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The Gifted Wars – 32 Years of Bitter Feuds (Part VIII)

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All across Caelon, regional governors who headed settlements in all of the reclaimed ancient cities began seceding against Torian rule. The Torian council, in desperation, in the year 68 A4, ordered the return of General Tonsior, perhaps the most well-known and highest feared master of the Gifts. Until that time, General Tonsior and the Great Torian Army had been assigned to quell the threats in the South, in the land now commonly known as the Southern Tribelands. The return of the general and his army would not only usher in the bloodiest major conflict of man-on-man warfare in the Age of Kings, it would also unexpectedly result in the eventual conquering of the White Walled City by the Warathi forces, and the ultimate defeat of the Torian Empire.

What are Tropes?

Andrew Michael Miller1 Comment

You have likely heard the term trope used today in reference to common themes in popular media, especially movies and television, especially ones that are overused in each genre. In fact, there's a very popular website that's been around for a long time dedicated to finding and calling out these things, called TV Tropes, which I encourage everyone to get lost exploring whenever you can. Today's use of the word has taken on a negative connotation, but the true definition of the word trope doesn't have to always mean "lazy, over-used piece of writing."

The Gifted Wars – 32 Years of Bitter Feuds (Part VII)

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The atmosphere in Caelon in the late 50s and the entire decade of the 60s A4 became more and more tense as the idea of there being an inherent right to ascend to royalty by possessing the Holy Blood of the First Son. After King Moro won his rite to secede through combat and Queen Casli claimed her queendom through diplomacy, the land was abuzz with the spark that would enflame the land in revolt against the strict rule of the White Walled City. While some governors would try to win their titles through combat, and be denied the opportunity, the majority of the regional leaders at this time wanted to talk their way into royal status the same as Queen Casli. All would fail to do so, leading to the bloodiest chapter of the Gifted Wars - called The Refusals.

What is a MacGuffin?

Andrew Michael Miller2 Comments

One of the most commonly used plot devices out there is the MacGuffin. Popularized by Alfred Hitchcock, the term typically describes an object that is important to the characters in some way and helps move the plot forward. In Hitchcock's original description of the term, he also mentions that the MacGuffin doesn't actually have to be important aside from to the characters at that specific point of the story. Once it has served its purpose, it often becomes far less useful to the characters.

The Gifted Wars – 32 Years of Bitter Feuds (Part VI)

Andrew Michael MillerLeave a comment

The peninsula of Caelon lit up with civil war as more and more of the early settlements fought for their independence from the rule of the Torian command. These lordships were largely successful following the unprecedented success of the newly formed Kingdom of Ismar and Caslin, under King Eldrio Moro. Through military might and super-human battle prowess, these descendants of the First Son began pressing claims of autonomy and largely finding success in the endeavor. While the main military force was tied up in the area now known as the Southern Tribelands combatting a threat to the peninsula, many holds faced minimal resistance from the Torians. While most of these newly proclaimed kingdoms were met by soldiers of the White Walled City at their doorstep, there was one hold that won their independence through wits alone. And the result was not a kingdom at all, but a queendom.