Well, yeah. Chapter 5 is done. Hope it isn’t too dull for you.

Chronicles of Koeleth: The River’s Tale
Chapter V
Purloined Prizes

Tom awoke late the next morning. Not yet adjusted to his new abode, Tom panicked at the foreign sight of a bedroom. He soon regained his bearings, however, and, realizing how late it was, began to prepare for the day ahead. There were still a few matters to sort

Continue reading Chapter 5: Never Fear! Super-Chapter is Here!

I felt bad for not having a thing ready, so here is a preview of one of my legends.

The Death of a Guardian

“I am a god to these mortals! They fear my power! They revere my might! They pay homage to me!” the mighty dragon bellowed in anger. “You cannot defeat me!”

“You may be a god, but I am a man with god-sized blade!” the warrior cried back as he swung his sword, ripping the dragon’s wing to shreds.

The dragon screamed in pain, wildly lashing about with his claws and tail, only to have his other leathery pinion rent from his shoulder. A blood-soaked exchange followed, ending, ultimately, with the colossal guardian’s agonizing defeat

“I didn’t know guardians could bleed,” the swordsman scoffed, as he wiped clean his blade.

“The Progenitor…may be my father, but the…the earth is my mother. I bleed her blood,” the dragon gasped. “You…you know not what you have done…”

The god-slayer simply raised his sword and delivered one final, fatal blow.

“I have guaranteed a future for my people, daemon.”

Now, at this point, you may think this is the end of a story about a heroic man taking on a bloodthirsty false god, but that is not the case. The dragon is Flusswächter, the River Dragon, an ally to the Men of the River and the protector of the River’s mighty shores. The man is Ragnar the Scorched, the infamous barbarian chieftain and an enemy to all but his own clan of savages. This is the beginning of a story about the death of a guardian and the birth of the people who would take up his mantle. This is the story of Eloy the Cradle-born, the first Chosen of the River Dragon and the forefather of the lords of Sorowa’s Cradle.

So, I am almost finished with the somewhat haphazard fusion of chapter 5 and 6. It’s not pretty, but it at least reduces the drudgery of the original two chapters, I think. It is not as seamless as I like, but I did not start with the intention of fusing two chapters. My original plan was to totally rewrite them, but I didn’t want to have a repeat of chapter 4. Hopefully, next week will see the super chapter brought to light. Then I can get working on chapter 7, where things start to get rolling again. Sorry it took so long. I could regale you with excuses, but none of them are really any good. Sorry again. I have some bonus content planned for you, though, so that should be looked forward to. Part two of the Lion and the Dragon, part two of the Sorowa’s Cradle chapter of the legendary blades series, some other stuff about the history of Koeleth, etc. But hey! Guess what? Jack will be back soon! So look forward to his writing and his editing (thank the Lord)!

I have not been as diligent as I should be, true, but I have been working on my next couple of chapters. It’s just a bit of drudgery to go through chapters I’ve already written. In this case, what I’m specifically trying to do is condense chapters 5 and 6 into one chapter, which means I’m trying to cut out a lot of stuff that might be slowing the story down or that might be unnecessary. Those of you who have been watching for a while can probably attest to how slow the early chapters are, and I’d like to change that for future readers and for you guys, too, to make it more enjoyable and easy to get into the story. Anyways, I have one more thing for you, something that was bouncing around in my head last night. Now, I’ve just kept this to necessary facts and interesting tidbits. These will make more sense when I start actually writing these stories, I’m sure.

Tom As He Would Appear in My Other Worlds

Zandelaria

Name: Tommel Relordem

Race: Human

Ethnicity: Artaean

Nationality: Artaean

Class: Spellsword

Weapon: Enchanted Halberd – Water Manipulation

Occupation: Adventurer

Tesgrand

Name: Tomus Erividen

Race: Human

Ethnicity: Maridian

Nationality: Castonian

Class: Halberdier

Occupation: Underground Rebel

Mount: Giant Riding Gerbil (yes, it’s a thing in Tesgrand)

Pangea (yes, it’s spelled wrong on purpose)

Name: Tomaz of Ritander

Race: Human

Ethnicity: Vernaus

Nationality: Pader-Grid

Class: Swashbuckler

Occupation: Seafaring Adventurer (Considered a pirate, but in actuality far more agreeable than other Vernaus pirates)

Notes: Prefers to travel in a small one-man vessel rather than aboard a ship with a crew

Akrea (basically alternate reality of modern day earth)

Name: Thomas Smith

Race: Human

Ethnicity: German

Nationality: American

Class: Brawler

Occupation: Gunsmith, vigilante

Pet: Siberian Husky named Freya

So, I’ve got a boatload of ideas for Koeleth and the world of Eirmoda, and I can’t wait to get to them. That, of course, means I need to get my ass in gear on the Chronicles of Koeleth. However, I do have some interesting characters that never show their faces in the Chronicles of Koeleth series but might pop up elsewhere, so I thought I’d share.

Cool Characters Who (Probably) Won’t Be In CoK

Sir Wilhelm Greyfog

Sir Wilhelm was a knight from the Ghostlands two centuries prior to the War of the Dragons (the hopefully epic finale to the River’s Tale and the Clash of Dragons books). A friend of the people and a hero to common folk, he stood against all those who threatened the Ghostlands. He was also a valued leader in the War for Barren Reach. He achieved mythic status when he fought and defeated the earthbound guardian Sylph in one-on-one combat. Sylph honored his victory but forever held a grudge against him (hell hath no fury and whatnot). Through a curious twist of fate, brought about by the mysterious magic of the Ghostlands’ mist, upon his inevitable death, Sir Wilhelm’s soul lingered on the earth, earning him the slightly misleading title of Sir Wilhelm the Hero Undying. He still wanders the Ghostlands, protecting travelers and interfering with the mischievous Sylph and her cunning machinations.

Serhild Warmaiden

Serhild Warmaiden is, as her name implies, a descendant of a battle maiden and trained as one herself. The notion of a battle maiden is well accepted in modern Koeleth culture, as there are a fair number of female warriors in Koeleth’s military organizations. However, in their early days, the battle maidens were a radical notion. In a world that refused to believe women could fight, the battle maidens fought and won their respect and honor. Serhild herself is an accomplished slayer and a valued member of the Vanguard. Her time in the Vanguard is cut short, however, as she is slain in battle during the Champions’ War. She does technically appear in CoK, but her name is only mentioned once, when counting the losses of the Champions’ War. Nevertheless, during her life she was a heroic figure and earned her reputation as an icon of Koeling strength.

He Who Walks The Earth

A cryptic entity to be sure, He Who Walks The Earth (sometimes shortened to just He Who Walks) is notable for supposedly being the rarest form of magical being: a human possessed by a guardian. Though this has yet to be confirmed, it defies all known interactions between guardians and the physical world. Though earthbound guardians and lesser guardians have a minimal impact on the environment around them, it is well known that ascendant guardians and greater guardians can warp the very essence of reality around them when they descend to Eirmoda. In the past, to accommodate for this, guardians have tried to possess humans, but to no avail. The human body was not meant to contain such and magic, and a possessed human will typically burn up within days of being possessed. This being the case, He Who Walks The Earth is a living impossibility. Even he does not know how he came to be, or even how old he is, but he claims that his earliest memory is from around the year 3000, making him no less than four millennia old. Both his identity as a human and that as a guardian are long forgotten, both souls having melded together long ago. Cool and aloof, He Who Walks is relatively amoral, neither praising what is traditionally good, nor condemning what is traditionally bad. With no reasonable fear of death, and a lack of strong desires, He Who Walks finds himself seeking only one thing: a purpose for which to continue. In the absence of that, he would gladly accept a means of ending his existence, though no form of permanent death has yet been found.

der Waldrichter

Der Waldrichter, the Forest Judge, is the earthbound guardian of Dead-Man-Walking, a lawless and dark province of Koeleth. Most of the Blacknight Forest is contained within DMW. Der Waldrichter rarely appears, but when he does, guilty men know true fear. Like the Grim Reaper himself, he only shows up when he deems it is someone’s time to die. Unlike the River Dragonof Sorowa’s Cradle, who is characterized by compassion and selflessness, or the Thorn King of the Thorn Crown Mountain Territory, who is characterized by strength and steadfastness, der Waldrichter is characterized by judgement and punishment. He has no special hatred or love of humans, but he will tolerate wickedness for only so long. Many outlaws and villains seek refuge in the Blacknight Woods, only to find that death itself is all that awaits. There is no trial, no jury, no mercy and no forgiveness. When der Waldrichter comes for you, there is no hope. But do not think he is a hero; he protects no one, and not even the purest of souls is safe in the Blacknight Woods. He offers not salvation, but justice and vengeance.

Captain Coral Shipstealer

In a bit of exceptionally lazy naming, Coral Shipstealer’s pirate captain mother named her after the first thing she saw in the ocean and her own exploits, so “Coral” and “Shipstealer.” Such is the naming convention of pirates who are also orphans. Capt. Shipstealer was raised aboard a pirate ship and knows no other way of life. When her mother died in a battle with the Danagir Navy, Coral wrested control of her mother’s ship, the Leviathan’s Wife, from the first mate, who, quite naturally, assumed control after the previous captain’s death. Clever and skillful, few can match Coral in her mastery of seafaring. As with so many other areas of Eirmoda, the Leviathan Ocean is aptly named, as the earthbound guardian residing underneath its waters is Leviathan. Rarely does Leviathan favor humans, but after a grueling test of wills, Leviathan decided that Coral was worthy of his blessing, and gave her the Heart of Leviathan, a basket-hilted broadsword with magical properties. When not on the waves, she calls Eternal Reach, in Koeleth, her home, and seafarers the world over revere her.

Leontios Harbinger and the Master Soul Thanasis

In a far off land, Leontios Harbinger wields great power. Magic works very differently in his homeland. In an incident centuries prior, a group of human souls was cursed with great magical power that they cannot use and fated to roam the earth. The only way to rid themselves of the curse is to haunt living humans, who, in exchange, get to wield their magic. Upon the death of the haunted, the curse is lifted from the soul and passed onto the haunted, who then joins the curse’s cruel cycle. The previous cursed soul is allowed to move on. Each line of souls has different types of magic. Unfortunately for Thanasis, the current Master soul, one of the more powerful soul types, Leontios is seemingly immortal. Thanasis seems to tolerate him well enough, though. Though somewhat prone to giving in to his desires, Leontios is also very intelligent and cunning, and he demonstrates a great deal of control and restraint when he’s trying achieve his goals. He is a generally kind person, but one could not classify him as being moral.His magical power and his immortality give him the room to do whatever he wishes.

Aleida Riverbank

A hero from Koeleth’s past, Aleida Riverbank was the daughter of a Woman of the River and a Man of the Dale. This made her very versatile. As a member of the People of the River, she was an excellent Storm Rider. As a member of the Dalefolk, she was an excellent Far-seer. Both lineages allowed her a masterful understanding of the water. The Dalefolk started off as a branch of the River People, who, after settling Sorowa’s Cradle quickly went on to settle the Rainy Dales. However, after other Koelings settled in the Dales, and as the natives slowly disappeared, melding with the Koelings, the Dalefolk developed a distinct identity. Their hold over River Runners was significantly diminished, but in exchange, they developed excellent eyesight and a special bond with the Dale foxes, Scarlet Thieves, who serve as their pets and are often paired with skilled rangers known as Far-Seers. Aleida, with the help of her River Runner Nymph and her Scarlet Thief Minx, achieved legend as one of the first non-blessed members of the Vanguard. She was awarded that honor for scouting out an enemy army approaching the Dales and leading a small band of Far-Seers to drive off the superior force. They were successful, causing a great number of enemy losses while suffering none of their own through trickery, cunning and an ample knowledge of their environment.

Alright, so, very quickly. I’m still working on chapter 5. I wanted to do some different stuff with it. Stuff I think will work. Furthermore, I will eventually be releasing part 2 of the whole Lion and Dragon thing soonish, too. I just need to think about it some more. You see, Vincent is an important character, but I defined much of his backstory by certain key points and now I have to think about other aspects of his person because I’m exploring other parts of his life. But none of this is what I wanted to talk about! So, I’ve been rewriting my story in the hopes of improving it, yes? Yes! Well, I’ve noticed some things about the originals as I’ve done this, some good, some not so much. So let’s start with the good, eh? When I started out, I was so much more creative and colorful with my wording and expressions. A character didn’t just “say” something nice to someone; they “extolled” them. They didn’t just criticize someone; they “rebuked” them. In the past year and a half, I’ve gotten away from that, and I’d like to get back to it. I like the color and pizzazz of the old style. I was also much more eager to make every word the perfect word for the situation. Not as much so now. Perhaps I could do for a little more of that. I’d also like to get back into “showing” the world more than explaining it. I get very Tolkienesque sometimes, and I just describe the picture rather than demonstrating it. This would be great, if I had the ability to paint the world with words like Tolkien painted Middle Earth. I do not. Now, for the bad. I am a new author. I had only been writing for a couple years before Verbal Realms came about, in college notebooks and stray scraps of paper, and only recreationally, so I wasn’t terribly concerned with the quality of the work. I hadn’t finished more than two chapters of a story, let alone written a book ready to be shared with the real world. Because of that, when I wrote my first chapter of Koeleth, it was a rough, ugly thing. The old chapters don’t flow as well as my newer ones. They’re choppy, hard to chew through, rough around the edges. Lots of little things that could be improved to make them much better. That might not always happen, as you saw with chapter 4, but I’ll be trying. So those are my thoughts, vague and nebulous though they be. With any luck, I can find a happy new medium between my new style and my old. But alas, it will take time. In the meantime, the list of ideas and concepts I’ve formed around Koeleth has grown, and I have big plans. I hope to get away from Tom and Aaron in some of my other stories (worry not, Tom and Aaron are still central to the Chronicles series). Now, I wanted to do something more in the way of bonus content, but I’ve not had much chance, so I whipped up a quick list of Tom’s best weapons, not including the Hardened Tear, the Heartfelt Tear, the River Dragon or any other blades made specifically for him.

Tom’s Favorite Weapons

1. Oathkeeper, Royal Oathkeeper

The Oathkeeper is a stone longsword, most likely cut from quartz or a similar material. It is slightly heavier than metal swords, an attribute that appeals to Tom, but it is just as deadly, if not more so. Sturdy, strong and sharp, it easily cleaves through shields and armor. Though dating back to a time before the formation of modern Koeleth, Tom’s Oathkeeper was well-preserved and worthy of the battlefield. The Royal Oathkeeper is much the same, though generally superior to its fellow Oathkeepers. Once the pearly white symbol of the lord of Earthgift, it now serves as the trusted companion of Mercy’s Mercenary.

Associated Styles: Koeleth Dueling

2. Night and Day

The Night and Day are a pair of Danigiri-style falchions forged by a godsteel smith. The weapons earned their name due to a peculiar trait that is not shared with other godsteel weapons: they are different colors. The majority of godsteel weapons have a curious black luster to them, which is how most people identify them. The Night, however, has a raven color to it, whereas the Day has an opalescent color. The secret behind their peculiar hues is unknown. The perfect balance and razor-sharp edges of the twin blades make them potent tools in Tom’s hands.

Associated Styles: Danagiri Dueling

3. Aegis of the Giant

The Aegis of the Giant is a godsteel shield that houses four godsteel daggers of varying length and style within it. The already weighty shield is made even more heavy by the presence of the daggers, and therefore it is rarely paired with other weapons. Tom forgoes typical shield and sword combat for a purely shield focused style. Thus, the Aegis serves as both weapon and armor. Because Tom is left-handed, he typically uses his right hand for shields instead of his left, but for the sake of the Aegis, he always uses his left hand.

Associated Styles: Unique

4. Earthstar

The Earthstar is a hand-and-a-half cut from a large chunk of diamond. Prized by treasure hunters, warriors and nobles alike, the Earthstar is a masterpiece in every regard. Tom acquires it quite by accident, but uses it to devastating effect. Tom pairs it with another longsword, the Dreamphase, and sweeps the competition away.

Associated Styles: Koeleth Dual Wielding

5. Dreamphase

The Dreamphase is a hand-and-a-half forged from in the Damygli style. What makes it stand out from other Damygli blades is its exceptionally chromatic blade. Its beauty hardly detracts from its deadliness, however, and its light weight is a perfect compliment to its heavier counterpart, the Earthstar.

Associated Styles: Koeleth Dual Wielding

Sorry, guys. I just couldn’t leave it alone. I had to give you something. I was compelled to. So here is a thing.

A Blacksmith’s Adventures with Weapons of Legend: Azure Lilly, Sword of the River Tears, Pt. 1

“So,” Catalina began, breaking the awkward silence, “your family’s been blacksmiths for generations now, yeah? Have any of them ever produced a legendary weapon?”

“Yeah, we’ve been smiths since the Ekoalem first settled into Sorowa’s Cradle, and even before that,” Tom answered. “We earned the name ‘Riversedge’ centuries ago. But as far as legendary weapons go? Not that I know of. I mean, not any that the kingdom has any legends about. We’ve produced some impressive blades in our time, but few of them have even earned a name.”

Continue reading Don’t Get Your Hopes Up; This Isn’t A New Chapter

So here’s the deal. I’ve been trudging through chapter 5 and 6 both in an attempt to at least sort of catch up. I know I haven’t done much in the way of official story stuff, and I intend to remedy that. Hopefully, I will exceed expectations (because expectations probably aren’t very high at this point). Due to my commitment to catching up, this update will have no bonus content attached. Sorry. But I am not done writing!

So, this isn’t a status update, nor is it a cheap, lazy filler post. It’s kind of legit. Not a story chapter yet. Its status as canon is still up for debate, but it’s basically an extended version of a segment of a future chapter that’s been floating around in my head. Enjoy.

UPDATE: Silly me. Took me fourteen hours to realize I forgot a part of the chapter. Hopefully you’re reading this post-update.

A Conversation Most Grave: The Lion of Valor and the River Dragon, Part 1

Vincent sat down across from Tom, noting an air of gravitas despite the man’s youth. Vincent had agreed to meet with the warrior after he was released from the drudgery of the Vanguard’s meeting.

“So, you came,” Tom said, a tad bit surprised.

Continue reading Extra Mini-Chapter: Lion and Dragon

So, it struck me last night that I hadn’t posted a chapter in quite some time. This was not intentional, mind you. I finished Chapter 4, and checked out for a month, I guess. I had planned for only half a week of vacation, but hey, I got a month. I can’t even assure you guys that I’ll have a chapter out soon, because I haven’t even worked on Chapter 5. I don’t know where I’ve been for the past month, but I’ve clearly not been here. Sincerely sorry about that. No excuses. Anyways, hopefully I can assuage your disappointment with a character profile! (stealthily sneaks out the back door while the audience is distracted)

Aaron Mark Deepscar (The River’s Tale)

Description:

The bastard son of an elven slave and a man of many questionable talents, Aaron Deepscar is a young rogue who lives life in a careless, lackadaisical manner. A matchless thief and savvy seducer, Aaron seeks the one thing he cannot seem to attain: joy. His apathetic approach to the world is a result of a childhood that left him jaded and cynical. He finds unexpected adventure in a benevolent warrior, a dauntless pursuer, and a curious cast of equally strange characters.

Continue reading Look! It’s A Bird! It’s A Plane! No! It’s An Apology!