The careworn veteran of the Crusades could no longer distinguish the far-off incessant bustle of the Beneficia festival-goers from the forever-agonized gnashing of the lesser demons who still crawled through the lands. Such was the state of the man who foolishly agreed to set off from the White Walled City without stature or status, who survived his many tours only to gain short-lived, hollow praise. He received only a fleeting fraction of the reward that was promised to the veterans. His noble brothers-in-arms didn't enjoy the same discouragement. Lucky them.
Tag: stories
In Honor of Christmas – Borrowing from Stories You Know and Love
Christmas time has come again. As you wrap your gifts and prepare for a little Christmas of your own, you sip on some delicious egg nog and realize you want to commit to writing a book, script or short story. But where to begin? What story can you possibly write that hasn't been told before? How do you know if your story will be truly original, or if people will accuse you of stealing your idea from something else? The solution is simple. Don't stress about it. Go ahead and write your story and embrace the similarities with another story. Every story ever told is both a unique creation personal to the writer and a blend of elements found in other stories that the writer has consumed at some point in his or her life. You probably will not write a truly original story in your lifetime, but that doesn't mean you can't write many truly great stories.
A Sonnet from the Saibhrean Isles
Unlike the academics in the Caelon peninsula and in Torium who are primarily confined to their respective colleges, the bards of the Saibhrean Isles north and west of Caelon play more of an active role with the politics of the islands. They are chroniclers, scribes and satirists for their lords, the great Trade Barons. Not only do they entertain, usually by praising the lords they serve and cursing those who cross them, but they are also tasked with recording the history of their houses. They are an integral part of Saibhrean society and their caste is highly regarded throughout the islands, even if that sentiment does not extend to the main land.