“Why are you still following me? I’m not going to run away.”
“We’re not following you,” Saraca replied. “We just happen to be going the same way.”
Most felid Beastmen were naturally skittish, and it appeared that Ocelo were no exception. Being stalked, startled, stared at or stopped unexpectedly naturally led to dramatic or at least wary reactions. As a contestant in a bloodsport with thousands of spectators, however, Saraca thought that Xoc should have at least ov...
2022-11-15 10:09:00 +0000 UTC
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“I don’t see what’s wrong with going to the fighting pits,” Saraca said. “We’d have gotten around to it eventually anyway. Plus, you like fighting, don’t you?”
Even when Mitra was angry, she was beautiful. Probably more so.
“You idiot warmonger,” the Chaaran replied. “We’re in a city. Cities have other things. Fine dining. Cultural pursuits. Shopping! Who comes to a city for a fight unless they’re laying siege to it?”
“The people who go to the f...
2022-11-13 12:08:01 +0000 UTC
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18th Day, Middle Water Month, 0CE
Saraca wasn’t sure if he would meet Rana Saj again, but they had a lot of Rol’en’gorek to cover. Beyond its western border was the Draconic Kingdom, which he was also keenly interested in paying a visit to.
Including the stops that they made at the settlements along the way, their journey down the river took three weeks to travel the six hundred kilom...
2022-11-11 14:08:01 +0000 UTC
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26th Day, Upper Water Month, 0 CE
Dozens of warbands trickled in over the next day, gratefully taking shelter within the embankments and dry shelters raised by Karuvaki and the other casters in Saraca’s entourage. Despite making their way through kilometres of waterlogged jungle and forest, they appeared wet and miserable coming in, but otherwise in good condition. Of their Jorgulan pursuers, there was no sign.
“They can’t just be letting us go...
2022-11-09 16:08:00 +0000 UTC
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21st Day, Upper Water Month, 0 CE
“Get out of here?” Rana Saj’s incredulous voice filled the silence following Mitra’s statement, “But we just got here. After a resounding victory, no less. We should be pressing our advantage and answering their brazen assault in kind.”
“That’s what they want us to do,” Mitra replied.
“How do you know that?”
“We captured an Ophidian Lord,” Saraca said. “She was just questioning...
2022-11-07 18:09:00 +0000 UTC
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17th Day, Upper Water Month, 0 CE
“Not fair.”
“Complain to your wife.”
“Kasturi will just laugh in my face,” Girika grumbled. “Our Gladestalkers are wiping out everything.”
Over the next two days, they purposely kept pace with Clan Ki’ra’s advance, never straying more than three kilometres ahead of the other warbands. Though Girika complained about there being nothing to fight, the fact of the matter was that,...
2022-11-05 19:08:59 +0000 UTC
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As always, a higher-resolution map can be opened in a new window/tab.
14th Day, Upper Water Month, 0 CE
There was still no sign of Rana Pwilere by the time Clan Ki’ra’s forces were ready to depart.
It was difficult to tell with primitive tribes, but Saraca thought he could already sense the effects of the Clanlord’s loss. The spirit of his followers was significantly dampened, e...
2022-11-03 21:08:01 +0000 UTC
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“So,” Saraca asked, “what did you find out?”
Rana Saj and Rana Pwilere looked from Saraca to Mitra with confused expressions.
“Thirty thousand Yeti tribespeople,” Mitra rubbed at one of her bloodied claws. “A new boss moved in from somewhere deeper in the Worldspine. Now, they’re depopulating the conquered territories to make them more manageable.”
“…they actually told you that?”
“It’s dressed up as ‘glorious and honourable conquest’ and...
2022-11-01 22:32:48 +0000 UTC
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7th Day, Upper Water Month, 0 CE
“So, how do we split things up?”
“I’m staying behind the lines,” Devi said. “You won’t catch me romping around a battlefield.”
The Merchant had, in fact, ‘romped around a battlefield’ before. She didn’t fight personally, instead focusing on somehow making a profit. Even so, Saraca supposed that it wasn’t really her thing.
“I meant the rest of us,” he said.
Rana Saj needed ...
2022-10-31 01:08:01 +0000 UTC
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6th Day, Upper Water Month, 0 CE
It took a week of paddling up the Rol’en’gorek to reach the Clanhold of T’ak. Rana Saj stopped for a day each at Ulixit and Korrogh – the two cities along the river to their destination – to check for new developments with the local Lords. Aside from that, their journey was uninterrupted, uneventful, and filled with casual conversation.
T’ak was ...
2022-10-29 03:08:01 +0000 UTC
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28th Day, Lower Earth Month, 0 CE
Following Devi’s discovery, Saraca shifted the focus of their analysis of Rol’en’gorek. As their findings continued to support the notion that the ‘curse of wealth’ gripped the primitive tribal confederation, a sense of anger started to simmer beneath his waking thoughts.
Hides. Timber. Medicinal herbs. Magical Beasts that their hun...
2022-10-27 04:37:18 +0000 UTC
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26th Day, Lower Earth Month, 0 CE
“Go west, young hunter, go west!”
The ardent voice of a crier greeted Saraca as he stepped onto the wharf of Kanyo, the first city on their journey through Rol’en’gorek. A crowd of Singh gathered around the crier as he continued his spiel.
“Away from the worn trails of the old jungle. Away from the teeming cities filled with idler...
2022-10-25 07:09:00 +0000 UTC
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14th Day, Lower Earth Month, 0 CE
“I’m beginning to wonder if all of the west is just a giant desert. No, I’m past wondering – it is just a giant desert!”
A pair of Gigant Meroles kicked up sand far ahead of the sledge as the caravan of long sledges conveyed its passengers through the shimmering heat of the Great Lut. The source of the griping was an Inquisitor named Girika, a Baagh male of thirty and three.
“You should kno...
2022-10-23 09:08:01 +0000 UTC
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Ilyshn’ish continued following Nemel around on her tour of Warden’s Vale and its nearby villages. As evening fell, they returned to the minion base and Nemel went out to subjugate three more Goblin tribes. This was achieved through means suitably arrogant for a minion leader: flying high overhead while nullifying their pitiful projectiles with a casual wave of her hand. She then rendered the tribal leaders helpless in a domineering arcane display. Now, Nemel had just as many Goblin minion...
2022-10-21 11:08:59 +0000 UTC
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Ilyshn’ish crawled on her hands and knees, upside down on the ceiling of her lair. She fished out a platinum coin and fixed it to the ice. It was the five hundredth coin attached to the ceiling, so she decided that it was an excellent time to take a break.
She silently dropped down to the floor. Her hand went into one of her Infinite Haversacks, producing a magical light. A smile grew on her lips after she activated the item and held it aloft.
Not bad…
...
2022-10-19 13:08:01 +0000 UTC
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27th Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE
Another misty morning came and Nemel set off to conduct a more thorough investigation of Warden’s Vale. Fendros, Elise and Ida came with her, as did four woodcutters and three Goblins. The three Goblins had ‘failed’ the basic Ranger assessment and were assigned as general labourers in the camp. They loaded their vessel with goods procured over the past two days before sailing across the Katze river.
Wooden stakes tied with...
2022-10-17 15:09:00 +0000 UTC
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“We’re back…”
Nemel shuffled back into her base camp. Its occupants looked up from their work. Fendros, Elise and Ida rose from their seats at the campfire.
“Are you alright?” Fendros’ head went from side to side as she checked over Nemel, “How did it go?”
“She won.”
Dame Verilyn appeared, sitting atop the tree trunks lying in the camp’s new yard. Since the Frost Dragon was usually in Human or Elf form, Nemel was mostly unfamiliar with her liege...
2022-10-15 17:08:59 +0000 UTC
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26th Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE
The following morning, Nemel left her tent – fully dressed this time – stretching away the night’s laziness while she examined the dimly-lit surroundings. As with the previous morning, the men at the fire turned to greet her.
“Mornin’ Mistress Nemel.”
“Good Morning,” she smiled. “How were things overnight?”
“Quiet,” Joel Baumer said. “Not a Goblin to be seen. Gettin’ a bit warmer, too.”<...
2022-10-13 19:08:01 +0000 UTC
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We're getting close, so here's a map preview for the second part of The Tiger and the Dragon.
I'm not sure if the image will work properly since it's so huge, so it may take a few tries...
2022-10-12 22:44:44 +0000 UTC
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25th Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE
In the darkness of the night, Nemel lay alone, staring at the ceiling of her manor. It was a small manor – a tent, really – and the ceiling was made of sturdy canvas. Her face was frozen and she didn’t want to leave her bedroll. Not only was it terribly cold, but worries plagued her restless rest.
Many of those worries she was sure were needless, but they bothered her nonetheless. Some, however, were very much real and wou...
2022-10-11 21:09:00 +0000 UTC
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23rd Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE
Rivulets of frigid water ran down the scales of Ilyshn’ish’s neck as her head surfaced from the waters of her lair. A low growl filled her throat as the scent of an intruder filled her nostrils. She silently glided through the water, sensitive to any sign of movement in her surroundings.
Ilyshn’ish came ashore and slipped into the tunnels of the icy island in the middle of the underground lake. She made her way through the...
2022-10-09 23:08:04 +0000 UTC
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24th Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE
Studying was hard when one was cold, wet, and miserable. Additionally, it was not so much studying as it was trying to figure out what Fendros, Elise and Ida’s capabilities were. Nemel hadn’t really thought about that while she discussed her plans for Dame Verliyn’s demesne – she had simply assumed that, since they were all Noble scions who had gone through two years of the Imperial Magic Academy as she had, they would be in a...
2022-10-08 01:11:24 +0000 UTC
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23rd Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE
Their ship came out of a narrow canyon with towering walls and intermittent falls into a long highland vale. Though they weren’t as tall as the Azerlisia Mountains, the peaks nearby were still high enough to be laced with snow well into spring. In the distance, a massif crowned in ice dominated the landscape. Nemel gaped at the majestic scenery, as did her friends and the rest of the newcomers to Warden’s Vale.
Though she ha...
2022-10-06 03:08:01 +0000 UTC
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Arwintar had monumental architecture aplenty, but there weren’t ten-metre-tall statues of any Emperors in the city. E-Rantel had two statues of its reigning sovereign standing on either side of its southern gate. Nemel wasn’t sure what to think of them. Fendros, Elise and Ida silently stared up from the nearby wagon lot, as if harbouring the same sentiment.
“Is…is that the Sorcerer King?” Ida asked.
“I think so?” Elise answered, “But all I can see are the ...
2022-10-04 05:08:01 +0000 UTC
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22nd Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE
“So, let me get this straight,” Ida said. “We were teleported here from the opposite side of the Empire, then we were teleported back to the opposite side of the Empire just so we could walk back here.”
“That’s right,” Dame Verilyn nodded.
“But…but…”
“It was very convenient for Zu Chiru. Zu Chiru brought back twice as many goods.”
Nemel and her friends waited in line with Da...
2022-10-02 07:05:45 +0000 UTC
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A hulking form filled the alley, its fur matted by the cold drops pattering off of the walls and slick clay. Liam crouched on a windowsill above, dagger clutched in his right hand.
He held his breath. The striped form passed below, footpads squelching over the mud. A click came with its next step.
The Beastman stopped. A heartbeat later, it fell forward and lay still.
Liam released his breath. A nearby door opened. Two men came out with hesitant steps. One cautiousl...
2022-10-01 08:08:01 +0000 UTC
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19th Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE, 0300 Hours
In the stillness of the night, a thick mist crept over the shore and spilt over the piers of Helama. From the bow of Ruin’s Wake, Liam watched as the wharf was engulfed in a shroud of grey.
“This is way too convenient,” Tira remarked from nearby. “Teams two and three: take point.”
Two groups of men – each composed of two Ninjas from Ijaniya and four men from the Balik Family – di...
2022-09-30 09:09:00 +0000 UTC
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18th Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE, 2000 Hours
“Yeah! Shake it, boss!”
Tira danced on the main deck of Ruin’s Wake. The grandmaster of Ijaniya was adorned in garb from the Draconic Kingdom, which consisted of baggy pants, a low-cut blouse that exposed her shoulders, and a crimson sash that snugly embraced about her waist. A scarf of opaque purple silk swirled as she twirled and wove her graceful form to the light melody of Saye’s lute. Rhythmic c...
2022-09-28 11:08:00 +0000 UTC
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18th Day, Upper Wind Month, 1 CE, 1300 Hours
“Hmm, what can I say…”
A wisp of frigid air raised the hairs on Liam’s arms. The source of that frigid air – a maw lined with teeth as long as and probably sharper than knives – hovered less than a metre in front of his face.
“This is the third retake in two weeks, but you’ve still only managed to score sixty per cent.”
“I-it’s alright, isn’t it? This is the optional test anyway....
2022-09-27 01:09:00 +0000 UTC
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“You should start a romance subplot between Julian and Ludwig.”
Florine nearly tripped over her own feet.
“Julian…and Ludwig?”
“Yeah.”
“But you’re Julian, and Ludwig is…”
Liane’s mouth worked like a fish for several seconds before closing again. Her fingers drummed against her thigh.
“Th-that’s not what I was suggesting. Really, I wasn’t.”
Florine didn’t see anything wrong with Liane being attracted to Ludmil...
2022-09-24 15:08:01 +0000 UTC
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