Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Series 2, book 1, except: The Cell
Freshly kidnapped, Mhaldin is taken into captivity. From miles away and from total safety, his sister Fenera watches with her thoughts..
Then, around 10:30 on the clock, she saw a flicker of thought come through into her mind.
'Mhaldin, are you there?' she thought. Before he could reply, Fenera felt Mhaldin get struck in the face with an open hand.
“Wake up” a voice shouted in Mhaldin’s ear. Mhaldin opened his eyes and was immediately blindfolded. Fenera could feel him get pulled to his feet and hurried along by two men who grabbed his arms.
'Where are they taking me?' Mhaldin thought.
'How could I know?' Thought Fenera.
'You’re not in your normal bed' Mhaldin thought. Fenera thought about all that had happened today, sprinkling her thoughts with bits of optimism. Although it was hard for Mhaldin to feel happy when he was being hurried along as roughly as he was, he was still able to project happiness.
'It’s good to know so many people care' he thought. Fenera felt him get hurried across a hard floor and from what she could hear, the floor indoors and stone.
“So when do we get off duty?” one of the men holding Mhaldin asked.
“Not sure. I’ll ask the captain once we’re done with this kid” answered the other man. The entire trip took a minute or two, but after descending down a long flight of stairs, they came to a halt.
Mhaldin was scared, so was Fenera. What would happen now?
'Don’t be afraid Mhaldin, my new partners and I will get you out' Fenera thought, 'four of us are mages, we’re going to save you'.
'I know you will' Mhaldin thought.
“Alright, here’s the kid” one of the men holding Mhaldin said. “You want him? He’s yours.”
“Thanks for your help and for the ride in your machine” said a third voice, “you two can go.” The two men holding him released him, Fenera and Mhaldin both heard them run up some stairs. Another person grabbed Mhaldin’s arms, one in each hand and he was led forward a few steps, then abruptly stopped. The sound of rustling chains could be heard.
“From now on I am your master” said a voice. “My men will be extensions of my power over you. You are a belonging, a tool, an item and my men will make you work and like a tool, you will obey. If they tell you to stand you will stand, if they tell you to sit you sit, if they tell you to speak, you speak. You will not see me ever because I have better things to do than guard you, but my men will keep you under their solid watch. If you are thinking about escape then throw those ideas away now, it will never happen, I swear it. Your family is gone, your life is gone. Here you either sit and wait for my men to give you my commands, or do what they say. Do you understand?” Fenera felt Mhaldin nod. A hand struck him across the face.
“Do more than nod, tell me you understand, your master commands it!” Mhaldin did nothing.
'Just say yes' Fenera thought.
'He’s not my master' Mhaldin thought.
“You are insolent scum. But you will learn to obey my men and me by extension. It won’t be too long before you’ll grovel to their feet. I promise!” A fist punched him in the gut and the man behind Mhaldin held him up. The fist punched again, and again, and again, and again. When it was done, the man who had done all the speaking left, his footsteps could be heard going up the stairs.
When he was gone, Mhaldin’s blindfold was ripped away.
He was in a cell, big enough to squeeze four or so good sized horses in. All four of the walls were barred, so it was more like a cage. The room it was in the center of appeared to be a cellar as there were great piles of boxes and other junk lying about. Close to the door to the cell was a narrow flight of stairs going up. On one of the opposite walls was a small trapdoor, which Mhaldin later learned was the latrine. It seemed like a bottomless pit.
There were four other men in the cell with Mhaldin. One of them stepped to the door and produced a key while one man held Mhaldin still. Two others were bringing a heavy chain forward, one end they passed to the back of the cell opposite the door.
'In the name of all the gods…' Mhaldin thought when he saw what was tethered to the end of the chain: a heavy metal collar which opened and closed like a shackle. One of the men grabbed Mhaldin’s hair to hold his head straight while it was brought up to Mhaldin’s neck and closed around it while someone locked it shut with a key. The man at the front of the cell moved to the back and fed the chain through the back of the cell, clipping it neatly to a latch attached to the floor. Now Mhaldin could not leave the cell with the collar on. He tried loosening the collar. Such a cold, heavy weight was so odd. He wasn't used to being chained up like a dog.
The three men in the cell then drew short wooden clubs, each roughly a foot long.
“Are you Mhaldin Viex?” one of them demanded. Mhaldin said nothing and sat down near the end of the cell, unwilling to say anything and deeply intimidated. He fingered the collar idly. “Are you Mhaldin Viex?!” the man demanded again, “you don’t want your master to get mad, do you?” No words were said.
The three men grouped around Mhaldin and raised their clubs. Fenera closed her eyes tight, but couldn’t stop the flood of pain that came through. An eternity later, the beatings stopped. Fenera thought to check her body for bruises but knew it wasn’t she who took the beating. Even so, her left shoulder throbbed: many heavy blows had fallen on Mhaldin’s left shoulder.
“We know you are” one of the men said.
“Stupid little boy” another of the men spat, then kicked Mhaldin as hard as he could, causing Fenera, miles away, to wince and stop to catch her breath. “Come on, let’s go. That trip was too long for me, I need a drink. We’ll torture the kid later.” The others agreed with him, each took their turn at kicking Mhaldin before heading upstairs with the last one closing the cell door and locking it. The last thing they did was put a mageforce-charged amulet by the cell, just out of Mhaldin’s reach. It was the amulet which blocked mages from using mageforce in its vicinity. The kidnappers left sight, chatting coolly.
'Mhaldin, are you alright?' Fenera thought.
'Just a few bruises' Mhaldin thought. 'I’ll be alright. Please go to sleep, you need your rest. Don’t lose any sleep for my sake. I’ll still be here the next time you go to sleep, I promise'. Mhaldin’s thoughts told Fenera that he believed that it was daytime where he was every time night fell where Fenera was. They took time to comfort each other with thoughts and memories, then Fenera did as she was told and went to sleep.
Then, around 10:30 on the clock, she saw a flicker of thought come through into her mind.
'Mhaldin, are you there?' she thought. Before he could reply, Fenera felt Mhaldin get struck in the face with an open hand.
“Wake up” a voice shouted in Mhaldin’s ear. Mhaldin opened his eyes and was immediately blindfolded. Fenera could feel him get pulled to his feet and hurried along by two men who grabbed his arms.
'Where are they taking me?' Mhaldin thought.
'How could I know?' Thought Fenera.
'You’re not in your normal bed' Mhaldin thought. Fenera thought about all that had happened today, sprinkling her thoughts with bits of optimism. Although it was hard for Mhaldin to feel happy when he was being hurried along as roughly as he was, he was still able to project happiness.
'It’s good to know so many people care' he thought. Fenera felt him get hurried across a hard floor and from what she could hear, the floor indoors and stone.
“So when do we get off duty?” one of the men holding Mhaldin asked.
“Not sure. I’ll ask the captain once we’re done with this kid” answered the other man. The entire trip took a minute or two, but after descending down a long flight of stairs, they came to a halt.
Mhaldin was scared, so was Fenera. What would happen now?
'Don’t be afraid Mhaldin, my new partners and I will get you out' Fenera thought, 'four of us are mages, we’re going to save you'.
'I know you will' Mhaldin thought.
“Alright, here’s the kid” one of the men holding Mhaldin said. “You want him? He’s yours.”
“Thanks for your help and for the ride in your machine” said a third voice, “you two can go.” The two men holding him released him, Fenera and Mhaldin both heard them run up some stairs. Another person grabbed Mhaldin’s arms, one in each hand and he was led forward a few steps, then abruptly stopped. The sound of rustling chains could be heard.
“From now on I am your master” said a voice. “My men will be extensions of my power over you. You are a belonging, a tool, an item and my men will make you work and like a tool, you will obey. If they tell you to stand you will stand, if they tell you to sit you sit, if they tell you to speak, you speak. You will not see me ever because I have better things to do than guard you, but my men will keep you under their solid watch. If you are thinking about escape then throw those ideas away now, it will never happen, I swear it. Your family is gone, your life is gone. Here you either sit and wait for my men to give you my commands, or do what they say. Do you understand?” Fenera felt Mhaldin nod. A hand struck him across the face.
“Do more than nod, tell me you understand, your master commands it!” Mhaldin did nothing.
'Just say yes' Fenera thought.
'He’s not my master' Mhaldin thought.
“You are insolent scum. But you will learn to obey my men and me by extension. It won’t be too long before you’ll grovel to their feet. I promise!” A fist punched him in the gut and the man behind Mhaldin held him up. The fist punched again, and again, and again, and again. When it was done, the man who had done all the speaking left, his footsteps could be heard going up the stairs.
When he was gone, Mhaldin’s blindfold was ripped away.
He was in a cell, big enough to squeeze four or so good sized horses in. All four of the walls were barred, so it was more like a cage. The room it was in the center of appeared to be a cellar as there were great piles of boxes and other junk lying about. Close to the door to the cell was a narrow flight of stairs going up. On one of the opposite walls was a small trapdoor, which Mhaldin later learned was the latrine. It seemed like a bottomless pit.
There were four other men in the cell with Mhaldin. One of them stepped to the door and produced a key while one man held Mhaldin still. Two others were bringing a heavy chain forward, one end they passed to the back of the cell opposite the door.
'In the name of all the gods…' Mhaldin thought when he saw what was tethered to the end of the chain: a heavy metal collar which opened and closed like a shackle. One of the men grabbed Mhaldin’s hair to hold his head straight while it was brought up to Mhaldin’s neck and closed around it while someone locked it shut with a key. The man at the front of the cell moved to the back and fed the chain through the back of the cell, clipping it neatly to a latch attached to the floor. Now Mhaldin could not leave the cell with the collar on. He tried loosening the collar. Such a cold, heavy weight was so odd. He wasn't used to being chained up like a dog.
The three men in the cell then drew short wooden clubs, each roughly a foot long.
“Are you Mhaldin Viex?” one of them demanded. Mhaldin said nothing and sat down near the end of the cell, unwilling to say anything and deeply intimidated. He fingered the collar idly. “Are you Mhaldin Viex?!” the man demanded again, “you don’t want your master to get mad, do you?” No words were said.
The three men grouped around Mhaldin and raised their clubs. Fenera closed her eyes tight, but couldn’t stop the flood of pain that came through. An eternity later, the beatings stopped. Fenera thought to check her body for bruises but knew it wasn’t she who took the beating. Even so, her left shoulder throbbed: many heavy blows had fallen on Mhaldin’s left shoulder.
“We know you are” one of the men said.
“Stupid little boy” another of the men spat, then kicked Mhaldin as hard as he could, causing Fenera, miles away, to wince and stop to catch her breath. “Come on, let’s go. That trip was too long for me, I need a drink. We’ll torture the kid later.” The others agreed with him, each took their turn at kicking Mhaldin before heading upstairs with the last one closing the cell door and locking it. The last thing they did was put a mageforce-charged amulet by the cell, just out of Mhaldin’s reach. It was the amulet which blocked mages from using mageforce in its vicinity. The kidnappers left sight, chatting coolly.
'Mhaldin, are you alright?' Fenera thought.
'Just a few bruises' Mhaldin thought. 'I’ll be alright. Please go to sleep, you need your rest. Don’t lose any sleep for my sake. I’ll still be here the next time you go to sleep, I promise'. Mhaldin’s thoughts told Fenera that he believed that it was daytime where he was every time night fell where Fenera was. They took time to comfort each other with thoughts and memories, then Fenera did as she was told and went to sleep.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Series 2, book 1, except: Mhaldin gets kidnapped.
Anar Viex is hosting a party for the Higharc. During the course of which, the party is attacked by some apparently cowardly men with bows. They retreat quickly. Anar thinks its over, but someone is missing...
Anar was fuming with frustration and sighing relief. Despite the two hundred arrows raining down on his guests not one had killed anyone which was a blessing. There were five moderate wounds which angered Anar greatly. The attack had ended when the sentries attacked and drove off the cloaked attackers. From what he could tell thus far, damage had been minimal. Not a single sentry had been killed and the entirety of the grounds had been secured.
Anar had been inside when the attack had occurred so he could not have known how the attack actually went. From what he had heard, the attackers had advanced, loosed arrows, and retreated. A few had engaged the sentries and some exchanges of swordsmanship did happen though as far as Anar knew no one had died. Their remarkable lack of accuracy had probably spared more than a few high profile Jindarian personalities.
“What could these people have possibly wanted?” Anar said to himself as he looked into the common room. The band had begun to play their music again and an increasing amount of people were resuming their dance. The rumor was spreading that the attackers had been mere pranksters. Those wounded would probably be perfectly fine by next morning, if not by midnight. Anar had made sure that the wounded and their families had been taken upstairs. To those who had been indoors during the whole attack, the thing seemed less real and could be ignored. Anar saw that the party could simply resume while reinforcements were brought in from the city to secure the surrounding woods. The only fear Anar had was that the servants watching the horses in the woods had been murdered.
“Assassins, good ones, would have been less chaotic” Anar said aloud as he waded through the crowds of guests. “They must have been insurgents or political enemies wanting to show us how strong they think they are.” Anar shook his head, deciding he would try and figure out who the attackers had been the next day. The attack had been so harmless. The only thing it caused him was some terrible frustration.
‘Can’t we have one perfect night?’ he thought as he looked about, eyes methodically moving from face to face as he looked for Asseah. ‘Where is she?’
“Anar!” screamed Enereus’s voice. “Anar!” he was screaming urgently, coming through the crowd. Rossus stood near him, searching the crowd frantically. Enereus’ tone was a blend of urgency and panic, a fast and fearful voice used in emergency.
“What’s wrong?” Anar asked in as calm a voice as he could, approaching the two.
“Mhaldin’s been kidnapped.” At least twenty people gasped.
It took some time for the words to sink in. For what seemed like an eternity Anar stood rooted to his spot, the words echoing through his head and heart. Was that why the attack withdrew? It made too much sense. Anar couldn’t think of any reason why the attack would withdraw.
“What?” Anar asked calmly, unable to take what he was hearing. “Say that again?” He needed to hear it again; he had to make sure he had heard those words properly.
“Sir, I am so sorry” said Enereus. “We have multiple people, including your daughter, who say that he was taken by the attackers. We were fighting the attackers at the front of the house. I’m told the men who took him struck the back of the house, so we couldn’t stop them They’re long gone by now. One thing’s for sure though, they abducted Mhaldin.”
“Mhaldin?” Anar asked. “My…my son was kidnapped?” he was starting to have trouble speaking.
“Yes, I wouldn’t report this unless I was absolutely sure of its truth. Look around you and see if you can find him. I also have many people that all say the same thing” Enereus replied. “Lord Chrakann of Chazz himself is amongst those who say they saw three robed men grab him tie him up, gag and blindfold him, punch him a few time in the gut…” Anar wouldn’t hear this and silenced Enereus with a gesture.
‘No’ was Anar’s first thought. ‘Enereus is making a mistake. Mhaldin couldn’t possibly have been taken. Where is the proof?’ A small part of his mind was telling him that he was denying it because it was too terrible a thought to accept. “Show me” Anar calmly said as he soothed himself with a slow intake of breath. Enereus nodded and led him across the manor.
As Anar walked he kept his eyes open for his son, trying to spot him among the groves of faces he walked through. He saw friends and strangers but not the person he was looking for. This was an ominous sign.
“Rossus, what are you still doing here?” Enereus asked while the three walked. “Make sure the valkyrie princess is safe!”
“Yes sir!” replied Rossus with a salute and left.
The two reached the back of the manor facing the forest.
Anar was immediately aware of a girl wailing and he found its source: Chi who was sitting at a table and sobbing while her mother patted her shoulders. Anar felt his calmness break away from him when he saw this second sign. Could it possibly be true? Was Mhaldin gone?
“What happened?” Anar asked with some urgency in his tone. “Tell me Chi, what happened?” Chi’s tearful reply was hard to discern but Anar’s focus was immediately drawn elsewhere. There, on the ground near the edge of the tables, lay the sword of Rarend.
“Oh no” Anar whispered as he strode over to the fallen blade and lifted it up to confirm that it indeed was the legendary weapon. “By the gods, no. Oh no…” Enereus joined him. “I…I told him nothing would happen” Anar rasped.
“Forgive me sir, forgive me” Enereus glumly pleaded.
“Find him then!” Anar yelled while his legs seemed to liquefy. He slumped helplessly to his knees. He grabbed Enereus’s waist. Enereus knew the task was impossible but didn’t say anything. “Find him then!”
“We’ll try” said Enereus though he knew he could not succeed. The guard broke away from Anar’s grip and left.
With Enereus gone, Anar was able to comprehend what he had just confirmed He went over it in his head, again and again. The more he did this, the more real it became. The guests formed a circle around Anar, looking nervously at him.
They soon parted like reeds to allow Asseah through. She had a wild look on her face, a sort of confused terror like something someone would have on when fleeing a mysterious danger.
“What happened?” Asseah asked Anar frantically. “Where’s Mhaldin?”
“He’s gone!” Anar cried and was unable to speak another word. It was too real for him to take.
Anar was fuming with frustration and sighing relief. Despite the two hundred arrows raining down on his guests not one had killed anyone which was a blessing. There were five moderate wounds which angered Anar greatly. The attack had ended when the sentries attacked and drove off the cloaked attackers. From what he could tell thus far, damage had been minimal. Not a single sentry had been killed and the entirety of the grounds had been secured.
Anar had been inside when the attack had occurred so he could not have known how the attack actually went. From what he had heard, the attackers had advanced, loosed arrows, and retreated. A few had engaged the sentries and some exchanges of swordsmanship did happen though as far as Anar knew no one had died. Their remarkable lack of accuracy had probably spared more than a few high profile Jindarian personalities.
“What could these people have possibly wanted?” Anar said to himself as he looked into the common room. The band had begun to play their music again and an increasing amount of people were resuming their dance. The rumor was spreading that the attackers had been mere pranksters. Those wounded would probably be perfectly fine by next morning, if not by midnight. Anar had made sure that the wounded and their families had been taken upstairs. To those who had been indoors during the whole attack, the thing seemed less real and could be ignored. Anar saw that the party could simply resume while reinforcements were brought in from the city to secure the surrounding woods. The only fear Anar had was that the servants watching the horses in the woods had been murdered.
“Assassins, good ones, would have been less chaotic” Anar said aloud as he waded through the crowds of guests. “They must have been insurgents or political enemies wanting to show us how strong they think they are.” Anar shook his head, deciding he would try and figure out who the attackers had been the next day. The attack had been so harmless. The only thing it caused him was some terrible frustration.
‘Can’t we have one perfect night?’ he thought as he looked about, eyes methodically moving from face to face as he looked for Asseah. ‘Where is she?’
“Anar!” screamed Enereus’s voice. “Anar!” he was screaming urgently, coming through the crowd. Rossus stood near him, searching the crowd frantically. Enereus’ tone was a blend of urgency and panic, a fast and fearful voice used in emergency.
“What’s wrong?” Anar asked in as calm a voice as he could, approaching the two.
“Mhaldin’s been kidnapped.” At least twenty people gasped.
It took some time for the words to sink in. For what seemed like an eternity Anar stood rooted to his spot, the words echoing through his head and heart. Was that why the attack withdrew? It made too much sense. Anar couldn’t think of any reason why the attack would withdraw.
“What?” Anar asked calmly, unable to take what he was hearing. “Say that again?” He needed to hear it again; he had to make sure he had heard those words properly.
“Sir, I am so sorry” said Enereus. “We have multiple people, including your daughter, who say that he was taken by the attackers. We were fighting the attackers at the front of the house. I’m told the men who took him struck the back of the house, so we couldn’t stop them They’re long gone by now. One thing’s for sure though, they abducted Mhaldin.”
“Mhaldin?” Anar asked. “My…my son was kidnapped?” he was starting to have trouble speaking.
“Yes, I wouldn’t report this unless I was absolutely sure of its truth. Look around you and see if you can find him. I also have many people that all say the same thing” Enereus replied. “Lord Chrakann of Chazz himself is amongst those who say they saw three robed men grab him tie him up, gag and blindfold him, punch him a few time in the gut…” Anar wouldn’t hear this and silenced Enereus with a gesture.
‘No’ was Anar’s first thought. ‘Enereus is making a mistake. Mhaldin couldn’t possibly have been taken. Where is the proof?’ A small part of his mind was telling him that he was denying it because it was too terrible a thought to accept. “Show me” Anar calmly said as he soothed himself with a slow intake of breath. Enereus nodded and led him across the manor.
As Anar walked he kept his eyes open for his son, trying to spot him among the groves of faces he walked through. He saw friends and strangers but not the person he was looking for. This was an ominous sign.
“Rossus, what are you still doing here?” Enereus asked while the three walked. “Make sure the valkyrie princess is safe!”
“Yes sir!” replied Rossus with a salute and left.
The two reached the back of the manor facing the forest.
Anar was immediately aware of a girl wailing and he found its source: Chi who was sitting at a table and sobbing while her mother patted her shoulders. Anar felt his calmness break away from him when he saw this second sign. Could it possibly be true? Was Mhaldin gone?
“What happened?” Anar asked with some urgency in his tone. “Tell me Chi, what happened?” Chi’s tearful reply was hard to discern but Anar’s focus was immediately drawn elsewhere. There, on the ground near the edge of the tables, lay the sword of Rarend.
“Oh no” Anar whispered as he strode over to the fallen blade and lifted it up to confirm that it indeed was the legendary weapon. “By the gods, no. Oh no…” Enereus joined him. “I…I told him nothing would happen” Anar rasped.
“Forgive me sir, forgive me” Enereus glumly pleaded.
“Find him then!” Anar yelled while his legs seemed to liquefy. He slumped helplessly to his knees. He grabbed Enereus’s waist. Enereus knew the task was impossible but didn’t say anything. “Find him then!”
“We’ll try” said Enereus though he knew he could not succeed. The guard broke away from Anar’s grip and left.
With Enereus gone, Anar was able to comprehend what he had just confirmed He went over it in his head, again and again. The more he did this, the more real it became. The guests formed a circle around Anar, looking nervously at him.
They soon parted like reeds to allow Asseah through. She had a wild look on her face, a sort of confused terror like something someone would have on when fleeing a mysterious danger.
“What happened?” Asseah asked Anar frantically. “Where’s Mhaldin?”
“He’s gone!” Anar cried and was unable to speak another word. It was too real for him to take.
The All War
The All War is the name of book 6. It is also one of the central cruxes of the whole of series 2, which focuses around the struggle to bring the All War to an end.
It begins with the Erayics and the Jindarians fighting one another over tensions caused by their differences in ideology. The Higharc of Eray is democratic while the kingdoms on Jindaria are monarchies. Trade disagreements and immigration fuels the rage and the two sides fight. In the background lies Usor'an, who lives in exile since the end of series 1 and seeks to regain control of his old kingdom, the Demon Empire. He plans to control the Demon Empire and use it to side with the Erayics to crush Jindaria.
At the same time, a separatist group from the Demon Empire called Demopact is making profit off the All War by selling weapons to both sides. One of the contracts on behalf of the Higharc: protect a band of mercenaries who have been contracted to kidnap Anar's son Mhaldin.
When Mhaldin is rescued, the boy betrays his family and joins Demopact. He dislikes their close relationship with the Higharc and makes Demopact think the Higharc has betrayed them by poisoning their members, killing enough to secure his place as the head of Demopact. Mhaldin then helps Usor'an become the lord of the Demon Empire. Then, side by side, Usor'an and Mhaldin unite the demons and attack Eray and Jindaria together.
The All War thus enters a new stage. With the original causes of the war forgotten, and a mutual enemy bearing down on them, Jindaria and Eray unite against Usor'an. The war thus becomes a prolonged war of attrition with the potential to last centuries.
It begins with the Erayics and the Jindarians fighting one another over tensions caused by their differences in ideology. The Higharc of Eray is democratic while the kingdoms on Jindaria are monarchies. Trade disagreements and immigration fuels the rage and the two sides fight. In the background lies Usor'an, who lives in exile since the end of series 1 and seeks to regain control of his old kingdom, the Demon Empire. He plans to control the Demon Empire and use it to side with the Erayics to crush Jindaria.
At the same time, a separatist group from the Demon Empire called Demopact is making profit off the All War by selling weapons to both sides. One of the contracts on behalf of the Higharc: protect a band of mercenaries who have been contracted to kidnap Anar's son Mhaldin.
When Mhaldin is rescued, the boy betrays his family and joins Demopact. He dislikes their close relationship with the Higharc and makes Demopact think the Higharc has betrayed them by poisoning their members, killing enough to secure his place as the head of Demopact. Mhaldin then helps Usor'an become the lord of the Demon Empire. Then, side by side, Usor'an and Mhaldin unite the demons and attack Eray and Jindaria together.
The All War thus enters a new stage. With the original causes of the war forgotten, and a mutual enemy bearing down on them, Jindaria and Eray unite against Usor'an. The war thus becomes a prolonged war of attrition with the potential to last centuries.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
About the peoples: tweni
The tweni are a recent addition to the series. Suffice to say, a tweni is a half-valkyrie. Mhaldin and Fenera are tweni (see their entries under About the Characters). Though they originally reproduced by meditating underneath the roof of one of eight towers, valkyries began to die off when the towers they needed were destroyed by Usor'an. Thus, they died out. The tweni arose from unions between humans and valkyries.
A tweni is physically identical to a human, though the females tend to be better built than human females (owing to their valkyrie heritage). The most unique trait about tweni is, like valkyries, they are born in pairs. Unlike valkyries, only one twin is a girl. The bond between tweni twins is the strongest attachment in the worlds. Not only do they have an unshakable devotion to their twin, tweni also can share minds with their sibling (see Fenera or Mhaldin's entry for more details). This bond is so strong that a tweni has never killed their own twin. This fierce commitment also means that incest rates are extremely high amongst tweni.
The tweni do not have a society. They are a scattered, leaderless people living as dregs in the underworlds of Eray and Jindaria. They do not have any political alignment, instead believing themselves to be a secret nation that will one day claim its rightful place in the world.
Since tweni have a high birth-rate, they are often enslaved en mass and bred like cattle for the females to serve as workers while the males are made soldiers to fight the demons: the main antagonists of my series. Because of this forced-breeding, the tweni have a substantial population despite their relatively recent addition to the world.
Males are valuable soldier material because they can constantly commune with their sisters, earning them an instant return to their home, even in the heat of battle. Tweni soldiers are famous on Eray and Jindaria for having high morale. What's more, they train and experience war. If their sisters choose to follow them into the army, they will already be more experienced than most recruits.
Tweni have no distinct culture. However, their rising numbers will soon make them a force that is formidable enough to break from enslavement and integrate into the worlds are a true influence.
A tweni is physically identical to a human, though the females tend to be better built than human females (owing to their valkyrie heritage). The most unique trait about tweni is, like valkyries, they are born in pairs. Unlike valkyries, only one twin is a girl. The bond between tweni twins is the strongest attachment in the worlds. Not only do they have an unshakable devotion to their twin, tweni also can share minds with their sibling (see Fenera or Mhaldin's entry for more details). This bond is so strong that a tweni has never killed their own twin. This fierce commitment also means that incest rates are extremely high amongst tweni.
The tweni do not have a society. They are a scattered, leaderless people living as dregs in the underworlds of Eray and Jindaria. They do not have any political alignment, instead believing themselves to be a secret nation that will one day claim its rightful place in the world.
Since tweni have a high birth-rate, they are often enslaved en mass and bred like cattle for the females to serve as workers while the males are made soldiers to fight the demons: the main antagonists of my series. Because of this forced-breeding, the tweni have a substantial population despite their relatively recent addition to the world.
Males are valuable soldier material because they can constantly commune with their sisters, earning them an instant return to their home, even in the heat of battle. Tweni soldiers are famous on Eray and Jindaria for having high morale. What's more, they train and experience war. If their sisters choose to follow them into the army, they will already be more experienced than most recruits.
Tweni have no distinct culture. However, their rising numbers will soon make them a force that is formidable enough to break from enslavement and integrate into the worlds are a true influence.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Excerpts 7: More from Series 2
More quotes from my stories. This time, the focus is on series 2.
“You are a monster Usor’an, a monster!” Magakanajaij spat as the flames around her body were sucked into her mouth, nose, and eyes. She began to convulse.
“Say what you want woman,” Usor’an cackled. “But I’m the one roasting your soul.”
“I’m making a pelt out of you,” Jacob told the hellhound as he fired his pistol at it. As soon as he pulled the trigger, the hellhound’s body turned into a goat-shaped cloud of brown fog. A small distortion of mist near the hellhound’s throat was all that happened as a result of the shot. The mist coalesced back into the hellhound. “That’s not fair!” Jacob shouted. The beast leapt forward.
“Usor’an has a new lieutenant, one who leads the angels against the Erayics in a mad genocide. His crimes are piled high”. Each word he said sounded forced, as if he had to squeeze the words up his throat and out of his mouth. "Some call him the Magistrate,” Anar choked out then went quiet and his eyes fluttered across Fenera’s face. “He’s also my son.”
The closest person in the slave pit lay four meters away from her. Fenera’s nose burned with the smell of the waste that lay down there. Her ears bled with the sounds of screams and hundreds of begging voices that reached them. Her eyes took in nothing but the collected misery of thousands of people, who had nothing to look forward to except enslavement, or more mercifully, extermination.
The machine people, the angels, swarmed over to them. A storm of snow was thrown up around them as the angels took their places in a circle around them. Fenera cringed but Mhaldin was calm. As they came to a stop, the snow settled and she could see each individual angelic face. The torchlight glinted off their eyes and illuminated their black carapace, which was like the chitin of an insect. Fenera looked back to Mhaldin. He stood with a straight back, totally calculated. Five angels surrounded him, one rearing over his head, three on his flanks, and two crouching like cats by his feet. She couldn’t even see Mhaldin’s legs through the angel’s bodies. She noticed he had stripped off his left gauntlet and his bare hand was delicately stroking the head of an angel to his left. His caress seemed almost loving.
“See? There Fenera is,” Mhaldin said reassuringly, talking to the angels. He sounded like he had been talking to a scared girl whose closet he had just opened to disprove her imagined monster. “She is my genuine sister. Look at her and memorize her. If you see her, no matter what, you are not to attack her or let her be threatened. Alright?” Fenera shuddered as the angels all squeezed in towards her. They all pushed their soulless faces up around her until she was completely enveloped by a cocoon of metal. Wherever she looked she only saw faces. She felt an angel brush against her shoulder. She flinched and pulled away from it, only to bump into a wall of faces. Fenera huddled to the snow.
Fenera was so detached from reality that she almost fell over a water-filled basin that sat in the middle of the floor. She didn’t take a second look at Lynx, who was naked and washing his clothes in the basin. She heard him say something like “I thought you’d be gone longer.”
“You are a monster Usor’an, a monster!” Magakanajaij spat as the flames around her body were sucked into her mouth, nose, and eyes. She began to convulse.
“Say what you want woman,” Usor’an cackled. “But I’m the one roasting your soul.”
“I’m making a pelt out of you,” Jacob told the hellhound as he fired his pistol at it. As soon as he pulled the trigger, the hellhound’s body turned into a goat-shaped cloud of brown fog. A small distortion of mist near the hellhound’s throat was all that happened as a result of the shot. The mist coalesced back into the hellhound. “That’s not fair!” Jacob shouted. The beast leapt forward.
“Usor’an has a new lieutenant, one who leads the angels against the Erayics in a mad genocide. His crimes are piled high”. Each word he said sounded forced, as if he had to squeeze the words up his throat and out of his mouth. "Some call him the Magistrate,” Anar choked out then went quiet and his eyes fluttered across Fenera’s face. “He’s also my son.”
The closest person in the slave pit lay four meters away from her. Fenera’s nose burned with the smell of the waste that lay down there. Her ears bled with the sounds of screams and hundreds of begging voices that reached them. Her eyes took in nothing but the collected misery of thousands of people, who had nothing to look forward to except enslavement, or more mercifully, extermination.
The machine people, the angels, swarmed over to them. A storm of snow was thrown up around them as the angels took their places in a circle around them. Fenera cringed but Mhaldin was calm. As they came to a stop, the snow settled and she could see each individual angelic face. The torchlight glinted off their eyes and illuminated their black carapace, which was like the chitin of an insect. Fenera looked back to Mhaldin. He stood with a straight back, totally calculated. Five angels surrounded him, one rearing over his head, three on his flanks, and two crouching like cats by his feet. She couldn’t even see Mhaldin’s legs through the angel’s bodies. She noticed he had stripped off his left gauntlet and his bare hand was delicately stroking the head of an angel to his left. His caress seemed almost loving.
“See? There Fenera is,” Mhaldin said reassuringly, talking to the angels. He sounded like he had been talking to a scared girl whose closet he had just opened to disprove her imagined monster. “She is my genuine sister. Look at her and memorize her. If you see her, no matter what, you are not to attack her or let her be threatened. Alright?” Fenera shuddered as the angels all squeezed in towards her. They all pushed their soulless faces up around her until she was completely enveloped by a cocoon of metal. Wherever she looked she only saw faces. She felt an angel brush against her shoulder. She flinched and pulled away from it, only to bump into a wall of faces. Fenera huddled to the snow.
Fenera was so detached from reality that she almost fell over a water-filled basin that sat in the middle of the floor. She didn’t take a second look at Lynx, who was naked and washing his clothes in the basin. She heard him say something like “I thought you’d be gone longer.”
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Plot Summary of Series 1
Series 1 deals with the worlds of Eray and Jindaria and a war faced by both of them, war from the Demon Empire on Jindaria. Anarasorian, an Erayic, must unite the worlds against Usor'an the Demon King. In secret, Usor'an is after a secret weapon: the angels, the last traces of an extinct civilization on a third planet. If Usor'an controls the angels, he can end the worlds.
Plot Summary of Series 2
This is a basic outline of the plot for series 2.
There are two planets: Eray and Jindaria, in a steam-punkish 1650's technology era. On Eray, there is the Higharc, who are a republic. Jindaria is ruled by monarchs. Their civilizations are too different and war becomes inevitable. Anarasorian, a celebrated hero from a previous war with an evil Jindarian empire, the Demon Empire, is desperately mending the damaged diplomatic ties between these two planets. He has two children, Mhaldin and Fenera, who share minds. The Higharc believes it can profit off a war with Jindaria, but first Anar has to be taken from the picture. They kidnap Mhaldin and demand Anar leave politics. The kidnapping triggers the long awaited war between Eray and Jindaria: the All War. The Higharc did not perform the actual kidnapping however. They had a bandit lord named Yuel kidnap the boy. Yuel is collaborating with demons in his other dealings. When Anar doesn't capitulate to the Higharc's demands, Yuel tries to have Mhaldin killed. Mhaldin is rescued by a demon and taken to a demonic city where a demon, who wants him to join demonkind, installs various machines into his body. Among them are weapons. Mhaldin's father recovers him and takes him home.
Blaming himself for starting the All War, Mhaldin believes he has a greater purpose to fill. His sister, with her magic powers, is swiftly becoming a hero in the All War. Her non-violence combined with her healing magic makes her loved by her allies and respected by her enemies. He joins her in the war. Furious that Anar has still not left politics, a member of the Higharc, a man named Haulk, has Yuel send assassins after Fenera. Fenera is almost killed and Mhaldin hunts Yuel down. His quest for vengeance is extremely violent. In the end, he captures Yuel and takes him home to torture him to death.
Angered that Yuel is not given a fair trial, lawmen try to take Yuel from Mhaldin. Angry, Mhaldin kills a lawman and goes into exile. With no family who will accept him, Mhaldin joins the Usor'an (the main villain) and the Demon Empire, where he gains prestige. When the demons ally with the Higharc, Mhaldin murders their leader and takes her place, but makes the assassination look like the work of the Higharc. He leads the demonic army against the Higharc, thus reaping vengeance for his kidnapping. He gets out of control and attacks everything on Eray. Fenera and Anar realize they need to defeat him.
Thus, side by side, with her father, Fenera battles her fallen brother for the future of not only Eray, but Jindaria too. Deep inside, she knows what drove him over the edge and is confident he can be brought back to the light. But is she right?
There are two planets: Eray and Jindaria, in a steam-punkish 1650's technology era. On Eray, there is the Higharc, who are a republic. Jindaria is ruled by monarchs. Their civilizations are too different and war becomes inevitable. Anarasorian, a celebrated hero from a previous war with an evil Jindarian empire, the Demon Empire, is desperately mending the damaged diplomatic ties between these two planets. He has two children, Mhaldin and Fenera, who share minds. The Higharc believes it can profit off a war with Jindaria, but first Anar has to be taken from the picture. They kidnap Mhaldin and demand Anar leave politics. The kidnapping triggers the long awaited war between Eray and Jindaria: the All War. The Higharc did not perform the actual kidnapping however. They had a bandit lord named Yuel kidnap the boy. Yuel is collaborating with demons in his other dealings. When Anar doesn't capitulate to the Higharc's demands, Yuel tries to have Mhaldin killed. Mhaldin is rescued by a demon and taken to a demonic city where a demon, who wants him to join demonkind, installs various machines into his body. Among them are weapons. Mhaldin's father recovers him and takes him home.
Blaming himself for starting the All War, Mhaldin believes he has a greater purpose to fill. His sister, with her magic powers, is swiftly becoming a hero in the All War. Her non-violence combined with her healing magic makes her loved by her allies and respected by her enemies. He joins her in the war. Furious that Anar has still not left politics, a member of the Higharc, a man named Haulk, has Yuel send assassins after Fenera. Fenera is almost killed and Mhaldin hunts Yuel down. His quest for vengeance is extremely violent. In the end, he captures Yuel and takes him home to torture him to death.
Angered that Yuel is not given a fair trial, lawmen try to take Yuel from Mhaldin. Angry, Mhaldin kills a lawman and goes into exile. With no family who will accept him, Mhaldin joins the Usor'an (the main villain) and the Demon Empire, where he gains prestige. When the demons ally with the Higharc, Mhaldin murders their leader and takes her place, but makes the assassination look like the work of the Higharc. He leads the demonic army against the Higharc, thus reaping vengeance for his kidnapping. He gets out of control and attacks everything on Eray. Fenera and Anar realize they need to defeat him.
Thus, side by side, with her father, Fenera battles her fallen brother for the future of not only Eray, but Jindaria too. Deep inside, she knows what drove him over the edge and is confident he can be brought back to the light. But is she right?
Friday, January 30, 2009
Peoples: The Servants
These are the battle-fodder of the demonic army and are by far the most common type of demon. Despite this they appear the least often of all the demon species and lack any sort of influence in the Demon Empire. They are the workers, fighters, and mobs wielded by the kings of demonkind.
Physically, servants look like a scrawny man with no hair, bright red skin, pointed ears, tiny horns of ivory, sharp claws, and a rat tail. They are slightly shorter than men but some can grow to be much bulkier. They are no very intelligent albeit smart enough to take orders. Their vocabulary is limited and their voices are soft and hissing. Baby servants are born from pools of servant saliva and refuse. Their demon masters have perfected these "spawning pools" and built lake sized pools that churn out hundreds of the creatures every week. This, coupled with the fact that servants do not need to eat, ensures that their population is in the tens of millions, even in lean and hungry places within the Demon Empire. Unsurprisingly, their wicked masters take to dining on their flesh if food is unavailable.
They behave like rats (causing some people to call them rat-people). They breed in massive numbers and live in shadowy areas, ruins, or other places that people don't bother to chase them out of. If a demon warlord wants an army, all he needs to do is look in dark places and he'll probably find a nest of servants. Servants are a disorganized society, having no leaders of their own. Instead, they follow whatever powerful destroyer catches their attention. Their loyalty to these leaders is unshakable. They are smart enough to learn some bits and pieces of the demonic honour code, thus earning them the trust of the empire.
Unless given weapons, servants will fight with their claws or whatever they can pick up. Servants have gone into battle waving sharp sticks, rocks, bones, and furniture. When they are armed they are given cheap, simple weapons that are capable of being mass-produced. Then they are thrown into battle, showering on the enemy in wave after relentless wave of scuttling bodies. In book 3, a typical servant warrior carries a buckler, a short axe, and wears a helmet made of a metal plate beaten into a rough bowl shape with studded leather armor.
Poor fighters, it is said that one soldier can take down five armed servants all on his own. A squad of men working together can kill a swarm of them. But the bastards keep coming. In the story, the servants are an enemy for the heroes to kill in large numbers, without resorting to the "Stormtrooper Effect" thus the story is more believable. If I want to bring on the pain, the socrighters or destoryers make an appearance, but if it's going to be a heroic RPG moment then the servants will swarm forward.
Here's a quote about them:
"We don't really think of them as members of the empire. They're more of a tool to be used, and expended, for greater gains. We regard them with as much dignity as a musketeer gives his ammunition. Well, actually no. A musketeer has only so many shots."
Physically, servants look like a scrawny man with no hair, bright red skin, pointed ears, tiny horns of ivory, sharp claws, and a rat tail. They are slightly shorter than men but some can grow to be much bulkier. They are no very intelligent albeit smart enough to take orders. Their vocabulary is limited and their voices are soft and hissing. Baby servants are born from pools of servant saliva and refuse. Their demon masters have perfected these "spawning pools" and built lake sized pools that churn out hundreds of the creatures every week. This, coupled with the fact that servants do not need to eat, ensures that their population is in the tens of millions, even in lean and hungry places within the Demon Empire. Unsurprisingly, their wicked masters take to dining on their flesh if food is unavailable.
They behave like rats (causing some people to call them rat-people). They breed in massive numbers and live in shadowy areas, ruins, or other places that people don't bother to chase them out of. If a demon warlord wants an army, all he needs to do is look in dark places and he'll probably find a nest of servants. Servants are a disorganized society, having no leaders of their own. Instead, they follow whatever powerful destroyer catches their attention. Their loyalty to these leaders is unshakable. They are smart enough to learn some bits and pieces of the demonic honour code, thus earning them the trust of the empire.
Unless given weapons, servants will fight with their claws or whatever they can pick up. Servants have gone into battle waving sharp sticks, rocks, bones, and furniture. When they are armed they are given cheap, simple weapons that are capable of being mass-produced. Then they are thrown into battle, showering on the enemy in wave after relentless wave of scuttling bodies. In book 3, a typical servant warrior carries a buckler, a short axe, and wears a helmet made of a metal plate beaten into a rough bowl shape with studded leather armor.
Poor fighters, it is said that one soldier can take down five armed servants all on his own. A squad of men working together can kill a swarm of them. But the bastards keep coming. In the story, the servants are an enemy for the heroes to kill in large numbers, without resorting to the "Stormtrooper Effect" thus the story is more believable. If I want to bring on the pain, the socrighters or destoryers make an appearance, but if it's going to be a heroic RPG moment then the servants will swarm forward.
Here's a quote about them:
"We don't really think of them as members of the empire. They're more of a tool to be used, and expended, for greater gains. We regard them with as much dignity as a musketeer gives his ammunition. Well, actually no. A musketeer has only so many shots."
Thursday, January 8, 2009
All about one of my characters: Vashuss
Simple and inexperienced. Malleable and naive. Confused and twisted. Vashuss is a minor villain in book 6 onward, making an appearance near the end. He is (at least, he appears to be) a metal centipede the size of a small elephant with a big head. He is supposed to be a mindless killing machine in the service of Mhaldin. Vashuss was gifted to him by Usor'an to serve the boy as his mount. Vashuss is supposed to have an artificial mind, which accounts for his gullibility.
Vashuss says very little, speaking through a free moving holographic projection that has its own voice. In this was, Vashuss essentially has two bodies. His centipede-like metal body had twelve long, flexible limbs that pull him along quite nicely. Because he is a machine he is treated likewise, shown no friendship by Mhaldin and worked nearly to death.
The truth is, Vashuss is not a machine but a hyper-intellectual infant who is stored inside the machine's giant head. Vashuss controls the machine with his mind. Mhaldin does not know it, but Vashuss is actually his bastard son, the mother of whom is Usor'an's daughter. This is significant because now Fenera's nephew is the main villain's grandson. She thought fighting her brother would be bad.
Vashuss says very little, speaking through a free moving holographic projection that has its own voice. In this was, Vashuss essentially has two bodies. His centipede-like metal body had twelve long, flexible limbs that pull him along quite nicely. Because he is a machine he is treated likewise, shown no friendship by Mhaldin and worked nearly to death.
The truth is, Vashuss is not a machine but a hyper-intellectual infant who is stored inside the machine's giant head. Vashuss controls the machine with his mind. Mhaldin does not know it, but Vashuss is actually his bastard son, the mother of whom is Usor'an's daughter. This is significant because now Fenera's nephew is the main villain's grandson. She thought fighting her brother would be bad.
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