Allanther

Wizard's Tower - Arc 3 - Chapter 9

After spending most of the day dealing with the mundane tasks needed for me to manage the tower, from speaking with Lilly to accidentally killing a man, I was ready to return to my research.  However, I also knew myself well enough to know that if I did so, then I wouldn’t take on the handful of remaining tasks.  

It had been a long day for me, though, so I called for several of the new runners my seneschal hired to arrange for a meeting with Alderman Kine over dinner on the...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 3 - Chapter 8

On the bottom laboratory in Loralie’s tower, past a rather friendly [Shaman] named Nictus who was dancing to imbue a mask with the ability to poison anyone or anything that looked upon it, past the Pyl’s laboratory where two [Witches] and a [Necromancer] were attempting create a mirror to speak with the spirits of the dead, and past a shy [Blood Diviner] named Corianne who spent her morning peering into a pool of sheep’s blood to try to see the coming horde of hydra, was an [Cultist]. 2021-09-03 16:30:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Wizard's Tower - Arc 3 - Chapter 7

As the guard opened the shining bronze gate for me as I headed outside. A late summer breeze brought with it a dry heat, though I could see the grey bottoms of distant storm clouds that might mean rain later.   There weren’t many changes to the field in front of my tower.  The markings of tents and temporary living space that refugees had used were still in place.  It was much busier than I would have liked, with workers and soldiers moving about.

In the swamplands...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 3 - Chapter 6

After meeting with Lilly, I decided to continue the interrupted survey of my tower and its surroundings. With my seneschal, Fentworth Aide, in tow, I left the tower to first inspect the moat. While the rooms inside the tower were circular, the outside was marked by four distinct corners. Around the tower was a walkway wide enough for one person to walk. My moat lay beyond this walkway with another one on the far end that was encircled by a wall. 

It was along the inner walkway that...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 3 - Chapter 5

While I paced the rooftop, I opened and closed the scroll several times in disbelief. I turned it to see if there was something on the other side. I checked the seal to ensure that it wasn’t a trick from another wizard. I read through the king’s summons thrice to ensure I wasn’t going mad. After all of that, I called for my seneschal, Fentworth Aide, to confirm that it was truly a royal messenger who delivered the message. 

That a full moon rose tonight, which only...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 3 - Chapter 4

I was still angry at the nature elemental as I returned carried on up the stairs. I berated myself for the modicum of trust I had granted it, thinking that the threat of death would keep it in line. Nature elementals, unlike the others, could not return to the Plane of Nature if killed. Other elementals could, so long as the gem that they were summoned through remained whole after their destruction.

I had once spent long hours to study why they were required to be bonded to an existing ...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 3 - Chapter 3

Lilly didn’t hide the frightened look on her face.  Rather, she cringed and looked at the ground as if she expected to be scolded.  I could have used this as an opportunity to teach the young lady, and had half a mind to give her the scolding she expected.

Instead, I clasped my hands behind my back and walked into her room.  In a firm voice, I spoke one word to the young woman.

“Sit,” I ordered.

She hurried to sit on her unmade bed, a hand clasped around...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 3 - Chapter 2

The day after Baron Froom departed, I had left several things on my mind, not the least of which were the additional responsibilities I would need to complete to meet his request.  While it was mildly overwhelming to consider, I also didn’t need to do anything this very day.  It would be better if I took stock of my tower, supplies, experiments, and the various residents in and around me.  With this in mind, I decided to start with the lowest part of my tower, the dungeon. 2021-08-23 16:31:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Wizard's Tower - Arc 3 - Chapter 1

I stood on the roof of my tower beside my former assistant and now fifth-tier [Planar Lord], Baron Alred Froom.  Both of us were reeling from the red-tinted night sky to the south, a sign that the Tervan’s had summoned the avatar of their bloodgod.  The wind carried the scent of blood in the air.  Even my four owl-shaped gargoyles perched on the roof were unsettled, which they showed by turning their heads in the direction.  

I had the urge to cast a scrying spell,...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 48

A month had passed since what the commoners were calling the ‘Battle of Four Couches’.  I absolutely loathed the name.  Certainly, the was a commonality between their being four armies, four mages, and four couches, but it just left a bitter taste in my mouth.  It wasn’t the first time a battle was given a ridiculous name, though, and my expectations for humans’ ability to name things weren't high, to begin with.

I shook my head, as I considered the matter before ...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 47

Later that day, I was awoken by a servant’s gentle tapping on the door to the guest quarters I had slept in. Likely less than a half night’s rest, but it should be enough to make it through the rest of the day. I was not looking forward to today, in the least.  The tedium of orchestrating all the after-battle details was often more difficult than the combat itself, especially for a wizard of my ranking.

No doubt, the new Count and other nobility would want to provide me with th...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 46

We ate in silence after my words, though the meal didn’t last much longer.  The return to Gold Castle was a pleasant affair, the warmth of the sun wearing away the morning's cool breeze, and the grassland path we walked made for a pleasant stroll.  Not for the servants who carried the tables and dirty plates, perhaps, but for me it was leisurely.

Count Wilchrest walked beside me and spoke of what Baroness Nix had learned while dining.

Apparently, the Mirktallean armies...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 45

I set my food down as withheld a sigh at the disturbance.  Of course, I had already seen the armies approaching from atop my elemental. That they were within sight from the city walls already wasn’t news to me. 

It allowed me to finish my meal in peace as the others began to congregate around Count Wilchrest and discuss troop placements in more detail.

I didn’t envy the Count that particular responsibility, but he took to it as if it were expected.  I suspected ...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 44

For two days we traveled unimpeded.  I sat atop my elemental as it crashed through trees and rocks with equal nonchalance. 

There were several traps, from pitfalls to magical wards, that were set off by its movement, but none of them caused it to slow let alone be damaged.  

From my perch, I used air elementals to monitor the surroundings.  A few miles to either side of the army train scouts from both sides engaged in quick and deadly skirmishes.  When I c...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 43

The spell [Earth Fist] was a third-tier geomancy spell.  Fourth-tier if using two.  As unimaginative as most humans' spell names, it created a fist-shaped stone the height of a man and sent it careening towards the designated target.  I didn’t use this spell, though I certainly wanted to.  

Instead, I used [Earth Manipulation] to mimic the spell's shape and entrap Deidre the annoyance.  One of the benefits of [Earth Manipulation] used at my level of expertise ...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 42

Hi!  Thanks for being patient during the bit of randomness the last few weeks!  I will be working to try to return to my previous 5 chapter/week posting schedule.  

The room had grown silent, with few even daring to move at Count Wilchrest’s declaration.  I felt their eyes watching me intently to gauge my reaction, a familiar feeling.   My first thought upon hearing that there were three fifth-tier mages arrayed against us, or...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 41

The preparations for my departure from my tower to meet with the army were well underway.  My assistants energetically ran to complete the tasks I set out for them.  More time to prepare would have been better, yet that always seemed the case for battle. 

I could only do so much.  I had crates of bread that Chelsea had spent yesterday, last night, and this morning to bake being loaded up into the wagons first.   

Crates of my version of the Asrid Flow...

Interlude - King Sena

“You, my son, have demonstrated the intelligence of a chicken.  Pecking away at seed on the ground when a fox is in the henhouse,” my father started into me with an anger I hadn’t seen more than once a year before his mind broke.  His royal brow furrowed, and the regal hairs that crept up to the middle of his forehead only further demonstrated his ire carried on waves of creases.

“Leave us,” I commanded. 

The silent guards and servants all rushed to comply...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 40

The next morning, I awoke well-rested.  Sleeping in my bed after a feast left me feeling renewed, but that energy came with a strong sense of urgency.  I had today and some of tomorrow to complete my preparations for going to war, and it didn’t feel like enough time.  Certainly, I had kept some things at the ready, but a good portion of those were magical defenses tied to the tower.

If I pulled the gargoyles away, that would leave fewer defenses should Mirktal aim for m...

Interlude - Froom

The news came fast, setting my whole town talking in excitement. Few of those villagers and tradesmen knew what it meant, but I did.  Or I thought I did.  Years of study and adventure had gained me the tiers to fight off hordes of monsters on my own, yet my own magic, even here in my seat of power, felt a pale imitation in comparison to his.  Rather than dwell on my misgivings, I strode from my study towards my love, my life.

She was outside, little more than a half-mile ...

Maps - Early look!

I'll be sharing these on Royal Road in a week or two, but wanted to give you all a first look!

Feel free to let me know what you think.

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 39

The table was laden with pork and fish meals.  Sliced cutlets fish, roasted and marinated were my favorite among the offerings, though the grilled pork steaks drizzled with thick apple cider was a close second.  The bowl of mashed carrots somehow got hidden and thrown into the firepit in the center of the room with none the wiser.

To my right sat Lilly and beyond her Leslie.  Lilly had dressed in one of her gowns, though her face held the deep sadness of loss.

Lesli...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 38

The night had been spent in discussion with Mena, though I listened more than I spoke.  It was the type of serious conversation that meant something when you looked back years later and thought about how it achieved nothing actionable but held a value that was difficult to describe.  

It was the dark early morning when we traveled back to the inn, and I certainly slept through most of the next day.  When I did awaken, I found that many of the adventurers, guards, townsfol...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 37

The next day, we were on our way towards Lark. My carriage had gained two new occupants, though I didn’t mind. The young lad, one of the orphans from Sena City, turned out to be a Jacob. He was the brazen youth who had first told me of the conscription of orphans when I visited not so long ago.

The other was the nun Shaelra, a stern woman who had little sense of playfulness about her.  She had said only a greeting to us along with a strongly worded warning that Jacob should behav...

No a chapter - updates and news!

Hello,

I wanted to give you all some quick updates.  

Tier rate decision - so I've taken all of your feedback into account and I will not be changing the $/tier for any patrons at this time.  

Stolen work - I'll be removing my last post from my Patreon so as not to get that website any more attention than it already has.  

News!  - I've been approached by a publisher for Wizard's Tower, and am super excited about it.  The ...

Chapter Delayed - work stolen

Hello!   I found out not to long ago that the extra chapters you all are paying to read have been stolen and hosted on another website in violation of copyright laws and common decency.  

On one hand, I'm happy that this means my work is valuable enough to be stolen, lol.   

On the other hand I'm annoyed because so far I've kept the tier price low enough it shouldn't have been a real barrier to anyone.  Not only that, all these chapter will eventually...

Patron tiers discussion

Hi!  

I've been peeking in at a few of the other authors patreon accounts (lol something I should have done before I started mine), and noticed that they are working with multiple tier levels.  As other patrons here pointed out, Wizard's Tower is a lot further ahead on its lowest tier than most.

So, I wanted to touch base with you all to gather your thoughts about it.  Obviously, if there are any changes to tiers, it won't be until next month so that you get the bes...

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 36

Sorry for the delay!  I'm still not happy with the beginning of this chapter, but I'm having problems figuring out why.  It might be me being a perfectionist, or it could be me overlooking something obvious.  If you can tell, please let me know!

I gazed at the newly raised Count Wilchest who sat across from me in the carriage. He and nearly half of the Shielding’s family had been in Eiston, along with a good portion of thei...

Chapter delayed

Hi!  Wasn’t happy with today's chapter so it'll be coming a later today than normal.

Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 35

I took one final look at the commotion around my tower before I departed. Pyl had arrived and was assigned, with the help of the two witches, to resolving the growing numbers of the undead. In his typical fashion, he was thrilled at the opportunity to research more types of naturally occurring undead and I could only tip my hat in understanding the thrill that came with exploring new magics.

While I could have easily destroyed the monsters, I didn’t necessarily feel the need to do so ...