this post was submitted on 12 May 2026
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Maybe xD
I am hoping I missed something and this isn't just a glaring plot hole... But do you know how the Rain Wild Traders originally got to the rain wild lands? Supposedly the only way is up the river with a live ship, but live ships only existed because of the logs from the Rain Wilds. Seems like a chicken and the egg situation.
I have no idea if this is a spoiler or not...
spoiler
but I'm pretty sure people were living in The Rain Wilds before the river turned acidic.It has been a while since I read them though. I will say I don't remember feeling perturbed about any plot holes when I finished so I assume it is explained at some point.
My other guess was maybe the first voyage they took they got lucky and the river never ran white during the voyage. They would have gotten to the rain wilds with damaged ships, but probably could have made it up there before sinking.
So now I am on the City of Dragons, so quite a ways into this elderling world... Does it ever come together? It seems so disjointed when you jump to the Six Duchies back to Bingtown between each trilogy. One place dragons, one place magic. Does the magic ever come to the traders? The Wit isn't even mentioned south of Chalced.
Hey! Glad to hear you're still at it :D
I can't say because spoilers, but trust me, it all comes together in the end with nary a loose end in site.
I wish I could read it all for the first time again!
Finished! It was good, but I still feel like "The Wit" is a loose end. It makes the world feel disjointed that no one south of Chalced is mentioned using that magic. It's never explained where it comes from, I feel like that aspect of the books could be more polished. Maybe she is planning on more Bee books?
I think there's some good answers here.
My own take on it was that the Six Duchies were the focus of most of the books, and given the taboo nature of the wit, the characters there may just have not known about it elsewhere as it wasn't something to be studied and discussed. That said, it does seem that both the skill and the wit came from the Elderlings and are two sides of the same coin.
It's been a couple of years since I read the series again and I'm kinda hazy on some details though! I mostly just remember how satisfyingly the series concluded despite it being incredibly bittersweet (I clearly remember wondering WTF to do with myself next after finishing xD).
I did enjoy the link, but I feel like that link just further proves my point. There wouldn't be a bunch of wild fan theories about it if it were more polished. I feel like it wasn't something meant to be left a mystery, but it is. There are so many other mysteries to ponder at the end of the book. For example, will the new elderlings turn into Others? How is Skill worked into magic? What is dragon Nighteyes goal and when does he turn back into stone?