Plumduff Potato-Eye
A Novella by Jayge Carr
Edition Used for Analysis:
[Tales of the Witch World 3] (1989) Published by TOR, PB, 0-812-54757-8, 978-0-812-54757-3, $3.95, 343pg ~ cover by Victoria Poyser
Synopsis:
Plumduff the giant was in the forest chopping wood to craft a new chair when he senses the young man hiding in wait to attack him. Weary of being the right-of-passage for every young warrior seeking to prove himself, he tells the young man so. Shocked that he's been caught spying, Gregoriat is startled into replying and insults the giant. Plumduff's non-threatening banter draws the young warrior out and brings him around to seeing the giant's point of view. They end up taking a meal (with "'taties") together, drinking lots of mead, and falling asleep in Plumduff's cabin. The warrior thinks to himself he will sneak out the next morning to get his sword and armour and challenge the giant at sunrise but Gregoriat wakes to find himself tied up and Plumduff packed and ready to leave - never to come back. Gregoriat has vanquished the giant and can proudly return to his village to tell everyone. As Plumduff steps from the cabin he's shot twice by another young man with a bow. He charges forward and knocks out the young bowman with a mighty punch but then slumps to the ground in pain. Gregoriat manages to free himself and ties up the unconscious bowman. He's frantic to save the life of his new giant friend. As he works to get the arrows out he browbeats the archer, Andor, into helping him save Plumduff's life. During Plumduff's slow recovery, Gregoriat from Goldmantle clan and Andor from Redmantle become friends and truly realize what a gentle and gregarious person Plumduff actually is. They think of a way to save him from being attacked all the time by suggesting he becomes a travelling tale-teller, disguised as a jester on stilts, in a big costume. In villages all across Arvon, people came to know of Plumduff and his tall - but not actually giant - tales. Because everyone knows how horrible real giants are.
Timeline Points:
- Potatoes seem to be a root vegetable that Plumduff introduces to the Old Race of Arvon in this tale, as Gregoriat had not heard of them before.
- The two young men in the story call each other "Goldmantler" and "Redmantler" (in an insulting way) which places this in Arvon.
- Nothing in story says when it might take place but in afterword mentions that Plumduff could have been seen by a young Kethan (before The Jargoon Pard) in the forests of Arvon or possibly even a young Herrel (before Bloodspell). With time running the way it does in Arvon, it's even possible he could have been seen by both.
The Sorcerer’s recommend that you read next: Bloodspell
