Kurda's Fighting Skills

[James Gryphon]

Having read Triss for what counts as the first time, I figured that this is as good a time as any to discuss Princess Pinkeyes' inconsistently described swordsmanship.

We first see her 'practicing' her sword skills by taking various swords and slicing up turnips, which she requires her slaves to throw to her in a manner reminiscent of a young child doing batting practice -- high, and slow enough so that she can make quick work of it and feel good about herself. I'm not sure that slicing up objects (mobile or not) is really all that helpful when it comes to swordfighting skills; I guess it would improve the reaction time and dexterity, but it seems to me (unless Martin's spirit is telling you how to fight) that you would need to have someone to practice with if you're going to know anything about attacking or defending against someone with a weapon.

Still, however limited this skill might be, it's still superb compared to the other comparatively pitiful members of her family, the king and prince, who have absolutely nothing going for them except that they are descended from Sarengo (who, having successfully killed an adder, actually must have been a terrific fighter, above and beyond any of his descendants).

Anyway, that's about the limit we see of her skills for some time; she brandishes her sword rather like a toddler might a favorite toy, constantly playing around with it, yet never achieving anything of real effect.

This trend continues up until Plugg Firetail's finally had enough of her and they have it out. Kurda frankly doesn't strike me as being that impressive in this brief fight scene, since the sword gets knocked right out of her hand at the beginning of their duel, but I suppose she does well enough considering that Firetail is a hardened corsair.

After surviving the fight with the fox, though, suddenly she's portrayed as this master duelist. One of the remaining freebooters actually says something to the effect that she would have easily beaten Plugg if the adders hadn't killed him (which I personally didn't really see), and from that point on she's labeled as this elite dangerous swordferret.

... until finally Triss catches up with her, where the book says that Kurda had "never faced an armed beast before" (which strikes me as being odd, since technically doesn't Plugg count?), and she's effortlessly defeated.

Based on this outcome, I wouldn't have any problems considering Kurda to be grossly underskilled, all bark and no bite, if it wasn't for the seemingly bizarre comments the freebooters threw out there after her "victory". I find it hard to believe they would switch to saying positive things about her so quickly after both their captain and substitute captain died, if they didn't in some way believe it was warranted.

Now, I don't think there's a chance that Kurda ranks up there with the traditional top villains in swordsmanship -- I'd take Gabool, Cluny, or a host of others before I'd ever consider her.

That said, though, what do you think about her? Does she qualify as a skillful swordfighter, or is she just a champion turnip-slicer?

[Captain Tammo]

You raise a good point, I never really thought of that before. I always wished that mr. Jacques made Kurda more skilled, but I guess that's just how he wanted it

[Tiria Wildlough]

I think she is a coward, and a bully, to say the least. I never liked her, but I always like it in the end of a book, when the bad guy is shown to be a coward.

[James Gryphon]

I think she is a coward, and a bully, to say the least. I never liked her, but I always like it in the end of a book, when the bad guy is shown to be a coward.

Well, she is certainly a coward, the question is whether or not she's a skilled coward.

Though there aren't a plentiful supply of brave vermin -- the bravest one I can think of on short notice, that isn't a major villain, is Barranca, in Pearls of Lutra... he's one of the very few vermin in all the series that has courage highlighted as a personality trait, and I think that makes him special.

[Matthias720]

I think she had skill, inasmuch as she had some tricks up her sleeve. I look at it like this; Kurda never had traditional training (that we know of) so she most likely had to learn everything about swords by herself. That in itself is impressive, but it doesn't hide the fact that Kurda's skill was, at best, average. Now if she had received training of some kind from an expert swordbeast, then I would say she could have done better. Genius without training does not do a body good.

[Dotti]

I haven't read Triss terribly recently, and I don't own it, so I can't check this, but doesn't it say that Kurda "had never faced a beast that was armed and ready for her"?  I'm not sure how that would work with the whole Plugg senario, but I think it may add "and ready".   
On a different note, Plugg Firetail is one of the more loveable villains, and the episode with his tail is rather humerous. 
You have a very good point on the inconsistancy of her skills;  I hadn't thought much about that before.   

[Osu]

I think she's just a champion turnip slicer, as you say. She had all the book smarts in the world, but when it came to flying the plane, she choked. Kurda was truly skilled, but if she wasn't experienced enough to defeat a squirrelmaid with even less sword practice than she, I'd say she ranks very low on the scary bad guy scale. XD

[Matthias720]

You vill make dis ship go faster. Dis is my vish an' my order!

Totally not scarey.

[Nightfire]

She's a wimpy, cowardly little scumfish. End o' story.

[Tiria Wildlough]

Hear hear!
I love the scene with Kurda and Triss. Specially when Kurda starts playing up. Call me mean, but as I said, I just love it when the villain does that.
And she is definitely not a threat. If you really want the real danger in Triss, go no farther than Plugg.

[Log-a-Log]

Yeah, I liked Plugg a lot better than Princess Kurda in Triss

[Nightfire]

"She's a white streak o' slime!"-Drufo

[Skalrag of Marshank]

Kurda and Bladd annoyed me because they were such brats. Talk about sibling rivalry!   

[Osu]

I kind of liked Bladd. He made me LOL more than any other villain in that book.

[Log-a-Log]

Bladd reminds me of the song that one of Plugg's crew writes about Plugg and Bladd's death. That song was hilarious