Wallmaker is perhaps the most powerful rockshaper ever to exist in the
Isle. He controlled the rockshaping merges after Brownstone's death, and
led the effort to tap the molten veins of rock under the mountains' roots
for heat. He cared little for the 'outside', and only a sense of duty
and loyalty drove his efforts to master such 'lowly' skills as hunting.
Little made him happier than to guide his elder son's budding magic. Conversely,
nothing outraged him more than Tallrunner's blythe refusal to sit down
with Farseeker and learn the ways of spirit-walking. So deep became the
divide between father and son, that Wallmaker never appeared to grieve
for his younger son, when Staredge was killed and Tallrunner was captured
and -- apparently -- tortured to death. When—uncounted years later—Tallrunner
was returned to the Isle as a nearly-mindless, mutilated and crippled
wraith, he was unable to find within himself the ability to extend any
bonds of caring or love, no matter how much Feather pleaded with him.
Could Feather ever have persuaded him to try to reweave the bonds with his son became a moot question when the humans invaded the Valley. Given his skills, Wallmaker was rarely directly involved in the fighting, his time spent expanding the system of tunnels and caves that connected Isle to shore, and later, creating various traps and weapons to use against the invaders. Feather, however, was directly involved, and became one of the war's many casualties. When that happened, only Wallmaker's strength of will and sense of duty kept him from giving into a beserker's rage. Once back within the safety of the Isle's confines, however, he found that he could not bear to live with the knowledge of Feather's death, and so he thrust his spirit into the Isle's very fabric, willing himself to escape time. And so, he lives, yet lives not. His spirit prowls the depths and heights of the Isle's rocky bones, lending his strength as needed to shaping merges, seeking flaws and correcting them before they become problems. His body is kept healthy by Silvertree, but it is a rare occasion indeed when he can be persuaded to return to it... |
Parents:
Siblings:
Children: Staredge, Tallrunner, a daughter
Stories
The Hall of Remembrance 
Choices
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |