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DAWNBREAKERS // The Story So Far

Let’s be real. As of the end of January, 2020, there are 291 videos in the Complete Dawnbreakers’ Saga playlist. Which, honestly, when I started out back in 2017, I didn’t think I’d get this far. The last time I did a recap was back on video 180, which was at the end of the collective “Chapter 03.” It’s been a while.

In that light, I figured I’d start doing monthly recap posts so that you (and I, honestly) can reference where we’ve been. I realized it takes like four weeks to see some characters again and in the between time, it’s pretty easy to lose the plot. SO! Since this is the first post, I’m going to start from the last recap episode and give a brief rundown of notable events, with video links. Skip to the end if you want to see just the January recap!

WARNING! There may be spoilers ahead. (Though I’ll try to keep the specifics as vague as possible.)

CHAPTER 04 (Intonation, Honorless, Vagrant, Unblooded – Entries 12-20 of Executioner)

After retrieving missing tomes from various places around Skyrim (one of which being a giant’s camp) Arden confronts Ancano about their shared past, tracks down the Augur of Dunlain, and fights his way through the ruins of Mzulft. When he emerges and returns to Winterhold, he finds Ancano trying to unlock the power of the Eye of Magnus. After dealing with the anomalies let loose by Ancano’s tampering, he leaves for Labyrinthian to track down the Staff of Magnus, held by the Dragon Priest Morokei, only to be intercepted by a Thalmor Agent, sent by Ancano to kill him. That agent was carrying a copy of Arden’s Thalmor Dossier, which brought to light things which Arden wasn’t prepared to know. When he finally returns with the Staff of Magnus, he finds the College being held captive, and has to kill the man he used to love.

Zaytest finds one of Ingrath’s old friends waiting for her at the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, and subsequently has a chat with him about it. Afterward, she and Inigo take out the bandits at Raldbthar and on the way back to Riften, Inigo starts to have headaches and mysterious visions. After checking back in with the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood, the khajiits get waylaid by a pack of werewolves. Thankfully, the Dragonborn was coming south (and getting lost) along the same road, and managed to get to them before Zaytest bled out. Once healed up, the team continued to Solitude, where Zaytest found Brynjolf’s contact Gulum-ei and proceeded to track him down and corner him. After pulling off a very lucky assassination, she and Inigo track down the source of his headaches, get sent on a wild egg hunt, and learn about the Doom Strider. After learning more about his weirdness, she and Inigo talk about their shared past, and she formally forgives him for shooting her. They encounter all kinds of friction on the rocky road to Riften, and even more when they arrive. Zaytest leaves Inigo behind, and follows Mercer Frey into a trap… for her.

Kinua continues to have visions, one of which sends her on a pilgrimage to shrines around Skyrim. Once she finds the first, she travels into the Reach in search of the second, begins to hear flashbacks of battles, and meets a ghost that calls her “Hjalti.” After returning his sword, she heads back south, and takes out a pack of werewolves on the way. After saving a khajiit’s life, she has another talk with her brother, she continues on her mission, tracking down another shrine at Faldar’s Tooth, only to find an injured vampire as well. She finds the fourth shrine on a sunken ship and nearly freezes to death trying to get to it. In her near-death state she has more visions, ending in her finding the last shrine – the shrine of Pelinal Whitestrake. Whilst trying to figure them out, she finds that the people of Dawnstar are also having strange, dream-related things happen, and decides to help. However, the Torpor of Vaermina ends up having some odd effects on the Dragonborn, showing her not just the past, but the present as well.

Meanwhile in Falskaar, Jarnvida arrives in Amber Creek, not entirely sure what to make of the whole situation. She investigates Bailun Priory and saves some captives at the docks, then heads north to Mammoth Keep after clearing out the Borvald Armory. After reporting her findings, she meets the Brothers Hjorgunnar, as well as the Jarl of Staalgarde. Things do not go as planned when she reports to Borvald to warn Jarl Valfred, and on her way to Kalrun Monastery she has her first unfortunate night with the beast blood. After recovering the key from the monastery, she and the others convene to discuss their next move. Jarnvida fights her way through Vizemundsted, and finally dons Skjor’s old armor when she returns to find a nasty surprise at Amber Creek. She and the others rescue Angar’s wife and children from Fort Urokk, only to be waylaid outside the gates by Yngvarr and his men. Having thoroughly had enough of Yngvarr’s bull, Jarnvida helps clear the path, and the Battle of Staalgarde commences.

Along the way, Ingrath gets sent after a problematic mage and Endarie the mercer. Determined to get to the bottom of Mephala’s taunting, he returns to the old Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary in Bruma to speak with her. Once confirming that he isn’t insane, Ingrath infiltrates the Falkreath Sanctuary to speak with an old friend, and winds up finding a Dawngard patrol on his way back to Redwater Den. After having his wounds tended by a very nervous Dragonborn, he reports back to Dominique, who gives him a very uncomfortable contract… one that he eventually completes, his way. On the way out of Riften, however, Dominique comes to him with news about Zaytest – and they dash out to save her, together.

DAWNBREAKERS (All stories continue together.)

Entries 1-9 – Following the aftermath of Snow Veil Sanctum, Ingrath recruits Kinua to help heal Zaytest from Karliah’s poison, and the two of them get to know each other better. Once Zaytest wakes up, she and Ingrath catch up, and the two of them talk with the Archmage about Gallus’s old journal. While Zaytest speaks to Karliah and Enthir, Arden and Ingrath have an accidental heart-to-heart, and agree to team up in search of an ancient vampire artifact. Said artifact ends up being woman named Serana, who they escort back to her home. Meanwhile, Jarnvida returns to Skyrim and has another strange night, before taking the fight to the Silver Hand, despite a few horse issues along the way. In Solitude, Kinua reaches the end of her pilgrimage, and begins to question her sanity, while Arden questions his decisions.

Entries 10-17 – Kodlak sends Jarnvida out for Glenmoril Witch heads, Kinua has more visions and does perhaps the worst job of infiltrating the Thalmor Embassy, and Ingrath assassinates Vittoria Vicci and has a bit of a panic attack on his way out. Zaytest has a nightmare about Mercer stabbing her, hears about the assassination, and confronts the Thieves’ Guild. Meanwhile, Arden meets the mysterious Dominique Gold, then heads to Dawnstar, where Ingrath finds the not-quite-abandoned Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. On his way back east, Ingrath gets wind of a fight between the Silver Hand and the Companions, and joins Jarnvida to help take them out.

JANUARY RECAP

Entry 18 – In Riften, Kinua and Zaytest team up to explore the Ratway Warrens and track down the elusive Esbern. He and Kinua discuss the coming of Alduin, and what it means for her to be Dragonborn. Kinua bids Zaytest farewell, and two sneaky khajiit do their own infiltration, this time of Mercer Frey’s manor.

Entry 19 – While waiting for Ingrath in Dragon Bridge, Arden receives a letter from Loptir, an old friend of his from the College of Whispers. Ingrath hears a strange voice, and asks Arden about it when he arrives. The two of them and Serana head out to track down a moth priest, and hear the first part of the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy, before realizing they’ll need two more Elder Scrolls for the rest. They agree to split up, and Arden heads for Winterhold.

Entry 20 – Ingrath and Serana dig through the old, skeleton-infested back entrance to Castle Volkihar in search for Valerica and her Elder Scroll. They end up talking about family, childhoods, and necromancy, and Ingrath remembers a few snippets of conversation with his mother, and his old family in the Brotherhood.

Entry 21 – Jarnvida and Vilkas return for Kodlak’s funeral, and the old Skaal pays her respects to the old man. The Circle convenes to figure out their next move, and Eorland reforges Wuuthrad, in order to unlock Ysgrammor’s tomb. On her way to do just that, Jarnvida considers her legacy, her family, and what it means to her to have – and have a potential cure for – the Beast Blood.

That was a long one! I promise the next one won’t be nearly as bad, since it’ll be just the monthly recap, rather than the whole Story So Far. I will link back to this page in the future as reference, however.

Join us next month to watch Kinua bring the thunder to a Forsworn camp, Zaytest doing sneakier things than usual, Arden having a chat with a madman, and Ingrath trying to navigate the sheer, crushing despair of the Soul Cairn.

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Slowly but Surely (Don’t Call Me Shirley)

Howdy, folks!

Been a while – again – but this time it was primarily because my day job is in retail and 2019 was the first holiday season I’ve had to deal with in a Big Store rather than a little one. Boy howdy did it ever beat my stamina to a pulp and leave it for undead. All kinds of things fell by the wayside – art, writing, social media presence, heck even Dawnbreakers had to go on hiatus for about a month. The plus side is that in trying to get my feet back under me I’ve been able to suss out some things that I Really Want To Do, some things that I Really Don’t, and a few test-strategies to get things going and/or situated.

CoSine 2020 was an awesome time, and I learned a lot there that I didn’t know but should have. You’d think someone whose dad has a doctorate in social media would know how it actually works but Nope! So I’m adjusting due to new information and fresh motivation: This year I was actually on panels for the first time ever and it was so much fun! I stepped out from behind my dad’s shadow a little bit, so now I’m not as scared about sticking a flag down on the internet. It wasn’t even something I was really aware of, but now that I am, I can deal with it.

Plans:

With any luck I’ll be doing a “Story So Far” recap for the Dawnbreakers’ Saga at the end of the month, and from there out do shorter “what happened this month” recaps. I plan for mid-month “what am I working on that isn’t Skyrim” updates so that we’re all on the same page, and both of those will be cross-posted to my new Facebook Group! (Which is one of the things I learned at CoSine – I had a Page but they don’t work they way I think they do.) And hey! Since it’s slightly after the middle of the month…

What Am I Doing?

Barbarian, Book One: Hostage – Cowriting this one. I’m in charge of the steppe nomads, and the other writer has been waiting on my half of the story since the middle of November. I’m at 41k for word count on the first draft and my “protagonist” is fighting me. (He’s not exactly a Good Person.) With any luck I’ll have the first draft done before the end of the month.

All’s Well in Asgard – First draft done! My plan was to sit on it and let the words fade while I work on Hostage, and then do a first pass while it was with my cowriter’s editor. Obviously that has taken a lot longer than I expected, so the Gray Horse crew will just have to be patient. (Loki is getting antsy, I can feel it.)

The Raven-Friend’s Saga – Gate Strider got stuck while I finished All’s Well, and Blackbird is in a similar situation. They’re still on the list, and I suspect I’ll pick Gate Strider back up when I’m done with Hostage. It’ll be a long while before we get back to Esper’s story but we will get there eventually. At a stretch, I think I’ll end up alternating Esper’s books with other things, depending on how said other things go. No promises.

Paperbacks – I’ve currently got a proof copy of Redgate: Old World waiting to be covered in red ink. (I kid, mostly.) I’m going to paper those ones before the Tales from Liserna, because they need significant work, and if I remember correctly, the Redgate Chronicles are pretty clean. I can even keep the covers!

So there’s an example of what’s on the way in the future. My next step is to set up an e-mail list (like, a real one this time) and actually finish my half of Hostage so that we can whip that one into shape. I may also see about getting my genre looked at – I met a guy at CoSine who was doing really well promoting his books as YA despite being a little more mature. I know the guy who pushed him in that direction, and that may be worthwhile for at very least the Redgate Chronicles and All’s Well in Asgard, should I ever get that one out. Just thinking out loud here.

Alright, shocker, I made a long-winded post. See ya’ll next time!

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Under Construction (‘Tis the Season)

So! I’ve been pretty much radio silent over here since… *checks watch* 2017? I believe I bounced after some technical difficulties that have since been resolved. I was also trying to use a website as a blog, which is an issue because A) I’m not real great at blogs and B) I didn’t adequately understand the function of EITHER a blog or a website well enough to use either of them properly. This is changing.

This is also the second thing that comes up when you google “Ej Lowell” so I figure I should probably give it a facelift. I’ve been over on the other website (talesofejlowell.wordpress.com) but have been just about as prolific there as I have been here. (Which is to say… not very.)

It’s also construction season in Colorado. Might as well dig up the road around here, too. Anyone have spare traffic cones?

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Unlimited!

Hello, my friends!

I’m typing this in the middle of a rather severe thunderstorm but I’m very pleased to announce that all of my books are now available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited! The Tales from Liserna trilogy has been updated, finally, which means all of the dialogue tags and bugs have been fixed (the ones I had knowledge of anyway) and I can get on to other things.  Namely, finishing the second Redgate book.

I’ll let you all know when next I have stuff.  Slowly whittling down the pile of projects. Slowly.

See you when I see you,
-Ej

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Slow Updates and Anniversaries

Hello my friends, long time no talk.

Seeing as my last update was in December and I haven’t spoken since I figured I should probably fill you all in on what my wee brain has been up to. Namely, too many things. So many things.

First of all I’m happy to announce that I’m in the process of scanning through the Tales of Esper Ravenwood and the Tales of Liserna, fixing typos and dialogue tags, and adjusting some personal and plot bugs that make me wince every time I think about them (like the end of Lightbringer). The Tales of Esper Ravenwood (Revenant, Scourgemarked, and Lightbringer) are all complete and have been updated in the Amazon Kindle store, as well as had a bit of a price drop. They and the first Redgate Chronicles book are also enrolled in Kindle Unlimited now, so you don’t have to pay for them in order to read them, if you’re a member. The Tales from Liserna (Runesong, Heartnet, and Winterdream) are still in progress but are next on the list. I’m also thinking about revamping the covers, but that’s on the back-burner.

Current projects in the works include finishing up the second Redgate book, New World, as well as a third(and maybe fourth) in planning, tentatively titled Other World. Esper Ravenwood is also bugging me about the tales from his “youth,” including how he met Veraggo, the beautiful Efreet fire dancer, and the rest of the band of bards he used to call family. His prequel series has a working title so far of The Adventures of Esper Ravenwood, or possibly The Bard Chronicles, I haven’t decided yet. Legion might be getting a prequel as well, currently titled “Gatewalker,” but I do believe that title is taken, so it will likely change. “A Long, Cold Road,” featuring Tiberius Winters and a shade named Erron Rook, is in a weird writing/planning limbo at the moment, while I try to figure out what goes where, and more importantly who. Blood of Hyperion is currently cryogenically frozen because the plot got so tangled that I might need a minor miracle in order to pick it up again. Last but not least, The Mythology of Omnia is a project that currently consists of a bunch of ideas for vignettes and short stores, Prose Edda style, about the First Gods, the Old Gods, and pantheonic shenanigans. My plan is to write the little vignettes in between doing other things, since they’ll all be in the same book, hopefully. I have dreams of short story collections, but short stories are very hard to write.

I’ve got a bunch of art projects going on behind the scenes, mostly for other people, but I did finally figure out what I wanted to do with the conglomeration of stories formerly known as both Charge and All’s Well in Asgard. I’ve never been good at sequential art, but I’ve decided to try vignette comics. We’ll see. I’ve got two pages done out of the first seven, so far.

It’s also April. This time last year – in a few days anyway – my best friend was in an auto accident and didn’t make it. First anniversaries are tricky at best. I’m dealing by way of having a list of projects the size of Mt. Evans. Obviously. Don’t worry, I have priorities. Just wanted to mention this as an explanation, if I’m a little bit more quiet than usual around the various tubes in the next few weeks.

See you when I see you, my friends.

ps. It apparently took me the better part of four years to figure out that having an undead main character definitely constitutes Dark Fantasy. WHOOPS.

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A Big Project Win and NaNoWriMo Fail

Hello friends!

So I tried to do NaNoWriMo this year… and I got a bit distracted. I live in the United States, I’m not sure anyone can blame me if I’ve been a smidge preoccupied. With all that and the fact that I haven’t really written anything in about a year – I was going to back in April but due to an unexpected death of a close friend, it didn’t exactly happen – Marcus, Evaline, and Kisuke might have to wait a bit for their second book to actually get going.

However. Whilst in the middle of trying to do anything related to the Redgate Chronicles, I picked up a project I started back in February, which might seem a little unorthodox. I didn’t really want to say anything about it here in case it ended up being nothing but a pipe dream, but sometime in late November I started the project back up after a several month break (April was rough) and managed to bull my way through it in the space of a couple weeks. That’s the power of a Taurus, my friends.

What is this mystery project? The Five Realms Oracle. The art from which I’ve been posting on my author page over on Facebook since I started. Spoilers are kept to a minimum, I promise. Unless you’re really good at symbolism and theory crafting.

Why am I making an Oracle deck and not, say, a Tarot deck? I certainly have enough characters to do so, between all of the stories. I actually did try to create a Tarot deck once, but the characters and stories changed so much by the time I was done with just the major arcana that I couldn’t continue it. A full 78-card deck is also a massive undertaking, and one I didn’t really think I was ready for after completing the major arcana.

The Five Realms Oracle is a 40 card deck – which might change after I’ve gotten a chance to look at the proof copy, we’ll see – featuring 34 diverse characters from the Five Realms as well as five landscapes (one for each Realm) and a Wyrd card. The deck uses my own hand-made font, Ratatosk, and also pictures 33 runes from the Elder Futhark and Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. I plan to create a full guidebook for the deck at some point, and be able to sell the cards and the book as a set. There are a lot of steps involved in that process though, and I anticipate the cards won’t be out until sometime late next year.

This project has been and will probably continue to be a massive undertaking, for me at least. I find it an excellent way to pay homage to my universe and my characters, in a way that might help guide someone else through their life, or even just have around as a curiosity. It’s something I can hold and work with, which is important to me. At some point I might end up revisiting my previous attempt at a Tarot deck, but that will likely take more than a year to complete.

Have a good one, my friends!
φ

02-bard

 

 

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NaNoWriMo 2016

Heyo!

It’s that time again. Time to settle down with a good book and a warm coffee. Of course, I’ll be writing said hopefully-good book. It’s November! Which means it’s National Novel Writing Month, and this year once again I’ll be diving into the Redgate Chronicles with the second book in the series, New World. Marcus, Evaline, and Kisuke were such an awesome group to work with last year, so I’m excited to continue their story.

A quick project update: The Tales of Esper Ravenwood audiobooks are in production (by me, as usual) and will be up on YouTube eventually. Probably not this month. I’ll make an announcement for it when it happens, and I plan to release two chapters a week when I start releasing them. The audio versions of my books have been edited, and I think the story is, frankly, better. Which means I’ll also be creating revised-edition versions of the Kindle books at some point. The Lazarus Anthology and Blood of Hyperion are on the back burner at the moment, and at some point I’d like to visit Esper’s younger years in a series of prequels, tentatively titled the Adventures of Esper Ravenwood. That’s a long-term idea, though, and I won’t know until I get there. Other far-distant projects include a sci-fi universe in the works, slowly developing with the inspiration of my friend and romantic-fantasy writer, Sarahbeth Lazic, and the story formerly known by various names, such as Charge and All’s Well in Asgard. For some reason it isn’t working as a story, which means I need to sit down and have a chat with it at some point. But not this month.

This month I’m breaking out the old Redgate playlist on YouTube and settling in to see what mischief this band of reprobates get up to. To my fellow WriMo’s, as usual, may the words be ever in your favor, and good luck!

redgatenw-cover

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Aside: Character-Driven Workouts

Okay, hear me out. This one’s for writers who struggle to exercise.

Also this is especially fun for people who play D&D, Pathfinder, or whatever-have-you. Like moi.

You know that t-shirt that says, “I’m working out so I can do some of the things my D&D character can?” Well, the way I see it, doing – or attempting to do – some of the things your characters can do is a great way to learn about your character and get into their head, while getting exercise. And it’s kinda fun, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Think about it. How often have you played, say, Assassin’s Creed and wished you could do parkour? And if you can… props to you. All the props. All for you.

Now I’m not saying you have to go out and buy a sword or something to swing around, or go leaping around trying to do flying kicks or weird, super-human abilities. That’s a great way to hurt yourself. Or you wallet. However, picking out an action that your character does that might seem trivial to them, and trying to do it yourself, can and probably will help you write that character better. And it might just put some muscle on those bones. (points at self; I am twig)

For example: many fighters, soldiers, warriors, and mercenaries (so, many main characters) in fantasy stories wield swords. What do you think their training looks like? What would they do every day to keep their skills honed? You don’t have to have a sword to do this. For some, it might make sense to go outside, find a decent sized branch on the ground, and start swinging it around. For others, try one-handing a five or eight pound dumb-bell (or heavier, if you’re much stronger than I am). It’s a little heavier than an actual sword would be, but I feel like the extra weight compensates for the fact that the center of balance isn’t farther away from your hand. Once you have your weapon of choice, imagine you are that character, and start walking yourself through the motions. How would they slash? How would they parry? It might be a little weird at first, but if you think of it as warrior training, it might be a little less tedious. Especially if you’ve been sitting down and typing all day.

Archery types who don’t own bows – either because of money or lack of aim, or fear you might break something with it – can invest in a resistance band, which can be pulled up and let down as though you’re drawing back a bowstring. Since there aren’t any projectiles involved you don’t have to worry about breaking anything. Or anyone. The closer you hold the band, or even by doubling it over on itself, the more resistance is provided, and the heavier the “bow’s” draw will be.

Of course if you’re like me and you have characters that tend to walk everywhere because they don’t actually own horses, they do something every day that you might be able to do as well. Walking. It doesn’t have to be a long walk or a strenuous one, just some time spent on your feet every once in a while can help a lot of issues.

If you don’t feel comfortable walking, play a monk or mage, or feel awkward leaving your chair, I recommend Tai Chi and/or Qigong. Most techniques can be done seated, with a little creativity. The key is integrating all parts of the body, just to get them moving.

My current exercise routine varies from day to day as I feel the need to change, but I do stuff based on many of my characters, from books or otherwise. I practice Marcus’s ranseur techniques with an oak walking stick, I practice Eirnin’s archery with a resistance band. I have a ten pound dumb-bell that I can swing two-handed as though I’m using an axe, rather than a sword. For two of my tabletop RPG characters – Sadiq, a monk, and Hyena, a brawler, – I practice both Tai Chi and Kenpo, which is something I have prior experience with. Esper is a special case, since I do actual own a (not sharp) saber, and can work out his style with it, as well as Aelius’s to some extent. And, like all of my characters, I don’t own a horse (or a car), which means I walk everywhere. Thankfully, I live in a smallish town and built up excellent endurance via high school marching band. And no, I never do all of those on the same day. I would be exhausted and probably risk injury. My knee already gives me enough crap from the walking alone!

I would like to emphasize that you should never do any fitness program or exercise that makes you feel uncomfortable, or that you’ve been told by a professional that you shouldn’t do. If you pick up a big ol’ rock to heft around because your character carries people or things out of danger for a living, but you find that you’re straining, put it down and walk away. The goal is to have fun, get a break from the keyboard, and not hurt yourself. Please don’t hurt yourself. Be careful.

– Ej

ps. If you want to try this but lack inspiration, look up, “[Your favorite character here] Workout.” I know there’s one on the Witcher out there somewhere, which partially inspired me to start doing this.

pps. Again, check yourself before you wreck yourself. Listen to your body. If it hurts, stahp. Especially if you aren’t used to doing crazy business like flailing around with a weight in your hand. Do what you can, don’t feel bad if you can’t do as much as someone else, and celebrate that you did a thing in the first place.

Bonus fun fact! This is how I taught myself to draw! Getting up and acting out what the character on the page is supposed to be doing so I knew how it looked in 3D. I still do it sometimes. I have applied it to writing as well. A few combat scenes in the Tales of Esper Ravenwood trilogy involve actions that I stood up and acted out so I could figure out how to write them. See? Told you it was useful.

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Character Tip: The Well of Nope

You ever have characters that, no matter what you do, you can’t seem to find a decent conflict for them? Maybe they’re a major support that needs a subplot, maybe it’s a main character who wants nothing to do with the story being told, or maybe it’s a character that should have a bigger role in the story but nothing is working.

Enter, the Well of Nope. Also known as the giant list of things that your character never wants to do, be, or witness.

There’s a phrase that I keep in my head when I’m writing, especially when I’m planning a story: “Never name the well from which you will not drink.” Not only useful to remember for character development, but decent life advice as well. Never say never, as in, never say you’ll never do something. This can have unintended side effects. For instance, when I was in school I constantly told myself that I’d never be an author because I don’t tell good stories. Esper and the rest of the Five Realms happened. I also told myself I’d never be a good multiplayer gamer, because lots of information overwhelms me. Overwatch happened.

So, what would your characters “never?” This question actually goes deeper than one might think. As an example: a young man never wants to become like his father. Which begs two questions: What about the father does he hate, and what is the father actually like? Answering those not only gives insight into the boy’s psychology, but also provides a direction and potential for growth. Let’s say the boy dislikes his father because he ignores his son. That would, of course, be from the young man’s perspective and not the objective truth. The flip side to that is that the father is a hard worker and wants desperately for his son to have a better life than he did, so he throws himself into his work.

That would mean a potential path of growth for the young man might go something like this: The son has grown up and made a name for himself, but now he has a young apprentice. He keeps working, but when he realizes that he’s ignoring said apprentice, he faces one of his “never’s” from the Well of Nope. From there he can confront that issue while maintaining his hard work, eventually becoming very much like his father, but not just the negatives. The end point might be that once he’s made peace with the fact that he is his father’s son, he realizes he is better able to manage both his work and his apprentice. He ends up knowing when to work and when not to ignore, and resolves whatever conflict stemmed from the neglected apprentice.

Marcus, from The Redgate Chronicles, also has an example, and one that illustrates how the Well of Nope can also be used as a massive catalyst. Because of his appearance, he believes he’ll never find love. When that belief is proven false, it gives him both hope and an exploitable weakness. It leads to him both screwing up in the worst possible way, but also to him trying again. The massive screw up? Changes the world forever, and leads him toward encountering and subsequently dealing with even more of his never’s.

While single never’s can have far reaching consequences, there are usually multiple answers to this question. Esper has a long list of never’s that he confronts throughout his story. All of them are double-edged swords, bringing both complications and boons. See how many answers you can find to that question, and pull them apart to see how the result would affect the character, both negatively and positively. How many of those can you weave into the plot? How many would change its course entirely?

From which wells would your character never drink? 

Think about it.
– E.J. Lowell

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The Five Realms – Senabyss

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The surface of Mars as seen by the Curiosity rover; my inspiration for the deserts of Senabyss. (via Reddit)

Synopsis

Often called the Dark Realms or the Demon Realms, Senabyss is, by most accounts, a desolate place, full of creatures that don’t belong anywhere else. Unlike Liserna and Oberun, Arcturus and Senabyss aren’t so much harmonic opposites as they are harmonic equals. Beings from either realm can exist in the other, but it takes a great deal of energy and willpower to get from one place to the other. As could be guess by the common names for this Realm, the denizens are collectively called Demons. Two languages are spoken by the Demons, depending on the class they fall into: Infernal, which is the more common tongue, and Abyssal, which is spoken mostly by the Archdemon’s court.

Lands

The main Realm of Senabyss is ever-changing, with tempestuous seas and raging storms stirred by the high levels of volcanism, and massive tidal shifts. The earth is iron-rich and gives the ground a reddish tinge no matter where one looks, but which is especial evident in the vast stretches of desert in the rain-shadows of almost perpetually smoking mountain ranges. Anything living in this Realm is hardy, adaptable, and generally shares a chaotic attitude that mimics the natural order of the plane. The Demons manage to live in a tenuous symbiosis with their surroundings, but most established cultures are focused only on one thing: survival.

However, the main Realm is only one part of the Dark Realms. In the skies of Senabyss, an even more desolate sight can be seen: the remains of a once-glorious domain, a world broken to its core, trailing pieces of itself across the cosmos. It is the pull from this dead world that influences the tides of Senabyss, and many legends exist about it. The Shattered Realm, the Darkest Realm, is rarely discussed, save for being invoked as a manner of speaking. To all conventional knowledge, nothing lives there, and if there are still remnants from the Realm’s former living days… everyone hopes they don’t exist.

Countries

There aren’t so much established countries or kingdoms on Senabyss as there are tribes and clans, sometimes bands with no more organization than an average family group. Most Demons see any kind of order as unnecessary, since it will likely not survive in the harsh environment, anyway. That’s not to say that the people of the Dark Realms are barbaric, in fact they resort to trade more often than bloodshed, much to the surprise of foreigners.

The exception to the rule is the Archdemon’s Court. In one seemingly static, calm place in Senabyss’s otherwise difficult landscape, one Demon rules over a collection of underlings, officers, Knights, and Lords, usually with an iron fist. The first was Tharenor, who created the Realm in the beginning, and after he stepped down, Asmodeus took up the mantle. There have, of course, been various uprisings against whichever Lord of Chaos sits upon the throne, almost all of which ended in the challengers swearing fealty to the Archdemon. However, in recent history, there has been at least one successful revolution, by a Far-born with unusual talent.

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Archdemon Asmodeus, a Firbolg and trickster extraordinaire.

People

The native races of Senabyss are a chaotic, eclectic lot, changed and shaped by the power of the Realm on which they live. They are the most likely to venture out into other worlds, most usually Omnia, simply because they can withstand whatever the relatively peaceful environments can throw at them. Most pure-born Demons are fire resistant, and can withstand intense heat, cold, and toxic conditions. However, nobody knows how long the natural lifespan of a Demon is. For all of their adaptations, most die either from accidents, environmental catastrophes, and each other. The most common types of Demons include Firbolg, Fomorians, Imps, Gargoyles, and Far-born.

  • The Firbolg are what most think of when they are asked to imagine a Demon. They are also the most Human looking, and stand around 6 and a half feet tall on average. They possess a wide variety of traits that set them apart, the most common being horns, tails, and scales. Some Firbolg bloodlines also grow wings, or have other abnormalities like several pairs of horns or multiple tails. For as long as Senabyss has existed, the ruler has been a Firbolg, or a Far-born, and as such the Firbolg are the most likely to speak Abyssal.
  • Fomorians are large, ox-like humanoids, standing well over 7 feet tall and built to take heavy damage. They have wide jaws and tusk-like fangs, and usually sport at least two pairs of large horns. They usually speak Infernal, because it’s an easier language for them to physically produce, but some have learned Abyssal to be able to conduct business with the Firbolg.
  • Imps are gaunt, devious, and the smallest of the Demon races. They stand 4 to 5 feet tall, and have long arms that end in claws. They hunt in packs, teaming up in scores to take down prey or enemies. They aren’t the smartest of all races, and tend to swarm rather than have any manner of tactics. Imps are often employed as mass foot soldiers in Senabyssian armies, sometimes to devastating effect.
  • Gargoyles are massive, lumbering brutes that tower over the other Demon races, even without standing up straight. They, like the Imps, have very long arms, but the Gargoyles’ are thick, built more like tree trunks than useful appendages. They walk around on their knuckles, hunched over, and don’t speak much of any language. However, they are intelligent, possibly even more so than the Imps, and know how to use their massive presence to their own advantage. The Gargoyles are on good terms with both the Firbolg and the Fomorians, and are actually the most peaceful race, relatively speaking.
  • One of the main ways Demons multiply isn’t by actual reproduction, but by contamination. The Far-born are members of races from other Realms, who have become become so affected by Demonic corruption that they begin to resemble one, themselves. They mostly come from Omnia, since Humans are the most easily affected by any manner of magical change, and while some choose to live out their lives on their home plane, many do flee to Senabyss. Those who master their Demon blood are often looked on with respect by the Firbolg and the Fomorians, and there have even been Far-born Archdemons in recent history.

I hope you all enjoyed this overview of the Dark Realms, and the people who inhabit it. Next week, I have to backtrack a little bit, because there’s a race in Oberun that I missed. Good job, self! Hope to see you then.

– E.J.