I’ve had a lot of difficulty starting off this article, it has after all been a while since I wrote one of these essays. Honestly, it is hard to know where to begin especially when so much has happened; I’ve deleted paragraph after paragraph for hours now, trying to break into this body of text, but thus far, nothing has worked, hence the cheap string of words you’re reading now, which I’ll admit, has warmed up my little black heart, maybe I won’t have to delete this, we’ll see. I guess the best place to kick-off this post is from when Volume Four was published, which was on the 13th of February 2023. Since then, I’ve been working towards this day, just over a year later there has not been a day where I did not do something toward it, toward the launch day of Volume Five if you can believe that, and I am very, very excited for a whole host of reasons, which I’ll do my best to get through one point at a time, yes, I do have some notes handy. Before I begin however, I think it is fair to address the fact that I’ve been absent for a few months, truth be told I’ve been bogged down; I’ve landed yet another job, this one (which I may disclose at a later date) takes up the whole week, it exhausts me mentally and sometimes physically, requires me to know a truck load of rules and regulations and on occasion, it follows me home, which is not ideal considering my creative endeavours, but it pays well, comes with generous holiday time, my pension is being taken care of (not that I need one because I am not getting old) and it’s pretty rewarding; A friend of mine described it as a ‘Level up in life,’ which tickled me because life truly is like an RPG. Technically, I’m still in training, there is still a lot I have to learn in this position, but I’ve been praised for my time, I’ve been verbally commended which must mean I am doing something right, but with that being said, it has been somewhat of a focus over the past couple of months and who knows where it will lead in the future. You also may have noticed if you’re a follower of mine, that the website has had some minor touches here and there, nothing really big but I’d say worth talking about; The Later section looks a lot neater, more reviews have been added to the Home page, the icons in the top right corner have been worked on but just generally it has been updated, making it far more pleasing to the eye and I’ve still a few things to add to it, it looks much better on a laptop than a phone, but hey, I’m glad it’s running smoothly. The main change, however, occurs when you click on the Products tab, I’m offering an editing service where all you have to do is essentially e-mail me through a business address, please describe your work and what you’d like me to focus on, and we can perhaps formulate a plan. I’ve already picked up two clients which is keeping me sharp, I’m confident I can make their work more impactful, and it will be interesting to see how their work fares when published, either way it’s touching to be part of their journeys. I am still hoping to be more than just an editor, I’d like to set-up that Creative Consultation plan, where people can book thirty minutes of my time, where we can chat face to face via Zoom or Skype about your specific publishing route, we can talk about plot, characterisation, world/lore building, the hidden squirrel kingdom that exists between human and rodent realms, villains, heroes and so on. I believe I can offer some wholesome advice for new writers, and give over some tips for those who are already well on their way, and of course learn something in the process as a fringe benefit; Hell, we’re all practising creatives here, there is a lot to be gained from having such conversations, conversations which are best had face to face or in this case, through camera, because unless I know you personally, I am not coming round to your house, that would be weird – Jokes aside, on a personal note, I wish this service existed when I was starting out, or at least it be available on an affordable basis, so many mistakes could have been averted, so much time would have been saved if I just had someone real to talk to, and not have to watch vague videos online, or hope certain forums answer complex questions, but to actually talk to someone; This is of course the main reason as to why I’d like to set this up, I feel like it would be a great asset to have. I’d like to get the service straightened out soon but there is more red fucking tape to snip through than I previously had thought, plus it comes with a hefty price tag to initiate lift-off, a price tag which has had to take the back seat for now, because the laptop I am using is falling apart, it is nearly a decade old and the day will come when it conks out on me entirely, this has slowly become a priority but one I must address before I’m literally forced to go shopping for one, and I hate…HATE…Shopping. There is also new artwork in the making, sketched by none other than Mr Will Towns, oh how I’ve missed working with this legend of a man, having had to deal with ‘other’ people for so long he is literally Gandalf the White! Will is currently going through a house move but has agreed to crack on with a character concept, a character that does make an appearance in Volume Five as it were, and what better way to segway into this next instalment, so let’s talk about it. As always grab yourselves a drink, I just waddled over to my fridge to see what I have in there, not much as it turns out because I’m an animal, so I’ve gone with your classic tea, and for those who are trying to convert me to decafe, for those who think I’ve a problem with my caffeine consumption, I’ll say this:- You are a problem, nobody likes you, you’re a buzzkill, we get annoyed when you enter the room, we breathe a sigh of relief when you leave, everything wrong in this world can and should be blamed on you, it’s your fault everything is falling to bits, you are the ones ruining the very fabric of our society, you should go back to where you came from, stand in the corner and should be ashamed, how dare you! Minor spoilers for Volume Four ahead, I hope you enjoy Book Launch, Volume Five.
So, the book picks up exactly where we left off, to a certain degree might I add; The first chapter in Volume Five is called, Broods of Bats and Angels, it’s set shortly after the end of Ep1-The Utopian Dream, and it’s here where we’re re-introduced to Ridian Messiah and introduced to the Harphiar, who are a winged race of humanoids from a distant continent called Wequinox. This land became uninhabitable for the Harphiar due to rising sea levels and the influx of other apex predators both land and sea, so they were forced to leave, to find a new home amidst a bloody civil war between two opposing factions – They’re harpies essentially inspired from Greek mythology; One tribe led by legitimate King Yamoch Selsio has feathers, the others led by their contender, King Hadred Dratheskin do not, and this type appears to be more bat like and fearsome than their idyllic angel cousins. When the angels left their lands in the face of annihilation, not just from Hadred and his bats, but from other environmental impacts, they took to the skies and flew across the vast sea out of sheer desperation to establish themselves in a new world, to bolster their numbers, fortify their defences and take advantage and ownership of whatever land they could find; Yamoch, confident that his people were protected by their deity, Stratos, were forced to island hop and rest on the water’s surface, where many succumbed to nightmarish sea creatures, a drop in temperature or fatigue, taken by the currents. The bats on the other hand took their time in their exodus and pursuit. King Hadred Dratheskin and his Queen, Sheeka-Krie, commanded their army called the Batalista, to build a huge raft able to sustain their numbers, a base as it were where they could easily feed themselves from, rest and reach the unknown lands of Equis from a place of ease in comparison to the angels, who had lost the bulk of their forces in the escape; The brood of bats, could smell their victory and the end to the civil war, and the reward was to be a new place they could call, home. We met one of these featherless harpies in Volume Four, in Chapter Nine called, Raptor, right before Deacon Garla finds the Witch’s grotto within that honeycomb valley, nestled deep inside The Mountain of Bones. You’ll get to learn more about this harpy within this chapter, it may have happened in the past, but this method of storytelling allows me to expand on this character after he has made an impression which in turn challenges the reader not to judge too soon – His name is Xu, and in contrary to what you might already believe, he does have a redeeming quality, one that whence learned, will change your perspective on him, I promise, he’s not just a mindless monster. Moving on, if you can remember, the last time we saw Ridian on the page, it was at the end of Ep1-The Utopian Dream, at The Battle of Korthak Bridge during The Dovidian Covenants invasion (that is only if you discount the closing teaser snippet on the final page of course) and the year was 1512, this was the last time we saw Ridian; When he realises the war is lost, thanks to the intervention of The Dark Rogues who brought with them new black power based weapons and explosives, technology that Ridian had wanted to seize for himself, Ridian disappeared through the thick smog and evades Norkron capture. Two decades later (where Volume Four starts in 1532) and we’ve not seen or heard anything, he’s mentioned among our ‘protagonists’ here and there but beyond that, he’s almost completely absent. It’s not until THIS volume, the first chapter of Volume Five where we properly get to meet him again and just to repeat, this is a flashback event, one that takes place four years after the end of Ep1-Dream 1512, which puts this scene at year 1516, and believe me when I say, Broods of Bats and Angels starts out with some pacing and world-building, but quickly ramps up the intensity, the action and the drama while Ridian Messiah is at the very centre of play; And I love how he is able to dominate the page, how he excerpts his attractive, meticulous plans which inevitably lead him to his preferred circumstances, where HE gets to have his cake and eat it, where HE is able to govern and manipulate these powerful foreign Harphiar Kings and Queens at his will and for the cherry on top, he is able to deceive you, yes you, the reader! Even when Ridian is thrown into an actual impossible situation, a situation where no regular human being could possibly hope to survive, Ridian does, and he does it not through magic or some other writer’s claptrap, but through his intelligence, his forward thinking, fearlessness, outlandish technology and uncompromisable ability to negotiate. We had a glimpse of this in Ep1-The Utopian Dream, but during Volumes one, two and three, he already had come to power, you didn’t see it or witness it, he was already on top and General of the largest force (thus far) we’ve ever seen in Equis. In Ep2, well, technically speaking in the events that happen in-between Dream and Rise, we get to see how Ridian operates, and it was an absolute joy for me to articulate. There is a reason why I love villains or the anti-hero, and this is indeed one of them, somewhat of a rarity in our entertainment, I do not want to spoil too much because I’ve only just released this beast of a book, but like with our ‘heroes,’ our ‘villains’ have not been sitting still, how can they? I might not be the best fantasy writer in the world (not yet anyway) but one thing no-one can accuse me of is being a lazy-writer, the pieces are moving, everything is moving all of the time and to my mind, spending time to describe said events is not only an enjoyable benefit to the reader, but to the plot, trust me the events in this opening chapter echo and come to fruition in Volume Six.
Before I shift to talk about some of the other key story points, there is a usage of another language in this opening chapter, but it’s handled differently to what you might be expecting. Typically, I’d invent the particular language in my usual fashion, but I’d leave bracketed English subtitles next to the make-believe words, so readers get to read or attempt to voice a make-believe language, but still know what was being said by the character to avoid confusion; This time however, I’ve tried a different approach, allow me to explain. The characters that feature in this chapter are speaking their own language, and it’s called Harphiaron, but from the readers perspective, it’s in modern English. It would not make sense if the harpies were speaking in the same tongue as the humans of Equis, so this has to be addressed, and I am not going to lie, this is a daunting task, but a task that had to be tackled, so I got to work. I decided to make this language somewhat rhyme when spoken, as if it’s a poem, or something you could sing, they are birdlike creatures after all so that’s where my inspiration comes from, if bird men and women could speak, this is how I imagined they’d sound. I also gave the language a lick of something well-mannered and cultured, to give emphasis on the fact that these are or were a sophisticated race who ran into dark times which too can send humankind into a spiral had it happened to us, but I repeat, it is written in English. Bear in mind, Broods of Bats and Angels is not written in this invented Harphiaron language, but should this be portrayed in a film (I wish), everything would be spoken in the Harpy tongue, and subtitled into your preferred language, why did I do this you ask? Because it’s a complicated chapter, a chapter which has a weight to it, important world-building, and explains later events – To have readers squinting and trying to pick through a make-believe language when they should be following the story, is a little too much to ask of them, especially right at the start when all a reader wants to do is dive in and go. I understand the irony here too by the way, having just declared myself as not being a ‘lazy writer,’ one would think this is a lazy move to get around hardship, however as I just described, I leant on practicality and enjoyment over the insertion of another language – Don’t believe me? You should, because when writing the first draft of this chapter, I had completed a fair portion of it, all written in the new Harphiaron language, the same language you hear/read in Volume Four and Volumes to come. For example, flick back to Ep2-Chapter 16 – Eyes on Me, when we’re re-introduced to Draygo Dumear, a Dark Rogue running across the burning desert with his Day Owl, Limbo overhead. Draygo is communicating in the same language as those who appear in Chapter 26 – Broods of Bats and Angels, only this time the bracketed subtitles are in bite-sized, digestible chunks, where readers can dabble but at the same time do not lose any of the pacing. This I believe was the best way to introduce the new language, some people might criticise me for it, but I did it this way to keep readers engaged, a chapter this large written in another language is a bit too much, and less of a strain when it comes to editing. Also, I like the idea that Draygo, a Dark Rogue is using such a language (a language they stole, naturally) to communicate with his owl, which is of the avian species relating to a race of humanoids with wings, I think it’s a neat touch and fits in quite well with the art of storytelling. I hope you agree.
Back to it, Ridian Messiah has taken the time necessary to learn the harpy language (far better than Draygo), how has he done this if the harpies are new to the shores of Equis? Well, if you can recall that ending snippet, literally the last page of Ep1-Dream, Ridian says to Professor Atheriax that he will follow up on the rumours of sightings of winged men spotted on the coast, I quote:-
‘Rumours persist that winged people have been sighted on the shores; by most accounts, the coastlines are teeming with them. I must see this for myself, angles, or demons maybe, I will see.’
-Ridian Messiah
This infers that harpies from Wequinox had made it to Equis, whether they be a few scouts sent on a mission for their King or those who have gone rogue, it isn’t clear at this point in the story, but will be; I will come down on this point in later volumes, to smooth out this dip in continuity, but as it stands, harpies DID visit Equis before the bulk of their factions followed, and this opened the door for Ridian to either capture one such being and learn their tongue that way, or he sort friendship to learn from one another. This makes sense because Ridian has demonstrated in volumes prior that he is highly educated, can speak other languages besides the common ones, he has learnt how to learn efficiently and you could make the case that he paved the way for others, such as Draygo and the Dark Rogue faction to pick up the dialect within that spare 16 years. All of this is covered in a storytelling format in the book, I’m sure you’re smart and understand what it is I am trying to do, but this blog’s purpose is to offer you insights you might otherwise not get, so this is space where such information exists.
Beyond Chapter 26 – Broods of Bats and Angels, we kick off with the Star Caller story, Alessa Coldan, Donna Klade, Amanda Lesil, Kina and Kayna Serisa have finally left the safety of New Xiondel City; Having formulated a plan that was initiated by The Eldor, enacted by Alessa, but together they’ve established the tools necessary to track their beloved Big sis, Isolde Beatrix down, they’re riding fiercely across Krondathia atop their mounts. Alessa rides atop a brown, spotted horse called Hortensia nicknamed Pebbles (yes this is a real horse in real life, one that has rode passed my folks house in Wales many times), Donna rides a grey horse I believe, and is called Sapphire, Amanda rides a light brown and white horse called Olga, Kina rides a ptriva sprinter called Lightning and her twin sister Kayna, rides a tulkan bull called Thunder. This is one thing I regret with Episode One, when we were following Lethaniel and his crew, apart from Lethaniel himself who rode Seridox and Thao who rode Eliah, there wasn’t much emphasis on the mounts, which if I was able to go back, I’d make more of an effort to name them and give them more importance. Moving back to the Star Callers however, more specifically Alessa, she is as matter of fact based on a real person, someone I’ve had the pleasure in meeting and getting to know quite well in real life, it’s not a 100% direct translation from reality to the page, I’m sure when she eventually reads this thing she’ll raise an eyebrow, but the foundation of Alessa’s character starts with the real woman, who has a love for horses, nature, people, she has an adventurous streak and is embellished with leadership qualities – She is my go-to for facts on horses, traits of her personality do rise to the surface in certain instances, but ultimately I hope I’ve characterised an interesting version of her, a version not only the real woman can relate to, but for anyone else who reads Alessa as well. I enjoy writing Alessa, I really do, she represents the leader of the Star Callers, she certainly holds things together when the tension rises, and the reason that is, is because she represents earth, despite the fact that she says she is a multivariant class – A division of wielders that excel with the usage of all elements, she is actually (spoiler) profound with using earth, which makes her an earthenbound, but at the same time I like how real, how ‘down to earth’ she is; She may be this unbelievably powerful character, but she never gloats about it, she always remains reserved, calm but assertive when needs be, putting others over herself in all regions, a quality that all good leaders adhere to. Donna too is an absolute joy to write, she’s fire making her of the pyromaniac division; She’s brash, she’s fierce, she’s Alessa’s right hand, and without spoiling too much, she’s capable of forging some devastating casts, as we saw in Volume Four, when she unleashed Little Red unto the world – As aggressive as Donna is to her enemies, she’s very compassionate toward her own, which gives her a reliable softness you come to depend on as the story unfolds; Fire tends to do that, we gather round it for warmth, it gives us comfort and protection, but if used the wrong way or if we get to close, you will get burned, something that is destined to happen as Ep2-Rise unfolds its narrative. Donna packs a punch when one is needed, she gives the dialogue some grit and expands upon the differences between the Blessed and the Cursed. Kina and Kayna, the Serisa twins certainly add a unique edge to this story, this edge is not properly fleshed out until Volume Six and the reason I chose to handle it this way, is because it adds to the shock value and drama of the narrative. Call me superficial but at the end of the day, it is my job as a writer to entertain you; See the thing with writing is, is that it is not just about formulating a story in your head and writing it down, I wish it was that simple, in fact you have to arrange the events in such a way that not only make sense from a storytelling perspective, but you have to lay it out so that it is entertaining to read. For example, instead of dropping huge chunks of important exposition onto the reader, it is for the most part best to deliver such bodies of text as the story develops. This is not a rule set in stone, it does depend on your book and the style you’ve gone for, but for epic fantasies such as mine, where you’re dealing with different cultures, dozens of characters, otherworldly religions and wild ecosystems, you’ll feel tempted to get it all out of the way before moving into the juicy stuff, things like characterisation and significant plot points, but I implore you young man or young woman, do not give into this temptation, readers will not find it as engaging or entertaining, and you’ll run the risk of turning them off and away before they’ve really sunk their teeth into your project. You might have the greatest idea known to man, you may be onto a billion-dollar idea, but if your execution is not given much thought, you’ll end up missing out on everything that is fantastic about being a writer – So, tip for creatives, be careful with exposition, as important as it is, remember to deliver it gradually. Again, this is something I fell prey to in Ep1-The Utopian Dream, had I the chance to do it over, I would cut down the exposition and give the reader more time to relax into it rather than a bombardment of lore and history. The Serisa’s are an interesting duo, Kina is far more extrovert than Kayna, she’s a blizzera, ice division, a derogatory term brought up by Donna is, Ice Queen. Kina is also the huntress, given her ability to track and…Well, hunt, while Kayna is an inventress with a dash of windrush in her, a Glyph type who specialises in wind manipulation; She leans heavily toward the inventress spectrum however, someone who has the ingenuity to swiftly invent Glyph casts, while most others take a significantly long time to learn and practise the methods to develop something functional, Kayna is a wizard in this regard – Give her some focus, give her a strong enough motivation to dive into the books, and she will, and she will stir something up, it might not be perfect right away but it certainly does pave the way for improvement, making her one of the most important pieces to this venture. While Kayna prefers to be left alone with her books, Kina likes to be outside, their famous father (who you’ll meet in Ep2-Rise) spent a lot of his time with Kina, teaching her how to read the land, how to hunt and how to fight, given a pinch of Glyph/magic into this mixing bowl, a touch that Kina provides, and you’ve a pretty outstanding character, one you’ll find in Kina, but don’t be fooled, there is more to her than meets the eye; Behind her sparky attitude, is someone who masks a deceptive mindset, one that may divide readers especially when it comes to a certain scene that takes place in Volume Five. This brings us to the quiet one, Amanda, the one who has no dialogue, instead she uses sign language to communicate and as time progresses, she utilises another form to speak to her Star Caller sisters (just to reiterate, besides the Serisa’s, they’re not bound by blood, but by the spirit). Amanda is of the rarest division, she’s a mysterious, clairvoyant, someone who is ultra-sensitive to otherworldly forces, someone who is empathetic and arguably has the most vivid of Visons. This strengthens her decision to ride out of New Xiondel City without Elemential (Ele-men-tee-al) armour, it explains why she is distant, why she sleeps separate from the group when it’s time to rest, because she’s respectful of the thoughts and feelings of her fellow travellers, whose minds can be heard clearer at night, opposed to the day when things are busier; Amanda doesn’t ever want to misuse her power or invertedly glean something personal, she’s a kind and thoughtful soul who is often overlooked, not overtly powerful like Donna or as flamboyant as Kina, she’s often floating about as if in another world or riding between two, as if she is working her way through a problem, one that regular types cherry pick from to inspire social points while the intellects of the world are burdened by the indefinite block. Amanda is in actual fact silently doing her best to figure out what their antagonist glimpsed in their collective Visions wants, she is working on connecting with Isolde through the ether while helping her fellow Star Callers succeed in the immediate predicament. Together this group make an interesting dynamic, each one adding their own strengths and weaknesses to the rescue mission; They start out strong but quickly encounter strange occurrences, aged minerals exhumed from canals deep within the earth have somehow resurfaced, relics blemished with primordial traces of Glyph, creatures have been seen migrating and the invasive presence of the one they refer to as, the Glyph Specter, is closing in. The Star Caller story is the beating heart of Episode Two, as was Isabelle’s journey the life essence of Episode One, it requires the flow of the other stories such as Deacon’s, Lethaniel’s, Nielata’s, Glenn’s and so on to blossom into the flower I believe it is, but the Star Caller journey is the centralised story readers of this series have been anticipating, especially now we’ve encroached onto Volume Five, now that we’ve set-up the stakes and set the scene with Volume Four, things are set to get wild, and believe me, the next set of events begin to really unravel what Episode Two is all about.
Next on the list is young Nielata Vou; Where we left off with her, she was entangled in the web of law and order, doing her best to carve a path toward ending a civil war between the Raaminoto crime family and the Quai-Cyndel, two undesirable factions that have been at each other’s throats for decades, factions who have no intention on relinquishing their territories or calling for peace to spare the innocent lives of civilians; She’s also trying to solve a murder mystery, one of the High Councillors of Virtue, Cillian Landris, her former predecessor has been killed, and no-one seems to know why, how or by whom? Seeing as Nielata was once a detective for the X.C.W.D (Xiondel City Watch Department), it would appear she’d be perfectly equipped for this task, but little does she know that this is a different breed of killer altogether, someone (or something) she’s not encountered before, and it isn’t long before she seeks outsider help, guidance from someone far more intelligent than herself, someone who has a well of knowledge that far surpasses her own, and if you know Nielata SHE is the smartest person in the room wherever she goes. You’ll uncover this deliberating trait early on when learning about her character, and if you’re a human being with at least two braincells to rub together, you’ll know that this thought experiment can only end poorly, and it certainly does; Time and time again Nielata has to be told to slow down, to think before speaking, to rise above petty issues and to transcend her problem with authority, but she continuously fails. She is humbled when she is demoted by High Councillor Truth, the oldest and wisest of all the Virtuous leaders – Her Charity medallion is stripped from her person and she’s forced to think long and hard about her chosen lifestyle, forced to consider with whether or not she is up to the challenge, naively having believed that she could do it all by the book, that she can maintain a serious relationship without fault, that she can hold together tightly knit friendships and can show these dry old men who linger in politics who have been doing their jobs longer than she has been alive, better than they ever could! This is only scratching the surface of Nielata’s journey, the costs gradually increase as the story progresses until she is unable to recognise herself in the mirror, getting so embroiled with the tasks at hand she begins to get desperate and does things she never thought she’d do, all in order to savour the validation from others and gain love and respect from her peers and the surrounding populace, which speaks volumes in that or itself when characterisation is considered, but inevitably it all leads to a spiral steadily descending into a dark, lonely place, one where she may be able to live in luxury, but is cut off from those who genuinely love her, those that lifted her over their shoulders in the hopes she’d be something different to your traditional politician, that she could usher in real change, someone to adhere to the people’s needs instead of looking after her own. She’s a compelling character I believe, she might not be someone you like by the end of Ep2-Rise of The Black Doves, but I think you’ll be able to garner some sympathy for her despite her questionable actions, because at the end of the day, she is someone with an overinflated ego (and for good reason when reviewing her accomplishments achieved at such a young age), however even such people with so many flaws, spells room for improvement, development and significant growth, all of which is so satisfying to see in the payoff – We may take some time to get there, but it will be worth it before the final page, and Volume Five is the segment where a lot of her strengths and weaknesses reveal themselves, especially in the instances when she is orbiting the 24th Star Caller, Telsi Canis Clewvier, a character that objectively trumps Nielata in every way and to make things worse, Telsi didn’t lift a finger to reach such a high status, nor does she even appear to appreciate such privilege, she just is, while Nielata had to work for everything she is and owns. Nielata is torn between getting results through the proper routes, which tempts her to go down an unauthodox path while struggling to maintain friendships and her betrothed. There is a compelling story here, beyond what I have described, something that touches deeper than most of my other characters, it’s not revealed in Episode Two, it is something I’ll have to work on as things develop, but as it so happens, this certain development sprung from an error I noted while reading Volume Four, post publication, I’ve mentioned it before, it’s not a huge error but something not only to take responsibility for, but fix, and to fix it I’ve started to weave an interesting thought experiment that will materialise in Nielata’s story. I’ll be sure to share more on this when it comes to writing my spoiler review of Ep2-Rise, though I cannot do that until Volume Six has been released and a substantial amount of time has passed.
Deacon Garla was last seen leaving Lucion’s property in the northern regions of Krondathia, with Three. He had received some rather rigorous training to say the least, courteous of the Norkron Honour Guard, and we as readers were witness to some peculiar events, some of which have their payoffs and explanations within the boundary of Episode Two-Rise of The Black Doves, others do not, due to time constraints, and I know what you’re thinking, you’ve probably seen the size of this book and wondered how is time an issue? Given its page count, surely, I’ve enough time to see all my stories through to their end judging by their scale. Well, when I am challenged by this, I realise that it does make sense from an outsider perspective, someone who is not familiar with my work and how I operate, my volumes are slightly larger than your average book, each Episode in that of itself is a tome, a tome some people (Fenix) use for doorstops, however I often remind such people that this is not only an epic fantasy, I am trying to do something a little different; One such feature I include that most others don’t, is the sheer quantity of characters to read through and how they navigate this dynamic world, sure there are other authors in the genre that handle this too (I salute you), but not many! I am also doing what I can to merge genres, Episode One-The Utopian Dream was your classic fantasy, it’s violent and paints a vivid picture of the humans of Equis, but is still within the realm of classic with some rough edges, it’s not until Episode Two where we see a change, not only in the writing but in how it is structured, it’s still a fantasy, that part is very important it will always be a fantasy, but this particularly is friends with horror. I am in the process of writing Episode Three-Seeds of War which will be unique in its own right, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, you get the point. This is also, might I add an Odyssey, and as defined in the Oxford Dictionary:-
Odyssey (noun)
A long journey during which somebody has a lot of interesting and exciting experiences.
This is a big story. This is the only story/series I will write in my lifetime. I’m not a writer that can pump out book after book after book about different things, I do not think I am that talented, nor do I think I’m built that way. Looking back throughout my childhood, through my early teens, when analysing my behaviour, it’s evident that I always was going to be a zero to a hundred type of writer, someone who knows deep down what they want to do, and goes for it without considering in the moment, that this will come with some tall hurdles to clear and thick barriers to break through; Some valuable, humbling lessons will have to be learned along the way. Feel free to criticise my approach, because there are demonstrably better routes to get into writing, approaches I’d certainly recommend over my own, for instance, starting out small and working your way up to your dream project is a smarter approach; It is of my belief that whence I am finished with Episode Five-The Chosen Kindred, when The Ancestral Odyssey is completed, I will just disappear, nudging whoever is left out of my narrow readership with the odd article here and there, just to let you know I’m still alive, but nothing more, because there will be nothing left to read about Equis, nothing left to see from the characters, for they would have come to their ends, and so would I. Honouring the word Odyssey however, is important to me, getting out all my ideas and plot threads to give you a meaningful experience is important to me, and something I consider to be necessary, especially in a world where creativity is being suffocated, whether it be by the tightening noose of political correctness, by big businesses who are doing their utmost to commercialise/monopolise storytelling (good luck with that), or by the rise in A.I that are now capable of writing books, creatives are under threat. I’ve more to say on the A.I topic, but now is not the time to combat it, in another article perhaps which is in the pipeline, something to look forward to, or dread for that matter, that article will come, but I digress; Whether you grant me your reading time is of course entirely up to you, but I hope so, because there is something dear here that speaks to the human spirit, there is a beating heart beyond those things that lured you in initially, the epic battles, the attractive characters or the magic and monsters, there is more and Deacon’s journey speaks to both a soft and hard side of what it means to be human; He’s a significant part of that beating heart. Deacon’s story at that, is a rich one and one of the deepest in the series – His arc I believe, will be something seriously thought-provoking when it is finished, having gone through so much trial and tribulation, when you turn to who he was at the start of the series to how he turns out at the end, will be stark. We pick up where we left off but because of the flow of time, Deacon and Three have somewhat distanced themselves from Lucion’s house and is on his way to New Xiondel City, to return the Celestial Gifts (The Burning Blossom and The Cloak of Flight) to the Star Callers, and to hopefully meet up with Tharas, to live out a long, wholesome life. Obviously, Deacon does not know that all but one of the Star Callers is left in the city and will come across some decisions when he does eventually arrive. Side notes:- There is something Deacon does that mirrors one of my own behaviours, and as odd as this sounds, I wrote it almost without thinking, as if Deacon had always done this, like this was a natural part to the character, it’s true that a fraction of yourself as the creative ends up in each and every character, some more so than others, but it’s true, and this is one of those fractions; Taking a step back I remembered that I’ve always done this in my own life, and that is to spend a moment on the edge of a place I’ve been for a little while. Whether it be a house in which I’ve lived in for years, a place of work I’ve spent a lot of time at, it may not have always been the most pleasant of places but before I leave somewhere, when knowing that I am not coming back, when I can sense that end of the era, I take a moment to hover on that boundary between the old life and the new one in silence for a few minutes, just to reflect and to wonder about the ending of that chapter and the next; This is something Deacon Garla does too, you’ve likely noticed the behaviour in Volume Four, before he leaves Harloth, he falls into this trance on the edge of town, and because this is an epic fantasy, a place where embellishments can flourish, I’ve weaved in a reason as to why he does this. You’ll also come to understand the strange occurrences I promise, such as the old tools spotted in Tthenadawn Forest and why they resonate? Why is he seeing strange apparitions? Why does he struggle to sleep and why was it that he was able to topple one of the greatest soldiers Equis has ever seen in training, when he ‘supposedly’ has not had any combat experience? All these questions that may have raised an eyebrow during your first read through of Volume Four, have long been noted, have been thought out over a space of years and have reasonable, satisfying explanations, it’s just a question of how to execute their reveal – As I said before, you may not get the answers right away, but they will come. Another thing to note seeing as we’re here, you may remember Thao Hikonle in the first book, he too enacts a trait I myself do on occasion, and that is to observe the surrounding area or territory before wandering in. I’m not entirely sure why I do this, but in Thao’s mind it is to make a quiet risk-assessment. Little things like this slip in here and there, and as progress is made, the more books I release, the more I notice it…Weird…Yes, Deacon has a fantastic story, one that is loaded with some memorable action scenes, quippy conversations between some intelligent characters, one of which is the man who taught Jerhdia O’Nen and Kathina how to blacksmith and adds to some of the mysteries that litter this wild world. We’ve already met a living myth, a Witch who ties into the Mythorigin periods, we’ve encountered a Harpy of the Batalista, we’ve dealt with an oligarch, adopted an abnormal ptriva sprinter with three tails, handled powerful artefacts, fought, and defeated an Honour Guard, more specifically, he trounced Lucion Hikonle, Thao’s son from The Utopian Dream and shortly after saved his life from a fatal fall displaying an insane level of strength, not something you’d expect to see in a man of average height and slightly malnourished build and yet we’ve only just started. Deacon builds a syndicate of people, inhabits ancient living armour that touches upon a forgotten sorcery that gives weight to the history and lore of The Ancestral Odyssey; He comes face to face with a monstrous opponent with historical significance that bleeds into Lethaniel’s story, all the while operating with a debilitating weakness, one that we have not seen before, something as deadly as Serpents Coil. It’s an intricate story indeed, but one I know you’ll come to love as much as I have loved developing it, it’s intense.
Moving on to an experimental phase of the story, and I really do mean that in every sense of the word which I’ll come to later, but before that let’s talk about Glenn Straff; We continue the mission with the Firehand, Bravo Pod consisting of Captain Lysander Istrel, Lieutenant Lars Coan who is also experienced with the use of explosives, we’ve First Private Hayden Barak, Navigational Officer Connor Meek, Private Glenn Straff the illegitimate recruit – A tight secret held between himself, the Captains, Sergent Nate and former General Isaac Willem Huather. And finally, from within the Bravo Pod, we’ve Medic Raquel Skolor and the youngest recruit, as green as grass, Private Jake Cody. They’re travelling across Krondathia via an experimental transportation vehicle, a Sky Carriage that is towed and lifted by a dragora (dragoon/small dragon), a dragora called Atlas, whose flyer is Dragonfly Zard Luthion, one of The Shields of Krondathia and Lethaniel’s new right-hand man since Braygon Augiene went AWOL shortly after the events of Ep1-Dream. They’re in search of the Professor’s Students, a mix of exceptional individuals who study a range of subjects, such as geography, archaeology, biology, and mathematics, they’re pupils in their late teens and very early twenties, who went out on an exhibition to one of many distant dig-sites strewn across Equis, but they never returned home or have had any communication with the civilised world for quite some time. Naturally, the R.F (the Requorn Forces) respond by sending out a search and rescue squad, a small unit in need of combat testing, the Firehands, Alpha Pod, led by Captain Gabriel Oamen, Lieutenant Pierce Lifner, Navigational Officer Griffin Wens, First Private Jared Vox, Medic Terrel Lion and Privates Zack and Zeth Droxten – The units task is to find and return those missing to Krondathian territory, but even they themselves go off grid, encouraging the R.F to send out the Pod in training, Pod Bravo, to track down both the missing Students and Gabriel’s Alpha team. The Firehands are the units that embraced the new black powder based technology introduced at the end of Ep1-Dream in the year of 1512, only now, two decades later year 1532, the weaponry has been researched and has advanced into an array of new forms; For instance, you’ve your classic semi-automatic rifle called, the Long Barrel Rifle (LBR), with an 8 shot round capacity, is capable of firing bullets up to 1200yards and is the standard issue (SI) of the Firehand unit. What’s interesting about the LBR, is that it has three models thus far, model one (M1) is what we saw in Ep1-Dream, a musket like device which at the time was a game changer, but was limited to a single shot, a lengthy cumbersome reloading time, decreased range in comparison to the later models, was prone to breaking and susceptible to poor weather conditions. The second model (the M2) improved upon all these prior flaws while the LBR/SI/M3/1200 perfected them, and it is the M3 which our Firehand protagonist Glenn Straff, prefers to use. Every soldier has to be highly proficient with the usage of this weapon; Same goes for the Scub Pistol, a small pot shot revolver piece with a 6 round per rotating wheel, a pistol that can fit nicely and discretely into a leather holster on a soldier’s utility belt – Don’t be fooled by its size or the innocence in its name, it is capable of break chainmail at short distances, and puncturing leather wears at greater distance. All Firehands are issued with a Scub with a few spare wheels of ammunition, along with some Fin Dynamite. Fin Dynamite is as it sounds, a black stick attached with a fin toward its head, the idea is that the fin’s curvature can assist with the hurl, to help guide the thrown bomb to where the Firehand soldier would want it to go, also the fin has the ability to be adjusted, the fin can turn into a sail and if thrown in accordance with wind, can travel with it and bend to such extremes that an impossible throw would become possible. An LBR, a Scub and a couple of sticks of throwing fin dynamite is part of the package when a cadet earns the right to wear the Firehand uniform, which suit is dyed with a wash of shadow grey, blotched with a black tarnish, slashed with yellow streaks. Next up we’ve my personal favourite weapon, the Trinity Pin-Pointer (TPP/M1/1250), this is a rifle given to those who take point carry, the weapon is slightly longer than the LBR-M1, they have a heavier stock to decrease recoil and can hold the largest number of lethally sharp rounds in a hefty rectangular clip that slots into the side of the body of the contraption. The special thing about the Trinity Pin-Pointer, however, is that it can fire a burst of three bullets per squeeze of the trigger, hence the usage of the word trinity, making this a necessary weapon in the Firehand pods arsenal, it seriously kicks ass. Next up are a pair of weapons that do not have as much page time than the others, and they’re the Blunderbuss and the Twin Barrel shotguns. The Blunderbuss is essentially a metal tube with a chunky handle and a squeezable lever for a trigger, it’s extremely powerful in short distances, its accuracy is awful but is frightfully easy to reload, not that one would have to reload after letting off a shot, because if used correctly, you’ll only need to fire the Blunderbuss once, and the target will be shredded. Same goes for the Twin Barrel, a double-barrelled shotgun with a greater range than our friend the Blunderbuss, but has a narrow surface area of spray when discharged, it’s also longer and heavier than the Blunderbuss and has a variety of shells it can use; This wasn’t featured in the book for bizarre reasons, honestly I’ve so much to think about when writing these books that unfortunately some things slip through the cracks, but the Twin Barrel can hold a diverse range of shells, that separates it greatly from its cousin the Blunderbuss. There are other anomalies that float about the arsenal used by the Firehands, this military type is in its experimental phase, for instance, Glenn holds a rather unique pistol called the Mozzer, which is scheduled to be mass produced in years to come, but Glenn’s pistol is slightly different, he has one of three models in existence with an extra round capacity, that one extra bullet may come in handy one day. LBR’s TPP’s and Twin Barrels can be given attachments, such as bayonets, bars to hold an extra cartridge on the body of the rifle and they can be equipped with simplistic scopes. Captain Lysander arms himself with something called a Scatter Gun (an SG) a customary combination of the Blunderbuss and the LBR, a hybrid almost between the two with both enormous power and a reliable rate of fire which will not knacker your shoulder after going trigger-happy. Then there is Margery, a plot thread that made its way into Volume Four, the suggestion of another projectile weapon that happens to be Lysanders favourite, named after his darling wife, a wife he talks about at various points in the book. Seeing as I’ve spoken in longevity about the weaponry of the Firehands which all is part of world building, I figure I’d share some light on Project Margery, why not give you a little treat to what’s to come; Margery was a prototype weapon in development for the Firehands, but the plans were ‘lost’ from among the Mek/engineers who were designing it, claiming that the schematics had been stolen. Volume Five reveals the truth of the case, turns out that it was indeed stolen by the pesky Dark Rogues who later show that they’ve built one for themselves, having assembled it in their base, Sentinel, but Margery is as matter of fact, the first railgun ever to be constructed by man, a cannon that cannot be physically held by anyone, or at least held in its current state, it needing to be wheeled around upon a cart that has to be deconstructed into a tripod to stabilised the velocity that is propelled from its barrel. It’s indeed a cannon but not in the traditional sense where they propel heavy cannon balls, and even though such types exist in Equis, Margery is a glorified rifle, one that is fifty times larger than an LBR, one that can fire up to four armour piercing shells capable of ripping through stone walls and metal shields.
This all may seem rather high-tech as you read this, I am aware, after all this is a fantasy where men still use swords, shields, bows and arrows, but it all fits within the context of the story and the world from which it comes; The technology is not distributed on mass, it only exists within the realms of the Firehands which are currently only two Pods large, which is approximately 28 to 35 men, not including those who make and develop their gear. The weapons themselves are based off our own rifles, as early as the musket developed in the early 1500’s all the way up to those that we used in WW2, the LBR/M2 and M3 for example, starts with the Garand, given the embellishments of Equis, Krondathia more specifically, a sophisticated medieval England, grown from a faith that admires the stars on the brink of a cultural technological shift into an industrial age inspired with an undertone of steampunk, given that and you have something rather unique I’d say, but something that marries well between the worlds of fantastical and the real; It is something I can see being worked out in this way, it is a world that would be cool to see painted in more than just words, I do have plans to have some of the cities painted by someone talented, it is something I look forward to, but for now, it will have to remain as the written word. So, what has all this got to do with Glenn Straff, well not that much in actual fact, but it is the world I’ve had to consider and build around him that he has found himself thrust into after a tragic event, all because when Glenn was designed back in 2005 or 2006 when I was still a pup with a bushy tail, I wanted him to use a rifle, and the consequences of the inclusion of such technology, requires a heck of a lot of world building, everything has to be taken into consideration when writing in such technology and it needs to be told in a way that gives over a sense of realism to the reader. The ‘event’ as described, is the loss of Glenn’s elder sister, Jessica Straff, who was killed most brutally by method of drowning on their family farm by a deranged individual noted as, The Drifter. When this man was caught, not by the Norkron authorities who could not track him down, but by Glenn and Denzel Suade, who sort vengeance; They caught up to him one day and enacted what they considered to be ‘justice.’ After the incident, Glenn adopted a look that Denzel cannot unsee, therefore Denzel refers to Glenn as Glaze, for the glaze in his eyes developed over the course of the harrowing murder, he was never quite the same again. As a result, Glenn joined the forces, joins a Regular unit, and works his way toward serving as a Private in the Firehands, and that is where we meet him in Volume Four, just after a promotion from Regular to Firehand, all of which having stemmed with the intent to prevent such evil to exist, to spare people pain he has been subjected to. Glenn is a brave soul, with noble intentions and motivations, a man who works hard, trains hard, is saddled with grief that fuels him and a fear of water. His story is one for the underdogs, one that escalates as the pursuit unfolds, and gets ever more unsettling the closer Lysanders Pod comes to Gabriel and the Students. They find themselves going from place to place, following something of a breadcrumb trail, which in turn leads them across the sea, over the Illnio Stretch, and into the country of Klaw, to an old industrial facility called The Hexagon, which was where New Xiondel’s Tram system was experimented on and developed, which immediately paints a picture in one’s head, as to what The Hexagon looks like, an installation stationed over a huge black swamp, a swamp home to the great vaurodile, a reptilian creature that closely resembles that of the salt water crocodile, an animal that scares me to fucking death, honestly, I’ve made a list in the ways of how I’d like to check out and being hunted by a salt water croc does not come close to making the list, so the idea of the inclusion to such a beast is a step toward that of horror, and the best place to start with telling horror stories, is to begin with a question; What scares you?
There is more to be said about Glenn’s path, but I feel enough has already been said, so I’ll leave it there after I put to bed a concern raised by someone who reads my work, and that is the step away from classical fantasy and into this new realm of ‘modern’ technology; She said ‘It seems a bit divorced to what I usually read in fantasy,’ and I’ll repeat my response here. First up, good, that is a good thing in my book, I’ve always wanted to challenge the genre, to push its boundaries, to buck the trends and show you something a little different, marrying genre’s or perhaps adding a dash of other genres (in this case, horror) is a ways in which to do that. Secondly, Glenns unit, or more specifically, Shield, Sergent Nate Kaypak’s unit is an experiment, the R.F is still in the experimental phases of training this new unit that use different tactics and technologies, they’re experimenting with the use of different weapons, the means of transportation is an experiment, the mission itself is a ways to field test the Firehands, the location in which they end up (The Hexagon) is an experimental base for building new technologies and what they ultimately discover from within The Silo is (you guessed it) an experiment. As the author/creator of this mess, I wanted to test myself, Glenn’s story is unique in this way and by the end of Episode Two-Rise of the Black Doves, if this is something that is of a concern to you, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to where this breach of genres and technologies ends up, not only have I made sure it organically fits contextually within the realms of Equis, but I’ve made damn sure it doesn’t spill over and get more and more ridiculous, I am aware that even I’ve all the power into what content is added and when, there are still fundamental rules which I must adhere to, to write an effective story which you can be engaged with; I could ignore the rules of course which would result in a catastrophe, this is something I am not willing to do to maintain the integrity of the story, but I am someone who teases, someone who may push and ride that line. If you’re a follower of my work you’re probably aware that I’ve a problem with authority, I’ve also quoted men like Hanz Zimmer who’ve said:-
‘If someone tells you that there is a rule, break it, that’s the only way to move things forward.’
-Hanz Zimmer
I am still in agreement with Hanz, however the rules which he is referring to here are not those fundamental rules that track with world building; When world building for example, it is important you display a degree of knowledge in accordance with the time in which your world is set, such as what technology is currently available to this particular populace, what does the environment look like, what is their culture and value system and so on, when building upon these fundamental rules, not only do they paint a vivid picture in your readers mind, but you build the atmosphere of reality, a reality that sets the stakes. What Hanz Zimmer means, the rules he is encouraging creatives to challenge or break, are rules such as your common tropes, things like:- The heroes must always win by the end, or the man gets the girl at the end, that villains wear black and look evil while all the heroes are handsome and sexy and wear white and gold. It is these things which need to be challenged this lighter set of rules which have grown with the general readership and has over time become common practise. If, however, one wants to challenge the fundamentals, rules that ingrain the readers into the world you’ve created, you better be a good writer, who knows your shit, who has experience and who fills in that bend or break with a fucking good explanation. It’s a tricky business, it’s hard to do, but with some understanding as to what you’re doing, when you know what story you’d like to be told and are willing to do the necessary work to create something believable while treating the fantastical elements with respect, I am sure you’ll hammer home something worth reading. Good luck.
Denzel Suade has recently sided with a young woman, a Whisperer named Jun Stella. They share the same goals and connect over similar interests, they both want to see the Master Professor, Caleb Atheriax brought to justice, having committed some serious crimes some of which are summed up in a chapter in Volume Four called, The Perfect Murders. Denzel and Jun want to expose him for the madman that he truly is and have him removed from power and see an end to his experiments, despite the fact that Atheriax has made generous contributions to Norkron/Requorn society, his grip must be released from all the industries he has his hands in. In order to expose him however, they need evidence, and Atheriax is smart enough to ferociously cover his tracks in the city, nothing ever gets back to him, he knows not to dabble with the deranged on his own doorstep, so Denzel and Jun leave New Xiondel City, to raid some of his hidden laboratories and deconstruct his findings at one of his most treasured dig sites, a site called, Dolphio. They believe that in Dolphio, they’ll be able to figure out his methods and hopefully find something incriminating in order to turn him over to the X.C.W.D (Xiondel City Watch Department). Denzel’s story compared to the others, seems a bit slow and isolated, this is actually something I would like to get into after Volume Six is released, the flaws, but in short, it’s not as big or explosive as the others to start with, after all Denzel and Jun do not possess anything special such as Glyph (magic) like the Star Callers do, they’re not entrenched in grand aspects of the world building like the Firehands with their tech or Deacon with his lineage to other ages, nor do they share any threads with any legacy characters like Lethaniel and Braygon who fought in The Covenant War – You could argue Denzel and Jun have a tie to Professor Atheriax, but he wasn’t figured out as an antagonist until the very very end of Ep1-Dream, and even then when the timeframe is considered, Denzel was far too young to be at war with Caleb, so I am not sure if that counts, but that being said, Denzel and Jun are on a rather lonesome journey together, they’re not trapsing across anywhere that we haven’t been before in the series either – Krondathia is a wonderful country, inspired by the beautiful English countryside and all it encompasses such as the unpredictable weather patterns depending on the season; If it’s winter for example it’s typically cold and raining, when there is no rain it’s misty and when the mist clears it snows over the woodlands, lakes and meadows both wild and tamed. If it’s summer…Well…It’s often still raining, but occasionally the sun comes out and it’s glorious. But I’ll admit, these scenes were a challenge to write if I am being totally honest, I didn’t have much to work with in terms of environment because you’re already familiar, and I didn’t want to give the reader (you) the impression that I was skipping out on the travelling bits and soul-focusing on the key plot points that move things forward, because geography, the trek is part of it, Equis is a character in that of itself, but that also didn’t mean I could get away with just writing filler until something of interest happens, I had to build, and it was difficult to navigate, because no one wants to waste time reading fluff, so I did the best thing I could in this situation, and that was to build upon the characters strengths, which is of course their intelligence, creating chemistry between them, hinting at sexual tension while exploring the challenge that looms over them – The task of bringing this unstoppable force (Caleb) down, and of course learning the fate of Denzel’s father. Seeing as we’re in spoiler territory, and don’t worry I’m not about to spoil anything with what is to come, but Denzel’s segments may start slow, and perhaps feel a little colder than the others, I assure you that changes, a U-turn does transgress, and when it does, you’re going to realise that all those insignificant innocent details you happily skimmed over, suddenly take on weight, making this storyline a contender for the strongest in Episode Two.
Telsi has been tasked by Alessa to remain behind in New Xiondel City, while she and the other four Callers go looking for Isolde, to bring her back after finding out why it was she fled in the first place without warning. Alessa’s reasoning is simple, to maintain a religious foothold on their base, to keep the presence of a Star Caller at home where it belongs, among those who need spiritual guidance. This idea was established in Ep1-Dream, briefly, it was uncommon for The Eldor and the Star Caller to be in the same location for long periods of time, they tended to rotate around the country, for they are Krondathia’s guardians her mother and father so to speak, and must govern together accordingly, which in turn means they must spread out, one in the north while one is in the south to put it simply, so their presence is felt everywhere; Because Imrondel City is ruined, destroyed during The Covenant War, New Xiondel was crowned the capital of the country, the last bastion in an unsettled world; So, Alessa made a judgement call, while she, Donna, Amanda, Kina and Kayna are out, Telsi remains to hone her skills, she’s given a chance to build a following and to understand the complexities about leadership, to rule alone without distractions from her fellow sisters. It’s an odd play by Alessa, considering their relationship, and as fiery as it is, this act, I’d say displays a sign of care, a degree of compassion for someone who unlikely would repay it.
Tensions are already high on the streets of Xiondel, political unrest is bubbling, because Isabelle failed to deliver Celestial protection at the height of The Covenant War, and the people’s spirits, their confidence in this faith have been shaken which has turned them to vices, hence the uptick in the use of substances, the rise in crime, the attraction toward Godlessness and other sources from which power or comfort resides, such as putting faith in new technologies or trust in certain men with history and charisma; The idea that a handful will do everything for a populous is a questionable one, and questions are certainly being raised, specifically in Master Eran Othrium’s chapters where some of the main concerns are addressed, who better I figured to handle the rabble than Eran. In fact, I was challenged about this subject not that long ago, about why Godlessness or a societies spirit or lack thereof is a dangerous one. To answer her, I quoted a Russian essayist, historian and novelist/writer, a Soviet dissident who spent his life raising awareness of political repression:-
“The strength or weakness of a society depends more on the level of its spiritual life than on the level of its industrialisation.”
-Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
I interpret this quote thusly, no matter how powerful you become, no matter the numbers, the level of technology and infrastructure, a country simply cannot endure let alone survive with broken spirits. Krondathia’s people have suffered, their main army was thwarted in battle against a covenant of forces, led by a ruthless man named Ridian Messiah, someone who always remained one step ahead of the Norkron General and his companions, and was able to mount his unified forces on Krondathian boarders poised for invasion; Had it not been for the valiant efforts of Thao Hikonle and his Honour Guards who held the massive force at bay on Korthak Bridge, had it not been for Catherine and Toula, the cunning Dark Rogues who stole Ridian’s black powder weapons while in transit, and organised an effective ambush, then likely Krondathia would have fallen, and the world from 1512 would look very different. During these desperate times, when it was clear that Lethaniel’s men were not getting the job done, the people turned to Isabelle, to Star Call their holy ultimas known as the Celestials, to swoop in and eradicate those who wished to do them harm. Not only did this not happen, but Isabelle failed to perform the star call and took her own life in the process, jumping to her death – This is why the people’s faith is scarred, this is why faith in old Norkron traditions is weak and why a new idea is surfacing, a new people from among the old has risen, calling themselves Requorns. The difference between Norkron and Requorn is simple, they may be of the same race, but their ideas differ spiritually, Norkrons hold onto older traditions which are born out of the faith, Starillia; While Requorns have chosen to side with man, and his technological powers. It’s the Requorns, Alessa is worried about, by removing all presence of a religious icon from New Xiondel would perhaps give over more ground to the Requorns, and Alessa, a Norkron is concerned about this, she cannot be in two places at once, so she allocates Telsi to remain, and that she does. Telsi is by no means serious about her position and status as a Star Caller, in a way she represents the generation after Isabelle’s, someone who is unable to appreciate her incredible gifts and privilege as one of the seven candidates, having been born into this state, she does not know anything other, and this has made her arrogant, selfish, rude, divorced from reality and drunk with power; I guess this is why I like Telsi, there is a lot to work with, she does start her journey as such saddled with said ‘flaws,’ but by the end you could say she is humbled, and has to re-work her frame, having to step outside her bubble and start to interact with others. In Volume Four, you’ll come to learn that she is building something, something that expands upon the powers of Glyph, a project originally thought up by Miranda Simbidia, one that was scrapped by Isabelle Verano and rekindled by Telsi Clewvier. For sakes of spoilers, I will not reveal the outcome of this study, but what I will say is that you get results that are nearing to a conclusion – Telsi may be a young, arrogant, anxious, irritating, prideful, disrespectful, troublemaker but she is not stupid, she is in fact highly intelligent and in some cases however few, more down to earth than Alessa. Telsi possesses all the traits of all the other Star Callers, her underlying power is recognised by Gaia’s Headmistress, Helga, and for all the shit Telsi has brought upon herself, there are people out there who believe in her, who believe she is worthy to be crowned Chosen from amongst the seven, and that is down to the shade of her irises, they’re purple, and the only other Star Caller let alone person born in Equis with the same iris colour, is Regina Corah, the first Star Caller to ever exist, and that IS important! While reading Telsi’s sections, take care, for within these sections something is transpiring, and that has massive payoff within Episode Two-Rise of The Black Doves, much like with Denzel’s sections I doubt you’ll notice them at first glance, but if you do happen to want to read the book again, you’ll see that it flows.
Draygo Dumear was last seen making contact with Chloe Augustien on the northeastern border of Tthenadawn Forest. Chloe, also known by some as The Silken Spirit, is his former Dark Rogue partner and on and off again love interest that dates back to when they were in their twenties. Now, at 42 years old and she at 41, both having grown further estranged pursuing their own paths, it is made abundantly clear that even after the distance and sporadic meetings in-between, meetings that can either explode into expressions of fierce passion, or two people clashing over differences in lifestyle and choices, feelings still remain, in both Chloe and in Draygo, a relationship that is not well and truly over but stutters and stalls over every hurdle, whether it’s by priorities, principles or world events; Had the pair not have been thrust into Equis’s upheavals, the chances of love blooming increases, but then you’ve other things to consider, such as Chloe, she both loves and hates what Draygo is, it’s his abilities, his lone-wolf persona, his fearlessness and fiery attitude that she finds desirable, but at the same token it is these things that drives a wedge between them, for he has to keep moving, he cannot sit still and lives for the challenges life will inevitably throw at him, he won’t change, he can’t change for he is a Dark Rogue, it’s all he is good at, to give that side of himself up would kill Chloe’s attraction for him but unless he is prepared to sit still, there is no chance a life together would grow. While Draygo, desires Chloe for her ability to empathise, to heal, to understand certain plights, to be that security to retreat to when he’s scarred up and exhausted, all he wants is her, for things to be as they used to, but with certain complications (I’m not going to spoil it here) that can never be. It’s an interesting combination of pros and cons, there is merit for them to be together, while there is also reason to split, which gives this story an aspect of realism. This is not the focal point of Draygo’s journey, Chloe maybe an important piece but she is not the root of it, and I want to touch on this because I think it is important, plus it is something I’ve not eluded to until now, but feel like I have to, minor spoiler ahead; Draygo might be cocky, anti-authoritarian, a little brash, self-obsessed, and has a questionable moral outlook, but he is good at what he does, he’s a thief, a remarkably cunning warrior of stealth and a brute to those who wish to do him or those he cares about harm, but he is haunted, not because of his broken relationship with Chloe, not because of the nightmarish enemies massing on the doorsteps of allied territories, their strength growing in ungodly almost demonic ways, nor the change in the winds that is effecting every soul in Equis, he’s haunted due to a tragedy, a tragedy that HE caused, as he sort vengeance on a group of lowlifes, a group of men and a woman he hunted down who are a shadow of what Draygo could have become – Had it not been for wise men like Toula, Riagel and Frost, had it not been for graceful and devoted women like Catherine, Scarlet and Chloe, then he may have turned petty and rudderless, instead of someone with purpose. Draygo executed these lowlifes without mercy, but caught in that bloody crossfire however, was a child, a child he didn’t mean to terminate, had he known, he never ever would have let that arrow go, but it happened and will never leave him, so Draygo is not fighting for land or power, he’s not fighting for the prosperity of his Dark Rogues or Krondathia or Chloe, he is fighting to rid himself of his mistake, to make the world a better place for every child that is alive today. Confusing as it maybe that he doesn’t directly join the R.F, he is still selfish at heart and prefers to do things on his own terms. Fighting for this cause keeps him sharp, it makes him stronger, and faster than his opponents, it’s why he is so successful as a Dark Rogue and why he has survived so long, his body is riddled in scars, scars that come with memory. There are other elements at play here of course, for instance he enjoys stealing from those who think they’re better than him and more powerful, he enjoys showing large entities or iconic figures that they’re nothing and he is superior, its ego talking of course but still a trait of his character. In Volume Five, we continue his adventure, he finds Chloe, he updates her on the world outside that of Tthenadawn Forest, and convinces her to take him to where she found the wreckage of an ancient tablet in hopes they can savage the rest, for it was the first half she handed over to Riagel that instigated the raid he organised on the underground structure, a Driad necropolis which is/was called, Arosiphere, what Saphuries and her monarchy call it now is unknown but in time you’ll find out. It’s up to Draygo to discover more about the bastion hidden underneath the plains of Sand, it’s up to him to try and convince Chloe, the Silken Spirit to re-join the battle against the Blood Angel Saphuries and her rising demonic forces, but more importantly, Draygo has to put to rest his own issues, his own feelings between himself and Chloe and be the Redeemer he once was – For what is coming, in the dark days ahead, there is no place for softness, no room for sensitivity and love, only resilience, courage, might and an enduring strength every man, woman and child must find.
Well guys and gals, that’s as much as I am willing to share for now, if I do not stop myself somewhere then I’ll just keep on going and going. Of course there is so much more I could get into concerning some legacy characters, but I feel like I’ve been overly generous in some areas of this essay however when you consider the size of my books, there is plenty to get lost in, I just hope this article will get you started, and act as a fresh reminder as to where we left things in Volume Four, it has after all been a little over a year since its release, feels like yesterday but that is the way time as an adult passes; Speaking of, I had Volume Five finished and ready to go quite some time ago, it was set for an early February release to mirror its procuring title, but it was around that time when my original Graphic Designer, Mr Mathew Bevan had to unfortunately take a step back, to attend to family issues, no hard feelings, these things sometimes happen, but alas, I had to look elsewhere for someone with the right expertise, someone who had the correct software, software that I do not possess and some time to put aside to assist. So, big thank you to Mr Oliver Richards (again), who stepped in when I was unable to find someone who understood what I was after, someone who wasn’t prepared to charge me extraordinary amounts for a relatively simple job, and who is genuinely a nice chap with a book of his own in the works, one which I am looking forward to reading when it’s completed. Thank you to my editor, Miss Joyce Bou Charaa, who worked like an absolute trooper throughout this process, you are a Godsend, best of luck with your own writing endeavours and with Volume Six; It’s significantly shorter than Volume Five but holy hell are the last ten chapters of Ep2-Rise something else with a seriously intense set of ending events! Joyce and I are working hard to bring out Volume Six this year, we are aiming for a mid to late summer release, if everything goes according to plan then the wait shouldn’t be a long one, and then you’ll have to endure me talking about Episode Three-Seeds of War for the next year or two, I am still struggling with it might I add, ironically I thought this would be a smooth writing phase, but to the contrary, it’s turning out difficult. Anyway, thanks for reading folks, I do hope you enjoy Volume Five, the second third of the second instalment to The Ancestral Odyssey series, you can pick it up from the usual places such as Amazon (link below) and Waterstones/Blackwells, you may have to ask for it within the first few weeks, retailers have a lot on their hands right now so they may need a gentle nudge, but in time it will be easily found, and I want to thank each and every one of you who pick it up personally. It has taken a long while to get here, it’s been exceptionally hard at times, but perseverance is the key to success, and I don’t ever give up, despite what people say about me and my approach. I am very happy with the results and thankful for everyone who has helped in the process, who supports me and reads my stuff. I know there is plenty going on in the world right now, so many concerns, tragedies, and distractions, which makes your gaze ever more special. If you’re a reader and you happen to pick up a copy, whether it’s of The Utopian Dream or Rise of The Black Doves in stores or downloaded, thank you ever so much, and please do me an absolute solid and drop a review, good or bad I’d love your feedback; Share some of my links or mention it to a friend or family member, that would be amazing and will help widen my reach…I was going to wrap-up there, but quite literally just a minute ago, Ashely McKenzie, my concept artist just sent me through a digital painting, one that will be going with the next piece of music in the next video – And it looks fucking stunning, the lighting is beautiful, the colours are rich and everything is proportionate. I’ll be sure to update you on the progress of this concept/music video called, The Thief’s Priestess in one of the next articles, this will almost certainly be the next project I will undertake, one I am looking forward to, but all in good time. Have a good morning, noon, or night, wherever you are, whoever you are, take care of you and yours, and I’ll see you in the next one. PEACE!
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Taoteque: The Blog 