Eric K. Barnum's Blog, page 7
October 7, 2017
River of Time Art is Beautiful
At the end of Dar 2: Set’s Dream, Dar Tania cradles a young Ana on her lap. The dragons can sense an aura of destiny about the child. At that time, they could not have foreseen the powerful love and one-sided rivalry that Ana would develop for Dar. Considering Dar her big sister, Ana grows up hero worshipping her… and determined to impress her. This desire to earn Dar’s regard drives Ana to recreate, to the extent possible, Dar’s life. Like Dar, Ana is pulled out of the River when she is 19.
The Morbatten Empire and the dragons it serves view Time as a flowing river of fire. This metaphor is both symbolic and real. Throughout my writing, various characters are able to step out of Time’s flow. If they worship Tiamat, when they exit the River, they see a flowing torrent of energy, a cascade of flames, and the desires of those others standing out of the river. I commissioned this art from Darko to help visualize what the characters are trying to describe to those of us still trapped in time’s flow. This panel shows the Present (center). Dar has lifted Ana out of the poison and murder of our world where Time is so insidious it kills us moment by lethal moment. Dar is pointing to Ana’s destiny. Ana is looking back at the moment she realized she wanted to be just like Dar.
The first time anyone exits the River, they see the stealthiness of death. Motes of energy and matter disintegrate visibly from their skin and hair and drift downstream, to the Future. Ana is so excited to finally see and capture this ability that her thoughts are on that first moment when Dar went from someone she looked up to, to the goddess Ana worships her as. In the Present (center), Dar is holding a bloodstone named The Imperial. This was the first bloodstone. It was enchanted by the Court of Patriarchs to rechannel the dominion of Necromancy to whoever is controlling the stone to any necromantic being or power within line of sight. The racy Ana can see it, but she is fascinated with the past and needs to learn to let go; the past cannot be changed and too much time spent there – when out of the River – can be just as lethal as aging.
Dar is pointing to Ana’s future as if to say, “See? You will one day battle as Tiamat’s high priestess. You shall wield my sword, Morbattania, and carry The Imperial against the hellhounds of the Jade God. It will take Ana almost 300 years to realize this vision and another two thousands years to see the outcome of her confronting the Jade God. Ana is a legendary character in my writing. As the high priestess of the Temple At Bloodstone, she reigns like a goddess amongst mortals. Like Dar Tania, she defies the god emperor’s orders to bear children with heroes. Rather than doing so with those ordered, she flaunts it and chooses all. Her seductive style is almost as reknowned as is her temper and power. With Ana, all is fire and flames.
Also shown in this picture is a concept referred to by the priestesses as “goddess armor.” This armor manifests by faith and revelation to protect the Tiamat’s chosen. While Ana could wear armor, and most of Tiamat’s priestesses do, Ana’s faith is certain and her covenant with Tiamat absolute. The hellhound striking her leg causes the armor to manifest to protect against the specific attack. It makes Ana fall back. In her left hand, she holds the divine symbol of Tiamat and readies to strike with Morbattania and Tiamat’s fury.
September 18, 2017
Forsakenisles.com
www.forsakenisles.com
September 16, 2017
River of Time flowing on
It's mid-September and I'm 80,000ish words in Merakoran Agenda. It's fun writing because, at a certain point, the story catches hold of me and starts to write itself. Like a runner's high, this is my writer's high. Something about how my brain works requires that most of my 1st draft gets junked as I write to find the story waiting and wanting to be told. Against this, I commissioned art for the River of Time mentioned so much in my writing. While there is a ton of great art work out there featuring clocks and skeletons, I wanted something within the Forsaken Isles. Dar Tania 2: Set's Dream ends with 9 year old Ana sitting on Dar Tania's lap while speaking to the priestesses. The art will feature this as a past scene with 20-year old Ana looking back and seeing it, while looking forward and seeing herself as she hits the peak of her powers.
The River is a key concept in my writing as it is the metaphor by which Morbatten understands how Time flows. Because of their influence, surrounding nations adopt the metaphor as well. Clerics and paladins in the Forsaken Isles are able to access the River and use it side-step in Time. It looks they vanish and reappear in a blink. Though all of my books have River scenes in them, I am hoping that having a visual will help drive home what it is like. The Multiverse map also shows how the River is actually the flow of Time. Ancient civilizations named it the Ethereal, or Ether for short. But, Tiamat sees it for what it is... poisonous murder to the eldar, and a tool for mortal Tehrans to grow in power.
The art should be done sometime in early November and shortly after that I'll start work on the cover art for Merakoran Agenda!
River of Time flowing Onward
Credit to A.L.F. from DeviantArtIt’s mid-September and I’m 80,000ish words in Merakoran Agenda. It’s fun writing because, at a certain point, the story catches hold of me and starts to write itself. Like a runner’s high, this is my writer’s high. Something about how my brain works requires that most of my 1st draft gets junked as I write to find the story waiting and wanting to be told. Against this, I commissioned art for the River of Time mentioned so much in my writing. While there is a ton of great art work out there featuring clocks and skeletons, I wanted something within the Forsaken Isles. Dar Tania 2: Set’s Dream ends with 9 year old Ana sitting on Dar Tania’s lap while speaking to the priestesses. The art will feature this as a past scene with 20-year old Ana looking back and seeing it, while looking forward and seeing herself as she hits the peak of her powers.
The River is a key concept in my writing as it is the metaphor by which Morbatten understands how Time flows. Because of their influence, surrounding nations adopt the metaphor as well. Clerics and paladins in the Forsaken Isles are able to access the River and use it side-step in Time. It looks they vanish and reappear in a blink. Though all of my books have River scenes in them, I am hoping that having a visual will help drive home what it is like. The Multiverse map also shows how the River is actually the flow of Time. Ancient civilizations named it the Ethereal, or Ether for short. But, Tiamat sees it for what it is… poisonous murder to the eldar, and a tool for mortal Tehrans to grow in power.
August 30, 2017
Ending of Summer 2017
Ending of summer is a rough time for me. A lot of unpleasant things have occurred in my life going in September. This year I’m focusing on writing. It distracts but also gives me something to look forward to. It’s been a rough time for the Gulf coast where a number of friends and family got dumped on by Harvey, but are safe and doing well so far. My thoughts are with them.
Merakoran Agendas is coming along nicely. Though I cannot say when this book might be ready (I’m targeting end of the year best case, early Feb worst case), I’m 52k words into it and I can see the framework of a really great story coming together. After all, someone has to tell the story of Tanians who are not priestesses, dragons, or mages!
Writing today, I was thinking about how frustrating and blessed it would be to have access to so much magic, but also not be able to use it. The story of Marcello, as told in Bomoki’s Gate, opened up this channel and so Merakoran Agendas will follow Marcello/Ash and Khalla as they try to deal with the aftermath of the Jade God’s fall… and assemble a team that can survive Merakor. Merakor fell 3,000 years ago to the drow. No one really knows what has happened to that place since as no one has gone back except the Court of Patriarchs and a high priestess for brief moments to use the Temple of Glass.
Khalla really shines in this story. In Bomoki’s Gate, she took control of the Tanian Theives Guild, called Perdition, and rallied the cells to go to Bloodstone. Though the spotlight did not shine on them in that story, Khalla had a few moments and I hope you liked her. The world needs a strong Elven maid. By the way, the picture up above is not Khalla. That’s a picture that goes with my ending of August mood these days.
Here are some great depictions of Khalla that I think she would really love to pick up if the artist were identifiable.
August 27, 2017
the Equinox ending summer
Ending of summer is a rough time for me. A lot of unpleasant things have occurred in my life going in September. This year I'm focusing on writing. It distracts but also gives me something to look forward to. Merakoran Agendas is coming along nicely. Though I cannot say when this book might be ready (I'm targeting end of the year best case, early Feb worst case), I'm 52k words into it and I can see the framework of a really great story coming together. After all, someone has to tell the story of Tanians who are not priestesses, dragons, or mages!
Writing today, I was thinking about how frustrating and blessed it would be to have access to so much magic, but also not be able to use it. The story of Marcello, as told in Bomoki's Gate, opened up this channel and so Merakoran Agendas will follow Marcello/Ash and Khalla as they try to deal with the aftermath of the Jade God's fall... and assemble a team that can survive Merakor. Merakor fell 3,000 years ago to the drow. No one really knows what has happened to that place since as no one has gone back except the Court of Patriarchs and a high priestess for brief moments to use the Temple of Glass.
Khalla really shines in this story. In Bomoki's Gate, she took control of the Tanian Theives Guild, called Perdition, and rallied the cells to go to Bloodstone. Though the spotlight did not shine on them in that story, Khalla had a few moments and I hope you liked her. The world needs a strong Elven maid. By the way, the picture up above is not Khalla. That's a picture that goes with my ending of August mood these days.
Here are some great depictions of Khalla that I think she would really love to pick up if the artist were identifiable.
August 15, 2017
Dar Tania 2: Set’s Dream Interview on Tellest.com
Click this link here to view the full interview. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Michael DeAngelo and the Tellest books. Though YA is not my personal thing, my daughters have enjoyed his Mageborn and Dragonspeaker books a lot.
Dar Tania 2: Set's Dream Interview on Tellest.com
Click the screenshot or this link here to view the full interview. I've really enjoyed getting to know Michael DeAngelo and the Tellest books. Though YA is not my personal thing, my daughters have enjoyed his Mageborn and Dragonspeaker books a lot. http://tellest.com/interview-eric-k-b...
August 8, 2017
new web domains
While this Weebly domain will remain active indefinitely, I'll be quietly working to convert all content over to FORSAKENISLES.COM for a consistent web experience with the content of my writing and the worlds they empower.
I'm also hard at work on the next book, which for now I've titled "Merakoran Agenda." This story picks up with Ash and Khalla following the story told in Bomoki's Gate. They're trying to put together a team to go back to Merakor. Behind the scenes, the Thieves Guilds of all the Isles' nations are vying for power and control over the black market material flooding them from Bloodstone. I'm 40,000 words into it and it seems likely that Ash and Khalla's relationship might not survive... or at least, Ash's secrets won't. I'm having fun with a Rogue Guild in Taysor headed by a new character named Grant. Grant and his team don't want to be bound by the rules of the other guilds and so do their own thing. They're compelling to write. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more updates.
July 28, 2017
Set’s Dream is available
There will be a promotional discount from 8/2 until 8/12.
