Grunker said:
[Life... is strength. That is not to be contested; it seems logical enough. You live; you affect your world. But is it what you want? You are... different inside. This woman lives and has strength of a sort. She lost her parents to plague, her husband to war, but she persevered. Her farm prospered, her children are well-fed, and her name respected throughout her land. She lived as she thought she should. And now she is dead. Her land will be divided, her children will move on, and she will be forgotten. She lived a good life, but she had no real power; she was a slave to death. I wonder if you are destined to be forgotten as she was. Will your life fade in the shadow of greater beings?]
The one is relevant because it meanders around the territory of the PCs heritage while maintaining the dreamy feeling we're supposed to have by not making it clear what Irenicus is talking about until he is done talking. Pretty well-know tactic that keeps the reader interested.
I've read quite a few "death comes for all, we'll be forgotten, bla-bla-bla" speeches, and I'd have to say that this one isn't very interesting. It lacks something. Depth? Conclusions? Emotions?
Basically it says "Life is strength. A woman outlives her family members, does cool things, but dies anyway and will be forgotten. Will you be forgotten too?"
:facepalm:
Look at it this way. We have an elf who was once immortal. Then he gambled and lost it all, including his immortality. Now he's like any human. Take you, for example. You plan to live on for at least another 50 years. Let's say you're stripped of it and now your lifespan is that of an ant - 90 days. It's nothing for a human. A blink of an eye. It would affect you, it would change fucking everything, including the way you look at time flow (and numerous ways to waste it). It would be nice to see that in his speeches, especially in the one you quoted. Instead he tells you about some woman who was forgotten. Really? People die and are eventually forgotten? Your life has been taking away from you and that's your observation?