I've got the "Prelude" and "Issue 0" of Unda Vosari Chronicles on the Patreon, as well as the first and second issues. I've also got a map up, although it's still not finished... I'm notoriously bad when it comes to mapping because naming cities is a pain in the ass (despite the fact I've got well over a third of the entire population of every major city named, you'd think I can name a city but NOPE, I can't name cities).
So far, I haven't gotten any patrons to sign up, but I'm not surprised. Most of the people I know haven't been interested in my writing at all, let alone enough to support my endeavors. That doesn't mean I'm gonna stop - it just means I have to focus on getting the bills paid before continuing the writing process (which is generally me just sitting down and putting fingers to keyboard, since I already KNOW what's going on, I just haven't typed it all out).
I plan on doing an issue or two a month, at the rate I'm going. We'll see how it goes.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
Patreon, Chronicles and Confrontations
Big news first.
Patreon is a website that allows content creators to gain patrons that pay for work either by-piece or monthly (giving access to the work for the duration of the patronage is in effect).
Chronicles is back in full-swing. I'm gonna do at least a full 1,000-word "issue" a month, although I also plan on adding a bit here and there of "side stories" that involve Vincent and Dashade. Most of it will be Lorimarko and Genaya in the Mystic Isles (and I'm actually more focused on the "background" of the setting itself than I am the characters).
Speaking of Vincent, Confrontations (the second book) is pretty much finished - I just need to talk to my editor and send what parts I've got her way. I'm also wondering if I could talk her into editing Chronicles, but I haven't approached her with that, yet, since it's slightly less daunting but requires more presence (meaning, we'd have to schedule things at least once every couple of weeks).
I'm still wary about the course the story is taking. Maybe I need to invest in some kind of metaphysical lasso so I can rein the destruction back in.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
When the story writes itself...
It isn't always the best thing.
I sat down a couple of months back and finished the first third of Confrontations. The second and third parts are about halfway done but I'm actually concerned about that first third, not because it's poorly done but because it wrote itself out to a natural conclusion. A conclusion I'm not comfortable with.
Here's what happens...
For the rest of the series, I had planned on Vincent carrying around a severed head (and practically abusing it whenever he's in a foul mood) and, originally, it was going to be a lot more light-hearted. As it stands, what happened to the injured person isn't something I like. However, I'm still in the "story writes itself" mindset and I don't want to break the flow or change what has "already" happened.
That said, currently, I'm attempting to prevent the story (and thus, the series) from taking a very "GRIMDARK" turn and treading lightly not with WHAT I'm writing but with HOW it's being written...
I sat down a couple of months back and finished the first third of Confrontations. The second and third parts are about halfway done but I'm actually concerned about that first third, not because it's poorly done but because it wrote itself out to a natural conclusion. A conclusion I'm not comfortable with.
Here's what happens...
For the rest of the series, I had planned on Vincent carrying around a severed head (and practically abusing it whenever he's in a foul mood) and, originally, it was going to be a lot more light-hearted. As it stands, what happened to the injured person isn't something I like. However, I'm still in the "story writes itself" mindset and I don't want to break the flow or change what has "already" happened.
That said, currently, I'm attempting to prevent the story (and thus, the series) from taking a very "GRIMDARK" turn and treading lightly not with WHAT I'm writing but with HOW it's being written...
Sunday, July 21, 2013
A humble request to my friends.
Friends, family and acquaintances, I need your help. I need your help to make Unda Vosari: Legends a success.
This is not the kind of thing I enjoy writing and I dislike having to do so in any capacity.
I love being an author. Ever since I sat down and started toying with the idea of writing a novel about pirates, I fell in love with every aspect of Unda Vosari. The characters, the story, the setting and every other facet the Unda Vosari series is something I've enjoyed pouring my heart and soul into. There's very little I would change about Unda Vosari and there is nothing more that I would like than to keep writing. I want to tell an epic story about the world of Unda Vosari and every person in it, from kings and queens to pirates and merchants.
A lot of people have enjoyed hearing about me talk about what I've written and what goes into it and the ideas I've had. People have talked to me about what they liked, what they didn't like, how they enjoyed watching the characters evolve and the story grow. I've seen people boggle at how I've managed to create a half-dozen unique stories that run concurrently and weave into and out of each other and want to learn more, see exactly what the Unda Vosari series can grow into.
Right now, though, I'm facing a harsh decision and it's one I can't really make on my own.
Unda Vosari: Legends is good. I dare say it's potentially on the cusp of great, and I know it can be better. I want to be able to take what I've written to a professional editor that will look at every aspect of the novel, from the pace, flow and scope of the story down to spell-checking and proof-reading. They'll take what I've written and make it better. After that, I want to be able to take it to a professional marketing company and see to it that this polished work of art is put it where it's accessible to people who would enjoy reading not only the first novel but future novels as well. I want to be able to hold a book that's been reviewed by newspapers and magazines and say "This newspaper thinks my book is great and they recommend it to everyone" or "This fantasy periodical has endorsed my novel as a great book to read."
I need support to make all of this happen and bring a new series with an exciting, edgy and adventurous story to the literary world. What I need is a chance to push this series above and beyond what it's at right now. What I've done so far is only the beginning. People have only seen the bare bones of an entire series of novels I want to publish, and I have every desire to see it through to the very end, but I can't do it without your help.
I want to do all of that and more, but I can't do it myself.
I've spent years writing and rewriting and polishing and pushing myself to keep at it, because it's something I believe in. I want everybody else to believe in me too, which is why I'm asking for your help in bringing this novel to the world as something we can all be proud of. Every single person who donates to the project at $15 or more will have their name in the book with my own personal thank you. You will be immortalized as the ones who brought the first novel to the world and helped the beginning of an epic story I desperately want to see pushed to the end. I'm asking you, please... Pledge, share and let everyone know that there is a new fantasy series coming that you want to see succeed.
Without your support, I'm not going to be able to show the world what an epic series Unda Vosari can be.
Please go to this page and please share this post. Thank you to everybody for doing everything you can to help me continue doing the one thing I truly feel passionate about.
http://igg.me/at/UndaVosari/x/3855457
This is not the kind of thing I enjoy writing and I dislike having to do so in any capacity.
I love being an author. Ever since I sat down and started toying with the idea of writing a novel about pirates, I fell in love with every aspect of Unda Vosari. The characters, the story, the setting and every other facet the Unda Vosari series is something I've enjoyed pouring my heart and soul into. There's very little I would change about Unda Vosari and there is nothing more that I would like than to keep writing. I want to tell an epic story about the world of Unda Vosari and every person in it, from kings and queens to pirates and merchants.
A lot of people have enjoyed hearing about me talk about what I've written and what goes into it and the ideas I've had. People have talked to me about what they liked, what they didn't like, how they enjoyed watching the characters evolve and the story grow. I've seen people boggle at how I've managed to create a half-dozen unique stories that run concurrently and weave into and out of each other and want to learn more, see exactly what the Unda Vosari series can grow into.
Right now, though, I'm facing a harsh decision and it's one I can't really make on my own.
Unda Vosari: Legends is good. I dare say it's potentially on the cusp of great, and I know it can be better. I want to be able to take what I've written to a professional editor that will look at every aspect of the novel, from the pace, flow and scope of the story down to spell-checking and proof-reading. They'll take what I've written and make it better. After that, I want to be able to take it to a professional marketing company and see to it that this polished work of art is put it where it's accessible to people who would enjoy reading not only the first novel but future novels as well. I want to be able to hold a book that's been reviewed by newspapers and magazines and say "This newspaper thinks my book is great and they recommend it to everyone" or "This fantasy periodical has endorsed my novel as a great book to read."
I need support to make all of this happen and bring a new series with an exciting, edgy and adventurous story to the literary world. What I need is a chance to push this series above and beyond what it's at right now. What I've done so far is only the beginning. People have only seen the bare bones of an entire series of novels I want to publish, and I have every desire to see it through to the very end, but I can't do it without your help.
I want to do all of that and more, but I can't do it myself.
I've spent years writing and rewriting and polishing and pushing myself to keep at it, because it's something I believe in. I want everybody else to believe in me too, which is why I'm asking for your help in bringing this novel to the world as something we can all be proud of. Every single person who donates to the project at $15 or more will have their name in the book with my own personal thank you. You will be immortalized as the ones who brought the first novel to the world and helped the beginning of an epic story I desperately want to see pushed to the end. I'm asking you, please... Pledge, share and let everyone know that there is a new fantasy series coming that you want to see succeed.
Without your support, I'm not going to be able to show the world what an epic series Unda Vosari can be.
Please go to this page and please share this post. Thank you to everybody for doing everything you can to help me continue doing the one thing I truly feel passionate about.
http://igg.me/at/UndaVosari/x/3855457
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Self-publishing and the readers.
People keep asking me why I don't send people to the publisher page and why I prefer to handle the buying and shipping of the novel myself. Lemme explain.
When you use print-on-demand publishers, there's three prices they set.
Now, if somebody mails me $16.99 plus the cost of shipping, I go throw that in a bank account and pay the publisher. I get the book a couple of weeks later and I start a-mailin' copies out.
Why is this all better? Why do I prefer the last method, which takes more work and more effort on my part? Isn't it enough I've written the damn book? No, it isn't enough.
One, it's more reliable for me. I know where the books are coming from, I know where the books are going, I know I can track them. If things get lost, I can raise holy hell. All you have to do is sit back and poke me every couple of days to find out how things are going.
Two, I get a bigger profit. I get my copies of the book in a few weeks (between 5 and 15 business days) and then turn around and ship it out at whatever speed you want it (general, ground, air, express, whatever you send me money for). I can make STUPID amounts of money bulk-ordering and doing the shipping myself. It's FANTASTIC how many numbers are on the left side of that decimal point. If I place an order of 575 copies, there's even a comma! That's profit! I get to keep that much money!
Three, if there's an issue, if it's damaged, if it's on fire when it's put in your mailbox, you only have to deal with me. This is the important one to me. I've often said (and will continue to say) if you don't like the book, don't buy it. I have said many, many times that I would rather give the book away to people who enjoy it and get paid after the fact but that isn't financially an option (well, paper-form anyway, I can email everyone and their dog whatever electronic version they prefer). If you get a copy of the book and hate it, and you've slathered it in barbecue sauce and tried to feed it to your dog and that didn't work so you've shredded it into confetti and your cat won't shit on it so you've mailed it to Rip Taylor and he refuses to even throw it on the ground as confetti, you can mail it back to me and, if I have the money, I will gladly refund it to you. At the very least, I will gladly accept whatever criticism you have to shovel down my throat as I weep mournfully over the barbecue-covered shredded copy of my book.
That's why I prefer to handle everything myself.
When you use print-on-demand publishers, there's three prices they set.
- The "public" price: THIS is the price that third-party resellers have (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, places like that). Expect books to run at least $5-$15 more than the cover price before shipping - the publisher wants full cover price for this book, after all, and the third-party resellers want their cut too. For retail purchases, I make $2.14 The publisher has no idea where the book is after it leaves their warehouse and I doubt the resellers do either (though some may). Shipping generally takes over month or so, if not more. By far the stupidest of the three options.
- The "private" price: Literally, the "cover price" of the novel plus shipping bought directly from the publisher. The publisher knows where the book is and can generally tell you. It's delivered depending on what you decide to pay for ($4 for 5-15 days, $9 for 3-5 days, both of those don't include printing times). I have no idea where the book is. I don't know where it is or where it's going and for everything I've written, I think I may a solid $6.54. It's all good but this still isn't the best price for both the author nor the reader.
- Third is the "author" price. I pay them directly the cost of printing, shipping and their fee. All in all, for a book the size of Unda Vosari: Legends, it comes out to $8.82 before shipping to me, before discounts for bulk orders.
Now, if somebody mails me $16.99 plus the cost of shipping, I go throw that in a bank account and pay the publisher. I get the book a couple of weeks later and I start a-mailin' copies out.
Why is this all better? Why do I prefer the last method, which takes more work and more effort on my part? Isn't it enough I've written the damn book? No, it isn't enough.
One, it's more reliable for me. I know where the books are coming from, I know where the books are going, I know I can track them. If things get lost, I can raise holy hell. All you have to do is sit back and poke me every couple of days to find out how things are going.
Two, I get a bigger profit. I get my copies of the book in a few weeks (between 5 and 15 business days) and then turn around and ship it out at whatever speed you want it (general, ground, air, express, whatever you send me money for). I can make STUPID amounts of money bulk-ordering and doing the shipping myself. It's FANTASTIC how many numbers are on the left side of that decimal point. If I place an order of 575 copies, there's even a comma! That's profit! I get to keep that much money!
Three, if there's an issue, if it's damaged, if it's on fire when it's put in your mailbox, you only have to deal with me. This is the important one to me. I've often said (and will continue to say) if you don't like the book, don't buy it. I have said many, many times that I would rather give the book away to people who enjoy it and get paid after the fact but that isn't financially an option (well, paper-form anyway, I can email everyone and their dog whatever electronic version they prefer). If you get a copy of the book and hate it, and you've slathered it in barbecue sauce and tried to feed it to your dog and that didn't work so you've shredded it into confetti and your cat won't shit on it so you've mailed it to Rip Taylor and he refuses to even throw it on the ground as confetti, you can mail it back to me and, if I have the money, I will gladly refund it to you. At the very least, I will gladly accept whatever criticism you have to shovel down my throat as I weep mournfully over the barbecue-covered shredded copy of my book.
That's why I prefer to handle everything myself.
Friday, July 12, 2013
The Societies of Unda Vosari!
What kind of lives do people live outside of the main story? This was something that popped up earlier while randomly wandering through Unda Vosari files in a forgotten folder on my hard drive. Questions naturally formed and ultimately, they deserved answers. What kingdoms trade with what other kingdoms and what goods do they produce? Why are they willing to trade them with certain kingdoms and what do they get in return? What lifestyles exist in the Unda Vosari setting and how do they live day-to-day and how are they relevant to traders and adventurers?
The large majority of the first Unda Vosari novel takes place on the seas and in ports. Often, I'd wondered to myself what life was like outside those ports, where the large majority of the money came from trade, and I had to actually sit down and figure out what each kingdom had to offer before I could figure out who was trading what to whom, which would tell me who inhabited each kingdom and what their lives would be like. Of course, I'd always had a general idea but when it came down to it, it wasn't fleshed out enough for my liking until tonight. I finally sat down and figured out what life was like for the world.
DeMunt is the largest of the kingdoms and one of the two oldest of the six. Given their location north of the mountains on the largest continent in the kingdoms, it's natural that they, along with Cormel, are responsible for the majority of mining operations and would likely be the richest kingdoms (producing more gold and jewels than the other four kingdoms). Both kingdoms have ties with the dwarves in the mountains (as much as one can be affiliated with the loosely-gathered dwarven clans) and have offered both land- and sea-based protection in exchange for the right to mine and harvest the mountains.
DeMunt has had a long-standing rivalry with Rosnet, the other of the two original kingdoms, and the large majority of their goods are put towards their military (giving them the strongest land-based military of the six kingdoms). Because of that, Cormel is the most prosperous of the kingdoms, followed by DeMunt. Cormel is also second in naval might only to Rosnet. With DeMunt focusing on defending the land, Cormel has offered assistance defending the seas to DeMunt in exchange for both monetary and military compensation.
South of Cormel is Vilio. With a decidedly unique style (a mix of Persian and Asian, to paint a broad stroke), Vilio has a very eclectic community that offers both art and martial prowess (being a hub for those who can use and wield chi effectively as well as those who can create art unlike the rest of the world). Fighters from all over the world seek out monasteries in Vilio for combat training, just as bards and historians head to Vilio for their wealth of knowledge, art, stories and legends. Due to that influence over the cultural aspect of the kingdoms, Vilio has strong financial ties to the other kingdoms.
West of Cormel and Vilio are the kingdoms of Cederlord, on the southern edge of the kingdoms, and Octavia, in the center of the kingdoms. Cederlord is home to the elves and the more natural magic, as well as the largest wood-producing kingdom of them all. Their mastery of nature-based and divine-based magic affords them a lot of unique opportunities when dealing with the other kingdoms as they are predominantly the most successful of the kingdoms when it comes to controlling animals, tending to the wounded, dealing with spirits and wielding the elements. As such, their need is almost always in demand.
Octavia, the newest of the kingdoms, is home of the most skilled and successful of the arcane mages as well as the more craft-oriented professions. Rivaling Cederlord with magical prowess, the craftspeople of Octavia are known for creating the strongest and sturdiest of tools, weapons and armor which lends the mages of Octavia better quality goods to enchant and infuse with spells far more powerful than most mages outside of Octavia are capable of casting. This affinity for crafting and casting has forced the other kingdoms into trade with Octavia, a more "socially conscious" kingdom than one would expect. However, their skill has bred contempt and corruption within their ranks, and Octavia is just as well known for their nefarious and dubious behavior when dealing with outsiders.
Finally, that brings us to Rosnet, the second of the two original kingdoms. With their own forest in the north, and their long-standing traditions of seeking perfection, their ability to craft entire fleets of near-perfect sea-vessels has given them the well-known reputation of being the mightiest force on the seas. Their mages, while far from perfect, have managed to gain and keep a strong foothold in both the natural and arcane practices, with regards to war, and are well-equipped to handle whatever crafting needs to be done within their kingdom. However, their haughty demeanor and strong sense of self-reliance has given them an almost xenophobic lifestyle, and they are reluctant to, if downright opposed to, trade involving the other five kingdoms.
Once I'd figured out the above, I had to figure out what life was like on a day-to-day basis.
DeMunt, for example, being predominantly mining and military, would have strong trade routes between its cities and less likely to suffer from attacks by bandits. However, given the size (and age) of the kingdom, there are likely a large number of untraveled routes plagued by disillusioned military, bandits and vagabonds. Shipments of ore and jewels along the coast are well protected by the naval fleets of DeMunt and Cormel but land-based shipments are more likely to be attacked. Despite the military might, there simply isn't enough military to go around, so the larger land-based caravans are more likely to be targeted. Unfortunately, land-based routes can move more goods and are considered a necessary evil (especially considering the naval advantage Rosnet has over DeMunt). Cities themselves, at least inside, are generally secure. Sure, there are thieves and beggers (who generally keep to the back alleys and less-traveled trade routes), but the military presence ensures that trouble is kept to a minimum. Each city is given a watch that generally patrols the major routes into, out of and through the city and that's generally enough to keep the various laborers, traders and craftsmen content. On the outskirts of any given city, generally within a few hours travel, there are a number of small, temporary settlements ranging from a single tent and a couple of horses to entire clusters of caravans protected by bodyguards. Most of the time, these are due to either an inability (due to being too poor or being wanted by the law) or an unwillingness (due to feeling uncomfortable in large cities or not wanting to spend money) to stay in town.
Cormel is a much smaller kingdom and less populated, but equally as wealthy, affording them many more opportunities to distribute wealth among the craftsmen, laborers and traders. Their abundance of gold also allows them to trade more freely with the other kingdoms, and as such, Cormel is widely considered the more glamorous and prestigious of the kingdoms to live in. Crime is far lower than the other kingdoms (although not unheard of, since their wealth naturally brings an outside criminal element along with the gold from the other kingdoms) but the military from DeMunt (as well as the various heroes and adventurers from other kingdoms) keep the criminal element in check far better than DeMunt and Vilio. Trade is generally done with small groups of wagons (smaller than an average caravan) carrying a higher-quality good (generally from Octavia), but more often than not, these people will find sanctuary in the inns and taverns of the bustling cities instead of opting to remain on the open road. Of course, outsiders from DeMunt or Vilio are known to set up camps outside the cities for various reasons (either an inability or unwillingness to stay in the towns, just as in DeMunt, although it is less likely that natives will be unable to pay for a room). Curiously, cities in Cormel do have a city watch but the majority of the crime is both committed by and handled by adventurers (both native to and visiting Cormel).
Vilio is the smallest of the kingdoms, as far as land goes. Trade in Vilio is generally kept small, as the various wares they provide are generally more exotic and more expensive than the other kingdoms, and as such, many traders are unwilling to bring large amounts of goods all at once. Outside the cities, monasteries dot the landscape, offering both sanctuary and danger. However, the number of adventurers and mercenaries is large, given the number of monks that hail from Vilio, and there is a surprisingly large underground black market. That said, there is next to no provided security outside of the cities, and off of the established trade routes, it is hard to know whether or not that caravan up the road is going to be friend or foe.
Cederlord offers a unique lifestyle. Predominantly composed of elves, the various cities of Cederlord are all but entirely surrounded by forests and inhabited, to some degree or another, by a plethora of archers, rangers, druids and clerics of all faiths. Off the established trade routes, crime is all but unheard of in Cederlord, simply because the natives of the kingdom watch out for their own with frightening ferocity. Despite the dismemberment of the kingdom itself, resulting in a series of independent city-states, the cities still consider themselves one kingdom without a governing body, and as such will still fight and die to protect themselves from outside threats. With the growing scarcity of elves due to the long-standing invasion by Rosnet and Octavia, the inhabitants of Cederlord have always remained united against threats both internal and external. Even inside the wooden cities, crime is all but unheard of. Cormel and Vilio have the strongest ties to Cederlord and likewise seek to aid and protect the kingdom and the highly valued druids and clerics, as well as keep the trade of wood coming from Cederlord. In fact, it isn't unheard of for Cormel and Vilio to actively pursue criminals from those kingdoms (as well as any other) should they commit crimes in Cederlord.
Octavia, as the newest of the kingdoms, was created by disenchanted and disillusioned craftspeople from DeMunt, Cormel and Vilio. As such, they tend to be more brutish and angry in demeanor and their cities reflect that. Bandits and thieves run rampant in the cities and extortion may as well be the regional past-time. Corruption exists everywhere from the highest of the nobility and royalty to the lowest of the traders and merchants. Curiously, despite seemingly being at war with everybody, including themselves, they provide a unified front against outsiders. A common phrase among the inhabitants of Octavia is "I against my brother, my brother and I against my cousin, my cousin and I against strangers" and indeed, that is the very foundation of the kingdom. From the outside, this seems counter-productive but from within, the constant strife with each other strengthens the kingdom as a whole and enables them to survive when surrounded on all sides by potential (and often constant) enemies. Travel along the established trade routes is relatively safe on the condition one isn't opposed to paying hefty "tolls" to travel safely and life outside the city is harsh for those who have no gold or goods with which to barter. Of course, those who do not are generally the ones making life unpleasant for those who do and this is taken to the extreme for outsiders. For inhabitants of the kingdom, gold is constantly flowing in due to the quality (both mundane and magical) of the goods and services provided by Octavia. For outsiders, however, Octavia is a den of vice and greed, and the benefit of security and law only seems to extend to the natives. Outside the cities, sprawling expanses of plains are taken up by packs of roaming bandits, well-armed caravans escorted by thugs and bodyguards and large, shifting settlements of makeshift tents and houses, all put up and taken down as whim and necessity dictates.
Finally, Rosnet is the most stable, reclusive and hostile of the kingdoms, with regards to outsiders. Whereas Octavia strengthens itself with internal strife and turmoil, Rosnet has all but solidified itself against all threats, internal and external. A society built on regime and war, the streets and trade routes, and indeed, even the wilderness of the kingdom, are well-policed from within. One of the few kingdoms to openly partake in the slave trade, all other crime is all but unheard of simply out of fear of harsh penalties and an abundance of civilians (both free and slave) willing to collect on bounties. Worth mentioning is the fact that part of the longevity and durability comes from their slave trade - instead of training and practicing and honing a particular skill or craft, the inhabitants of Rosnet have found it much easier to simply force those who have already honed their preferred skill or craft to continue doing their skill or craft, the alternative being certain death (or worse - the ability for magic to keep a human body alive, or bring it back from the dead, as well as inflict inhuman amounts of pain on both mind and body, in addition to more mundane methods of coercion, tend to convince even the most staunch and resolved individuals to cooperate). With all of this common knowledge, it is completely unsurprising that Rosnet has few willing allies, Octavia among them, but Rosnet seems content to play the part of villain since their kingdom has enough security and stability (as well as the ability to renew their ranks through slavery) to do so openly and freely. Outside of Rosnet, the only kingdoms known to tolerate slavery (regardless of how condoned it is in general society) are Octavia and DeMunt, although DeMunt doesn't tolerate it so much as turn a blind eye.
The majority of the kingdoms have a very simple structure.
Common laborers are the ones digging in the mines, tending the fields, harvesting the woods and making the food. Craftspeople include those using the materials gathered by the laborers to create weapons, armor, clothing, ships, jewelry and tools for the laborers. Merchants are those who buy and sell within a given kingdom, generally on a local or regional level whereas traders are those who buy and sell larger quantities on a more global scale (with other kingdoms, generally, but this can include larger kingdoms like DeMunt or independent city-states like Cederlord). Nobles are the ones with money and land. As such, the nobles influence what is made (by ordering what land and resources are used to create what) and can indirectly influence how a region thrives or fails based on their own decisions. Of course, the royalty would like to see a given area flourish so there is no small amount of politics included in the interactions between royalty and nobility. Some kingdoms (Cormel and DeMunt, primarily) have guilds that agree to and set prices for the various goods (food, clothing, jewelry, weapons, armor, masonry, tools and luxuries) and those guilds answer to (and are generally comprised of) the nobles and richer, more skilled and well-renowned craftspeople.
Naturally, there are a few "vanity" guilds, generally one or two for each major profession and societal roles. Generally, fighters, monks, psions and barbarians tend to stick to their own, since they're the more confrontational of the classes. On the other end of the spectrum, the various spell-casters (druids, shaman, priests, clerics and paladins) do their best to avoid physical confrontation. In some of the larger cities, nobles have formed their own guilds, and in almost every city, bards, minstrels, assassins and rogues each have at least some unified front with which to fence stolen goods and swap legends, stories and warnings. To top it all off, some of the individual professions (smiths of various goods, masons and bankers) have begun coordinating not only on local or regional levels but attempting to form a guild that operates across kingdoms).
This isn't all there is to it, but it is, naturally, a great place to start. Unda Vosari: Confrontations (the second novel) will explore all of this a bit more at points... whenever it gets around to getting released.
The large majority of the first Unda Vosari novel takes place on the seas and in ports. Often, I'd wondered to myself what life was like outside those ports, where the large majority of the money came from trade, and I had to actually sit down and figure out what each kingdom had to offer before I could figure out who was trading what to whom, which would tell me who inhabited each kingdom and what their lives would be like. Of course, I'd always had a general idea but when it came down to it, it wasn't fleshed out enough for my liking until tonight. I finally sat down and figured out what life was like for the world.
DeMunt is the largest of the kingdoms and one of the two oldest of the six. Given their location north of the mountains on the largest continent in the kingdoms, it's natural that they, along with Cormel, are responsible for the majority of mining operations and would likely be the richest kingdoms (producing more gold and jewels than the other four kingdoms). Both kingdoms have ties with the dwarves in the mountains (as much as one can be affiliated with the loosely-gathered dwarven clans) and have offered both land- and sea-based protection in exchange for the right to mine and harvest the mountains.
DeMunt has had a long-standing rivalry with Rosnet, the other of the two original kingdoms, and the large majority of their goods are put towards their military (giving them the strongest land-based military of the six kingdoms). Because of that, Cormel is the most prosperous of the kingdoms, followed by DeMunt. Cormel is also second in naval might only to Rosnet. With DeMunt focusing on defending the land, Cormel has offered assistance defending the seas to DeMunt in exchange for both monetary and military compensation.
South of Cormel is Vilio. With a decidedly unique style (a mix of Persian and Asian, to paint a broad stroke), Vilio has a very eclectic community that offers both art and martial prowess (being a hub for those who can use and wield chi effectively as well as those who can create art unlike the rest of the world). Fighters from all over the world seek out monasteries in Vilio for combat training, just as bards and historians head to Vilio for their wealth of knowledge, art, stories and legends. Due to that influence over the cultural aspect of the kingdoms, Vilio has strong financial ties to the other kingdoms.
West of Cormel and Vilio are the kingdoms of Cederlord, on the southern edge of the kingdoms, and Octavia, in the center of the kingdoms. Cederlord is home to the elves and the more natural magic, as well as the largest wood-producing kingdom of them all. Their mastery of nature-based and divine-based magic affords them a lot of unique opportunities when dealing with the other kingdoms as they are predominantly the most successful of the kingdoms when it comes to controlling animals, tending to the wounded, dealing with spirits and wielding the elements. As such, their need is almost always in demand.
Octavia, the newest of the kingdoms, is home of the most skilled and successful of the arcane mages as well as the more craft-oriented professions. Rivaling Cederlord with magical prowess, the craftspeople of Octavia are known for creating the strongest and sturdiest of tools, weapons and armor which lends the mages of Octavia better quality goods to enchant and infuse with spells far more powerful than most mages outside of Octavia are capable of casting. This affinity for crafting and casting has forced the other kingdoms into trade with Octavia, a more "socially conscious" kingdom than one would expect. However, their skill has bred contempt and corruption within their ranks, and Octavia is just as well known for their nefarious and dubious behavior when dealing with outsiders.
Finally, that brings us to Rosnet, the second of the two original kingdoms. With their own forest in the north, and their long-standing traditions of seeking perfection, their ability to craft entire fleets of near-perfect sea-vessels has given them the well-known reputation of being the mightiest force on the seas. Their mages, while far from perfect, have managed to gain and keep a strong foothold in both the natural and arcane practices, with regards to war, and are well-equipped to handle whatever crafting needs to be done within their kingdom. However, their haughty demeanor and strong sense of self-reliance has given them an almost xenophobic lifestyle, and they are reluctant to, if downright opposed to, trade involving the other five kingdoms.
Once I'd figured out the above, I had to figure out what life was like on a day-to-day basis.
DeMunt, for example, being predominantly mining and military, would have strong trade routes between its cities and less likely to suffer from attacks by bandits. However, given the size (and age) of the kingdom, there are likely a large number of untraveled routes plagued by disillusioned military, bandits and vagabonds. Shipments of ore and jewels along the coast are well protected by the naval fleets of DeMunt and Cormel but land-based shipments are more likely to be attacked. Despite the military might, there simply isn't enough military to go around, so the larger land-based caravans are more likely to be targeted. Unfortunately, land-based routes can move more goods and are considered a necessary evil (especially considering the naval advantage Rosnet has over DeMunt). Cities themselves, at least inside, are generally secure. Sure, there are thieves and beggers (who generally keep to the back alleys and less-traveled trade routes), but the military presence ensures that trouble is kept to a minimum. Each city is given a watch that generally patrols the major routes into, out of and through the city and that's generally enough to keep the various laborers, traders and craftsmen content. On the outskirts of any given city, generally within a few hours travel, there are a number of small, temporary settlements ranging from a single tent and a couple of horses to entire clusters of caravans protected by bodyguards. Most of the time, these are due to either an inability (due to being too poor or being wanted by the law) or an unwillingness (due to feeling uncomfortable in large cities or not wanting to spend money) to stay in town.
Cormel is a much smaller kingdom and less populated, but equally as wealthy, affording them many more opportunities to distribute wealth among the craftsmen, laborers and traders. Their abundance of gold also allows them to trade more freely with the other kingdoms, and as such, Cormel is widely considered the more glamorous and prestigious of the kingdoms to live in. Crime is far lower than the other kingdoms (although not unheard of, since their wealth naturally brings an outside criminal element along with the gold from the other kingdoms) but the military from DeMunt (as well as the various heroes and adventurers from other kingdoms) keep the criminal element in check far better than DeMunt and Vilio. Trade is generally done with small groups of wagons (smaller than an average caravan) carrying a higher-quality good (generally from Octavia), but more often than not, these people will find sanctuary in the inns and taverns of the bustling cities instead of opting to remain on the open road. Of course, outsiders from DeMunt or Vilio are known to set up camps outside the cities for various reasons (either an inability or unwillingness to stay in the towns, just as in DeMunt, although it is less likely that natives will be unable to pay for a room). Curiously, cities in Cormel do have a city watch but the majority of the crime is both committed by and handled by adventurers (both native to and visiting Cormel).
Vilio is the smallest of the kingdoms, as far as land goes. Trade in Vilio is generally kept small, as the various wares they provide are generally more exotic and more expensive than the other kingdoms, and as such, many traders are unwilling to bring large amounts of goods all at once. Outside the cities, monasteries dot the landscape, offering both sanctuary and danger. However, the number of adventurers and mercenaries is large, given the number of monks that hail from Vilio, and there is a surprisingly large underground black market. That said, there is next to no provided security outside of the cities, and off of the established trade routes, it is hard to know whether or not that caravan up the road is going to be friend or foe.
Cederlord offers a unique lifestyle. Predominantly composed of elves, the various cities of Cederlord are all but entirely surrounded by forests and inhabited, to some degree or another, by a plethora of archers, rangers, druids and clerics of all faiths. Off the established trade routes, crime is all but unheard of in Cederlord, simply because the natives of the kingdom watch out for their own with frightening ferocity. Despite the dismemberment of the kingdom itself, resulting in a series of independent city-states, the cities still consider themselves one kingdom without a governing body, and as such will still fight and die to protect themselves from outside threats. With the growing scarcity of elves due to the long-standing invasion by Rosnet and Octavia, the inhabitants of Cederlord have always remained united against threats both internal and external. Even inside the wooden cities, crime is all but unheard of. Cormel and Vilio have the strongest ties to Cederlord and likewise seek to aid and protect the kingdom and the highly valued druids and clerics, as well as keep the trade of wood coming from Cederlord. In fact, it isn't unheard of for Cormel and Vilio to actively pursue criminals from those kingdoms (as well as any other) should they commit crimes in Cederlord.
Octavia, as the newest of the kingdoms, was created by disenchanted and disillusioned craftspeople from DeMunt, Cormel and Vilio. As such, they tend to be more brutish and angry in demeanor and their cities reflect that. Bandits and thieves run rampant in the cities and extortion may as well be the regional past-time. Corruption exists everywhere from the highest of the nobility and royalty to the lowest of the traders and merchants. Curiously, despite seemingly being at war with everybody, including themselves, they provide a unified front against outsiders. A common phrase among the inhabitants of Octavia is "I against my brother, my brother and I against my cousin, my cousin and I against strangers" and indeed, that is the very foundation of the kingdom. From the outside, this seems counter-productive but from within, the constant strife with each other strengthens the kingdom as a whole and enables them to survive when surrounded on all sides by potential (and often constant) enemies. Travel along the established trade routes is relatively safe on the condition one isn't opposed to paying hefty "tolls" to travel safely and life outside the city is harsh for those who have no gold or goods with which to barter. Of course, those who do not are generally the ones making life unpleasant for those who do and this is taken to the extreme for outsiders. For inhabitants of the kingdom, gold is constantly flowing in due to the quality (both mundane and magical) of the goods and services provided by Octavia. For outsiders, however, Octavia is a den of vice and greed, and the benefit of security and law only seems to extend to the natives. Outside the cities, sprawling expanses of plains are taken up by packs of roaming bandits, well-armed caravans escorted by thugs and bodyguards and large, shifting settlements of makeshift tents and houses, all put up and taken down as whim and necessity dictates.
Finally, Rosnet is the most stable, reclusive and hostile of the kingdoms, with regards to outsiders. Whereas Octavia strengthens itself with internal strife and turmoil, Rosnet has all but solidified itself against all threats, internal and external. A society built on regime and war, the streets and trade routes, and indeed, even the wilderness of the kingdom, are well-policed from within. One of the few kingdoms to openly partake in the slave trade, all other crime is all but unheard of simply out of fear of harsh penalties and an abundance of civilians (both free and slave) willing to collect on bounties. Worth mentioning is the fact that part of the longevity and durability comes from their slave trade - instead of training and practicing and honing a particular skill or craft, the inhabitants of Rosnet have found it much easier to simply force those who have already honed their preferred skill or craft to continue doing their skill or craft, the alternative being certain death (or worse - the ability for magic to keep a human body alive, or bring it back from the dead, as well as inflict inhuman amounts of pain on both mind and body, in addition to more mundane methods of coercion, tend to convince even the most staunch and resolved individuals to cooperate). With all of this common knowledge, it is completely unsurprising that Rosnet has few willing allies, Octavia among them, but Rosnet seems content to play the part of villain since their kingdom has enough security and stability (as well as the ability to renew their ranks through slavery) to do so openly and freely. Outside of Rosnet, the only kingdoms known to tolerate slavery (regardless of how condoned it is in general society) are Octavia and DeMunt, although DeMunt doesn't tolerate it so much as turn a blind eye.
The majority of the kingdoms have a very simple structure.
- Nobility generally exerts sway over (or is swayed by) the royalty.
- Craftspeople are given orders by the nobility.
- Merchants sell their goods for a price determined by the nobility.
- Prices for goods (which is influenced by the nobility) are based on supply and demand.
- Taxes are collected by the royalty which, in turns, pays for basic services like protection and travel.
- Traders ensure goods that are needed from outside sources are bought and sold for fair prices.
- Common laborers dictate what is needed depending on lifestyle and what they're hired to do.
Common laborers are the ones digging in the mines, tending the fields, harvesting the woods and making the food. Craftspeople include those using the materials gathered by the laborers to create weapons, armor, clothing, ships, jewelry and tools for the laborers. Merchants are those who buy and sell within a given kingdom, generally on a local or regional level whereas traders are those who buy and sell larger quantities on a more global scale (with other kingdoms, generally, but this can include larger kingdoms like DeMunt or independent city-states like Cederlord). Nobles are the ones with money and land. As such, the nobles influence what is made (by ordering what land and resources are used to create what) and can indirectly influence how a region thrives or fails based on their own decisions. Of course, the royalty would like to see a given area flourish so there is no small amount of politics included in the interactions between royalty and nobility. Some kingdoms (Cormel and DeMunt, primarily) have guilds that agree to and set prices for the various goods (food, clothing, jewelry, weapons, armor, masonry, tools and luxuries) and those guilds answer to (and are generally comprised of) the nobles and richer, more skilled and well-renowned craftspeople.
Naturally, there are a few "vanity" guilds, generally one or two for each major profession and societal roles. Generally, fighters, monks, psions and barbarians tend to stick to their own, since they're the more confrontational of the classes. On the other end of the spectrum, the various spell-casters (druids, shaman, priests, clerics and paladins) do their best to avoid physical confrontation. In some of the larger cities, nobles have formed their own guilds, and in almost every city, bards, minstrels, assassins and rogues each have at least some unified front with which to fence stolen goods and swap legends, stories and warnings. To top it all off, some of the individual professions (smiths of various goods, masons and bankers) have begun coordinating not only on local or regional levels but attempting to form a guild that operates across kingdoms).
This isn't all there is to it, but it is, naturally, a great place to start. Unda Vosari: Confrontations (the second novel) will explore all of this a bit more at points... whenever it gets around to getting released.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
The pantheon, a couple of new races and the origins of everything.
I got into a discussion with Andrew tonight about the pantheon of Unda Vosari, and how they related to the various sources of power that some of the inhabitants possess. I also decided I should drop a few hints and, for those familiar with the story, a teaser or two.
Magic, of course, is the study of arcane powers. Words, phrases, gestures, symbols and material components fuel magic. People use it to launch fireballs at each other. It's pretty much a given that any work in a fantasy setting is going to include magic.
Then there's mana. Where magic is commonplace, mana is much more rare. In fact, until later on in the series, mana is all but unheard of and mistakenly confused with magic simply because they look similar to the outside observer. The difference is in how the effects are created.
Magic, as stated, uses magic phrases, gestures and material components. Mana is a more primal aspect of magic, less reliant on the world around the user and more about the focus and intent of the user internally. Where magic requires you to make a gesture and say a magic word, mana simply requires you to focus your will. It may require a gesture or spoken word, but that is simply how the wielder chooses to exert his will at that moment, and unlike magic, the gestures or words will never be the same between two people.
In the middle of the spectrum is chi. A curious power related to both magic and mana, chi requires force of will, verbal and somatic components. Monasteries will teach monks how to focus their will and exert it on the physical world, but the verbal and somatic components will generally be similar (the Ur example would be the cliche "Hi-ya!" and matching foot stomp that seems to come with every open-handed karate chop). However, true masters of chi will have the focus and force of will to bypass those requirements. That said, chi still falls firmly under the domain of mana (while having a regimen similar to magic, although it is decidedly more rigid, and spiritual, than magic could ever be).
I decided that instead of one "all-powerful entity" that sort of just created everything, there'd be two, and the pantheon would be more familial than "Omnipotent being creates slightly less omnipotent beings." At the top are Avo and Avia. They gave birth to four children (Aversio, Mikhailai, Mannox and Delaine). That's actually the end of the familial aspect of the pantheon, but it is the core of it. Mikhailai created the humans, Mannox created the dwarves, Delaine created the elves and Aversio began to shape other aspects of the world (literally creating divisions between order and chaos, separating light and dark and generally forming the world). Mannox and Delaine imbued three people with some of their power and welcomed them to the pantheon (Adina, Ramius and Sini) and those three helped inhabit the rest of the world (Ramius created the giants, Sini filled the lands with plants and animals and Adina created the various monstrous humanoid races). Sini had one daughter by Mikhailai, Lori, and she was responsible for creating magic.
Meanwhile, Aversio had taken a far less familial route, simply finding humans that seemed to personify aspects of the world. Odium, Dolus and Ultio were each chosen to personify chaos, order and mana (respectively) due to their control over (or influence over) their respective fields. Odium took a bride, Ira, and with her created the Caligo. Dolus likewise took a bride named Talio and created the Tirith. Finally, Ultio took a bride that, to this day, remains a mystery, but she gave birth to one person. She had a son.
He grew up to be a man named Veln.
Magic, of course, is the study of arcane powers. Words, phrases, gestures, symbols and material components fuel magic. People use it to launch fireballs at each other. It's pretty much a given that any work in a fantasy setting is going to include magic.
Then there's mana. Where magic is commonplace, mana is much more rare. In fact, until later on in the series, mana is all but unheard of and mistakenly confused with magic simply because they look similar to the outside observer. The difference is in how the effects are created.
Magic, as stated, uses magic phrases, gestures and material components. Mana is a more primal aspect of magic, less reliant on the world around the user and more about the focus and intent of the user internally. Where magic requires you to make a gesture and say a magic word, mana simply requires you to focus your will. It may require a gesture or spoken word, but that is simply how the wielder chooses to exert his will at that moment, and unlike magic, the gestures or words will never be the same between two people.
In the middle of the spectrum is chi. A curious power related to both magic and mana, chi requires force of will, verbal and somatic components. Monasteries will teach monks how to focus their will and exert it on the physical world, but the verbal and somatic components will generally be similar (the Ur example would be the cliche "Hi-ya!" and matching foot stomp that seems to come with every open-handed karate chop). However, true masters of chi will have the focus and force of will to bypass those requirements. That said, chi still falls firmly under the domain of mana (while having a regimen similar to magic, although it is decidedly more rigid, and spiritual, than magic could ever be).
I decided that instead of one "all-powerful entity" that sort of just created everything, there'd be two, and the pantheon would be more familial than "Omnipotent being creates slightly less omnipotent beings." At the top are Avo and Avia. They gave birth to four children (Aversio, Mikhailai, Mannox and Delaine). That's actually the end of the familial aspect of the pantheon, but it is the core of it. Mikhailai created the humans, Mannox created the dwarves, Delaine created the elves and Aversio began to shape other aspects of the world (literally creating divisions between order and chaos, separating light and dark and generally forming the world). Mannox and Delaine imbued three people with some of their power and welcomed them to the pantheon (Adina, Ramius and Sini) and those three helped inhabit the rest of the world (Ramius created the giants, Sini filled the lands with plants and animals and Adina created the various monstrous humanoid races). Sini had one daughter by Mikhailai, Lori, and she was responsible for creating magic.
Meanwhile, Aversio had taken a far less familial route, simply finding humans that seemed to personify aspects of the world. Odium, Dolus and Ultio were each chosen to personify chaos, order and mana (respectively) due to their control over (or influence over) their respective fields. Odium took a bride, Ira, and with her created the Caligo. Dolus likewise took a bride named Talio and created the Tirith. Finally, Ultio took a bride that, to this day, remains a mystery, but she gave birth to one person. She had a son.
He grew up to be a man named Veln.
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