C.P.D. Harris's Blog, page 57

Teaser Tuesday

A teaser from Bloodlust: Red Glory, my next novel.

Sadira and Gavin arrived, the smell of the sea still clinging to them, just in time to see Fiona begin. They were ushered into the private box without ceremony. Chosen Marius turned to them, eyebrow raised, but Sadira stopped before she could speak, staring down at Fiona, lost in memory.

Gavin felt a pang of sorrow from Sadira as flame-haired Fiona entered the fighting grounds, moving with the grace of a predator and the swagger of a born performer. The Chosen knew what his beloved was thinking, and would have known even without their mystic bond.

Sadira gripped the hilt of the monstrous war-cleaver at her side, knuckles going white around the hilt: adamantine wrapped in long strands of hair so much like Fiona`s. That hair had once belonged to her rival and friend, Karmal.

I wonder if it is barbaric or touching that Sadira wraps the hilt of her sword in the hair of the woman who once wielded it.

This passage, from the beginning of the book, serves as a bridge between Bloodlust: Red Glory, and Bloodlust: The Shield Maiden. The death of a Chosen serves as a catalyst for events within the Empire…

What makes the Princess Bride hold up so well?

My favourite quote.

I am ashamed to admit this, but I have never read the Princess Bride.

Perhaps it is because I love the movie so much. Just last night, after our monthly Shadowrun Game, we were searching for something to watch. In our household this leads a protracted debate over the enormous smorgasbord of options, which I tend to stay out of. I am by far the least versed in movies and television in the house so I don’t mind letting others choose, with the exception of a few favorites. Besides I will just go off and play a computer game or do some writing if they choose something I am not interested in.

This week, however, The Princess Bride popped up. By then the discussion had been raging for fifteen minutes, and I was already creeping toward my laptop, eager to try the two League of Legends characters that I had just acquired that day (Braum and Yorick, if you know League). This is somewhat ironic given how the book begins.

Nostalgia held me to my seat on the couch. I was initially curious to see how a classic that I had watched so often held up now that Fantasy had hit the a-list. Needless to say I watched the whole damned movie, eagerly, enjoying it greatly. However, for the sake of argument, let’s start with the bad.

The Bad

The rodents: Let’s be honest, the giant rats in the fire swamps never really looked good compared to the rest of the movie. Now they just look dated and somewhat awful, like Wesley is wrestling with a particularly hoary blanket. I’d love to see a version with these replaced.
The real world intro scene: While it is still topical, the intro scene with Fred Savage and Peter Falk just feels a little awkward to me now. Maybe it is the 80’s decor or perhaps I just feel that modern audiences are familiar enough with Fantasy that they don’t need that kind of trope. It feels a little rushed as well. Grandfathers tend to be less hurried in my experience. I’m not sure how to fix this considering how integral it becomes to the movie.
Passive Buttercup: Modern audiences demand more from female characters. Buttercup is just too passive for my tastes. I liked the bit where she jumps out of the boat early on, but that seems to be the only active thing that she does. She just stands there while Wesley wrestles with an enormous Rat, only picking up a log to defend herself (poorly) when it gets close to her. Given that this is her true love being mauled I would have preferred to see her woman up, overcome her fear, and smash some skull. I mean seriously, Buttercup used to be a farmgirl in this world…

The Good

A love of intelligence: The Movie overflows with wit, even the “lowlife” characters are always armed with a ready quip. I find that modern fantasy often focuses on dark and vulgar humour, which is fine, but I sometimes miss the wit that comes with a lighter style. In The Princess Bride, even the “dumb giant” make jokes and laughs, trying to quip wise. Intelligence also plays a role within the movies conflicts with prince Humperdink’s Machiavellian plan for war and Vezzini’s famed poison game with the Drad Pirate Roberts. I also love that intelligence is not portrayed as odd or somehow warping. If anything Geek Chic has fallen for the view that smart people are somehow always odd and socially awkward, which I find really aggravating.
Great acting: The casting choices for The Princess Bride are peerless. The main cast are all able to switch back and forth between quipping wise and acting with resolute seriousness when necessary. Andre the Giant, in particular was a surprisingly awesome Fezzik, suitably majestic every time to see his enormous hands and yet strangely lovable at the same time. You rarely see that in big men in fantasy movies these days. These performances lend depth to the movies in a way that the Hobbit often lacks (so far) in everyone but the main characters.
Colourful Palette: The Princess Bride belongs more to the pastoral than to the gritty style that currently dominates Fantasy. Bright colours, bright costumes, and bold scenery combine well with the larger than life personalities of the characters. While costuming had certainly advanced, I find the colours of the old pastoral movies evoke a sense of wonder that is often lacking in modern fantasy. People tend to remember the bright colours of nature and the flashes of the storm more than the shades of grey on a cloudy day or the vagaries of muck for a reason.
Darkness when it is called for: While it is bright and witty most of the time, The Princess Bride does have dark moments. Wesley’s torture, Inigo’s difficulties in confronting the six fingered man, and Buttercup’s misery after she hear’s of Wesley’s death are all deep emotional lows. Even knowing that everything turns out in the end, I did not ever feel that the characters escaped unscathed or untested, which is the oft cited flaw in pastoral works.

In the end, I think with a few minor touch-ups the movie would appeal even to people who aren’t looking at it from a nostalgic perspective. It is quite striking that this movie holds up so well in an age where we can conjure up giants, dragons, and massive armies with electronic wizardry. I guess that charm and wonder are a different, more difficult form of magic.

The Shadow Wolf Sagas: Blade Breaker 1.39

It is late, the road outside is slick with rain, the moon is hiding behind the clouds, and the cat is lying on my laptop. A perfect time for some Shadow Wolf!

This is a serial story, to start reading it, follow this link.

If you missed last week’s post, here it is.

A helpful guide.

“We need to stop this,” I said. Visions of the Devout sacking Myrrhn, enslaving and sacrificing everyone who did not escape, and the long war that would inevitably follow flitted through my head like the ghosts of wargs in the deep wood. I am no stranger to battle, but only the mad desire that kind of conflict. Endless fields of ash and corpses. Harvests left to rot because all of the able bodied are dead or on the march. The Devout had faith only in strength, and that faith could only be proved and expanded in conflict. Like all fanatics their ideology was self defeating, but that would hardly be comfort to those who would fall and suffer.

“How?” asked Renoit. The swordsman was cleaning his blade as we spoke.

“The list,” said Sildus.

“Exactly,” I said. “The list tells us who the Devout have still need to strongarm and who they have already co-opted to their cause with their little rings. If we can identify the specialties of the people on the list, perhaps we can figure out what people they still need. If that trail is cold we can try to find out where this gate is, one of these historians or architects is bound to know.”

“Once we know, we can set a trap for them,” said Sildus.

“We will need reinforcements,” said Murith. “I’ll send word to the Watch.”

“I will contact the Nightblades,” said Sildus.

“Can we trust The Guild in this?” asked Murith.

“The destruction of the city would be bad for business,” said Sildus. “Can we trust the Watch?”

“Save it for the Devout,” I said. “We need to be careful who we involve. The Devout aren’t subtle, but the people who they have enslaved using these rings might be.”

<>

We left Stazz and sons and the Undermarkets, returning to the surface of the city. We reconvened at the Inn of the Willing Wench, the most secure safe Haven we could think of. Sildus left to report to The Guild while the rest of us took turns sleeping and examining the List of names.

“Lily Gemarkand, and Madame Glorianna,” said Murith. “Both of them are failed attempts. They seem to stand out next to many of these names.”

“Crimson Wind seemed intent on killing Madame Glorianna when we confronted her,” I said. “I wonder why.”

Git looked up sharply. “There is only one thing that they would try to prevent us from knowing.”

“The gate,” said Murith. “She must know where the gate is.”

A shiver ran down my spine. That must be it.

“Well then, I suppose we have to pay Madame Glorianna a visit.” I smiled. “Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but I suspect that fate is set on conflict. Arm yourselves and get ready, I will send word to Sildus.”

 

Teaser Tuesday

Well, after a very late night, I have completed the first draft of Bloodlust: Red Glory, the fourth book in the Domains of The Chosen Series. This book is slightly shorter and will come out early in the new year. I’m aiming to have a second book out in the summer, making this a two book year.

In the meantime I am working on updating Bloodlust: A Gladiator’s tale and seeing if putting it up for free more often will get my work into more hands. I have been told that this is the way to go for self-published series, and now that I have multiple works under my belt I am eager to try it out.

Meanwhile it is time to start up the teasers for Bloodlust: Red Glory, so here is another!

“I’m fine,” said Sadira automatically. “It is good to see you again Amoura! I love that gown, by the way.”

“I just wish that I had more occasion to wear it out where people can see it,” responded Amoura, gliding over the tessellated floor to embrace Sadira. “But enough with the pleasantries, I want to hear all about Ithal’Duin? Did the lost continent live up to its reputation?”

Sadira exchanged glances with Chosen Giselle, who had sent them to Ithal’Duin on behalf of the Council of the Chosen to spy on Chosen Brightloch.  The affable Chosen had been making his Domain near Kirif, a coastal city that he had made allies in. The news that they brought was of Brighloch’s death, betrayed by his Kirifan wives.

“Chosen Marius, Chosen Giselle–” began Gavin before a roar from the crowd drowned his voice as the match began. “We bring grave news. Chosen Brightloch was betrayed and murdered.”

“Brightloch, dead?” said Amoura, eyes widening.

The premise for Bloodlust: Red Glory is simple. Following the events in Bloodlust: The Shield Maiden a Grand Championship tournament must be held to replace Chosen Brightloch. Even advance news that a tournament must be held is valuable. Fortunes will be made and lost, and not just in the arena. Consider, for example, how much money can be made by the people who secure the contracts to supply food and drink.

“Tis true, my friend, Chosen Brightloch is dead.” said Captain Grumth, savouring the expression on Corvian’s face. It was not often that he got to see real emotion, shock, perhaps a little uncertainty, on his old friend’s face.

“What about the official announcement?” asked Corvian.

“Two days from now,” said Captain Grumth. “Maybe more if the Council wants to take its time.”

Corvian made some quick calculations. “Your men?”

“The men have been told to keep it quiet,” said the Captain, smiling. “I’m sure some will let it slip, but who would believe them. I want my debts cancelled for this, Corvian.”

The debt in question was fifty-thousand Krassics, a small fortune. Corvian was not in the habit of throwing money away.

“Done,” said Corvian without hesitation. “But I want you to stay here and enjoy my hospitality when you are not aboard the Glorious Star for the next two days. Everything is on the house.”

Captain Grumth shrugged. Very few dockside inns were outside Corvian’s sphere of influence. No one would be suspicious. Since his information was good, he had nothing to fear from his host.

“On one condition Corvian: I want a seat in your box for the whole Championships said Grumth.

Corvian smiled. He would have demanded the same. “Done. I’ll have the books and some wine brought out and you can strike the debt yourself.”

This passage is one of the Epilogues from Bloodlust: The Shield Maiden, illustrating some of the opportunities that can arise from being among the first to know that such an important event will take place. Corvian then goes on to secure various service contracts for the Parade of Champions, one of which he gives to another character as a gift. I don’t want to get into it too deeply and spoil anything, but think of how much big companies will pay for a superbowl ad.

Many familiar characters will return for Bloodlust Red Glory, including several from my short story, Bloodlust: The Great Games.

Nearly finished the first draft of Bloodlust: Red Glory!

I am on the final stretch for my next book. En lieu of a more complex post, here is a teaser:

Goldfin felt the pulse of excitement flow through her as the crowds flowed through the streets toward the Grand Arena. While she regretted becoming involved in such dangerous business, she could not help but feel a surge of pure adrenal joy as her plans came to fruition. The shiver of pleasure at the thought was wonderful, reminding her of that moment when she’d loosed the crossbow bolt that ended her father. This was a moment worth savouring, even if was one that she had been too impulsive in seeking.

In payment for her services, Goldfin had demanded a number of items from Chosen Ylith, mostly expensive looking jewelry, gems, and small valuable items. One of them was a bejewelled ring that acted as a key to one of her father’s hidden places. She was worried that Chosen Ylith would connect her to her past life, but then again she suspected that the Chosen would betray her on principle.

Note that this is in draft form and will be re-written. I enjoy the second pass and tend to add a lot before editing begins.

Goldfin is an alias used by a character from Bloodlust: The Shield Maiden. She is both familiar and unfamiliar in this book, having undergone a transformation of sorts. Like everyone in Krass she has been caught up in the Grand Championships called to find a replacement for Chosen Brightloch. In Goldfin’s case she cannot help but try to meddle, which lands her in an interesting position.

Bloodlust: Red Glory follows a handful of Gladiators and a handful of fans, citizens, and profiteers over the course of a single tournament. Everyone tries to get something from the tournament and the events surrounding them, and these goals conflict, clash, and ultimately reshape the games and what follows.

After I do a second pass, I will be looking for some extra beta readers. Message me if interested!

The Shadow Wolf Sagas: Blade Breaker 1.38

Night is true deep and it is time for some Shadow Wolf!

Shadow Wolf is my Thursday night serial, read the first post here.

Missed last week’s? read it here.

Need a reminder of who everyone is? try this.

“This is bad Ragnar,” said Murith.

The ancient Elven ways and the Devout. The ways were a series of portals that crossed the known world, now decrepit and dangerous in most places, but still functional to anyone who could find and use a way-seal to open them. Every serious adventurer knew of the ways, but most were wise enough to avoid them. The sections that were in poor repair tended to swallow up anyone who used them. Still there were always tales of those who were intrepid enough to venture into them and turn them to their own purposes. I’m told an enterprising Dragmaarian noble started a caravan through the ways, much to the consternation of Myrrhn trade officials.

The Devout were a broken power, scattered to the wind by an army of the free peoples more than fifty years ago. Part of the war involved cutting the Devout forces off from their Homeland, a place beyond the Sea of Storms. At great cost all of the islands in the Sea of Storms had been obliterated, making crossing by ship or by flight nearly impossible. They say Hurn himself, father of the Sea Wolf clan, was sighted at the battle on the island nearest hellish jungles that spawned the Devout. My people were certainly in the Vanguard. After that the remaining Devout were hunted down. Every stronghold and every band was destroyed.

The Devout were able to galvanize the free peoples against them because of their mad creed that only the strong had the right to live and to rule. Anyone who was not strong by their standards was considered little more than cattle. The best a normal man could hope for under the rule of the Devout was to be considered useful by someone more powerful. Strangely this hierarchical system appealed to some. I suppose there are always people willing to to give up freedom for certainty. The Devout sewed discord ahead of their invasions by seeding nations with cults that spread their poisonous beliefs.

The worst however was what the Devout did to the areas that they conquered. Entire populations were enslaved. Blood sacrifices by the thousands fueled dark magics that gifted their warriors with tremendous strength and summoned Daemonic allies. Rumours of breeding camps and evidence of horrible tortures topped the lists of atrocities that they committed to advance their ideals. Eventually all the nations of the known world set aside their differences to smash this foe.

With the ways, however, the Devout might be able to gather the remnants of their armies or contact their Homeland. Worse they might even be able to establish a portal between their land and Myrrhn. Thousands of lives would be lost, possibly triggering another great war. I am not afraid of battle, but the idea of the Devout loose in the world made me feel ill at ease. I looked around me and saw my thoughts reflected in the faces of the others.

“We need to stop this,” I said.

Gotham: My impressions so far.

Batman rarely tops the superhero list in my books. I like old favourites like the Killing Joke or The Dark Knight Returns, and the second of Nolan’s recent imagining of Batman was one of the few that I like (too bad I hated the third with blinding passion).

I admit to being increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of a billionaire hero playing vigilante. Much of this is based in ideology. Let us move on.

So it goes without saying that I had no interest in the show Gotham, which is set in the time just after Bruce Wayne’s parents are killed. Batman isn’t even in the show, only a very young Bruce Wayne, damaged by grief and unable to retreat into the dual life that marks the fully grown superhero.

Yet I watch the show now. This, despite a mediocre pilot that tried a little too hard, screaming “HEY THIS GUY WILL BECOME VILLAIN X (Y or Z)” every time a new character was introduced. I think geeks in general will like the show, although hardcore Batman fans might not like the way it retreads continuity (although, to be honest, I would bet they are used to it by now).

The acting is pretty decent, especially the interplay between Benjamin McKenzie as Jim Gordon, the main character of the series, and Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock. The key to the series, in my mind, is how these two interact, along with the magnificent machinations of Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish Mooney, the shows current leading villain. These veteran actors ground the series nicely, allowing the characters who will later become super-villains to develop without the series losing its way.

Donal Logue in particular, is a treasure, as a sleazy, but down-to-earth Harvey Bullock. I liked him in Vikings, and I love him in this.

The show has a lot of obstacles to overcome, especially without Batman there to satisfy the fans, but so far it seems to be getting better and better. Here are some of the reasons why I love it.

The Reverse Dirty Harry: After my recent diatribe about Dirty Harry, I sat down and watched an episode of Gotham. Eventually it hit me that one of the things that I love about the show is how neatly it turns that old idea of the the loose cannon, screw procedure, shoot first and ask questions later kind of cop on the head. At one time police procedurals were full of rebel cops who flaunted the rules, and the law, to get the bad guy. Gotham is too, but the main Character, Jim Gordon is the rebel because he wants to impose a sense of law and order on Gotham, one where respect for justice and following the law are not divergent. Essentially he is the only honest cop in a corrupt city, without the other cops coming off as goons. Benjamin MaKenzie plays him well with grim, unbending intensity as he uncovers just how bad Gotham can get and gets his own good actions thrown back at him.
Harvey Bullock: Harvey is both Jim Gordon’s partner and his nemesis in many ways. Harvey is the everyman of Gotham: he exists to show us what the people of the city are like and how it became so corrupt. It pleases me to the core that Donal Logue plays him as a lazy, self-serving, ignorant redneck, but that the character is still immensely likeable, even lovable. This is something I feel is lacking in many stories about corruption and broken systems: the idea that the people behind them are not necessarily evil, unlikable, or even ugly. Harvey Bullock is deeply flawed, very cynical, and nicely human, and played with a fine nuance thus far.
Bruce Wayne: Young master Wayne is just a very smart, very odd boy with a lot of money and a drive to find out what killed his parents. What they seem to be using this character for interests me as he uncovers the inner workings of Gotham in a determined fashion. In many ways he is the reader identification hero, helping us get to know Gotham’s upper crust from a confused outsiders perspective. In this, he is a counterpart to Jim Gordon, who is getting to know the workings of the city from street level. This dichotomy works nicely for what is a series that has an epic scope.
The city itself: Gotham is a wonderful mix of the familiar and the fantastic, blending street scenes with casual glimpses of mad opulence and crazed gothic grandeur. Thus far it adds a very distinctive character to the show, one which I hope develops without going over the top like some of the older batman movies did. A good example is the Gotham police station, a beautiful old hall with wood and brass and wonderful railings and staircases which is just a hive of people crammed full of desks and impromptu jail cells always full of activity. It reminds me of some of the wonderful old schools that we had in Ontario before a certain government sold them off cheaply to the private sector.  It is just the right mix of ancient and modern, and speaks of good art direction at some level.
Ambition: The scope of Gotham is bigger than it seems. The writers seem to want to tell a tale of a city, of grand plots in slow motion, of the clash between order and chaos, and yet to keep it on a human level. With superheroes and comic book villains thrown into the mix. Part of me wonders if the show is good enough, will they keep it running until Bruce is old enough to become Batman and wouldn’t it be interesting to see how that plays out with all of the rich backstory they have examined and exposed over several seasons…

So yeah, give it a shot. I certainly don’t regret watching it thus far.

The Shadow Wolf Sagas: Blade Breaker 1.37

The night is full on and time is ripe for Ragnar Grimfang and his pack to take to the streets of Myrrhn.

This is my weekly serial. Here is a link to the first post. Here is a link to last week’s chapter in case you missed it. Here is a link to a guide.

“War,” said Sildus, looking up from the list.

“Really?” said Murith. “A genocidal cult based on ideas like culling the weak from the mortal herd and the divine right of the powerful wants war? I never would have guessed that meself.”

Git snickered.

“–it’s true,” said Sildus, colouring a little.

“It is,” I said, stepping in before Murith could continue to upbraid Sildus. “Why these people though? I don’t see the Watch Marshall, the Gate Captains, or anyone high up in the smuggler’s guilds. Those are people could provide the easiest access or assitance for any invasion or raid by devout forces. In fact I don’t recognize a lot of these names. What does a nobody like Madrinpo have in common with Lily Gemarkand?”

“Well?” said Sildus, shooting an acidic glance at Murith.

Murith shrugged. “These people have to have something in common. It will take a lot of detective work, but I will find the common linkage between them. This will require careful analysis and a strong work ethic.”

“Knowledge,” said Git, leaning over the list.

“Yes, knowledge too,” said Murith. “I know this city in and out. I know the criminals. I know the citizens. I–“

“Knowledge and… access,” said Git, looking up from the list. “I recognize quite a few of the names on this list. Some of them are my colleagues.”

“What kind of knowledge?” I asked, ignoring the you’re-not-so-smart-now look that Sildus shot Murith and the return glare.

“Magical stuff… trinkets and enchantments seem to show up,” said Git. “A few of my rivals are here, but no one who deals purely in alchemy. I wasn’t approached. This guy also deals in antiques. This woman sells Elven wines and dyes. This one lectures on history…”

“So we’re dealing with something old?” asked Renoit.

“Old and elven perhaps?” said Murith.

“Where do I know this name from?” Git asked Murith.

“He’s an architect, he built the arch on the long span and designed the new addition to the bell tower on Tallowglass,” said Murith.

“He’s not the only architect on the list,” said Renoit. “These two own estates near mine. I also see the name of a lecturer on magical theory.”

“Where does Madrinpo fit in?” I asked.

“Kamesin Greeneyes was considered a maverick among his people, wasn’t he?” asked Murith.

We nodded.

“So, he traveled the world finding useful lore if I remember correctly,” said Murith. “A priest of his could easily have knowledge that the Devout want, or access to people that they want to coerce.”

“That must be why they want Madame Glorianna then.” I said. “She has access to all kinds of clients.”

“Let’s leave access aside,” I said. “It is important, but not much of a clue. That leaves us with history, Elves, architecture, travel, and magic.”

There was a long pause while everyone thought. Then Git groaned.

“Do you remember when we stumbled across that old elven place under the North Docks?” he asked.

“How could I forget?” I asked. “You nearly had us all convinced that we would be rich if we could find a way-seal–“

The ways were an ancient series of portals that the First Empire, the dominion of the Aven after they humbled the Gods and before they made war among themselves, used to travel all over the world. They were mostly haunted and broken now.

“Oh,” said Murith. “Travel. Elves. Magic. They want to use the ways. This is bad Ragnar.”

I could only agree.

Shadow Wolf Glossary and Character Lists

My brother requested that I pull together some terms and notes for my Shadow Wolf serial, just to help people keep up with the story. It is by no means comprehensive.

SPOILER ALERT FOR ANYONE WHO IS NOT CAUGHT UP

Characters

Bjorn Magnison: Sapphire’s lover. Originally Ragnar thought Sildus killed Sapphire because he was jealous of her and Bjorn. Later he finds out that Sapphire, Sildus, and Bjorn were all lovers.
Crimson Wind: Madame Glorianna’s Sirutiran Bodyguard. Later revealed to be a Devout agent.
Git Thunderpants: Part of Ragnar’s crew. Git is a goblin, skilled in alchemy. He fights well, mostly through the use of distraction. Git and Ragnar met through adventuring.
Lily Gemarkand: Young, rutheless, and somewhat deranged, Lily Gemarkand is head of the Gemarkand Family, one of the seven families that dominate much of the trade in Myrrhn.
Madame Glorianna: Ragnar’s Boss. Madame Glorianna is the head of the Doxie’s Guild, making her a person of enormous influence in Myrrhn.
Magnisons, the: Bjorn’s family and clan are eager to carve up whoever they think killed him.
Murith Stouthand: Murith is a dwarf who grew up in Myrrhn. She currently works with the Watch, but is too honest to make it into the higher ranks. She used to adventure with Ragnar, and helps him out with interesting cases.
Ragnar Grimfang: Ragnar is a Nordan exile, and the hero of the story. He is average size for a Nordan, raven haired, and somewhat pale. As an exile he is not protected by the laws in Nordan lands. Ragnars past has not been revealed in the story but his exile was caused by failing to protect someone important, and he is a Twiceborn, a type pf ascended, which means at some point he died and later returned from death. Ragnar is a decent fighter, and his sense of Nordan honour makes him reliable in a city known for double dealing and betrayal.
Renoit: Part of Ragnar’s crew. Renoit is a swordsman from Loragons trained in Spranos sword-fighting. He is an ascended and made enough money from duelling to retire to Old Myrrhn.
Sapphire: Sapphire is the murder victim that starts off the Blade Breaker cycle. She is the lover of Sildus and Bjorn, and the sister of Lily Gemarkand. She worked at the Pink Pearl, a high class brothel that catered to the elite. She was a follower of Kamesin Greeneyes, a Sirutiran God.
Sildus: A member of the Guild. Sildus is one of Sapphire’s lovers and was framed for her murder. Sildus is not his real name.

The City: Myrrhn is a port built on a rocky archipelago that sits between the continents of Cayllandros and the Old World. It sees a lot of mercantile traffic and has been a free city for much of its existence (on and off). Myrrhn is often called the City of Assassins because of The Guild. Myrrhn is very cosmopolitan, but somewhat savage and dangerous to the unwary. The city is very old and has many tunnels and lost places, often attracting adventurers.

Doxie’s Union, the: Most of the prostitution in Myrrhn is affiliated with the Doxie’s Union. The Doxie’s Union is very influential, but decentralized.
Old Myrrhn: The oldest (intact) and richest neighborhood in Myrrhn. The seven families, greatest of the old Merchant Houses, live here.
The Guild: The Guild is an organization of Assassins, sometimes called the Nightblades. They openly operate in Myrrhn with semi-legal status. Their actions are governed by the laws of Myrrhn and The Guild itself.
Watch, the: The Watch is a militia that keeps order in the city. Old Myrrhn has its own, privately run, watch.

The World

Nordan Lands: The Nordan Occupy a vast, rugged land west of the Old World. There are many Kingdoms in the Nordan Confederacy, as well as Clan Domains, independent tribes, affiliated peoples, and so on. All of them are, in theory, bound to obey a summons by the Nordan High King or High Queen in times of war.
Verdant Court, the: The Elves are ruled by the Verdant Court, which is located to the North of Myrrhn, in the Old World.
Sirutira: Sirutira is a vast plain southeast of Myrrhn, famed for its vast herds of cattle and the fierce horsemen who live there.

Glossary

Ascended, the: The ascended are those who gain immortality and great magical power. One type of ascended are the Twiceborn.
Devout, the: The Devout worship strength. The Strong rule those who are weaker than them, while the weakest are vermin in the eyes of the Devout. The Devout adhere to their philosophy with fanatical zeal. They were once feared in the south until a rare alliance of all of the powers of the civilized world came together to smash them at the end of the War of the Ascended.
Garm: The Nordan God of secrets and rulership. Called the fate-thwarter. Think of him as an Odin figure, but with the key difference that he reads the strands of fate and tries to avert the worst outcomes.
Forgotten, the: Old Gods who maintain some of their divinity, but are no longer worshipped,
Kamesin Greeneyes: An ascended who became deified by eating the heart of a Forgotten God of Death.
Kiyari: A Sirutiran sword. Analagous to a katana in quality and fanboy reputation, if not in form.
Shadow Wolves, the: One of the Nordan Clans. The Shadow Wolves skirt the Nordan sense of honour. They do not fight fair, and often employ subterfuge. They are looked down on by the other clans for this, but are still considered part of the clans.
Skygge: The god of shadows, trickery, and wolves. Skygge is one of Garm’s sons. He is analagous to Loki in Norse Mythology, but never actually betrays his family.
Twiceborn: The Twiceborn are those who rise from death. Often they seek to revenge a great wrong. Some Twiceborn even rise if their body has been destroyed. Killing them a second time usually does the trick, although they are ascended so they are tougher and more capable than mere mortals.

The Shadow Wolf Sagas: Blade Breaker 1.36

Gather round, gather round, tis time once more to continue the tale of Ragnar Grimfang, twiceborn exile, as he investigates a strange series of killings on the deadly streets of Myrrhn.

This is my weekly serial, the beginning is can be found here. (follow the links in comments to read along)

Missed last weeks? Try this link.

“Murith found something you should see,” said Renoit. The swordsman looked even more disgusted than usual, which was impressive. I braced myself and entered the shop.

Stazz and Sons was well appointed for a place that was built several levels down the sewers and tunnels beneath Myrrhn. The interior was not large, but it had comfortable chairs, wooden counters, and a perfectly flat stone table covered in expensive looking jewelers implements.

Stazz and sons were lying in pools of blood on the floor. The Devout are vicious killers who worship power in all its forms. They are not kind to those who fail them, seeing killing those weaker than them as both a divine right and a form of gruesome entertainment.

“Obviously Stazz outlved his usefulness,” I said. Likely they made the man watch his sons die first; such cruelty appeals to the minds of the brutal.  I looked around, trying to see what Murith had found. The dwarven woman looked smug. Behind her, Git was pocketing the jewels and gold.

The three bodies had multiple wounds, all consistent with swords and knives. The older man, Stazz, had his throat cut, execution style. The question was, why?

I moved over to the work table, shooing the looting goblin out of my way. I saw several rings. One of them seemed similar to the one worn by the doomed Sirutiran Priest, Madrinpo. A true Devout needed no ring to ensure their loyalty. Madrinpo was being coerced, or forced to wear the ring as part of an agreement with the Devout. It could even be that he was doing business with them, and the ring was the price of their patronage: insurance that he would never speak of them. I picked up the ring and looked at it more closely, then handed it to Sildus.  The inscriptions were also very similar.

The ring was conformation that the Devout were involved with priest Madrinpo. It did not tell me what they wanted with him or why they were connected with the cult of Kamesin Greeneyes in Myrrhn. Subtle wasn’t their style, so I doubted that the plan was too cunning for me to understand. I was missing something.

“Ok Murith, what did I miss?” I asked.

Murith grinned. “Ragnar, you always lose sight of the big picture after a battle.”

“Tis true,” said Git. “Remember that time you blundered into that pit after fighting that ogre in that set of caves down the side of Smugglerside?”

“Still trying to forget, thanks,” I said. I cleared my mind and looked harder. I saw a ledger on the counter behind Murith. It was burned. The Devout did not want to leave any evidence of their activities. I looked around. Then I saw a sheet of paper on the desc near the tools.  I picked it up. It was a list of names and measurements. It looked like ring sizes. Scanning the list I saw Priest Madrinpo’s name, with a checkmark next to it. I also saw Madame Glorianna, Bjorn, Lily Gemarkand, and other names I recognized on the list. Some had checkmarks, some did not. I handed to the list to Sildus.

“Is that what I think it is?” I asked Murith.

“If you think it is an extortion list for people to fit with killer rings, then yes,” said Murith.

“That explains where Lily got her hands on a Devout,” I said. “They must have tried this trick on her. So we know part of their plan. They wanted to use these rings as a form of compulsion to gain power over influential citizens of Myrrhn. To what ends?”

“War,” said Sildus, looking up from the list.