Eric K. Barnum's Blog, page 6

Transcendence Festival at the Ending of the Calendar Year

In the dead of winter, during the end of the calendar year, when DAR becomes Next DAR, the people of Morbatten celebrate Transcendence Day. Though widely known that Dar Tania became Tiamat’s priestess at early autumn, they chose to remember it here. Winter nights are long and cold and the people crave company and comfort. Without prompting by the god emperor, they came together and created this holiday. It is celebrated with retelling of the story of the Horse Tribe, of Dar riding Alerius, and of her silver rope that tied her to the Red Patriarch at Tiamat’s behest.

To celebrate, the people carve wooden or paper totems and cast them into bonfires while praying for something they wish to change in the next year. For those skilled at it, feats of ropesmanship and stunts are conducted. Children games of tying each other up and timing escapes are common. Because Tiamat gave the children of dragons a priestess, and healing power… the people give each other tokens of health and strength. Lovers might exchange fertility charms. Children might gift their friends and siblings some remembrance of a prank or injury with hope it does not happen again next year.

This is also Ynt’taris’ favorite time to begin prowling the empire. The Ice Patriarch’s secret gift of safety, rescue, and security to those in dire need as well as his brutal punishment of those harming the next generations is remembered through quiet acts of secret mercy… and vengeance. The Temple encourages secret mercy for all. Vengeance, over time, has come to be sanctioned by the Temple when evidence is presented in advance and at least three priestesses agree to allow it. For the Law of Innocents, Vengeance is a lower form of Vendetta as it applies to the Mighty.

 

 

Malcor Sketch Art – Dec 14, 2017

Malcor with his sword, Coming Undone

This sketch art just came in! Presenting it, I thought it a good time to share the genesis of my writing. Malcor’s Story predates any other book I’ve written. It was the first. Having finished it in early 2015, I then began editing and rewriting it until in 2016 when I thought I would publish it. I gave it to some friends and family. Comments were all positive (as you might hope and expect from people you know). However, some of them said things like, “There’s so much there I kept wondering if I was missing a reference or something I should maybe know. You need a glossary.”

I’m not a fan of glossaries. I find them annoying. It’s like saying, “Welcome! My book is complicated and twisted enough that you need this reference sheet.” So, rather than go with a glossary, I wrote other books, the first of which was Dar Tania. The early empire of Morbatten has less magic and more wonder. By Malcor’s time, these things are taken for granted. In Dar Tania’s time, 1800 years before Malcor, it was all new, challenging, and difficult. The myths and legends in Malcor’s time are the stories occurring in Dar Tania’s.

Starting with the cover of Malcor’s Story, we can see his sword. It’s called the Apprentice Blade until later he names it Coming Undone (subject of next blog post). Malcor did not have a happy childhood. His father, Dar Kell, went insane when his superior multifixed his wife and children to death. Dar Kell was the first male priest ever. This triggered a civil war fought within the Temple of Tiamat as priestesses (100% female) and paladins (99% male) took sides and fought. ‘The Sister’ prophecy came from this war. It pointed to one of Kell’s children as the next king. When the war ended, it’s not like those opposed to male priests just submitted. This is warrior religion. They went underground. And, let’s be clear… Kell’s children were not love matches. Kell was insane. The Court of Patriarchs found the children and hid them.

Malcor was hidden in Klenna. He endured, where the other children where hunted and killed, because his mother was a Half-Orc and this masked his resemblance to Kell. He was also severely burned along his head and neck in a forge accident. Yet, growing up with a single-minded focus on becoming a paladin, Malcor knew long before others that the Sister Prophecy was not him. He serves reluctantly as king since Rojo’s fall in 1805 DAR. He is a berserker. Being possessed by a shadow dragon, the last of 3 to survive the Shadow Realms, Malcor knows that his self-control hangs on a thread.

As King (of the Military), Malcor is entrusted with the Prophecy of the Spear and the Shield, which drives Morbatten to continuously hone its war machine until it is strong enough to attack the Mother of All Nightmares, Set. And, win. Since Morbatten is recovering from the events in Bomoki’s Gate, Malcor has been forging powerful weapons for Tania’s heroes and leaders: Shadowsorcere for Legion Commander Ayden, for example. The Dread Lords have granted him two bloodstones.

Earring of Vocal Thinking. Formerly King Rojo’s earring, this powerful device allows Malcor to touch it and, while holding the face of someone he wishes to speak with, establish a two-way telepathic conversation. He is training to use this to address multiple people, alien creatures (telepathy does not rely on language), and groups of people as large as all of Tania.
All-Recall Eye Stone. Alerius granted this to Malcor when he at last realized how crippled Malcor’s upbringing truly was in the forge of House Tor. Activating this bloodstone, Malcor’s thoughts are quickened so that he can recall anything he reads, studies, hears, etc.  It’s important for a king to remember faces and names. This stone allows photographic memorization without effort. With focus, the user can implant the knowledge so that it stays, but there is a price when used this way.
Apprentice Sword/Coming Undone. The runes on the blade say, “Let that which is made come undone.” The sword can cut, but it’s real power is that destroys enchantments, permanently.

In 1806 DAR, Malcor is 21 years old. He was granted a dispensation to marry the priestess Ora. They have a son, Alauren. As king, he is guiding and protecting the actual person described in the Sister Prophecy, a young girl named Clarissa. Clarissa is 9 years old. People are often surprised that Malcor is not a pale-skinned Caucasian, is not tall, and is not shockingly handsome. Yet, once they get to know Malcor, his persistence in being true to Tiamat, and his single-minded focus on reaching and being an ‘ideal paladin’ tend to win everyone over. Malcor makes mistakes in spite of a keen grasp on what his weaknesses are. If anything, he feels his failures more deeply than others might.

As an author, like a parent, I know I’m not supposed to have favorite characters… but in this case, I’ll admit it: Malcor is my favorite. There I said it!

Khalla’s Play – The Editing. Dec 12, 2017 update

A quick search on Google for “help me write” yields 473M results. The same search on “help me edit” gives a meager 377M and it takes 0.2 seconds longer to find fewer results. Though not super helpful in my argument that editing is painful and sucks, it is telling that there is a measurable difference. Khalla’s Play will be as long as Malcor’s Story and covers an epic scope that was a lot of fun to write. In editing, I’m having to painstakingly pick apart my own work. As you might expect, there are parts that I love. There are parts I read and I wonder at what point I reverted to a 1st grader who could not put words together in cogent sentences.

I love writing. I’m so excited to bring you all Khalla’s Play. My editors are awesome and the ARC feedback was much appreciated. KP is going to be so much better for everyone’s contributions. Tony and Ben have been champs and now, it’s my turn… to edit and edit. There are already some parts I want to expand. Without spoiling anything, and for alert readers, this should come as no surprise.

More Ynt’taris, the Ice Patriarch. Ynt’taris, if you’ve read his page here, has a different agenda than the other Dread Lords. He keeps his own counsel and finds his own motivations to participate in Morbatten. Did you really think, at the end of Bomoki’s Gate, he would just be like, “Here. Treasure map. Enjoy yourselves” and be off? He always has a hidden agenda! Half the fun of Ynt’taris is sleuthing that agenda out.

More RiVule. RiVule is a fun and new character that illuminates the Orcs of the Quat. Tolkien gave us Orcs. And, I weep for what a trope they have become since. They’re the WWE of fantasy. Sighs. Orcs, like the other sentient races, have their own place and RiVule begins finding it in the aftermath of Orcus’ death. Surprise – they have a culture and a religion that is every bit the equal of the other races. And, because they didn’t flee from Merakor, they have no nascent past darkening their way of thinking.

More monster trope bending. In each of my books, I have presented a case for a monster as more than a monster. Part of this is that I miss the “Ecology of…” from old Dragon Magazines. The other is that I want monsters to make sense in a world of gods and magic. They have to make ecological sense. After all, no high fantasy empire would allow its citizens to co-exist with citizen-hungry monsters along its borders and roads. Heck, most of these monsters would not allow themselves to co-exist and they’d fall into intercine warfare and consumption until they self-extincted. We’ve hit the Slaadi, Hill Giants, some Orcs, Hags, Medusa/Gorgons, Liches, Ogres, Dragons of all kinds, Mind Flayers, and I’m pleased to announce that KP will bring: vampires, mimics, dopplegangers, and thri-keen. Oh, and Elves don’t have crazy pointed ears. That’s just insane and it doesn’t make sense at all. There’s not a single creature in our world with crazy tube ears. I’m looking at you Japanese anime elves.

Art credit to this photographer and cosplayer for doing elves the right way. This is a good look and one Khalla would recognize.

Photographer Credit to Hans Peter Vasgard. Model: not known. Attempts to get permission went unanswered.

Alerius Art and Author Interview

Khalla’s Play is done and being edited towards publication in December, I hope. More on the risk of a 1-month delay later. I was contacted for an author interview by a blogger called “Authors Interviews.” These are always fun. Sure, it’s no red carpet TV appearance with the stars, but when starting out, everything adds to the energy that eventually becomes success, right? Like blowing on a fire to help ignite, I am glad to be honored and to return respect to anyone starting out. Lastly, Alerius concept art for his human form is done. Alerius is the dragon shown on the book cover of Dar Tania.

My readers know that the Tanian dragons can humanshift. Alerius does so in the form of a giant armored human. He presents a dark confidence and aura of wizardry defied by the heavy plate armor. He uses no weapons and rarely touches the ground in human form. He’s basically an unascended god. All of Morbatten, the plan for Tiamat, everything was his brainchild in the Eldar days in the Time Before Time. As an Eldar, he does not invoke spells with casting, but as a force of will. I give you Alerius, consort of Takhissis, Lord of the Kerchki, and the God Emperor of Morbatten!

Now, what’s this you say about a possible release delay for Khalla’s Play? Comments from beta readers and my editors have surprised me. Where I’m usually told that I write too much, and the book is already 440 pages long at 186,000 words, feedback this time around is that the book is not long enough in parts the readers want. I see this as a good thing and so, when editing is complete and I turn my attention to final copy, I am girding myself up to write more. My goal is still December before Christmas. But, I have to be open to it taking a bit longer. January is worst case. I promise!

Possible Next Projects for 2018

While Tony and Ben are spinning on the Khalla’s Play manuscript, and my advance readers are reviewing, I find myself thinking about next steps. Thanksgiving is not one of those steps, but I am grateful for you, Dear Readers and Friends. The emails, the feedback, the scathing criticisms (not sarcastic here)… they have all helped and added to the experience that is writing these projects. When I begin a new book, I look through all the ideas and outlines and find one that resonates. At the end of Bomoki’s Gate, I really wanted to tell a fun fantasy adventure story that became Khalla’s Play, and the next book in this 2 or 3 part duo/trilogy. It’d be easy to rip into the next part, where they reach Merakor and what happens there.

It would also be fun to tell some shorter stories. After all, Malcor and Ora had a child together. I’m going to release that as a web-only short story. You already know that the powerful, the Dar ranked heroes, and the mighty priestesses do not raise their children. While they are free to love, the priestesses have an imperative to “preserve the bloodlines” of the heroes. With Malcor coming to terms with what it means to be king and Ora giving up their child, yes: this will be my next project as a short story. I do intend to do another 100 page book project as well, like Dar Tania I. Following that, it will be time to complete the Merakor Project. LOL. As if something as vast and grand as Merakor could ever truly be told in a single book!

So, let’s talk a bit about the Dar. Some of you have called this “eugenics.” I want to be super clear about this. Eugenics was an ugly and dark chapter in human history where people thought they could breed desirable characteristics in and out of what they felt were sub-humans. If the breeding did not work, then killing undesirable traits suited eugenicists just fine. The arrogance and evil inherent in this way of thinking is not something I endorse or would correlate in any way to Morbatten. You will not find the term ‘eugenics’ anywhere in my writing or thinking.

Here’s what happened in Morbatten. Remembering that the immortal dragons became fascinated with humans aeons back… the fire patriarch, Alerius, adopted a tribe of barbarian humans. He noticed certain things:

Unless taught how to swim, humans could drown… even though children like playing in water
Unless taught how to preserve food, humans could starve… but if they ate too much, they became fat
Some humans naturally were fast swimmers who could hold their breath underwater for much longer periods of time than others
Some humans could eat and eat and not get fat, while others hardly ate at all and did

Alerius experimented. While he could find no mix of diet that worked for all humans, and while some humans defied swimming at all, he learned generally that if all humans were taught to swim, he would not lose so many of them to drowning. He found that a human who ate about so much each day would be healthier and stronger against illness than those fed less. He learned that when humans who could naturally swim very well had children, those children sometimes would also be natural swimmers. For 1000s of years, he guided the barbarians hoping that one day, one of them (man or woman; he did not care) would have enough security and curiosity to see that Alerius himself was not a god. Understanding this, they would open themselves to the real goddess, Tiamat. This was Dar Tania. Getting to Dar Tania was not about eugenics. It was about taking benevolent care of a new society and culture and rooting out undesirable cultural traits, like aggression to other tribes, or violence to women and children.

Because this is a world of magic and gods actively involved in their worshippers’ lives, Alerius also found that certain bloodlines lent themselves to special abilities. Some examples already described in my writings:

The Sage Alaura’s family lends itself to the Ice Patriarch, Ynt’taris
Dar Tania’s bloodline, via the Commander Sean, is laden with prophets and seers
Shak D’Rath’s bloodline, via Dar Tania, is the only bloodline that can summon and ride griffons
Dar Kell’s bloodline is the only bloodline that can bond with the shadow dragons, like Kell and Malcor
Dar Ana’s bloodline is described by Alerius as being “obstinate against Tiamat’s doctrine, but powerful in all ways”

None of these are absolute and across 2,000 years of Morbatten, these are the only real familial examples of power crossing generations and is not 100% every time. Alerius could never figure that out. As such, all priestesses are required to bear children with heroes. They are free to love who they want when not otherwise called. Tanians do not get upset about this as it is part of their society, their culture, and their expectations. There is no stigma on a priestess who ‘retires’ from service to get married, though this is not true for paladins.

The original barbarian culture, not race, is preserved in the Valley of Ancients, north of Dragon Mountain. The Tribe of the Horse, Warg, and Fish practice the ancient ways and the children born to the priestesses are raised here. Alerius noted very early on that the people treated Dar’s children very differently than the other children. Having seen how this played out in Taysor, Alerius removed the children to be raised in the ancient ways ignorant of their heroic parents so that they would not grow up with any sense of entitlement or stilted education. The real parents are free to watch from a far. When the child goes through the Coming of Age ceremony, if they wish, they are told. If the parents wish, they attend. After the Coming of Age ceremony, they are free to interact or not. Many Tanian stories stem from the magic of this moment when it works to everyone’s favor, and the nightmare when it does not.

In the Law of Innocents, there is nothing that prevents humans from doing whatever they want. The only stipulation is that their children are tested. If they become heroes, their bloodline is preserved. Again, many of Tania’s stories center on the exceptional child chosen by the Temple, touched by the dragons, or swept up into prophesy. When this happens, the only “meddling” that might occur, is that the empire will pressure the family to have many more children.

As you might expect, the local lords differ on how this pressure is applied, but over time, Alerius found that forcing it to happen, destroyed morale and so the Law of Innocents has become very clear that this is based on consent and the practice of eugenics is expressly forbidden in this Law. They don’t call it eugenics. They call it “guided procreation.” Lords engaging in this are culled by the Temple or by imperial agents.

 

 

Facebook Author Page Created

My author page is finally created on Facebook. I was resisting it but a fellow author convinced me I should go ahead and do it. From now on, all my FB posts will originate here on FI and be reshared on my author page. I encourage you to like it, follow it, and interact with me there, or here. Whichever suits your particular dragon type works perfectly for me!

Announcement – Khalla’s Play Cover Art is Here!

In preparation for the upcoming release (target remains December ’17) of Khalla’s Play, I am happy to present the cover art and jacket of the 5th book entry into the Forsaken Isles. Khalla’s Play follows the events told in Bomoki’s Gate (but does not need to be read in order) and reveals the secret underbelly of the Tanian and Soran societies, where secret agencies and crime families war for the bountiful harvest gleaned by the events told in that book.

Meet Khalla. Though not a human, she is more human than elf in her appearance. Pointy ears and a preternatural dexterity give her away as one. She ended Bomoki’s Gate as the head of Morbatten’s Thieves Guild. The former head earned a one-of-a-kind treasure map and they’re trying to put together a team to go and get the treasure. While the criminal underworld churns and roils, Khalla tries to help with the team, do her job for Tania, and uncover some secrets of her own. Let’s be honest: Tolkien did not write Elves. He presented anti-vampires who would make excellent ninja assassins. Khalla’s Play is their story. I’m thinking this will be a 2-part story, but my muse is already whispering that the tale of Merakor will be 3 books.

So, welcome Khalla’s Play! Disclaimer: There may or may not be vampires in this story. If there are, they will not sparkle like rainbows. Khalla is not clumsy and totally lacking in skill.

Halloween Draweth Nigh

It’s almost Halloween, and like many in Fantasy, I love Halloween. Every year, I add a few new pieces to my leather armor set. Maybe someday, I’ll splurge and go for plate armor, but what I really want is a heavy studded battle rod that could double as a walking stick. Anymore, you can’t bring but foam stuff to events and the battle rod would look cool and pass muster at Renn Faires and what not. The bodacious hats are what always tempt me.

Going through my files, I came across some draft art for Malcor’s Story. It took me back to almost a year ago when I was getting ready to release Malcor’s Story in Nov 2016. You see, Malcor’s Story was actually my 2nd foray into writing. My first died a terrible horrible death. It was an epic story I wrote back in 1997. Without good ways to save and transport files, the files got lost and eventually 600 page paper stacks got lost in the shuffle. I remember that as a learning experience full of meandering side tangents. One of these days, I may retell that story. Malcor’s Story began in 2014 as a Notepad file in which I began outlining and then writing about Malcor. In my imagination, Malcor was always the reluctant king… put in a position where he could not say and frankly, did not have good reasons to say No to the dragons. I wanted to change the paladin archetype from Lancelot (had he not fallen) to divine fighters who wage war by revelation from their god.

The story took shape and when I was getting close to feeling I was ready to publish, I sought out cover art. Some of it was so laughably horrible that I cringe when I look at it now. Others were good, but not great. Eventually, I met Darko… who’s art is almost exclusively featured on ForsakenIsles.com. His work blew me away and I said, “Yes! Let’s make it happen!” His first draft was really good, but I wanted Malcor to be a bit more visible. The shadow dragons exist in UV and purple light and so I needed more of a purple palette. Also, Cor’tanos, the Shadow Dragon Patriarch, was not clearly recognizable as a dragon. Our discussion prompted a total revision to the current cover but I still love this early draft.

If I ever invest in armor, I’m going to look for someone that can make this for me. Though I do not see myself but vaguely in Malcor (mainly persistence in the face of many reasons to stop persisting), Malcor is one of my heroes. I often try to imagine what and how my life would be different if, at a young age, people in power and with influence had tapped me on the shoulder and said, “This is your path. We’re going to equip you with everything you need to walk this path.” Like Tania, they wouldn’t force me to walk that path. Like Malcor, maybe I would wholeheartedly embrace that path and sprint – not walk – it.

Shout out to the Galra from Netflix’s Voltron. “Vrepit Sa!”

Status, pools of water, and Alaura

My readers may have noticed that the Sage Alaura had deep impact on the Tanian society. Like Commander Sean, she served as a foil to Dar Tania at a time when it would have been easy for the barbarian tribespeople to go full military. She showed them, by example, an alternative to rule. Her friendship with Dar, Ana, and most importantly, the Patriarch of Ice Ynt’taris, allowed the country to have a cultural focus not overtly dominated by the military or the Temple. While both remained important, principles like education, regal grace, and calm-headedness insinuated its way into an empire that would not have even paused to care about such things.

When Ynt’taris accepted her as his rider, Alaura became “the Sage.” Ynt’taris’ perspective on the fall of Merakor, the eldar, and why Alerius does what he does became the core of her learnings and she wrote them all down. While not considered Temple dogma, her work serves as a secular counterpart to the early growth of the empire and how and why doctrines rose and fell in importance. If Sean was the true love of Dar Tania, Alaura was the true love of the empire. She is honored with statues and her writings as art throughout the empire. Often presented with wings, light, and a feather quill, Alaura dominates the culture of Tania in a way that no other founder has since. In Sora, she is lesser known though copies of her writings were gifted to the Pragmatic Order of Pha Rann and have slowly promulgated from there.

This sketch of Alaura shows her in detail. Like most Sorans, she is fair with pale complexion. She is not a fighter. While she has some magic ability, it was all focused on her studies though she did play a role in the defeat of the Slaads, told in Dar 2: Set’s Dream.

Update on Khalla’s Play. I’ve started writing the climax of the story. There have been some twists and turns in the intrepid group’s journey. It has taken them into a dark underground catacomb infested with the undead.

I also went hiking into Shenandoah National Park last night after work. One of my favorite campsites was attacked by falling tree banches, so I had to move on. I ended up way up on a ridge and, after setting up camp, I pulled out my laptop and wrote. It’s a guilty pleasure. The next morning, today, I found a pool of water full of autumn leaves. With the sun peaking over the ridge and no bugs, I opened my laptop and wrote some more. It was fantastically inspiring.

Ynt’taris the Ice Patriarch, a study in micro-communities

Darko just nailed a sketch of Ynt'taris, one of the 3 dragons ruling Morbatten as the Court of Patriarchs. Ynt'taris is the only eldar dragon known to have lost his consort in the Dragon Wars, which divided the Gates and marked the consistent movement of Time. The site of the ice matriarch's death is known as the Temple of Glass. Ynt'taris plays an interesting role in my writing. He is canny, unknowable, and bitterly vicious. Of all the dragons, he is one of my favorite to write. Unlike Alerius, who craves the love of mortals, Ynt'taris craves vengeance on those who contributed to the loss of his love, or who hurt (might hurt) the mortals he loves. It's a fine distinction and one that plays out whenever Ynt'taris has the spotlight.

Ice dragons, as their name suggests, prefer it very cold. Ynt'taris lives at the peak of Dragon Mountain on the perpetual glacier there, but makes his lair in an unknown location in the Shield Mountains to the north. In the same way that Alerius observed and learned that early and consistent education is key to a mortal's success, Ynt'taris noted that certain actions and attitudes can have generational impacts... both good and bad. From the earliest days of the barbarian tribes, Ynt'taris takes the form a young girl and wanders the land. His belief that a community (no matter how small like a family, or large like an empire) can be judged by how it views children has been played out across millenia. As a young girl, he will help those in need... and blight those that seek to harm him. Dar Tania I shows the story of how Ynt'taris saved Dar Tania's family from starvation. Dar Tania II: Set's Dream shows an interaction with a priest of Pha Rann, Warner Van, and how Ynt'taris completely dismissed the man because he told the young girl to be quiet and leave the adults alone. Predators who would abuse or enslave or belittle a young child are judged and harshly dealt with.

Over the centuries, the story of the young girl with pale blue eyes became a dominant theme throughout the empire of Morbatten. Because Ynt'taris does not hide that this is his preferred human form, it is even known that such girls are not to be messed with. Those who do end up dead, or cursed. This art shows Ynt'taris. Smaller than Alerius, Ynt'taris is equally powerful in some ways to the god emperor. His impact on the people and culture at the community level far exceeds Alerius in his regard for people rather than the Empire.