Author Topic: Can someone explain the end of Elantris for me? *spoilers*  (Read 2903 times)

mrbaxter

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Can someone explain the end of Elantris for me? *spoilers*
« on: February 15, 2008, 04:34:57 PM »
Hey, I really liked the ending of Elantris but somehow the explaination as to how Raodan got Elantris working again has eluded me.

I get the chasm part with the extra line, but I don't understand why he had to draw a line for Aon Rao?  Were the other parts of the Aon already drawn and the earthquake messed up the other line or something?

Maybe I missed something but thought I would ask here because I can't figure it out!  Thanks.

Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: Can someone explain the end of Elantris for me? *spoilers*
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2008, 08:17:18 PM »
Yes, the other parts were already drawn. The walls of the city of Elantris itself, and the circular walls of the four satellite cities (including Kae), provided the other lines of Aon Rao.
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Seradan

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Re: Can someone explain the end of Elantris for me? *spoilers*
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2008, 10:26:50 PM »
Aon Rao was a graphical depiction of the landscape. Elantris and the satellite areas created the Aon by their construction. When the earthquake happened (it pre-dated the fall of the city), it altered the landscape, and so all those Aons that were etched into the city, and the city itself, were no longer channelling the power through, but instead formed a sort of blockage. Once the energy was blocked, there was the Shaod and Elantris begins to decay...

At the end, Raoden makes the Aon created by Elantris and surrounding area match up with the land itself, and things are restored :) An interesting direction to go with a sequel would be having an enemy exploit this weakness of their strength... :)

lizinthesky

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Re: Can someone explain the end of Elantris for me? *spoilers*
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2008, 05:56:05 PM »
I just finished Elantris a few days ago, and thought it was excellent - except I also got a little confused with adding the chasm to Aon Rao. As far as I was aware, the chasm line would have to be added approximately where it is on the map at the beginning of the book - extending from 1/2 way down the mountain line towards the lake - therefore indicating that this line would need adding inside elantris itself. Raoden, however, draws it somewhere outside Elantris near the wall of Kae...

Have I missed something or does it seem like he didn't draw it in the right place?

Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: Can someone explain the end of Elantris for me? *spoilers*
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2008, 12:08:08 AM »
There's already another thread about that...somewhere... Basically, the map at the beginning of the book isn't accurate when it comes to the chasm placement. (Anyone want to link that thread?)
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Comatose

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Re: Can someone explain the end of Elantris for me? *spoilers*
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2008, 02:00:25 AM »
Yes please, I think it would be an interesting read, that part always puzzled me.
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Nessa

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Re: Can someone explain the end of Elantris for me? *spoilers*
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2008, 07:37:40 AM »
http://www.brandonsanderson.com/annotation/88/Elantris-Chapter-61-3

Quote
So, my only worry about the climax here is that it's a little hard to visualize. Because I never quite got the map to look like I wanted it too, it's hard to see what Raoden is doing in this chapter. Essentially, he adds the chasm line to the Aon Rao that Elantris and its outer cities form. Because Elantris was an Aon, it stopped working just like all of the other Aons did when the Reod occurred. I've established several times in the book that the medium an Elantrian draws in--whether it be mud, the air, or in this case dirt--doesn't matter. The form of the Aon is the important part. By putting a line in the proper place, Raoden creates a gate that allows the Dor to flow into Elantris and resume its intended purpose.

and

http://www.brandonsanderson.com/book/Elantris/page/50/Elantris-Map-Progression
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lizinthesky

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Re: Can someone explain the end of Elantris for me? *spoilers*
« Reply #7 on: April 12, 2008, 12:04:58 PM »
I understand what actually happens in terms of completoing the Aon, but unless I am visualising it wrong, I can't understand how Raoden can draw the chasm outside the city - even if you look on the map progression page, and look at the 5th image where Brandon himself has annotated the artist's map in red, the chasm is on the right of the mountains - which I thought represented the wall of elantris, therefore making the chasm need to be inside the city (even according to the author's own map instruction)....
http://www.brandonsanderson.com/book/Elantris/page/50/Elantris-Map-Progression

Dont let me put across that I didn't enjoy the ending, I think it was fantastic... It was only afterwards when I thought about it, that this small confusion occured to me!

Comatose

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Re: Can someone explain the end of Elantris for me? *spoilers*
« Reply #8 on: April 12, 2008, 06:12:03 PM »
Yes, I agree as well, the central arelon aon in Rao is in the square represented by elantris, there's actually two of them together, which for a square with a dot in the middle.  The outer circles of Rao are add ons, which would be reperesented by the four outer cities, thus the chasm line should be in elantris.  Shouldn't it, or going across the wall perhaps?
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Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: Can someone explain the end of Elantris for me? *spoilers*
« Reply #9 on: April 13, 2008, 05:29:45 AM »
The chasm is supposed to be much further south than the lake (which is the dot in the center of an aon). It's supposed to be further south of the lake than the lake is south of the northern coast, which means the chasm line would appear outside the wall.

I think.
« Last Edit: April 13, 2008, 05:37:02 AM by Ookla The Mok »
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Comatose

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Re: Can someone explain the end of Elantris for me? *spoilers*
« Reply #10 on: April 13, 2008, 08:23:45 PM »
Oh, so that means that for the Elantris Rao Aon, Kae would be the bottom, so it's turned sidesways, I think I get it now.
"Look, I'm just trying to change the world, okay?  I don't have time for a grudge match with every poser in a parka!"
- Dr. Horrible

"There's always another secret..."
- Kelsier