A few thoughts:

- I think this is the first time that a Tale has been narrated in the first person? I guess it's necessary to work with the closing soliloquy.

- Elidibus is a "youth" or "young man" but he is not a child. (You could easily have a story with, say, G'raha or Alphinaud described in the same terms and we'd think nothing of it.) He's old enough to be tactful and eloquent, at least.

- It sounds like Emet was free to simply "let go" (implied: and surrender to the Lifestream?) at any point.

- An odd line about Lahabrea "needlessly prolonging" the Seventh Calamity - isn't that their whole job? I thought they were trying to get an Eighth started.

- The parallels to Prospero were there to be made, and I had intended to post about it in another recent thread lately so it was on my mind... and then they went there completely with his closing speech. I'm not normally much good on Shakespeare references but I'd read up on The Tempest somewhat, and I like this haunting sung version of Prospero's speech, so those lyrics in particular are etched in my mind and it was a jolt to find them here.

- Are we intended to take it from Hades' speech that he's truly gone now that he's had his encore? Or is he still just waiting in the wings (or trying to sleep until we call him again)?

- That one interrupting non-rhyme irks me, not so much because it doesn't rhyme as that I feel like you should be able to think of what the rhyme would be if it wasn't interrupted. If that makes sense.

- I am now picturing Azem making regular flippant excuses to the Convocation as to why Such-and-such Town absolutely had to be saved from peril.
"There's a fantastic lookout here, I couldn't let it get destroyed in that landslide."
"It's such a marvellous spot for a picnic and that rampaging monster was spoiling the mood."