Murtagh: The World of Eragon Plot Summary
Murtagh, the complex anti-hero of The Inheritance Cycle returns as the main protagonist in the 2023 book, Murtagh: The World of Eragon by Christopher Paolini and sets about eliminating the newest evil plaguing Alagaësia with his dragon, Thorn.
Murtagh jumps from one danger to another, trying to find the new threat – Bachel, a witch who is so powerful she can nullify his only hidden ace, the all-powerful Word to strip all magic. But to get to her and figure out her endgame, he must first go through several missions that take him and Thorn all over the continent.
But the ending leaves us with more questions than answers and we’ve taken it upon ourselves to figure out the ending as much as we can till we wait for the next book.
Who is Bachel?
Bachel is half-elf and is considered the leader/speaker of the Dreamers as she serves Azlagur. She has access to natural and wordless magic due to her connection with Azlagur. This makes her possibly very old and very strong and she boasts that even Galbatorix was one of her thralls.
Her bird skull amulets make the wearer immune to the traditional magician and rider magic. However, she is also able to break it even when it is out of her reach as evident during the final battle with Murtagh. However, she is not completely immortal as Murtagh is able to kill her by crushing her with a giant crystal and then cleaving her skull with Ithring, his sword.
Why does Murtagh not recognise Thorn at first when he is enthralled?
Bachel constantly uses the Breath to keep Murtagh in her thrall, however, he is able to retain his memories. But the first time she captures him, she uses the Breath directly from the Well. There is a possibility that since it is his first time and he is enthralled directly by the source, Murtagh loses all sense of himself.
This is why he is not able to remember anything or even recognise Thorn. When that original Breath fades, he suddenly “wakes”, and from then on is able to keep his memories even when he is drugged or tortured.
Who are the unnamed man and woman who visit Bachel?
The man with Lyreth is from Varden and is part of Nasuada’s inner circle. There is no confirmation but according to fan theories, the advisor could be Jormundur or someone from the Council not yet introduced. As for the woman because of which the Earth shakes, it could possibly be Angela. Fans were quick to recognise Angela’s disguise as Garzhvog calls her Uluthrek, the same name that Uvek uses to describe her to Murtagh.
Who is the wingless black dragon from Murtagh’s dream?
Due to Azlagur’s influence over Nal Gorgoth, Murtagh and the rest get visions of an enormous and wingless black dragon that rises and eats the sun. Some of the dreams may be real premonitions while some may be just what Azlagur wants to make a reality. It is most likely that the wingless black dragon is Azlagur as Bachel states that the current dragons are an imitation of him.
Azlagur’s dreams also align with the Dreamers’ purpose of raising a new world out of the destruction of the old. Azlagur seems to be able to connect with Dreamers all over the continent with the help of underground caravans on charred brimstone land which may hold more Wells. There is one theory that he is so huge he makes up the Spine mountain range of Alagaësia.
And the black smoke that arises from the pit holding the shadowy river (part of Azlagur’s body) in Nal Gorgoth may be like a volcanic eruption, allowing Azlagur to rise. In the past, Glaedr had also revealed that some dragons could get extremely huge and as they got older, these ancient dragons would only sleep and dream which seems to be the case for Azlagur.
Murtagh puts a stop to him by channelling the power of light. However, since the ancient dragon is extremely powerful, Murtagh thinks that he has not killed Azlagur but just slowed him down.
Read More: Murtagh Book Review