Brom

[u/Triktor5]

Hi, I'm on my third re-read and just finished Eldest, and a lot of questions come to mind regarding Brom.

I saw that a lot of people mention the fact that he didn't look elvish even after having been a rider for so long. This is explained by the fact that he could easily conceal the elvish traits, and give himself a more human appearance.

However, what I don't understand is his strength (or lack thereof). Brom himself mentions that the Raz'ac wanted to ambush him because he is stronger than both of them, however, when sparring with Eragon, after a while the book describes that both him and Eragon end their sparrings with bruses.

At that point, if Eragon had learnt to duel, he was not even close to the level of the elves, and after the Blood-Oath celebration in Elesmera, the dragons gift Eragon with the transformation which would naturally have taken place throughout several years.

Brom, having been a rider for as long as he was, must have at least partially undergone this change, it doesn't make sense to me that he would lose, or reach a stalemate with non-transformed Eragon

[u/Armadillo_Prudent]

Brom was only a rider for the equivalent of 15 minutes. His dragon was very young when she was killed and Brom hadn't changed much at that point, and the transformation stopped once he no longer was bonded to a dragon. Brom had the knowledge on how to match elven speed and strength in a duel by using energy from external sources like Aren but wasn't going to do that while sparring with Eragon as that would have both been a waste of the energy he had saved up in Aren and been way too early in Eragon's training to teach him about such methods. Using magic also gradually became harder for Brom after his dragon died, because he wasn't a natural magician, his magic came from a dragon who was no longer magically merged with him.

[u/Brave_Personality499 → u/Armadillo_Prudent]

I'm not sure if he wasn't a natural magician, magic is like a skill you can rarely unlock. Once unlocked you are a mage regardless of whether the catalyst was a dragon or not. Magic is the manipulation of energy and Brom was regarded as the foremost among the Varden and skilled among Elves. While I believe it was harder for him, I attribute it to his aging that he wasn't as powerful. Had he been as young as spry as Eragon he might have had more energy, maybe not as much due to not having a bonded Dragon, but not too inferior.

Everything else I agree with you on, and hadn't even considered that he knew how to enhance his abilities to Elvish levles with Aren. It makes perfect sense why the Vault considered it safe enough to send Eragon to free Arya with Durza present. Brom with Aren could match Durza if he enhanced his abilities, but without enhancing his physical abilities I don't see him escaping easily.

I had always questioned the Vault's decision due to my miscalculation of Brom's ace being more than near infinite magic. He has Elvish strength and near infinite magic. Going on this tangent, Brom Shadeslayer is a dope name.

[u/Triktor5 → u/Armadillo_Prudent]

This makes a lot of sense, I think I didn't have a notion of just how short his bond with his dragon had been

[u/Edkm90p]

Brom may not have meant "stronger" in terms of being able to benchpress the bird-people but instead "more powerful overall" because he had a giant emergency store of magic. This does not necessarily mean his body is faster or possesses more strength.

Also Eragon clearly transformed way further than Brom ever did at the Blood-Oath celebration. Brom also clearly continued aging so whatever gains he might've had had almost certainly begun to erode over time.

[u/zak_5764]

Brim had been severed from the magics for over a decade when his saphira died, he was also likely going easy on eragon as he was gentle and wise teacher and eragon was a hot head.

He was still powerful but in knowledge, not in body. At least not anymore.

[u/Triktor5 → u/zak_5764]

You raise an interesting point, was he cut from the magic tho?

If I remember correctly, in the third book, when Eragon finds out the truth about Brom, he also learns that Brom had been storing energy into the ring for almost a hundred years, meaning he still had magic, even if faint, he had it. Also, in the first book Brom starts a fire with magic.

I can buy that his ability with magic is not what it was before his Saphira was killed, but he still had at least a modicum of it.

Also, I get going easy on eragon, however, I get the punch pulling, but not the other side of it, meaning letting himself get hurt. Imagine you see the sword coming to your arm, and you know it will at least leave a mark, maybe even break a bone, and you allow yourself to be hit. That's a bit much

[u/Brave_Personality499 → u/Triktor5]

I believe they are referring more to the fact that Brom had been severed from the dragon's elvish transformation bond that is magic for over a decade.

Brom has lived 100 years without the existence of his dragon, this coupled with the fact that he wasn't a rider for very long and is human. It more than explains his physical weakening.

He also revels that his magic stores without his bonded dragon have regressed significantly to the point where a young fledging Eragon alone has more energy then him. With Saphira's aid, Eragon had far more energy than Brom's old bones could match.

The Ra'zac feared Brom due to his vast experience with magic and Aren's energy. With that much energy and experience, he could easily smite the Ra'zac to bits and even keep a Shade at bay.

[u/GarethBaus → u/Triktor5]

He wasn't just able to use magic, he was one of the most powerful single human users of magic at the time only weaker than Galbatorix, Durza, and the elves.

[u/Frazier008]

Also keep in mind the Ra’zac preyed on normal humans and are ambush creatures. They weren’t much of a match for riders and Brom would have wiped the floor with them in open combat. CP knew this and had to nerf Eragon when he went to fight them because of it. He went in there with a stick essentially. If Brom isnt ambushed with Eragon it’s not close, even then he only died to protect Eragon.

[u/tsorninn]

First point he had a big beard and was aging, albeit not as fast as he would have he had never been a Rider. I imagine that covered up whatever elvish features he did have.

The Ra'zac weren't much more physically strong than a human. Enough to hunt them. Roran also holds his own against them - the Ra'zac don't play fair though and have their breath weapon, can see in the dark more than any human or elf, and are hidden mentally. Likely a handful of villagers from Carvahall could have easily killed both the Ra'zac of the Ra'zac were dumb enough to allow a direct fight.

However, Brom lost his bond with his dragon and the source of his power and impetuous for his physical and magical transformation. Likely after Saphira died, the expansion magical and physical capacities halted and he just got the after effect of an increased lifespan. Eragon was noted to be a bit of prodigy, but he was also young and strong and still had the full bond with his dragon constantly changing him. Murtagh is also considered a sword fighting prodigy and surprised how good Eragon is.

I believe based on what Oromis said Brom was bonded for about a year or two before Saphira died, which would put him at about the same stage as Murtagh in his book - Murtagh comments that he's not as strong as an elf but is shown to have increased reflexes and abilities, such as being able to see a little better in the dark than before.

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