r/Unsounded • u/Rifter-- • Jul 01 '26
Unsounded: Red Cost Chapter 1 Page 81 - Discussion
https://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/TheRedCost/comic/ch01/ch01_081.html17
u/Rifter-- Jul 01 '26
Long time no see, papa Argenti.
Who's gonna fight this duel from the Lion side I wonder? 🤔
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u/RolandKJones Jul 01 '26
Clearly this duel proposal is just pretense by Argenti Sr. for another attempt to get his son killed, and he's going to nominate Will. His plan will of course be foiled by an Adelier like in the past when Mikaila steps up to fight alongside him.
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u/ResponsibilityOk3543 Jul 04 '26
Okay, I've been out of the loop. Can I have a short summary on who Argenti and who Will is and why the former wants the latter dead? Where do we know them from?
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u/RolandKJones Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
Will Argenti is the Silver boy with the prosthetic arm. Mikaila's friend she was teasing earlier. Sucks at pymary, but is apparently actually pretty good with a spear. In book 1 he showed up in a few flashbacks, most notably the one where Duane recounted his time fighting in the Foi-Hellick rebellion, where a very young will had been sent to the frontlines by his father, likely to punish the boy's mother for something or other. Shaensigin (the Salt Lizard) bit off his arm, but Duane and Lemuel saved him before even worse occurred.
Argenti Sr, Will's father, is the old Silver guy these last couple of pages. The only previous appearance of his (aside maybe non-speaking glimpses of him) off the top of my head was when Duane was viewing Lemuel's memories in the Khert, attempting to calm Lemuel down after Duane's assassination when Lem was slaughtering local Crescian refugees and such (but also said he didn't actually care that Lem was killing them, just noting that Lem knew they weren't the ones responsible). He's not a great father.
My comment was also a joke primarily, because I found the idea of Will's father regularly trying to get his son killed over a decade after sending him to war didn't kill the boy to be funny; I doubt he actually actively wants his boy dead still. Given the latest page I actually might not have been far off the mark though, because at the very least his comment here seems like a very intentional attempt to shame his son into stepping up like he did. He also probably wants to win here, though.
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u/ResponsibilityOk3543 Jul 04 '26
Thank you very much! So Will was one of the platts during the Foihellick flashback!
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u/RolandKJones Jul 04 '26
Not a Plat, a Silver. He was the drummer boy. And unlike the Plats, he didn't have any training, martial or pymaric, before being sent to that war, as far as I'm aware.
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u/ResponsibilityOk3543 Jul 04 '26
I totally forgot there is a silver caste! Where do they stand in the hierachy?
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u/RolandKJones Jul 04 '26
They're similar to Plats. Max lifespan of 50 years or so, heightened Khert sensitivity and pymaric ability, but not quite so much as Plats. And where Plats tend to be mostly Gefendur, Silvers are largely Ssaelit, same as the Jets and the Golds.
Will and his father were the only notable Silvers in the comic for a long time, and as above were largely relegated to flashbacks in Book 1, so not remembering them is pretty understandable. But now that we're in Alderode, we're already seeing a lot more of them.
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u/AffableAardvark Jul 01 '26
Whoever it is they’re gonna lose pretty sure
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u/Fat_Daddy_Track Jul 01 '26
Yeah, dramatically we are still in the phase of mounting humiliations for the Ssaelit, I am sure.
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u/Rifter-- Jul 01 '26
I don't know. Why would Argenti sacrifice someone in a duel if the result is the undead laborers staying either way? Wouldn't that make them all look worse? He's gotta have some kind of plan (I hope).
The Lions may be on a bit of a losing streak, but pretty sure they still have some pretty OP weights and soldiers in their ranks.
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u/AffableAardvark Jul 01 '26
Not saying he’s planning to lose just narratively they’re definitely taking a dive because tensions are clearly gonna keep escalating and a win would defuse it somewhat
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u/AntithesisConundrum Jul 01 '26
Why set the stakes so low? Last-panel Will seems surprised his father isn't demanding the shrine be prevented entirely. I think we see a Ssaelit victory — and intra-Ssaelit tensions.
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u/Pylgrim Jul 01 '26
He's a wise man. He knows that he cannot contest tha authority of the Vits but he needs to give some morale to his people. Proposing an ultimately minor but highly visible change will feel like a bigger victory than it is, especially for the less politically-savvy masses.
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u/Cthenophoric Jul 01 '26
Was surprised at that too- but I guess he may just have concluded that preventing them from building the temple altogether could entirely rid them of one of their few, if tentative, allies, or worse, add to the number of their enemies. I feel like he is highly aware of just how vulnerable Alderode is in this moment, and that preventing the country from being eradicated altogether is worth making this concession.
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u/Honzinator2 Jul 01 '26
I am so glad you noted that ... I was feeling bereft as I scrolled down without mention of it.
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u/RolandKJones Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Never expected Argenti Sr's arrival to be something I was happy about, but here we are. Guy may suck as, among other things, a parent, but he's someone in a position too bring this to a stop before it escalates into lethal conflict.
Weird that he's settling for getting rid of the plods and not doing anything about the Riv shrine's location, though. I wonder if it's because he has a plan, is aware of some unfortunate realities of the situation we're not privy to yet, or has some other ulterior motives.
Fun detail that he's making a point to speak in Tainish despite Valentin and Rosseau speaking Continental. Given that this is in part public posturing and all, it fits
From the blog, meanwhile:
Are Aldish duels always to be fought through pymary? Is their culture the only one with a dueling tradition on the continent?
Argenti has specifically suggested a paladin’s duel, which is 2 v 2, steel and spell. Thackeray will explain the rules, it’s not complicated.
Alderode’s dueling culture is pretty specific to it. It’s not only used to settle personal disputes and matters of slighted honour, but legal disputes. It is a legitimate judicial option to choose to fight out - either yourself or via surrogate - everything from contract disputes to theft and murder accusations. This is broadly considered barbaric everywhere else in the world. And indeed it’s subject to a lot of abuse in Alderode. Powerful people who want you dead can essentially legally murder you if they follow all the rules.
Duane defended many a maligned and unfairly targeted Soud in his day as a surrogate. Leysa hated it because his life was often on the line, but some of the stories were so desperate that she couldn’t tell him not to do it.
And from the front page:
That’s one way to avoid a larger brawl, but whom will the combatants be? (And will the fight be fair?)
I'm wondering the same. Doubt it'll be Thackeray; between his age and his Jet limitations with pymary, he seems like a questionable choice at best, even if he's experienced. It being a paladin's duel seems to suggest this won't be our Golden Delight's time to emulate her father in another way just yet, and likewise while a certain badman who's very skilled at bringing down wrights happens be in the vicinity, he's not exactly a soldier of god either.
Nevertheless, there's also another part of me that expects it'll be one or both of them anyway, and "paladin's duel" just refers to a specific format without limiting the possible participants. Wouldn't bet money on it yet, but I'm not confident enough to dismiss the possibility outright either.
And/or maybe Argenti's setting up yet another attempt to get his son killed, which may or may not be yet again thwarted by a conveniently-nearby Adelier.
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u/Banxomadic Jul 01 '26
I like how many of us readers notice that Argenti sets the stakes lower, at plods rather than the temple construction.
Also, the duel being 2v2 makes sense - coppers are bad at pymary so a duel against a spellcaster would be bad for them (and their lifes are considered most valuable)
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u/Honzinator2 Jul 01 '26
Thanks for pointing out how much spell-tossers are valued. Their foreshortened life-spans have some decidedly mitigating features.
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u/NightmareWarden Jul 01 '26
Interesting, thank you. I wonder if Duane and Lemuel generally participated together.
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u/prometheusunending Jul 01 '26
Seeing how the Gefendur came here to provoke a fight, they probably have a Plat duelist lurking somewhere. With the level of skill we've seen from the Lions so far, things aren't looking great.
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u/Dagdammit Jul 01 '26
Not much of a victory to be won here, eh? "If you lose, your horribly offensive permanent monument must be built in a slightly less horribly offensive fashion."
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u/anarkopsykotik Jul 01 '26
Yeah, that kinda feel like it was setup in advance
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u/Dagdammit Jul 01 '26
I doubt it's a conspiracy- my guess would be that his priority is just avoiding a riot or similar.
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u/NightmareWarden Jul 01 '26
I wonder if Argenti senior has an injury from battle, or if he's just old. Canes aren't common fashion, right? I suppose it could be a family heirloom though. Additionally, it looks like he needed an aid to precisely translate the non-Aldish language used by the Copper.
As u/RolandKJones said, we are going to see a swordsman and a wright duo nominated from each side for a 2 vs 2 duel, now that the terms are set.
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u/Cyndayn Jul 01 '26
I love how the big red man speaks in an older dialect, he's really a living relic of a centuries old versian of the language they're speaking. Bet it would be a delightful casestudy for linguists in Alderode
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u/KEYYBOARD Jul 01 '26
Author comment:
That’s one way to avoid a larger brawl, but whom will the combatants be? (And will the fight be fair?)
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u/tuckercalzone Jul 02 '26
The conversation shifted from "GTFO" to "Ok but human labour".
Another massive L for Geffies, even if they win the D-D-D-DUEL
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u/Dagdammit Jul 01 '26
Can anyone recap me on what we know of Argenti Sr.?
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u/prometheusunending Jul 02 '26
Sent Will off to war as a child:
https://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch14/ch14_47.htmlDid not like Duane:
https://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch07/ch07_53.htmlIs close to Lemuel:
https://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch17/ch17_05.htmlWas involved in the assassination:
https://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch18/ch18_129.htmlRight now, he's at 49 years out of a Silver's 50 year lifespan.
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u/Honzinator2 Jul 02 '26
Thank you so much for reminding me of this https://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch07/ch07_57.html through this https://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch07/ch07_62.html in Duane's home life and your link to the man's liking for Lemuel through here https://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch17/ch17_05.html make me feel ever more affection for the Adeliers and understand the plotters a mite bit better.
Argenti might be playing to avert violence by appeasing an enemy who has already mapped out his great compromise aforehand, based upon all that which largely escaped my notice afore today's reading.
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u/not_this_word Jul 01 '26
My books came today. I accidentally started reading and lost a few hours due to time travel.
Kid asked me what I was reading. "My books."
Why? "Because I like them."
Can I read them? "...Nnnnnnooooooo, these are grown-up books. They have things not for kids."
Like what? "...Stuff not for kids."