Tales of The Stray

Characters of Bradshaw

2012-01-22T02:14:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple of weeks I've been poking at an outline for the story i want to set in faerie-haunted Bradshaw, based on my home town. Most of this has been figuring out what I want to write about. I am mostly a discovery writer. I get an idea in my head, run with it for a while, and this works as long as I can keep momentum going. When it stalls out, however I run into trouble. Time and

Tidlybits

2012-01-22T01:52:00.000-08:00

It's been a few months since my last post, which depresses me a little. I've never been particularly good at regular blogging, but it's a new year. I can make New Years resolutions, including renewing my resolution to post at least once a month, more when I have stuff to post. So what have I been up to? * Magic: As I mentioned in my last post, Magic the Gathering ate a lot of my time and

Monthly Post for September--I blame Magic

2011-09-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

There never seems to be enough hours in the day. It sucks, but that's the price I pay for actually being employed and getting an income now. Being unemployed sucked, but at least I had time to write whenever I wanted. The problem with that thought, though, is that I didn't actually use that time to write whenever I wanted. The internet is full of time-wasters, interesting blog posts, interesting

Bubbling ideas -- The Bradshaw Story

2011-08-13T23:18:00.000-07:00

In the next couple of days I'm going to start posting bits of information on my current project, "The Bradshaw Story." I don't have a title for this thing yet...right now it's all sketchy outline, a few thoughts on character and setting, and a couple of short pieces written to get a sense of who the characters are and what the place is like. The story is an urban fantasy set in faerie-haunted

Monthly Update -- Writing in cycles

2011-08-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

My new job has been pulling a lot of my time away from writing, so not much progress has been made. I'm doing a bit of writing, but it's with a different setting and characters. The pendulum will swing back to The Tale of The Exile, but for right now it's on hiatus as my creative energy is pulled in a different direction. I notice that my creative energy seems to do this every year. In the

On Writing: Dan Wells' Seven Point System

2011-07-09T00:47:00.000-07:00

Dan Wells is an author I have a lot of respect for. He's one of the three (now four) authors involved in the Writing Excuses podcast, and I've enjoyed his "I Am Not A Serial Killer" series. So when I heard that he'd done a lecture on story structure and posted it online, I knew that it would be worth tracking it down and sharing it here. So here is his five-part series on story structure, as

Bloggery update

2011-06-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

Just a note to let people know I'm still alive. I started a new job (yay) waving a sign (not-so-yay), so I've not had quite as much gumption to get up and write as I had previous. Still, I have ideas and bubbly thoughts stewing, so I'm not going anywhere. Anyhoo. I don't have a topic in mind aside from updating, though lately I've had Serial Killers and the True Fey on the brain. I might do some

The Seeds of a Character: Naros Miir, Part 2

2011-06-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I began looking at the seeds that formed the character Naros Miir, which was also an exploration of how the city of Miir got its start. Today I look at how those ideas grew and changed to become the character you see today. Summer, 2005: I decide to run a game set in Miir. Not only do I run this game on Shards, I also work out some ideas to run Miir in my Sunday night D&D group

The Seeds of a Character: Naros Miir, Part 1

2011-06-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

Writers often get asked where they get their ideas from. This is not an easy question to answer, because the ideas that a writer uses often percolate and bounce between various forms before settling. Some ideas come to fruition quickly. Others simmer for years before finding expression, and then get shaped over time. Naros Miir, the founder of the city that bears his name, is one of those

On Chapter Epigraphs

2011-06-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

A witty saying proves nothing. ~Voltaire An epigraph is a phrase, quote, or poem set at the beginning of a document or component. They're those pithy little sayings you find at the start of chapters or sections in a lot of sci-fi/fantasy works. They can serve as a preface, a summary, counterpoint, or just set the mood. There's two types of epigraph: ones from the real world, and ones pulled

Soundtrack for the Third Night

2011-05-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

I chose to name the chapters of the Third Night after specific songs that I felt represented the mood of the chapter. When I was heading the chapters with quotes, I used the lyrics from each song. When I went back and removed the quotes (as well as the attributions) a lot of context for the chapter headings got lost. I'm still trying to decide if I want to open my chapters with quotes or not (

I do not write in silence

2011-05-27T05:13:00.000-07:00

I've heard people bandy about the merits of whether or not they can write while listening to music. Some do, some don't. As you might be able to guess from the title of this post, I do. I listen to music because I would be distracted without it. White noise of some sort is essential to my working process, and I'd rather be listening to music than the news or the rumble of my air conditioner.

State of the Blog: May

2011-05-27T04:28:00.000-07:00

A somewhat productive month. Not so many story chapters done, but I got some background info on Ivthia and House Dythanus done (even with Blogger eating the Ivthia post for a short time). And at least Chapter 8 of Welcome To My Nightmare is finished and in the can. I estimate there's about three more chapters are left in The Third Night. Possibly four, so I'm breaking the rule I had about each

The Tale of The Exile Chapter List

2011-05-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

In which Gaven Morren, a luckless thief, is sentenced to survive seven nights on the streets of the cursed and haunted city of Miir. The First Night: Into The Shadows In which the thief Gaven Morren is sentenced to Exile, and discovers the perils of Miir by night. Part 1: The Sentence Part 2: The Man in the Empty Room Part 3: Miir By Night Part 4: Lost Part 5: Jolly Red

The Tale of The Exile -- The Third Night: Welcome To My Nightmare (Part 8)

2011-05-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

Part 8: One Step Closer “Number nine...number nine...number nine...number nine....number nine...” Everything aches. I've had time to rest, let the adrenaline wear off, and as it goes the pain comes. Nothing's broken, hail god, but that just makes my thrashing feel that much more humiliating. I shouldn't have let myself get drawn into that stupid monkey dance with Gotz. I should have just

Ivthia

2011-05-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

The Ivthian Subcontinent comprises nearly the entire southeastern quarter of the continent of Demurra. The population of Ivthia is primarily human, though they do not claim to have originated from the Western Isles and instead beleive their ancestral homelands lay somewhere to the east. Ivthia is primarily semi-arid plateau, desert, and steppe, though small forests and marshes can be found in

The Great Houses of Miir: House Dythanus

2011-05-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from "The Traveler's Guide To Miir" by Volo Magrathe, published 1300 YA: The Great House Of Dythanus is the youngest and most dynamic of the six Houses of Miir. It holds interests in the Physician's Guild and the Entertainer's Guild. House Dythanus (the clan elders eschew the "von" honorific used by the other Great houses) is unique in that it is the only house

Gar

2011-05-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

I had a nice post on Ivthia, but Blogger ate it during the downtime. It sucks. While I mourn my missing post, I can at least repost the picture I put up for it. Enjoy!

Monthly Update

2011-04-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

Wow. Four posts this month (aside from this one). Three of them are story posts. Two of them were written wholly this month. A redesign of the site's layout. A massive overhaul of the previous chapters, detwitterizing all of them and updating the tags. I feel good. It's high past time I got back to work, especially since I all but abandoned my story last year. I've been working a lot on revision

The Tale of The Exile -- The Third Night: Welcome To My Nightmare (Part 7)

2011-04-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

Part 7: Revolution 9 I notice two things when I wake. I can breathe again, and my neck really hurts. I'm very, very relieved to be breathing. So very relieved I'm not dead. I could even move, if I had a mind to. Of course, I don't really want to as I’m already being moved. My neck and shoulders hurt because someone has my arms and is pulling me across the floor. “Sodding ash-sucking fires of

Revisionism

2011-04-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new site design!I've had a sudden rush of creative energy, so I'm dusting things off and going back in and performing some surgery on the site. Expect changes.So far, I've got two new chapters of The Third night: Welcome To My Nightmare up, with a third in the works. Yay for new writing!Along with that, I'm taking a critical eye to the older chapters. I've gone through the first

The Tale of The Exile -- The Third Night: Welcome To My Nightmare (Part 6)

2011-04-21T04:54:00.000-07:00

Part 6: Die, Die My Darling “Gaven...” Aelia whispers. She can't do much more than that. I have her pinned against the wall with my right arm just under her breasts. I stare into her eyes. Tears are welling up. Her slitted pupils are locked on the blade. “Please...please do not hurt me...” “They say elves all look alike.” I say. “They say it's difficult to tell them apart. That's

The Tale of The Exile -- The Third Night: Welcome To My Nightmare (Part 5)

2011-03-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

Part 5: Happiness is a Warm Gun As much as I'd like to revel in my not-being-buried-aliveness, I need to keep moving. I did call up the hangman, after all. The best place to be if he shows up is anywhere else. I haul myself out of the pool and run across to courtyard to the door Aelia was heading for. Poor Aelia. But since I don't want to share her horrible death, I can't take the time

Cast of Characters

2010-06-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

Gaven Morren - Our hero. Gaven is a thief from the far-away city of Calisapas, who made the mistake of getting caught in a crime in Miir and then made the worse mistake of accepting the punishment of Exile to The Shadows. Jessamine Weiss/The Other - A teenage girl possessed by a dangerous spirit tying to escape Miir. She and Gaven team up and try to escape together. Naros has a mysterious

Revision, Revision

2010-05-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

Ah, the joy of rewriting. Working on some of the earlier chapters in order to clean them up and work through some of my writer's block going forward. If all goes as planned, I'll have the next chapter of Welcome To My Nightmare up by the end of the month.Must get back to work now.

The Tale of The Exile -- The Third Night: Welcome To My Nightmare (Part 4)

2010-01-25T04:18:00.000-08:00

Part 4: One Trapped. Trapped in darkness. Five hundred heartbeats spent screaming. A thousand spent clawing at the wall. Two thousand trying to dig at it with the glass shard. The masonry is solid. The mortar is strong. Nothing except a sledgehammer will get me through that. So I leave it, turn to the other end. At first I'm hopeful. There's a faint, smelly breeze. A tiny hole, in

The Tale of The Exile -- The Third Night: Welcome To My Nightmare (Part 3)

2009-10-22T01:05:00.000-07:00

Part 3: Smoke On The Water Aelia kneels next to me, cradles me like a child. "All is well, Gaven." She coos softly. "The demon is gone. You are safe. Be still, be calm.” I don't enjoy being mothered like this, but I can't get up the energy to protest. I just curl up with the candlestick and let the tears flow. Eventually, I find my feet. I look at the candlestick. Something nags at my brain.

The Tale of The Exile --The Third Night: Welcome To My Nightmare (Part 2)

2009-09-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

Part 2: Break On Through (To The Other Side) We twist through the corridors. I have no idea where I'm going, but I'd rather keep moving than stop and let the darkness catch up. The elf girl doesn't speak much. She seems very calm for someone who's been abducted by a drug-crazed nutcase. "What is your name?" she asks. "Shouldn't you know this?" I mutter as I jerk a door open. Great.

The Tale of The Exile --The Third Night: Welcome To My Nightmare (Part 1)

2009-09-19T05:20:00.000-07:00

Part 1: White Rabbit The padded room is a nice touch. Jereth had me tossed here after I threatened to eat his face off. Three burly human guards held me down, forced me into a restraining coat. One of the elvish nurses force-fed me some kind of pill that made my body go numb. I nearly bit her finger off. Then they hauled me here. Clearly, I've moved from "honored guest" status to "dangerous

The Tale of The Exile--The Third Night: Le Cirque d'Aberrations (Part 8)

2009-08-24T04:37:00.000-07:00

Part 8: Gallows Pole "So, who are you, then?" I say, turning to look at the speaker. He's about my height, thin, wiry, shaggy hair, not shaved recently. Looks like he's had a time of it himself. He's got bandages and bruises all over, like me. it's almost like looking in a mirror. "What were you praying for? Safety?" he shoots at me. "Then run now. Questions later, when we've shaken the

The Elisdee Lily

2009-08-21T05:55:00.000-07:00

The Lilium Elisdee, also known colloquially as dreamlily, is a bright orange and purple flower often cultivated by the elves of Elisar, though its use has spread throughout Demurra, particularly in Heath and Arden. Dreamlily bulbs are edible, but contain a hallucinogenic chemical that causes delirium in humans and mild euphoria in elves. This has lead to its cultivation as a narcotic. L. elisdee

The Tale of The Exile--The Third Night: Le Cirque d'Aberrations (Part 7)

2009-08-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

Part 7: Blue Jay Way It takes about ten minutes for me to calm down. Mostly because it suddenly occurs to me that I have no idea where I am. Sobering thought. It's night, I'm high on hallucinogens, and I have no lights or weapons. I have a four-armed mutant and a decadent elf looking for me. I need to pull myself together if I'm going to escape them, because I have no wish to be around either

w00t! I'm an Editor's Pick!

2009-08-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Wow. Aparently, putting my story up on TextNovel was a good move, because it's been picked as an Editor's Pick. Sweet!Check out the Tale of The Exile on TextNovel. And vote for it, too, if you like!

The Tale of The Exile--The Third Night: Le Cirque d'Aberrations (Part 6)

2009-08-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

Part 6: How To Make A Monster I'm not very surprised at this point, just horrified and disgusted. Naros was right. I did him no favors by saving his life. "Now, Gaven, I want you to pay very close attention." Jereth says. "Watch, and learn what happens to those who cross my house." "Ah, here, ladies and gentlemen, we have a tragedy." The Jester begins, while Eric watches stoically from the

Oy. Back (for now)

2009-07-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

So. My computer crashed and burned recently, and I've spent most of the last month trying to get it running again. That and trying to find employment have put kind of a damper on my ability to work on The Tale of Gaven Morren. I'm not convinced that my internet issues have been dealt with enough yet.

The Tale of The Exile--The Third Night: Le Cirque d'Aberrations (Part 5)

2009-06-30T04:35:00.000-07:00

Part 5: Helter Skelter Light fills the theatre as the shutters are removed from the lanterns. I stand, stretch, and lean over to pick up my cap. Below, chatter rises from the crowd as it streams back out into the night. “Wasn't that simply marvelous?” Jereth gushes. “It was entertaining, I suppose.” I mutter back. “I did like the act with the singing skulls.” Jereth raises an eyebrow. “

The Tale of The Exile--The Third Night: Le Cirque d'Aberrations (Part 4)

2009-06-30T04:23:00.000-07:00

Part 4—Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite Jereth leads me out of the mansion, handing me a woolen cloak while wrapping his slender frame in a fine white fur. I appreciate that—there's a chill crawling its way through my spine and raising the hairs on my arm, and I have no idea how much of it is from the night and how much is from the Dreamlily. I watch him pick up a golden disk shaped like a sun

The Tale of The Exile--The Third Night: Le Cirque d'Aberrations (Part 3)

2009-06-30T04:14:00.000-07:00

Part 3: Play Me Backwards I sit back down and stare at my plate. I don't have an appetite now...well, that's a lie. I'm still hungry, I just don't feel like eating. The elves are still staring at me occasionally. I can feel their gaze on my skin, little pinpricks of curiosity and wonder and irritation. I ignore them and stare at the bird leg on my plate. I've never been on a Dreamlily delirium

The Rising Phoenix--An Eberron Idea

2009-06-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

So, ever since I got the Eberron Player's Guide for my birthday (Thank you again, Lari and Rod), I've been getting the itch to dust off an old campaign idea, one I've had pretty much since I got the Eberron book years ago during my 3.5 days.The idea was that the players would be the crew of a privateer airship, sailing around Khorviare doing jobs for shady people.The problem is that I don't have

New stuff on Obsidian Portal

2009-06-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a bit of a break from Gaven's tale to figure out where I want to go from here. I have some other ideas that have been boiling up, so I've been posting stuff on my Campaign Wiki at Obsidian Portal (http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/the-rise-of-the-fallen) for my Rise of The Fallen campaign. Most of the new stuff has been focusing on the Empire of Avaleron, the villainous Eladrin

Random Musing

2009-06-23T07:09:00.000-07:00

Just some random thoughts. I turned 28 on Sunday. My life is currently on a downward sort of spiral, which is depressing, though the bad times can't last forever. I have a new printer, which makes me eager to write again...the knowledge that I can actually get good ink cartridges that aren't at highway robbery prices is a boost to my creativity, especially my game stuff. With luck I'll get all

The Tale of The Exile--The Third Night: Le Cirque d'Aberrations (Part 2)

2009-06-15T06:02:00.000-07:00

Part 2: Ziggy Stardust I'm led from my room through another delicate, polished hallway. It's hard to walk, though it gets easier as the stiffness leaves my legs. The two elf girls keep their distance from me, unspeaking. Can't say I blame them after my outburst. As a rule I don't casually threaten to skin people. I consider running from them. They move like servants, and they aren't dressed

The Tale of The Exile--The Third Night: Le Cirque d'Aberrations (Part 1)

2009-06-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Part 1: Purple Haze The dark is all fuzzy. It hurts, too. Fuzzy, hurting darkness is not good. It's bad. I don't want to open my eyes. I'm afraid that the trolls with the hammers cracking away at my forehead will explode my eyeballs if I do. The bullyboys have bound me up. They aren't very careful about how rough they are in dragging my limp carcass back to the surface. I fade in and out. It

Interview with Thaumatrope

2009-06-01T13:34:00.001-07:00

I've been asked to do an interview with Thaumatrope, a SF/F/H twitter e-zine. It's quite exciting. The interview process was a little strange--essentially Twitter-sized posts answering some of the Six Basic Questions. I'm excited...I don't get lots of calls for interviews. I'll post links when the interview is up.

Writing in Starts and Fits

2009-05-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've been writing only intermittently for a while, because last week I lost my job. While this gives me more time, it also give me more stress, which hasn't done me any favors. Especially since I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with the Third Night. This is a pain, because I know what I want to do for the Fourth and Fifth Nights, as well as the Seventh. But I can live with this. Mostly I need

New PDF Availible: The First Night!

2009-05-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

It's here! The First Night of Gaven Morren's tale is available on Rapidshare.com. Again, I plan on editing these more, so please feel free to provide feedback and other comments!Just a note:The Tale of Gaven Morren--The First Night: Into The Shadows by Anson Brehmer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.Based on a work at

The World of Aldora

2009-05-13T11:05:00.001-07:00

The tale of Gaven Morren began as a dream of a world-building project called Aldora. The idea was of a shared world, using the Creative Commons, to give authors tools and weave a tapestry of ideas together, building on the ideas of others.Miir was my contribution to this project. I wrote pages and pages of information on this city here, and used a few things from other authors. Other writers, in

The Second night of Gaven Morren now available on PDF!

2009-05-12T05:39:00.000-07:00

The Second Night of The Tale of Gaven Morren is now available on PDF at Rapidshare.com. I'm working on getting the First Night available as well, but for now enjoy the collection of the Second Night in all it's glory.It's my goal to improve these PDFs as I go back and edit the story, and I would love to have some feedback, so if you've got some comments on things you liked or what could be

The Tale of The Exile--The Second Night: Though the Belly of Miir (Part 9)

2009-05-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

Part 9: Pain and Penance AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! Ow! Oh-OW-that-sodding-hurts-it-sodding-hurts-it-HURTS-it-HURTS-it-HURTS! Grabbed the muzzle...just as the gun went off...heat and FIRE...flash burned my hand...oh it hurts...Lucky I didn't blow my fingers off...Ow...Ow...I look at Eric...my vision's all blurry from the tears of PAIN down my face...please by the dragon don't let me be

The Tale of The Exile--The Second Night: Though the Belly of Miir (Part 8)

2009-05-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

Part 8: You Make Your Own Hell We creep along a ledge overlooking the lava flow. It's a hundred feet below us, but I could cook a ham on the stones in this heat. "We're going the wrong way." Eric remarks. "I think I've figured that out, thank you." I snap back. “What went wrong?” "Maybe its lost." Right. "This way!" our guide chirps. "Nearly there!" It seems far too eager

The Tale of The Exile--The Second Night: Though the Belly of Miir (Part 7)

2009-05-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

Part 7: The Nest There are at least a dozen vague forms dancing by the dim light produced by our daggers. Probably more. But we're not surrounded. Yet. Giggling, gibbering, jabbering...tiny death, all around us. Again! No, don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. Eric waves his sword at them. I do a quick inventory as we slowly back towards the gap behind us. I have a glowing dagger, a pistol

Information on Remixing and Permissions to use this work

2009-05-11T03:05:00.000-07:00

The Tale of Gaven Morren--The First Night: Into The Shadows by Anson Brehmer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.Based on a work at twitter.com.Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at the_stray7@hotmail.com.The Tale of Gaven Morren--The Second Night: Through the Belly of Miir by Anson Brehmer is licensed

The Tale of The Exile--The Second Night: Though the Belly of Miir (Part 6)

2009-05-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

Part 6: Vermin Running through slimy tunnels slick with mildew, trying to escape thugs with truncheons. Good times. We can't keep this up forever. "Eric! You go on ahead!" I call as we dart down a tunnel. "Why?" He asks. "We need a distraction. I'm going to go provide one." I saunter out of the tunnel he ducked down and wait. The Bullyboys round the bend. Leading them is my

The Tale of The Exile--The Second Night: Though the Belly of Miir (Part 5)

2009-05-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

Part 5: There's No Place Like Home The light from the fireglass in the wall is dimming. So is the light from my dagger. "Oh, what now?" I grunt, alarmed. "It's midnight." Eric whispers. He's terrified. "The Shadows are free to roam." Great. I was starting to enjoy not dealing with weird scat. I'm glad the seam of fireglass continues for a while. I'm less pleased that we've gone back to

The Tale of The Exile--The Second Night: Though the Belly of Miir (Part 4)

2009-05-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

Part 4: Saints and Jokers They aren't that far ahead of me. They make slightly less noise than a herd of cattle. I wrap the cloak around the blade to dampen its light--no sense alerting them too soon. I can hear them talking to someone. Boil and damn. That's Eric's voice. He sounds like he's trying to plead. There's some ugly laughs. He's cornered. I pull the pistol from my belt. I guess

The Tale of The Exile--The Second Night: Though the Belly of Miir (Part 3)

2009-05-07T04:51:00.000-07:00

Part 3: Fortunes Eric catches up quick. Not hard...it's difficult to run down here, it's damp and slippery. Fortunately, the guards have as much trouble. "There's no point in running, Eric!" One shouts. “Lord Dythanus would like some words with you! Give yourself up! Stand and deliver yourself, and maybe we won't break all your bones!” “That doesn't sound like a city watch.” I say to him

The Tale of The Exile--The Second Night: Though the Belly of Miir (Part 2)

2009-05-07T04:13:00.000-07:00

Part 2: Another Version of the Truth We travel on in silence for a while. I have this bad, bad feeling in my gut. Both of us have been marked by The Shadows. He probably wants me around so that when they come, he has something to throw in front of them. There are things that I don't know about The Shadows. But after last night, any doubts I had that they exist and are malevolent are gone

The Tale of The Exile--The Second Night: Though the Belly of Miir (Part 1)

2009-05-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

Part 1: Swallowed Down The day passes. They bind my wounds and then toss me into my cell. I don't mind. After last night, the cell is quiet, I get fed, and I rest. If I had a choice now, I'd chose the cell over Exile. I told one of the guards as much. He seemed sympathetic, but sympathy is no use to me. Naros is still

The Six Noble Houses of Miir

2009-05-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

The city of Miir is ruled by an aristocracy of six extended families known collectively as the Houses of Miir. Each of the Houses has control of at least one of the major trade guilds that allow the city to function. Each House is comprised not only of the families themselves but various members of Miir's gentry, guild inductees, and private mercenaries, and various rivalries and power struggles

Questions to the Readers

2009-04-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

I am still writing the second night of Gaven's tale, and I don't expect it to be finished for another week or so. however, I'd also like to provide content on this blog that people will be interested in. So I am looking for feedback and suggestion as to what I should be posting next. More background info? General Blog-type rambles? What would you prefer to read?

The City of Miir

2009-04-28T03:45:00.000-07:00

There is a darkness here, my friend. It is a darkness that does not sleep. It is not banished by light--merely hidden. When the light is gone, the shadows will rush back, thicker and darker than before. The City of Shadows was aptly named.Miir broods, nestled against the northern arm of the Western Ivthian Mountains. It is the very gateway to Ivthia for those from Arden or Garamond, squatting at

The Tale of Gaven Morren--The First Night

2009-04-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Collected here are the first nine parts of The Tale of Gaven Morren, chronicling his first night in Miir. Look for the Second Night to start popping up as soon as I've gotten it done. You can follow the ongoing story on Twitter.The First Night: Into The ShadowsPart 1--The SentencePart 2--The Man in The Empty RoomPart 3--Miir by NightPart 4--LostPart 5--Jolly Red CapsPart 6--JessaminePart 7--The

The Tale of The Exile -- The First Night: Into The Darkness (Part 9)

2009-04-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

Part 9: Dawn Boil it, I wanted to avoid the wizard! But I have no choice. He's the one who wanted the girl in the first place. No

The Tale of The Exile -- The First Night: Into The Darkness (Part 8)

2009-04-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

Part 8: Over The Pen Wall We reach the wall after ten minutes. With the Shadow spooked off, that magic maze must have gone with it,

The Tale of The Exile -- The First Night: Into The Darkness (Part 7)

2009-04-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

Part 7: The Shadows of Miir I can see the Pen Wall ahead of us. It rises higher than any of the buildings around. But,

The Tale of The Exile -- The First Night: Into The Darkness (Part 6)

2009-04-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

Part 6: Jessamine I slip away from the battlefield, and try to figure out which way I came. I made...one turn? Two, maybe? Was this the right way? Then I spot three dead goblins at the head of an alley. Well, that answers that. I bend down and examine them. Those don't look like knife wounds...

The Tale of The Exile -- The First Night: Into The Darkness (Part 5)

2009-04-25T02:59:00.000-07:00

Part 5: Jolly Red Caps Off into the streets once more. I still have questions, and I can't trust that Naros has been at all honest with me. I hate this so very

The Tale of The Exile -- The First Night: Into The Darkness (Part 4)

2009-04-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

Part 4: LostI am lost. Utterly, completely lost. It has been nearly another hour since the girl got away, and nothing is remotely familiar. All the buildings look the same. Have I passed that shop before? Have I gone past that smithy? I need a landmark that isn't the Tower. Right. Left. Straight. Left. Left again. Straight.

The Tale of The Exile -- The First Night: Into The Darkness (Part 3)

2009-04-24T04:42:00.000-07:00

Part 3: Miir By NightI try to put as much distance as possible between myself, the room without a door, and the Pale Man named Naros. My side aches badly. I have no idea where I'm going, aside from away. I've only been here a week, and never out this late before. The night changes everything.Two of the moons, Stag and Hare,

The Tale of The Exile -- The First Night: Into The Darkness (Part 2)

2009-04-24T03:10:00.000-07:00

Part 2: The Man in the Empty Room I take a few minutes to let my eyes adjust to the gloom. To pass the time, I try and remember all I can about how this city is laid out. I wish I'd learned more, but most of my week here was spent getting into contact with the underworld and planning the job, so there wasn't much time for

The Tale of The Exile -- The First Night: Into The Darkness (Part 1)

2009-04-24T00:19:00.000-07:00

Part 1: The Sentence It was supposed to be a simple job. "Gaven Morren, late of Calisapas, you have been charged and found guilty under Miirian law of the following crimes..." I loathe courtrooms. They're all the same, no matter where you go. The crowd chatters in the background, waiting to see the accused become the

The Tale of The Exile (Introduction)

2009-04-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

There must be a beginning to these things. It's only proper. The tale that I will be posting here was composed and is still being told, one line at a time, through the medium of Twitter. From the end of June 2008 until now the story has grown in starts and fits, shaped of a previous work because I needed an outlet that forced me not to drown myself in words. Twitter's 140 character limit has