As I said earlier, it’s going to take a little bit longer to get content up in the near future. To worsen the situation, I haven’t felt terribly motivated as of late. I am trying to get back into the groove of things, but it has been difficult. My apologies. Anyways, I do have a snippet of a possible future chapter for you, rough and unedited, as my snippets are.

Introduction to Berle, the Flesh Sculptor

“Berle…is free?” the man said as he looked at his unshackled hands.

“Yes,” the armored knight said, “but only if you keep up your end of the bargain.”

“To serve you and your army? Bien sûr! I, Berle Windspear, vow to serve Cecil Blackoath until my debt is repaid or my life is forfeit. Surely killing for a cause is much better than killing for fun, no?”

“You’re a sick bastard. For all that you’ve done, you deserve to be in here. Which is exactly why I want you on my team. Your skill with a blade is a valuable asset. Now come. We must gather the others.”

“Oui!” the murderer gleefully chimed. “Lead the way!”

As they moved on to the next prisoner, Berle stole a saber from the body of a dead guard and quickly carved out his signature in the guard’s chest.

“C’est magnifique!“

So, I wanted to share with you a little bit of what goes into making Koeleth, from a technical standpoint. I have created many magical worlds, and I love my fantasy stories.  Koeleth is fundamentally different from most of them in regards to the fact that magic is harshly limited. I’ve shown you all many characters with magic and arcane power, but that’s only a small slice of the people of Eirmoda, the world that Koeleth belongs to; the majority of the denizens of Eirmoda have no magic to speak of, which makes it interesting when it comes to confronting magical problems. As you are aware, there are only two ways to obtain magic in Koeleth: obtain the blessings of a guardian, or be born a freak of nature. As such, when a problem arises involving magic, I have limited options for fixing it. Solving the problem without breaking my own rules or muddying the water too much is both challenging and intriguing. The obvious solutions are to either simply remove the problem (what fun is that) or to create a new character who has the magic to deal with it (which creates its own problems). I can’t just simply have a character learn a spell that will fix it. Magic is far too restrictive in this world for that. The core nature of a person’s power is largely out of their control, be it a blessing from a god or a curse of nature. So it forces me to work with real world solutions or to develop the world further to accommodate the solution without it being too convenient. This doesn’t always lead to a complete solution, but it makes the fantastical nature of magic in general much more human and “realistic,” if you will. In Tesgrand or Zandalaria, two other worlds I’ve created, I can just whip out a spell from nowhere and say, “Bam! Problem fixed,” but that’s not the case with Koeleth, and I love it.

Here it is, folks. The first chapter of the legend of the Warden and the Mage Knight is here. I hope you enjoy it, as I’ll be continuing to do it alongside my regular chapters. I must give special thanks to Sorin for rewriting my legend. He took the rough, choppy mess that I presented to him and refined it into what is is now. I hope you enjoy my legend, and I hope it captivates you in the same way it captivated me as I wrote it.

Of Heroes and Villains: The Legends of Koeleth

The West Warden and the Mage Knight

(Or the Legend of the Tainted King)

Chapter I: The Legend

 

The first of the tales I will cover is that of the Warden of the West and the elven Mage Knight, the inseparable duo that fought and vanquished the Tainted King, the grotesque monster that once threatened all of Koeleth. Though not as famous as the other tales I have mentioned, it nevertheless serves an important role in the history of Koeleth. The most notable feature, other than its focus on two–rather than one–heroes, is its historical accuracy. I must also add that it is one of the few occasions in which we find true heroes, whose selfless endeavors are just as noble in truth as they are in the legend.  The greatest extent of its change is in the personification of one of the titular characters. Beyond that, the true events of the story unfolded largely the same as the legend tells. It also emphasizes the importance of teamwork, tolerance and open-mindedness, all of which were necessary to ensure the success of the Warden’s quest. Now, let us begin.

Continue reading Swords and Sorcery

Well, I have a bonus profile for you. It’s not a character profile, per se, though one could be described as a character. Enjoy!

Matthew Matherne

Real Name: Wouldn’t you like to know?

Known Aliases: Johann, Keldrigg Farigrimm, Valroan

Age: 20 Something

Birthdate: Sometime between January 1 and December 31, 1990 something

Birthplace: Small town in the United States Midwest

Current Residence: Aforementioned Small Town

Parents: Potentially scientists who created me in a lab from canine DNA, though they might have just used traditional methods to make me. Who can know these things?

Siblings: Two half brothers with the whitest names ever: Jon and David

Significant Others: Not yet, but there is hope! Not much, but hope.

Pets: Chuy, a Pomeranian/Maltese mutt that barks too much, and Whisper, an old, cranky Maine Coone cat who likes broccoli

Hair: Business Cut, Dark Brown

Facial Hair: Full beard, Dark Brown but with flecks from the entire spectrum

Eyes: Dark Brown (Sensing a theme here?)

Height: 5’6ish”

Weight: Too high

Tattoos: Perhaps some day

Notable Features: Left-handed

Clothing: T-Shirt, Jeans/Shorts, Sometimes a ballcap, Sandals/Skater shoes

Armor: I wish!

Occupation: Caretaker, Amateur Author, College Student

Associations: Verbal Realms

Koeleth Standard Warrior Rank: E probably, but I do low blows

Weapon of Choice: Middle Finger

Blessed Weapon: None

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Cheese, Bacon, A Wide Array of Fruits

Favorite Drinks: Green Tea, Black Tea, Milk, Mountain Dew, Root Beer

Favorite Flavor of Pie: Pumpkin, Pecan

Least Favorite Food: Tuna, Green Beans, Coconut, Liver

Hobbies: Video Game (Favors RPGs), Reading (Fantasy and Sci-Fi typically, but also Philosophy and Religion), Daydreaming, Writing, Watching YouTube videos, Hanging with my Two Friends (Sorin and Jack, Sad, I know), Playing one Not-Famous MMO, Wallowing in Negativity and Lack of Self-Esteem

Favorite Animal: Old Dogs, Siberian Huskies, Golden Retrievers, Basically all things dog

Favorite Gifts: Food (I’m a fatty)

Unique Talents: Is very loyal, is brutally honest, can make any dog his friend in no more than two days, regardless of aggression, can lose his train of thought in a fraction of a second, can be spontaneously inspirational, can talk your ear off

Other Notes: The happiest pessimist you’ll ever meet, when poked will laugh like the Pillsbury Doughboy, has never been on a date ever, cares for everyone even if he claims not to, consistently fails to ask out girls he’s interested in and then bitterly regrets it for a day or two after they get a new boyfriend, loves all animals except humans and mosquitoes, desperately wants you to like his writing

Hello, faithful readers. I present you with another piece of writing that was promised. Because of schedules and priorities, it was delayed longer than it was supposed to have been, but I have not forgotten my promises. This is the preface to the book of legends that I mentioned. In a few days I will have the first legend for you. You should also be seeing a great increase in productivity this month. I have chapters 12 and 13 almost ready to send out for editing and I have three or four chapters of the legend in the works too.

 

Of Heroes and Villains: The Legends of Koeleth

Preface

 

Hello, dear readers. In my travels I have come across countless myths and legends surrounding the history and culture of Koeleth. At the urging of my compatriots and

Continue reading Legends and Whatnot

Quotable Moments

Tom

“So what are you doing here, Mister?”-a bartender

“Don’t you think ‘Hold my beer’ is a better way to start a fight than ‘Hold my water skin?’ By the way, hold my beer.”-Tom, shortly before starting a bar fight

Aaron

“Look over there! The king’s in a dress and doing the cancan!”-Aaron, to a guard who caught him stealing from the royal palace

“Not again! My lord, this is most unbecoming!”-the guard

“Again? What?”

“What?”

Cleo and Tom

“You harm a hair on her head, and you’re dead!”-Tom, to a villain

“Oh, Tom, I knew you cared!”-Cleo

“Well, yeah. You’re a friend. I can’t just let you die. That would be awful.”-Tom

“How romantic.”-Cleo, sarcastically

“Hey, I’m saving your life. You could at least pretend to be thankful.”-Tom

Tom and his unintentional interactions with the breasts of women

“Aw, dammit.”-Tom, after each and every accidental boob grab incident

“How dare you!”-Kristin, shortly before slugging him in the face

“Tom, this is not the way to woo me.”-Cleo

“Ummm…this doesn’t seem right.”-Catalina

“So, you like the goods?”-Alice

“I know, man. Boobs are great.”-Mei

Dustin

“What’s the matter? You don’t have any friends? That’s not right.”-Dustin, to a lonely child

“But aren’t you the paragon of isolation, Dustin? Don’t thrive on loneliness?”-a traveling companion

“I fail to see how that’s relevant.”

 

The title says it all.

Cleopatra Iris Horsekeep (Beginning of Story)

Known Aliases: None

Age: 21

Birthdate: Summerset (July) 6, 7066

Continue reading New Profile, As Promised

Hello, faithful readers. As promised, I have a chapter to give to you today. Isn’t it nice? After so long going without. You’ll still be getting all the bonus stuff I promised soon too.

 

Chronicles of Koeleth

Chapter XI

Night Vision

“Oh, that?” Theo answered. “Well, pay close attention, folks. Only Tom knows this.” He blinked and his eyes dilated and started reflecting the light of the fire. His smile took on a more sinister appearance as his canines became sharp and fanglike. “I’m a freak of nature just like the rest of you. It’s just a little harder to notice. Wonder why they call me ‘Nightprowler?’ It’s because these bad boys can see in the dark.”

Suren nervously played with her hair.

“He is right,” Gabriel said weakly, still recovering from his earlier incapacitation. “It assuaged some of my mistrust to see that he was an abomination. I also—hesitantly—have placed my complete trust in Mr. Riversedge.”

Continue reading Chapter 11 and Stuff

Hello, faithful readers, if I have any of those left. I wanted to let you know that I am not dead yet. A couple weeks ago my grandmother passed away, and, needless to say, that has occupied most of my attention as of late. I will be back in business soon, and you all have much to look forward to when I am. I’m going to tell you what you’ll have to look forward to, too! I’m going to start on a new short series of chapters revolving around one of Koeleth’s legends. In the first chapter, I will introduce the legend, and then throughout the rest of the series I will be telling the true story. I will also be posting a drawing of some of the weapons you’ll see later on in the main story. Full disclosure, I am neither a blacksmith nor an artist, so the drawings are not great. I’ll also have at least one extra chapter and a profile or two to share. So, look forward to that.