Lissa Dobbs's Blog: Shadow Walkers of Grevared, page 15
March 29, 2017
For Those Who Like the Mythology
[image error]I’ve done a couple of posts about Aradia and the mythology behind the goddess, though it’s been a while. With Aradia’s Secret coming out this week, I thought it would be a good time to list a few links for those who enjoy studying mythology as much as I do.
These are only a few sources, just something to get your feet wet. There are other sources, though not all of them agree on Aradia’s parentage or even if she was actually worshipped.
Best wishes!
The Internet Sacred Text Archive: I love this site! They’ve got just about any religious and mythological text you could imagine available to read for free. There are also a number of other texts, particularly those written in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I can spend hours just playing around here.
March 28, 2017
Asing – The Flora and Fauna of Grevared
[image error]Appearance: The Asing is a creature that possesses the traits of several species. It has plant-like attributes, such as roots and leaves, but it also possesses a somewhat reptilian shell and head. There are parts of its body that are covered with fur, and it is believed that the Asing bears and suckles live young. Adults are rooted creatures without mobility.
Habitat: The only known habitat is in the depths of the forests of E’ma Thalas.
Diet: The Asing eats small birds and animals as well as insects. There is some fear that it will also eat humanoid creatures, though this has not been verified.
Threat: The Asing is a stationary being once it reaches adulthood, so its threat level is considered low unless one is within its reach. The young, however, are mobile and will attach themselves to anyone or anything that passes by. They possess small, sharp teeth and produce a poison. They are considered dangerous.
The asing is one of those creatures that came from my love of documentaries. One of my favorites is Blue Planet, which explores ocean life. Seeing some of these creatures, especially those from the deeper area of the sea, spark imagination like nothing else.
Gwennyth Grimsbane runs into an asing when she first leaves Crowrest on her journey. Its one of the first times she realizes what is really bothering her about the journey and Vonner:
We came across the asing on our second morning.
Vicious creatures that would consume any who stepped within their reach, the asing were the most bizarre creatures I’d ever come across in either study or reality. Tall and treelike, with a reptilian head protruding from the base of their trunks, the asing’s roots kept them anchored in place. That didn’t prevent snapping jaws from clamping onto one’s leg, and the young, born live, had no such restrictions on their mobility. It was the young with which we, or, rather, I, came in contact.
It began as a slight sting just above my ankle boot. I looked down, but the robe I wore – I was close to home, after all, and saw no point in donning the warmer trousers I’d packed for later in the journey – prevented me seeing my legs. I dismissed the sting as nothing more than a briar’s prick and continued through the forest. It didn’t take long for fire to pulse through my blood and pound its way into my head. I stopped, the trees spinning around me, and leaned against a broad-leafed tree, one I knew was innocuous.
Lissa Dobbs
March 27, 2017
Historical Tidbits
[image error]My new book, Aradia’s Secret, releases this coming weekend, so I thought I’d share a little of the history that leads up to the events of the story. They’re small snippets that will eventually become larger documents.
4201 AOP (As One Plane): Ashcroft Billinghurst becomes emperor of the Xaggarene Empire. He establishes the University in Sangeron.
4214 AOP: Reverend Tatersdale Mackle becomes bishop of the Arcana Maximus. He begins a covert operation to rid the Xaggarene Empire of all those with magical abilities. The Examiners are formed, and the Arcana gains police power.
4215 AOP: Samara Soulton speaks out against the power of Reverend Mackle. Wizards follow her. The movement dies when she disappears. No one knows what happened to her.
4217 AOP: Reverend Tatersdale Mackle moves the headquarters of the Arcana Maximus away from the Xaggarene Empire when his childhood friend, Emperor Ashcroft Billingurst, threatens to ban the institution because of the hunt for magical people. The Arcana loses some of its hold on the Empire, and magical people become more open. It is at this time that the Shadow Walkers form their guild and organize their people.
4725 AOP: The Arcana Maximus convinces Lazarus Nicodemus, the emperor, that all those with magical ability should be put to death. Witches and wizards take refuge in E’ma Thalas. The Shadow Walkers headquarters moves to Corleon. The seat of the Arcana Maximus remains on its island, but its power over the Xaggarene Empire is reestablished. The witches and wizards of the Xaggarene Empire petition king Oberon and are charged with protecting the northern border of E’ma Thalas. They build Crowrest Keep and establish their community. Ravyn Grimsbane is their leader.
March 26, 2017
March 23, 2017
Dajowjut – The Flora and Fauna of Grevared
[image error]Appearance: The dajowjut stands about seven feet tall when on its hind legs. It is covered with white fur and has long, pointed ears and talons on the ends of its fingers. With a long snout and teeth made for tearing tough flesh, it can walk on all fours or on its hind legs, and it has the intelligence to use basic tools in the search for food. Humanoid is one of its favorite foods.
Food: The dajowjut eats meat and will track a creature for miles. With its ability to use tools, it will lay snares for its prey.
Habitat: The dajowju inhabits the ice sheets of the Shizzuria Wasteland, but it will sometimes wander into the small towns that surround it.
Threat: The dajowjut is a highly dangerous creature and extremely predatory. It will attack without provocation and will track an individual once it has his scent.
The idea for this creature came from the folklore of the yeti and abominable snowman. I actually came up with it while watching Christmas cartoons. I wanted the Shizzuria Wasteland to be an inhabited place full of danger instead of just a sheet of ice covering a chunk of land. This isn’t the only creature that inhabits this area, and not all of them are deadly. Even though the area is frozen, it is possible, for those with the skills and fortitude, to live there and not starve.
One of my characters, Erastus Hallowell, spent a good deal of time living in the Wasteland when he was younger. The landscape and the woman who rescued him both played a large part in Erastus’s development, and I think he became a better person for living in an unforgiving place.
Lissa Dobbs
March 22, 2017
Little Things
[image error]It’s odd how sometimes, when things seem dark, a little thing will happen to make me think that everything will be all right. These things don’t have to be much. They can be as simple as a letter in the mail that tells of good news or a thunderstorm that brings peace. It is those moments that make life worth living; it isn’t always the major events. And one thing I’ve learned over the years is to treasure the odd incident that lifts my spirits and gives me hope for tomorrow.
What are the little joys in your life? What gives you hope?
Best wishes!
Lissa Dobbs
March 20, 2017
Now on Smashwords
[image error]I’ve been working on getting my current publications out on Smashwords, and I think I’ve got them all there now.
My profile page will give links to the books, and I have two short stories that will be permanently free.
Lissa Dobbs
March 19, 2017
March 18, 2017
March 17, 2017
Cultures – The Xaggarene Empire
[image error]I have a section on my website about the history of Grevared, but it dawned on me that I haven’t really said too much about the cultures that make up the world. So, today we’ll look at the Xaggarene Empire, the country that is featured in Wolf in the Shadow and Rise of the Mad Gods: For Love of Her.
The Xaggarene Empire is the most technologically advanced of all the nations of Grevared. It sits south of E’ma Thalas, home of the elves, and it is the country that is most predominantly human. It is ruled by an emperor, a direct descendant of Arronax Billinghurst, who is credited with building the first generator and uniting the human tribes. The emperor has absolute power, but emperors in the past have been swayed by the suggestions of others, particularly high-ranking members of the Arcana Maximus. In fact, Emperor Lazarus Billinghurst was persuaded to sign an edict banishing all those of magical blood. This led to a mass exodus of wizards and witches, and many of them were killed by Arcana Examiners. This is how Ravyn Grimsbane, mother of Gwennyth Grimsbane, wound up in E’ma Thalas. It is also why the Shadow Walker guild headquarters is in Corleon.
The Arcana Maximus and the worship of Inyokamor, the great snake who holds the lands of Grevared on her coils, are the predominating religious beliefs. There are some others, but these are discouraged, often forcefully by Arcana Examiners, particularly in the two largest cities, Sangeron (the capital) and Freywater. There’s a lot more variation in the smaller towns and villages. Black Crystal, for example, is home to a large contingent of Harmarayon, a somewhat insular group that believes the Arcana’s disposal of human spirits is evil.
But that’s just broad topic stuff. In my upcoming book, Gwennyth Grimsbane, a wizard from E’ma Thalas, visits Sangeron for the first time. She describes the city in the following paragraphs:
“From the deck of the ship, Sangeron looked like nothing more than a collection of boxes crowded together and covered in a black cloud of coal smoke. Noises like I’d never heard before assaulted my ears and rattled my nerves.”
“The town passed by the window, and the diversity of the buildings and people boggled my mind. I’d never seen the like of the dresses worn by what I assumed were the more affluent women. They were beautiful, with flared skirts trimmed in lace and ribbon, and the sheer variation in color was riveting. Likewise, the leather trousers, shaved heads, and tattoos that covered others took my breath away, especially being from Crowrest, where so much of our culture was based on that of the elven people. We lived a simple life in harmony with the forest around us, something I wasn’t sure the people of Sangeron even remembered how to do, not if the filth and clutter around me were any indication of their mindset.”
And this is just a taste of the diversity of the Empire. On the one hand, there are generators that provide electricity, the University that produces highly educated individuals, and factories that produce things like Fizzy Drinks. On the other hand, there are small towns where oil lamps are still the norm and most people live off the land. A railroad connects all of these, and the sound of steam engines is common. Besides technology, though, there is little uniting the humans of the Xaggarene Empire, other than the emperor’s rule. In Freywater and Sangeron, there’s little sense of community outside of one’s small area, and those who are different tend to be suspect. The small towns are not as harsh, and people there come together a little more, but it’s nothing like the common beliefs seen in E’ma Thalas or the Kingdom of Emerell.
It’s funny. Until I sat down to write it out, it didn’t dawn on me just how little commonality the people of the Xaggarene Empire have with each other. Even sitting here thinking about it, I don’t feel a sense of common culture or common good like I do with the other countries; it feels more like a random group of ants tossed together, yet they are a country, and communities exist. It makes me wonder if maybe some of the things going on underneath the surface (I won’t give spoilers) may have something to do with it. It’s something to consider, and it will give me several hours, at least, of things to think about as I delve ever deeper into this world.
Best wishes!
Lissa Dobbs
Shadow Walkers of Grevared
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