No story blog today. I need to do more plotting and world building before I post more story items. In website news I've been debating what my goal should be with this site and I'd like to make it the central archive for all more story telling. As such I have purchased Duskhaven.info and plan to migrate over to that site soon. Right now the debate is where do I host it. I'm thinking of just getting a low end account at GoDaddy and continue to use blogger as the front end to the site. The link section can handle my static sections I think.
Speaking of other works let's discuss those a bit. DuskHaven is my new darling but my first story is a sci-fi romp called Flight of the Amadeus. The story centers around the crew and passengers of the colony ship Amadeus. Trouble and tragedy await them. It should be fun. Amadeus is part of my own little Known Space Universe. I haven't yet come up with a good name for it so I'm borrowing the name from Larry Niven. The Universe is full of other races and mankind is a small fish in a big pond right now. The first story takes place over several decades as the Amadeus journeys towards their new home. I started it in 2006 during my first Nanowrimo and expanded out one chapter in 2007. I've managed to write myself into a corner as I haven't plotted out enough in advance and have been making it up as I go along. While that technique can work great for Nanowrimo it doesn't work so well when you want to actually finish and attempt to publish a book.
I'm currently looking for a good plot tool. I use OpenOffice and Microsoft Word interchangeably for typing depending on whether I'm on my Linux based Eee or on my Office machine running Windows. I've also used Roughdraft for writing which had the benefit of being much simpler then Word or OpenOffice. But for plotting I've struggled with yWriter quite a bit as well as Celtx. I think either could work really well but I have a hard time filling in all the details that I've already written about. Characters and places that I know I don't want to go back and fill in the blanks even though it would make things easier in the long run. Doing a wiki has also been suggested and I think that idea might work really well along with this blog site, It's something I'm looking at at least.
Let's see what else can I tell you that you don't already know and might actually care about. I'm a Capricorn and my favorite color is blue. Oh wait wrong kind of details, The character Rolard was my Paladin in World of Warcraft which is probably not too surprising to the three of you that actually read this site. I used to make up my own stories for him while bored and waiting on the Griffins or waiting after a Lucifron kill in MC for late comers to catch up. Watching a dancing druid gets old after a while believe it or not so stories helped fill the time for me. DuskHaven itself must have been percolating in the back of my head for a while because it all came together quickly when I sat down to write a fantasy story. DuskHaven has it's roots in Stratholme and the Eastern Plaguelands I'm sure. But I've been trying very hard to not let this turn into WoW fanfic and I hope I succeed with it. Enough for today no I need to try to plot for the second short story in the world The EarthSeers Daughter which I am not convinced is the best choice for the second story but I liked the idea of it so I'm running with it.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Rolard of DuskHaven
Time to introduce our leading man. Rolard of DuskHaven also known as Rolard Grolgamon is the Captain of the Guard amongst the Silver Knights. His command was charged with defending the Grolgamon family and the lantern itself. The failure of his command weighs upon him at times but as there was nothing he could have done to prevent the fall he has set it aside.
Rolard was born thirty-two years before the fall of DuskHaven. He is the son of Rolstan and Dilera. His father was also Captain of the Guard before him. He fell in battle just a few months before the fall and Rolard was named as his successor. Young for the post Rolard was looked down upon by many but his skill in the light made him one of the only choices for the post.
Rolard stands roughly six feet tall and in his younger days had dark brown hair down to the middle of his back but as he's aged the hair had gotten shorter, grayer, and has started falling out, In the present time he is mostly bald on top of his head with slightly longer then shoulder length gray hair. His eyes are bright blue and some have said intimidating at times.
His armor and sword are both passed down to him from his father. The armor is actually from his grandfather and the sword is now in its fifth generation of silver knights. The blade is slightly over three feet long and double edged. A traditional European longsword in design. It has proven its worth in countless battles with the demons. While objects do not possess magic on their own this sword has been in the hands of a skilled practitioner of the light for so many decades and centuries that it respond almost instantly to commands. In battle against demons it is often illuminated with white fire. It had been known to burst into flames without it's wielders command when fighting demons, The armor is steel with embossed patterns and sigils covering the breastplate, guards, and gauntlets, His helm was a full plate helm with movable visor though it was lost in his flight from DuskHaven. He prefers to fight without a helm but when the situation calls for it he carries a plain steel helmet with a basic nose guard. His shield is embossed with the rampant lion of DuskHaven on an Argent background.
He is a fairly stubborn man and has had to fight his way out of several situations that could have been solved diplomatically. He has dedicated the last thirty years of his life to raising an army to lead to DuskHaven and retake the city. He hopes that he can relight the lantern and drive back the demon hordes. His skill in the Light may be sufficient though he expects that the act will cost him his life. He views this as an easy sacrifice though if it means the recovery of his city and home.
Rolard was born thirty-two years before the fall of DuskHaven. He is the son of Rolstan and Dilera. His father was also Captain of the Guard before him. He fell in battle just a few months before the fall and Rolard was named as his successor. Young for the post Rolard was looked down upon by many but his skill in the light made him one of the only choices for the post.
Rolard stands roughly six feet tall and in his younger days had dark brown hair down to the middle of his back but as he's aged the hair had gotten shorter, grayer, and has started falling out, In the present time he is mostly bald on top of his head with slightly longer then shoulder length gray hair. His eyes are bright blue and some have said intimidating at times.
His armor and sword are both passed down to him from his father. The armor is actually from his grandfather and the sword is now in its fifth generation of silver knights. The blade is slightly over three feet long and double edged. A traditional European longsword in design. It has proven its worth in countless battles with the demons. While objects do not possess magic on their own this sword has been in the hands of a skilled practitioner of the light for so many decades and centuries that it respond almost instantly to commands. In battle against demons it is often illuminated with white fire. It had been known to burst into flames without it's wielders command when fighting demons, The armor is steel with embossed patterns and sigils covering the breastplate, guards, and gauntlets, His helm was a full plate helm with movable visor though it was lost in his flight from DuskHaven. He prefers to fight without a helm but when the situation calls for it he carries a plain steel helmet with a basic nose guard. His shield is embossed with the rampant lion of DuskHaven on an Argent background.
He is a fairly stubborn man and has had to fight his way out of several situations that could have been solved diplomatically. He has dedicated the last thirty years of his life to raising an army to lead to DuskHaven and retake the city. He hopes that he can relight the lantern and drive back the demon hordes. His skill in the Light may be sufficient though he expects that the act will cost him his life. He views this as an easy sacrifice though if it means the recovery of his city and home.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Dornet
Let’s finish up the tour of the border kingdoms today. Dornet was founded soon after DuskHaven by the Inner Kingdom of Darset which feared that Galashin would support Arsel as they had rejected the advances by Darset to become an ally. With the founding of Dornet, Galashin did form an alliance with Arsel but rarely asked them for help. Dornet like Darsel is founded along Eastern lines with a strict hierarchy and a warrior class which controls most of the cities affairs. They are the least prosperous of the Border Kingdoms but their prowess on the field is nearly unmatched. (At least in close combat) Their Warriors for the most part use the Axe and Hammer in combat. They have little ranged support and look on Galashins forces as weak. This is despite defeats in combat due to the effectiveness of the longbows of Galashin.
The city of Dornet is built on a mesa that rises above the surrounding plains. On the Western edge they have built a great wall facing the Green Fields and the demon menace. On the other three sides the wall is far shorter but they have smoothed out the cliff face itself into an unscaleable wall. During the first siege following the fall of DuskHaven the demon forces surrounded and harassed Dornet for weeks before being thrown back by the combined might of the Border armies. Dornet’s only fear of siege is starvation. They are able to weather months of siege but if it drags out longer they do not have access to the ocean like Shinon or to the river Nehal like Galashin does. With the fall of DuskHaven, Dornet is now home to best armor and weapon smiths in the Western world. Even the Inner Kingdoms come to Dornet for weaponry for their elite forces.
During the past thirty years there have been several revolts within the city as the lower classes seek reform for the strict control that the leadership has over them. These revolts have been brutally suppressed. As a result the city has been shrinking steadily in size as many of the lower classes leave for the other border kingdoms. Shinon and Galashin have been glad to take them in to swell their ranks. This fact has rankled Dornet’s leaders greatly and without the ever present threat of the demons they would have likely gone to war again with their neighbors.
The city of Dornet is built on a mesa that rises above the surrounding plains. On the Western edge they have built a great wall facing the Green Fields and the demon menace. On the other three sides the wall is far shorter but they have smoothed out the cliff face itself into an unscaleable wall. During the first siege following the fall of DuskHaven the demon forces surrounded and harassed Dornet for weeks before being thrown back by the combined might of the Border armies. Dornet’s only fear of siege is starvation. They are able to weather months of siege but if it drags out longer they do not have access to the ocean like Shinon or to the river Nehal like Galashin does. With the fall of DuskHaven, Dornet is now home to best armor and weapon smiths in the Western world. Even the Inner Kingdoms come to Dornet for weaponry for their elite forces.
During the past thirty years there have been several revolts within the city as the lower classes seek reform for the strict control that the leadership has over them. These revolts have been brutally suppressed. As a result the city has been shrinking steadily in size as many of the lower classes leave for the other border kingdoms. Shinon and Galashin have been glad to take them in to swell their ranks. This fact has rankled Dornet’s leaders greatly and without the ever present threat of the demons they would have likely gone to war again with their neighbors.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Galashin
Galashin is the oldest of the Border Kingdoms and predates DuskHaven itself by almost a thousand years. Galashin even predates the wars between the Inner Kingdoms and was in fact one of the four major civilizations in Arquel prior to the demons awakening. It controlled several thousand wheels of land stretching to the West. DuskHaven stands on land that was once Galashin controlled. When the great rift happened and the demons were unleashed they quickly overran the civilizations in the West and moved towards Galashin. When the people who would become the Silver Knights approached the king of Galashin he quickly agreed to cede the lands in the West to them if they could stop the demons. DuskHaven was founded and Galashin honored their agreement by cedeing DuskHaven and much of The Green Fields. In the years following the founding of DuskHaven Galashin continued its slow decline. Dornet was founded by a splinter group from the capital itself. The king at the time was only a child and the ruling council decided it was better to let Dornet go then to force a war on their young king. A center for music and the arts Galashin has remained the center of culture in the West. DuskHaven had more scholars but the artists and musicians make their home in Galashin keeping it a colorful and festive city almost year round.
When DuskHaven fell Galashin found itself facing the demons again. Bargains were made with the demons which were quickly broken and Galashin has been forced to become a real military power again or risk destruction. They have formed an alliance with their longtime rivals Shinon and Dornet to hold back the demon advances. The Green Fields were allowed to fall to buy them time to fortify their defenses and for thirty years they have held back the demonic forces. With The Green Fields gone however, the demon attacks have been stepping up in recent years. The central thrust of the demons has fallen on Galashin and they are holding it back as best they can.
The military in Galashin is organized around ranged attackers. The bowmen of Galashin are renowned throughout Arquel for their skill and courage. They are supplemented with Sword and shield units which take up positions around the archers in battle. They have been known to devastate entire demon legions with one salvo from their longbows. For now the archers have held back the demon forces but they have been unable to push them back towards the West.
When DuskHaven fell Galashin found itself facing the demons again. Bargains were made with the demons which were quickly broken and Galashin has been forced to become a real military power again or risk destruction. They have formed an alliance with their longtime rivals Shinon and Dornet to hold back the demon advances. The Green Fields were allowed to fall to buy them time to fortify their defenses and for thirty years they have held back the demonic forces. With The Green Fields gone however, the demon attacks have been stepping up in recent years. The central thrust of the demons has fallen on Galashin and they are holding it back as best they can.
The military in Galashin is organized around ranged attackers. The bowmen of Galashin are renowned throughout Arquel for their skill and courage. They are supplemented with Sword and shield units which take up positions around the archers in battle. They have been known to devastate entire demon legions with one salvo from their longbows. For now the archers have held back the demon forces but they have been unable to push them back towards the West.
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