heart of hearts if not how does he manage to communicate through murtaugh
Q1: Will the book be published, or at least written, by the end of 2010?
Q2: Will Alalea play a bigger part in book 4?
In Brisingr, Eragon finds brightsteel under the Menoa tree. How did the Brightsteel get there in the first place?
I think a two months would let people think about what they want to ask and plus we don’t know when the book will come out, we may run out of questions to ask. I agree about CP needing to give a update, it’s been awile since we heard from him. But who knows he could be soo busy with book IV he just haven’t thought about giving us a update. Oh, Mike is ok that I posted a question for cp or should I have saved it for the next QandA?
In brisingr when Eragon tells Sloan his true name the truth crushes Sloan. All of Sloan’s delusions were stripped away a he knew who he truly was. But how could Sloan have known the meaning of his name? He doesn’t speak the ancient language. I don’t believe Eragon told him.
Can Angela use magic?
What determines a dragon’s color?
Who taught Garrow how to read and why did he not teach Eragon and Roran how to?
If Galbatorix created the Helgrind illusion with magic why didn’t Brom or Oromis know? Surely both of them had been to Dras Leona before the Fall and afterwards noticed it’s strange appearance? And wouldn’t they have been able to sense the energy being used there?
Who was the healer that kept Murtagh alive after his back was laid open by Morzan?
Dear CP,
What is it like for you writing the inheritance cycle? What do you do when your not busy writing on book IV? What is your biggest frustration? If you could be a dragon rider what color would your dragon be, it’s name, and what personality would he/she have? These questions I have wondered about for awhile I just had to let them out. Thank you.
What happens if a dragon inside its egg sense the mind of a dwarf or Urgal that better matches its personality than any human or elf it has come in contact with? Or can unhatched dragons only sense the minds of humans/elves?
Many times both in BRISINGR and ELDEST, Eragon mentions that the diamonds in the Belt of Beloth the Wise can hold nearly unlimited amount of energy. Is there a limit to what the most perfect gems can hold? What happens if the maximum amount is exceed?
My apologies, I intended to say ‘dragon’ not ‘blade’.
In Eldest, Eragon scries Katrina for Roran. But say Roran had never seen Katrina before. If Eragon scried Katrina and Roran looked on, would he still be able to see her even if he’d never seen Katrina before?
Also, for the people who keep asking, Morzan’s blade would most likely be red seeing as his blade, Zar’roc, was red. As Brom said, the blade of a rider usually matches his or her dragon’s scale color.
During Eragon, in the chapter Ajiihad, Ajiihad had intercepted a letter from Galbatorix to the leader of an Urgal host. The letter said,
“…gatekeeper at Ithro Zhada is to let this bearer and his minions pass. They are to be bunked with the others of their kind and by…but only if the two factions refrain from fighting. Command will be given under Tarok, under Gashz, under Durza, under Ushnark the Mighty.â€
During book 4 will Tarok or Gashz play any significant role?
Yes, Baboo, but how did they do it?
I’m of the opinion that two months is a too large time interval. I’d prefer these sessions to be more like a Friday than a distant holiday.
On the side note, it would probably be a good idea to separate the flood of new questions from feedback about the new system. Maybe make a new thread?
Holy cow, 83 comments! I’ll do my best to read through them all.
CanadianFan, in another forum, The Eggman states that the seven promises are:
1. Eragon promises to help Roran save Katrina.
2. Eragon promises to heal/help Elva.
3. Eragon/Saphira promise to return to Oromis/Glaedr to complete their training.
4. Eragon promises to avenge Hrothgar’s death.
5. Saphira promises to repair Isidar Mithrim.
6. Eragon’s promise to avenge Garrow’s death.*
7. Eragon promises to Ajihad not to let the Varden fall into chaos.
If that helps.
Is this where we are supposed to post comments? If so, I would like to know more about the few refrences to the ‘lights’ Eragon and other magic users see when entering the world of the mind. I recently read one of the deleted scenes in the deluxe edition of Brisinger along with the scene where Eragon visits the wounded man who speaks of the shining lights of Eragon and Murtagh. To me this is an important piece of the story and I believe it was not fully explained. What does the world look like through the mind of a magic-user?
What actually happened in the battle of Gil’ead after Oromis and Gladr died? Did Thorn and Murtagh kill off the rest of the elves, or did the elf spellcasters join together and ward him off?
Would also like 2 add my frustration at lack of updates from Paolini about book 4 however my question is can we assume that eragon is unique after the blood oath celebration as brom did not show any of these traits and can we assume that galbatorix will not be half elf or because saphira died does that affect what happened also how did only 13 forsworn manage 2 kill all dragon riders without any deaths to the forsworn or their dragons
On a certain page of Brisingr before the contents page and after the picture of the dragons eye, It shows the Title (Brisingr) and under that the words \”or, the seven promises of Eragon Shadeslayer and saphira Bjartskular\” what exactly are all the seven promises?
Not only do I agree with everyone else here with the lack of updates from CP, but I am also discouraged by the answers received for some of the questions. The question I asked back in November was answered, but I found the answer highly discouraging, so I haven’t asked another question.
we know what Za’roc means misery and Brisingr means fire , so what does Umbitr, Naegling, and Tamerlain mean?
Okay, here’s a question that I don’t think will break the rules:
1. Is one’s true name tied to their dragon bone prophecy? e.g. If your true name were to change, would your dragon bone prophecy alter?
and another
2. Why did you choose the dragon colors that you did for each dragon? Any special reason, or was it just because?
In a previous Q & A Cristopher Paolini stated that Galbatorix knows that the last dragon egg contains a male by listening to its thoughts so my question is :Can any dragon rider or,generally anyone with mental powers,to communicate with a dragon still being in his/her egg???
Firestone: your question posted at 12:28 PM is interesting, but you could change and strengthen it by considering the Razac. The Razac could conceal there presence from magic users (as they did from Eragon and Saphira in their den at the beginning of Brisingr).
You’re very right, Baboo, I’m sure that there will be a part in book IV when Eragon goes to the Urgal’s dwelling places and rallies them against the Empire. Unless he does that, there is no physical way for them to win unless more elves come from across the sea.
But I shouldn’t say that. What I’ve gathered is that Roran and basically all the elves are indestructible, so I’m pretty sure that even if all the elves died, Roran would survive. I mean, if 193 soldiers didn’t kill him, then I’m sure that 193,000 wouldn’t kill him.
In Brizngr when oromis was killed Glaedr’s anger was enough to summon magic and break Galbitorxi’s hold, does this mean that a Dragon’s magic is stronger then any other form? And if it is is there a way of a dragon to channel it at will?
I have another question. Which gender of dragons are stronger, male or female. Like a female T-Rex is stronger than a male T-Rex.
I forgot to add a note about the importance of the question I discussed earlier (12:15 PM). We know that all of the Elves are allied with the Varden, as are all but 1 Dwarvish clan. We don’t know exaclty how the humans line up, but we know that the vast majority are allied with the Empire (either by choice or by force), and a small minority (basically Surda and a small group of rebels) are allied with the Varden. We don’t know how the Urgals are allied, so I think it’s important if there are 1000 warriors (for example) that could bolster the ranks of either side.
Also Marco (10:53 AM) expresses my views about the site and series better than I could have written myself.
Glorfindel, considering another thing you asked, I’m pretty sure that the ancient language, being a language of magic, would force you to run the mile in four seconds, but since you weren’t strong enough to do that magically or physically, you would die. We should ask that question. From what I see, there is no shortage of cool questions to ask.
does Angela’s fasination with finding out if toads are really frogs have anything to do with the last book. like could it be forshadowing in a way?
That’s also a good question, Glorfindel. Can one magically exercise and get stronger, or, can a magic user physically work out and be stronger magically?
If you *are* looking for better questions, well, I think I have one, and we’ll see if it’s the will of the people (if it is, just say so). Why couldn’t Galbatorix and the other riders with him, being fully trained, feel the presence of the Urgals. Is it possible to conceal one’s presence from a magic user?
Good question Baboo. And say, if people want to second questions people have asked, I second Baboo’s question.
It’s possible that the reason for lack of questions is because of shurtugal’s inconsistancy in actually putting up interviews or the low quality of the interviews…I mean the first couple were ok, but the rest haven’t really satisfied my curiosity, or the fact that this book is taking forever and people are sick and tired of waiting!
Oops, as I reread the post, I’m not entirely sure that we’re supposed to be submitting questions on here.
Building on a question asked by someone else, about telling lies in the ancient language.
Is it that the words will not come out of your mouth? You can’t physically speak them?
If you make a vow in the ancient language, are you unable to perform the physical act that would break that vow, or would you die if you did break it?
If you make a vow, and you have no power to keep it, say you vow to run a mile in four seconds, and you will do it within the next half minute, what happens when you can’t keep it?
I have submitted the same question several times and it has never been accepted, if the majority of questions being submitted are of low quality then I have to ask why? It is a question about the Urgals that I believe challenges a misconception held by most fans. The question asks: Of all the Urgal warriors (or clans) that exist in Alagaesia, how many (or what percentage) are currently allied with the Varden?
The question does not violate the rules and I don’t see why CP would not be able to answer it. I am not asking about will happen in the future, but just what the current situation is, something that I believe both the Empire and the Varden/Elves/Dwarves would already know (or at least have a rough idea of). I have also searched through the previous Q&As and have not found this question.
I believe that the misconception held by most fans is that all of the Urgals are allied with the Varden, but referencing Eldest (pg. 605-609) this is likely not the case. It explicitly states that roughly 100 Urgals have joined the Varden and that it is against the Urgals nature to have all of their tribes unite together as one race. When Nar Garzhvog makes the pact with Nasuada he says “I am Nar Garzhvog of the Bolvek tribe. I speak for my people.”. I believe that he speaks only for the Bolvek tribe, not for the entire Urgal race (especially since there were no other war chiefs prensent at the meeting and the entire Urgal race must have more than 100 warriors). It is unclear after this point in the Cycle whether any other tribes join the Varden (or if any may still be allied with the Empire despite the fact that Durza’s spell was broken).
Could you please reconsider this question or explain why it is not a valid question to ask.
Good insight, Marco. I just thought I should note that I read your post.
I’ve submitted this question twice, so if it’s not good enough, tell me, so I’ll stop submitting it.
Is there a limit to how powerful an immortal magician can be? An ordinary human can gain strength by lifting a boulder with his arms. Can a magician (like the case of Eragon and the stone) increase his magical strength by lifting a boulder with his mind? If you were to continue increasing the weight of the boulder and the number of reps, would you continue to grow stronger and be able to lift heavier things?
If so, is there any limit? What’s the deciding factor in how strong a magician can grow?
I don’t know. People should just ask good questions. In my opinion, the questions to look for are the ones pertaining to magic. I’ve asked a couple in the past. Mine are some of the first questions asked, but I think they are kind of hard to understand, so I understand why they were probably discarded. So my opinion is look for magic questions, but I don’t know if that is the will of the people.
Are Fanghurs ever going to be mentioned again in the series?
My question for CP is: Is Angela a half elf- half human which has been hinted at by your answer to another q&a answer, and does Angela have connection to royalty because in Eragon it is mentioned that werecats were often the companions of kings and queens. More specifically is it possible that Angela is the daughter of Evender and a human women?
How large is Alagaesia in square miles?
I agree with Marco. It would be nicer to all of us if we’d just know how things are running. So we still know that something is happening. Maybe just one hint or so, so that we are all full of questions. This whole thing is getting to be forgotten, thats too bad. Because most of us are waiting for this book very long now
I personally think that the site in general has decreased in the number of visitors as the news of book is to put it straight: scarce. It has now been over a year and a half and there is no meaty news of Book IV; no excerpts, spoilers, cover art heck we don’t even know what the title is! We most likely will have to a wait another year and a half further for the release and there is little to be done inbetween.
We need more regular updates, perhaps a newsletter from CP, supplying us with informtion on the progress of Book IV. Perhaps it could just a be thought or notion he had during the month, completely unrelated to Alagaesia. Just so we know live and well, writing away.
MOST IMPORTANTLY we need to know that you guys at SHURTY are listening and reading each and every single one of our posts. Once we feel that this is being met, perhaps more of us would be willing to post our opinion.
Mike also mentioned about some upcoming projects; fan made book for CP, sound tracks for the books, and fan made columns on the front page. They aren’t going to get themselves done unless YOU promote them, and start some work on them. The web taffic here will rocket sky high with those updates!
It saddens me to say that the chances are; nobody will actually read my post as it is lost in a surge of questions once more. Ah, well.
Take this into account, you’ve done a great job thus far Mike and co. Don’t let it slip now, I have been visiting the site for nearly 3 years now.
–Marco
Is Shruikan going to play any kind of role in the next book? Will we find out more about him?
In Alagaesia, do they have a 365 day year. And do they have four seasons eg. summer, spring, autumn and winter?
Did Brom have any brothers or sisters and did he have other kids other than Eragon
Within in-book indices, both ‘brisingr’ and ‘istalri’ are defined as fire. Which one is correct or are they synonyms?
How old were Morzan and Galbatorix when they betrayed the Riders?
In Eldest on page 216, Arya tells Lifaen and Nari to enter Silthrim and inform Captain Damitha that “…that which she once hoped for – and feared – has occured; the wyrm has bitten its own tail.” What did she mean?
My questions:
If someone chopped off Eragon’s hand that had the gedwëy ignasia on it, what would happen?
Is there a reason Helgrind is not mentioned in Eragon’s Guide to Alagaësia?
What word did you [CP] look up in the dictionary that had the word brisingr in its etymology?
What color was Morzan’s dragon?
When Murtagh shot Durza between the eyes, did Durza find another body to possess somewhere else? Or did the body he was in stay alive? If the former, which body was Carsaib?
Did the spell that bonded the elves to the dragons affect only those in Alagaësia?
How long do dwarves live?
How old is Orik?
How old does an elf need to be in order to be considered an adult?
Are werecats related to people or cats? Or are they something else entirely?
Exactly how much of the Ancient Language was based on Old Norse?
oh, sorry about posting twice but i have a question. It has probably been answered or easily guessed at but maybe it will spark another question.
When a dragon rider finds a “mate” their dragon is also attracted to that mates dragon. But what if that mate is not a rider? What happens to the dragon then?
I agree with those who explain that discouragement is the main reason people dont participate actively on here. I admit i am one of those who just quickly scan the website for more news and if there is none i usually leave. We’ve waited so long and i think the excitement has worn off and led to boredom and disappointment. What’s the point of checking the site daily for another two years if there is no hint at any information of the book we are dying to hear about? Thats the way i see it any way. I know there’s not much you as the shurty staff can do about this and we all appreciate everything you guys do around here but we do need an ETA or something. Its been over a year now.
As for what you can do about the Q & A, I think that the first option is better if only because with only one submissin every two months CP might have more time to finish and perfect book 4. We all want it to be the best one in the series, after all. It might be a long wait but, by now, we should be used to those. I say that unless you get a lot of questions go for the once every two months option.
The questions I have asked in the past are:
1) Shades. So far the have only been two Shades in the IC. Durza and Varuag. I’ve noticed that both were formerly human males and I though if any of the previous Shades had been something else other than a human male. More importantly, is it possible for a female human or both genders of the dwarves, elves and urgals to become Shades?
2)Elva has become much more mysterouis after her half cure. What does the star shaped mark on her forehead mean? Also will we be able to see a POV from her eyes?
3) The blades those assassins had during the section where Eragon was in the dwarven politics, what exactly are they? How can they be made and what type of magic is infused into?
4) The tower Tenga lived in. Was it also the same tower Lifen spoke of that imprisoned King Palancar ages ago?
i’d just like to say that you should take some serious questions, dont take questions that christopher may not have an answer to. Some of the questions asked are probably related to the fourth book so just take questions that can be answered by him, like the 4th question will probably be answered when the fourth book comes out.
Personally, Mike, Shur’tugal has disappointed me. I have posted before for questions, none of which have ever been answered, even vaguely. The irregularly of the updates on this site has discouraged people from bothering to post. When the monthly Q and A’s were first announced I was very excited and looking forwards to all the juicy tit-bits we’d gleam from the regular insights into the world of Alagesia. To my great dissappointment, we are only on our sixth despite the idea of being around for a while. I think, that if regular updates were re-instated… for both the Q and A’s and possibley the newsletter also, a greater number of fans would return to the site and a thus a greater number of suitable questions would be submitted.
There was a person, Fools Gold and another person Iron Pyrite. They both asked questions about the influences of other languages on the languages he created for the Inheritance.
I had some questions too.
1. Were there many dragons?
2. Is the Spine really dangerous?
3. Did other languages have an influence on the Alagaesian languages?
4. How many Riders were there?
5.Was there ever an elven monarch who was a Rider?
I don’t like the idea of lengthening it to every two months, because it, well… doubles the wait. XD
Maybe you should just wait until you’ve put together a decent amount of decent questions and then ask them, instead of tying it down to a specific amount of time?
@ys1994 – i believe that being a rider would immune oneself, just more than a normal magician, because if you remember when eragon enters Ayra’s mind he can feel the fey magics inside her mind but manages to resist.
Sorry for not seeing the suggestions before Mike, it wasn’t working properly on my laptop. I believe the first option would be better, if not the extended waiting period, but for the matter of you checking with us first, although somebody might believe their question more important lol.
But this idea sounds great to me 😀
The second idea …. ahhh doesn’t seem as good, because then CP won’t be writing as much if he were answering our question every week, even if they are short ones. 🙂 Aside from that, those questions seem great, especially Tulkas’s and the one about the three fighters who bested Brom…. 🙂
sorry for posting so much as well guys :O haha…
Oromis says that from when a dragon who has disgorged his/her Eldunari dies, it can take up to seven years for the Eldunari to reach its full potential. After this, does it take seven years to ‘fully recharge’ or does it regenerate at the same rate as if it was alive?
Lol ….. why are people asking questions? :S
Just to inform you all Mike isn’t TAKING questions else i’d submit the one i’ve asked for the last two Q&A 😛 and that is
[[ who are the parents of the two elf children?
[[ Will eragon discover something in the Dominence of Fate that will help him in finding the Vault of Souls?
[[ Will the Varden have to fight for Sharktooth as well as cities like Dras-Leona and Teirm? ]]
Lol 🙂
I’ve got one:
If someone were to say an untruth in the Ancient Language, what would the penalty be?
i have a few
1) What was Selena’s fortune?
2) Wasn’t it impractical for Brom and Selena as Brom was a rider, or does the Rider’s “immortality” go if the dragon dies?
3) In book 3, when examining the elf’s mind, Nasuada said they should have waited for Eragon to do it, is it because he is a rider or because of the change the elves did. And should Galbatorix have broken into Arya’s mind would he have become lost in it?
I’ve got some questions connected with magic:
1) How much energy can be contained in Aren, belt of Beloth the Wise, sapphire in Brisingr or diamond in Naegling? Is there a limit? Which of these jewels is most capacious?
2) How much energy can contain eldunari, for example Glaedr’s eldunari? Can it reload itself after use? If so, how long does it last?
My Questions are:
1. Has Gilderian the Wise forgiven Saphira for her crimes of hurting and burning the Menoa Tree?
2. Are all of Angela’s prophecies going to come true?
3. How old is Angela or is she just lying of being alot old?
4. Is Arya the person in the prophecy of Angela or is there any other person going to come?
My Questions are:
1. Has Gilderian the Wise forgiven Saphira for her crimes of hurting and burning the Menoa Tree?
2. Are all of Angela’s prophecies going to come true?
3. How old is Angela or is she just lying of being alot old?
There are hundreds of questions that get omitted from each month – sure some can’t be asked but I myself have seen many good ones.
Anyway, I have a couple.
1) How many eggs does a dragon lay in a single clutch, and how often do they produce eggs?
2) If Galbatorix uses Eldunari for strength, how did he find the strength to steal Shruiken, tempt the Forsworn and subdue the Eldunari?
what colour where brom and morzans dragons?
how do blessings work? and differ from others?
will murtagh ever find love and happiness? if galby dies will thorn shrink?
will rorans child be the next rider? how are they going to get the green egg back, will eragon take brom and osmois place?
why are elves so…..so snotty?
how do elves fall in love when the so well so so? and do they care foe there children like humans do? and what is it that islanzadi exiled arya for
eragons dreams are they of ant consciquence?
what wyrda and why doea that bird keep saying it..?
I really like Theendispossible’s question about how people get the ability of magic. I also like the theory about certain parts of Alagaesia being a sleeping dragon.
I think anyone who read the Wheel of Time books can tell you what an Illuminator is. I’m guessing that’s where CP got it from. They make fireworks.
What I want to know: How far is CP into writing book 4? It would be nice if he could give us some indication of his progress.
I personally am a bit disappointed at shurtugal staffs. Their updates are so much inconsistent, and I could understand that you guys are quite busy, but I wish that next time, you can post that you guys are a bit busy and will delay for a while.
I also have questions for CP:
In Brisingr, when Eragon blessed the 2 ‘pilgrims on their quest’, Angela called one of them Bladesinger. Is this title significant or just a small event?
As Sloan reached Ellesmera, will he appear again at book 4? If he does, will it be a significant event or just a small event?
Just for personal interest, were there any riders who actually used 2 rider’s swords?
i think it was a one off and that you should continue with the Q&A’s monthly as then u will have a greater chance of having great questions.
Let me start off by saying I love reading everyones questions (Some of you have really thought some of the ones i have seen i have never even had a 2nd thought about lol) See though, Asking about things like Eragons connection to dragon magic and if the grey folk will return are def questions The staff here at shurtugal wont pick because Cp def wont give us a straight answer if he answers them at all, you all need to be more realistic in what your asking its another reason we got here in the first place! Really i do not mean to discourage anyones questions but there it is :/
I was wondering how people get the ability to use magic in these books? I know that Roran is trying at various times to get a pebble to float but cant seem to. Is it a gift given at birth? Does one have to inherit it from lineage? I know in another great fantasy series that all were born with the ability at one time but then some people got rid of a part of magic in a realm of being that was between realms and that cut the ability out from everyone to choice few but those choice few lost half the power which the previous generation had and went dwindling down through out the generations until all people were born with the gift they just couldnt use it because they werent born with enough of the gift. Is this somewhat what happened? (So you may know this comes from the Series Sword of Truth. Not trying to advertise it just use an example.)(Also you may expand on my thought here if you can translate it to a more rational thought or to help make my thought easier to understand.)
Will Rhunon’s oath allow her to make more Riders’ swords if so how many swords will Rhunon be able to make from the Brightsteel Eragon found?
Will the greyfolk ever reappear in the land of Alagaesia? Or are they already there, keeping watch over their land and they might have blended in like CP said that some of the HalfHuman-HalfElves might’ve?
Thinking about what ShurtugalLiam just stated how Alagaesia is shaped like a dragon at least the parts mentioned, could a dragon get to be as big as all of the Spine and if so could he/she have hidden themselves by not moving and just letting the land grow over them? All maybe thinking that they would have to sleep and eat and use the facilities but could they go into a trance like sleep (aka hibernation) as a mode of self-preservation?
another sequal or prequal would be good … lol
Sorryy for the double post. XD
@adza153–strange way of putting it 😛 but if CP is 100 pages from finishing, he might as well just release the book. And i don’t think he’s losing fans, because those who are his fans will keep checking the site, even if they say they don’t or they dont comment as such. And once they see some newsletter of some description they will be back 🙂 i admit it happend to me, after the release of eldest in the UK i was a solid inheritence fan, not so much creating an account on here, but checking here and alagaesia. But after the first year and a half of waiting i grew bored or checking so i stopped. But in the run up to September 08 i returned 🙂 so he’ll never truly LOSE his fans unless book four is a fail and everyone goes crazy and starts loving the twilight saga lol 🙂
Flyingdrake — i was considering this thought myself, which would make sense because when he cursed elva, saphira felt compelled to help his error, when she tried to remake isidar mirthim, he encouraged her and during the blookdoath celebration the dragons chose him to heal. He does seem to be enbroiled in the dragons fate heavily. So it would make sense for him to be some type of catalyst for them… yes it makes sense too.
Also (just made this observation–although someone pointed it out before) have you noticed … the SPINE? the BOARS EYE? or the MAW OF THE OECEAN? SHARKTOOTH? a lot of places in alagaesia and surda refer to body parts … could it not be a dagons? and ive noticed, the southern bit of the spine looks like a dragon almost if you turned your book on the side (with the x on the map pointing away from you)
the funky little bit bit woadark lake looks like a head, while the bit enshrining Kuasta could be the wings…. again just my obsservation 😛 probably means nothing lol 🙂
When the Eragon cycle is complete, will CP come back to Alagaesia or will he leave it forever. Also will he be willing to do prequels as he stated it would take to describe Brom completely and be the most just to describe Brom.
Rereading some of the older posts I came across statements that Eragon influenced the magic of the Dragons at the bloodoath ceremony, it made me think about when he helped Saphira fix the star saphire. He stated that he didnt do any thing but she says that he seems to be able to influence her magic, will this actually help him in the end to defeat his foes?
@JosephShadeslayer – wow :O dude that was cool…
Mutley- totally agree with you on that one 😛
@Mike – how long UNTIL the interview? 🙂
Also i agree with many people on here, either people have run dry of questions (which i doubt) or they have simply given up and have decided to wait for the book.
And Mike i don’t think extending the Q&A will work because people will be discouraged by the longer wait for news. It makes more sense, that way people won’t be complaining that much, but at the downside during that month people will be annoyed and not bothering to write or remember their questions etc etc..
I agree with the most people already commented on here (and more so when Tulkas, Mair, Glorfindel Sirsimon Ganon etc) comment — that is we need an update, ETA or something for book for from CP lol 🙂 thanks for asking our opinions and thoughts though 😀
long live shurtugal!!!! And its staff!!!!
Going with his name sake Eragon changed the world as did the first Eragon. Also Eragon seems to be able to influence the power of the Dragons. Now with that said is Eragon a catalyst that can set in motion the bringing back of Dragons all together or no?
Will CP allow for the other books to be made into movies? I dont know if this was addressed or not. And if so will he use a different director for these movies seeing as that director seemed to botch up the movie completely?
i agree rayn1118, if CP wishes to keep his fans then he should say something in an interview like whether he is 100 pages away from finishing or something,, because it seems to me that CP is just milking Brisingr for everything its worth before he releases ”book 4”
How about this?
If a dragon riders dragon dies dose the dragon rider remain immortal?
Well, I submitted the same question for the first few Q/A’s so I guess I just got discouraged, because I thought it was an excellent question. (We were contemplating it at the FanFiction section)
I don’t think every two months would be good, because the discouragement might grow more, especially after having to wait that long.
I say if one month you don’t have enough good questions, just say ‘Sorry!’ and skip that month. That would give people a wake up call.
they need to be every month! every two months is just too long to have to wait
A question i have is: if a spellcaster were to reach for his/her magic then start in general conversation to someone would a spell be cast or would nothing happen at all?
These people have it right. We need an update. We all love the site but people are loosing interest. Even more so, people are loosing patience. Let’s face it, we’ve been waiting for the last book in the series for a while and we all thought it would be book 3. And it’s fine that it’s 4 books now but throw the fans a bone. We know you’re working hard on the book but give us something. Throw the cover our way! Then people will be active again. But for now, the less we hear from CP, the bigger the gaps of disinterest are.
I agree with most everyone else here, We just want an update on whats going on with the book the gap between news makes people lose interest and they stop showing up to the site and such to post. I have a question to add though if i may. In the chapter -Among the Clouds- in Brisingr when Eragon and Saphira stop at the edge of Fernoth-Merna Eragon notices the ruins of an abandoned castle across the way and gets an ominous feeling about it the exact quote is “The abandoned building seemed gloomy, ominous, as if it were the decaying carcass of some foul beast” Why does he get such a feeling about that castle? Who’s castle was it?
No I live for his interview.
Once a month is a must, not every two month’s.
A question: Does Elva have magic, and does her mark affect the way dragons see her?
With no update from CP since May of last year. (which i think is when the last news letter came out) I think people are just wanting more information, or are just wanting the book to come out. My question if its askable is ‘Can we get an ETA of when we are going to get more information on the book?” Or and ETA of when the book is coming out even if the answer is next year we have somthing to look forward to. I just want info on book 4.
I’m not really sure about a way you could improve the Q&A. I think it’s really just people are starting to lose interest as the gap in which we’ve had absolutely no news about the 4th book grows larger and larger. Maybe your first option would work, making the Q&A’s once every two months.
i would like to add to my question,,, eragon whispers the true name under his breath,so was there a reason as to avoid actually telling us what his true name is??
I would like to submit a question.
Last time Christopher Paolini said there would be complications if someone touched a hatched dragon before the chosen person did. I want to ask what kind of complications? Can they be fixed?
How would the dragon react?
could you ask CP what is sloans true name, is that cannot be answered ask if sloan will play a bigger role in book 4…
also, a reason people might not be posting valid questions could be because people might have started loosing interest,, i mean there has been an ever growing gap between brisingr and the ”4th book”
JosephShadeslayer, you have just earned yourself and your question a spot in the next Q&A! Definitely a unique and interesting question. 🙂
I think it’s getting to a point where we simply need the fourth book. I’ve taken great enjoyment in the many insightful questions asked as with their accompanying answers but it just doesn’t seem enough anymore. Which leads me to my question.
Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
Could you ask Christopher Paolini what are all the different elf houses and what do their names mean? I know of 6 houses (Drottning which means queen), Rilvenar, Miolandra, Trandurin, (Haldthin which means thornapple), and Valtharos.