Brewed from rare and exotic ingredients such as Beron’s Dream and Amber Lily, the potion of Greater Healing is a legendary alchemic, its reputation well known throughout the explored lands. It can mend even the most grievous of wounds and has the power to draw souls back from death’s cold embrace. Those who drink it feel a surge of vitality, their spirit renewed, and their bodies become hale and whole.
It is no wonder the Temples, in their all-consuming greed, ha...
2024-08-28 09:18:34 +0000 UTC
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I have traveled the length and breadth of all the known lands. I have come to learn that the art of the deal is not selling merely products or services, it is the art of selling that which people value most of all—sincerity.
- The Path of the Merchant by Laes Harevor.
The apartments I had been assigned in the palace were much to my liking. The walls were a soothing sky-blue marble, and the ceiling was high and airy. Tall, narrow windows allowe...
2024-08-26 14:57:39 +0000 UTC
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As the sun stands alone in the sky, so too must the best stand alone among the many.
- Gilgamesh of Uruk.
A murmur swept through the court of Salahaem, quickly silenced as I drew the blade from its scabbard with a metallic ring. What emerged was not the usual silver steel, but a curved, burnished bronze blade about a pace long. It bore a striking resemblance to the katana of my old world, though it ended in a more pointed tip for better thrusting. The guard was simple...
2024-08-24 12:01:02 +0000 UTC
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“There are three things that a beautiful woman should never be made to suffer. A violent glare, a violent word, and finally a fist raised in violence.”
- Attributed to Valerie of the Vale circa 573 AC.
The summons brought us to an outdoor court, where a large marquee had been erected to shield the gathered throng from the harsh afternoon sun. The esteemed members of the Salahaem court clustered in small groups, sipping from fine glasses and ...
2024-08-22 13:21:20 +0000 UTC
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A holy man who sins by eating outside the tenets of the faith is better than a robber who follows them completely.
- The Human Question, by Gideon de Salavia 378 A.C.
This very moment had the feel of weighted destiny behind it. I knew it in the hollow places of my soul.
The girl was most attractive, beautiful even. Her skin was a bit paler than the other Lazarians, likely because the sun had rarely graced her with its touch, and her long d...
2024-08-21 15:07:03 +0000 UTC
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Wow! halfway done with Book 4 which begins the start of a new story arc! [We meet another of the characters from the quotes at the start of each chapter!]
Did not believe I would make it this far! Wish I could do this full-time!
It is so hot this summer that I feel like I am melting!
2024-08-20 13:24:33 +0000 UTC
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When adults die we lose their accumulated wisdom of the past, but when children die we lose our hope for the future.
- An Al-Lazarian Adage.
Vincenzio leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head in an attempt to appear relaxed. But the tension in his eyes betrayed him.
“The long or the short of it?” he asked, his tone offhand.
I mirrored his relaxed demeanor, offering a thin-lipped smile in response. “The short...
2024-08-20 13:13:18 +0000 UTC
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Evil cannot be vanquished by sword or stratagem until it is first purged from the soul. And a soul, bound in chains, can never be clean nor pure. True goodness, the kind that reshapes worlds, demands the freedom to choose—to walk the hard path or the easy one, to grasp the dagger or to stay the hand. Only then can the light of righteousness truly shine.
- From the Analects on Quassian Discourse.
As I ate my lunch of dried rice and oddly textur...
2024-08-18 01:48:04 +0000 UTC
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We work in the deepest of shadows to protect the innocents who walk in the sunlit lands.
- Motto of the Blades of the Goddess.
A dream slithered and crept into my mind as I lay in the quiet peace of contentment. It struck with the ruthless precision of a predator long honed by the hunt. I knew it to be a dream, at least some small part of me did, for the edges of my vision were blurry, and my senses felt askew, mismatched with the reality that had take...
2024-08-14 09:14:45 +0000 UTC
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Hope the heat isn't getting to all of you!
It took me a while but we are getting to the tournament arc according to my plot diagram. A few things had to shift as I fleshed out bits and pieces here and there.
As always, if you enjoy my work you can really help me out by spreading the word on social media or just recommending the story to a friend!
Thank you all for your support!
p.s I am still looking for an editor!
2024-08-12 08:03:57 +0000 UTC
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Did not like the overall style, helmet visor had too many gaps. Armor/weapons were generally too clean. foreshortening is off and it feels like something from darkest dungeons! What do you think? I much prefer the new cover.
2024-08-12 01:31:31 +0000 UTC
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In the city of the Dust, Al-Lazar, there exists a mesmerizing tradition born from the opulence of the Flower Quarter known as the Dance of the Seven Veils. It is a performance that embodies both sensuality and mystery, a dance that weaves together the allure of hidden secrets and the gradual revelation of beauty.
The dancer begins, shrouded in seven veils, each a different hue, symbolizing layers of intrigue, power, and unspoken desires. As the music rises—a haunting melo...
2024-08-12 01:13:14 +0000 UTC
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In the sun-baked city of Al-Lazar, where the Dust-scented winds from the fields mingle with the sea air, the cooks of the city practice salt cooking. The people there have perfected the use of salt, not just as a method of seasoning, but as a way of cooking.
The process begins with a thick layer of coarse salt, heaped into a sturdy iron pan and heated over a roaring flame until it glows with an intense heat. The vegetables, Rakwas, a hardy root from the desert’s ed...
2024-08-10 05:22:35 +0000 UTC
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Hard work and diligence are the parents of good fortune.
- A Quassian Aphorism.
We walked among them, unstopped, barely drawing a glance from the people here. I walked with a heavy tread, a fell purpose guiding me as I lusted to settle a five-year-old score with the adventurer Guy. The man who had dared try to humiliate me in front of Zariyah. He would pay dearly for his temerity.
“What about all the servants?” Larynda asked hesitantly, dodging ...
2024-08-08 06:32:26 +0000 UTC
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Born of the Divine’s blasphemy, ever craving dominance over others, devoid of patience for the lowly, and scorning of strangers; like an eagle soaring high, casting its gaze upon all beneath, yet outwardly displaying justice, piety, wisdom, and faith—this is to exalt the meanest virtues and walk the path of the Asura, the path of manifold carnage.
- Excerpt from the Lavella Tablets unearthed from the old ruins in the Beacon Mountains.
The wo...
2024-08-07 03:56:26 +0000 UTC
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Ok, guys, this is perhaps the grimmest and darkest chapter I have written yet! Please comment if you think it is TOO much.
Goblins are humanoid creatures and distant cousins of the brutish Orcs. Though both share an unnaturally green skin, their similarities end there. Goblins are smaller and generally more cunning than their larger relatives. They use their wits and low cunning to ambush weary adventurers in the dense jungles and forests of their homeland.
Gob...
2024-08-05 15:28:19 +0000 UTC
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We gather for pleasure and blossoms adorn our hair in celebration. Ah, but fortune has not returned and I sit anxious, exposed. Alone I sit, nurturing an old and stagnant routine born of the long, empty days that accumulate, bare and desolate. Oh, how they distort my sense of time in this most unyielding of years. Ah, misfortune, you most miserable of serpents who lie in wait under perfumed leaves. Why must you always wait for time and age’s heavy-handed blows to fall before sinking dee...
2024-08-04 11:47:32 +0000 UTC
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Those who walk the path of Mana must often seek to refine their minds if they wish to advance. Theories abound as to why this is so, yet the most compelling comes from Master Lionels, the Qisnian renegade. He argues that the mind must expand its capacity to grasp the hidden mathematica behind Mana. The more the mind can comprehend of the deeper mysteries, the more Mana it can command in turn.
- Master Bertrand of the University of Quas.
Larynda was whe...
2024-08-03 13:15:28 +0000 UTC
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I think this might make a good cover. Included is the reference photo for the general pose
2024-08-03 11:50:33 +0000 UTC
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Failed concept art for Gilgamesh. Did not like the pose on the legs.. and did not like how he is holding the sword.
2024-08-02 10:01:44 +0000 UTC
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Elwin in an action pose. The Blade of the Dark Lady.
2024-08-02 09:57:41 +0000 UTC
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A dream is like a letter from our unconscious minds, a missive delivered in the stillness of night, penned in the cryptic language of symbols and emotions. Each night, as we drift into slumber, our conscious defenses fall away, and the hidden parts of our psyche come alive. These dreams, often surreal and enigmatic, are the way our unconscious mind whispers its thoughts, fears, desires, and unresolved conflicts.
- On Dreams and Reality by Master Bertrand of the University o...
2024-08-02 01:52:20 +0000 UTC
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Our short lives are composed of countless moments that seem insignificant when compared to the greater whole. Then, comes a day, a test, a trial, a singular instance that defines the future after it forever more. It is then that we must find our courage and strength.
- The Human Question by Gideon de Salavia 378 AC.
The invitation to the dance had been extended, and now it was time to take the floor.
An Improved Entropic Aura seethed from me, a h...
2024-07-29 14:41:24 +0000 UTC
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Ah, the Sim Edin, the great desert better known as the Whispering Wastes. It is said that the people of the deep desert of Sim Edin, the Nas Al-Rimal, worship no gods. That is false. For centuries, these so-called primitives have worshipped the very land that sustains them: the Sim Edin itself.
The desert is both their god and their adversary, a vast expanse of shifting dunes and jagged rocks that seems to breathe and pulse with a life of its own. The people of Sim Edin, ha...
2024-07-28 10:07:05 +0000 UTC
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The mountain tribes have saying that everyone has but one bowl within them. To fill it with something new, an equal portion must be emptied. That, or the vessel must be grown and cultivated.
- The Human Question by Gideon de Salavia 378 AC.
We left the Adventurer's Guild and started our walk along Scholar’s Row. It was just as I remembered it: an eclectic collection of disparate buildings with little architectural uniformity. But there was mon...
2024-07-27 06:47:01 +0000 UTC
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So one of the hottest months of the year is about to end! Even with my AC on it is still really hot and the price of electricity is really stupid!
Anyways, back on topic! Just finished edits and cleaning Book 3 [You can find all the completed books pinned]. Unfortunately, a decent title eludes me!
Also, I got around to planning out how I want Book 4 to go down (with a logical flow chart). It is around this stage that he is really starting to grow into his power, but the sudden c...
2024-07-26 09:52:32 +0000 UTC
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*Sorry this took so long to do!
Glossary & Dramatis Personae
Abas Yar - An old man and Beastmaster of the Ravens. Gilgamesh cures Abas Yar’s bad back, which also restores him to good health, causing the Beastmaster to venerate Gilgamesh.
[The] Adventurer’s Guild - An organization specializing in slaying monsters, gathering rare and precious materials, conquering dungeons and protecting the wea...
2024-07-26 08:28:02 +0000 UTC
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A promise is only as strong as the will of the person making it.
- A Quassian aphorism.
I touched the handle of the dark wood of the door, the moment like that of a solemn ceremony. I could almost feel a new chapter of my story in this game beginning. The drama of the moment, however, was soon ruined by Larynda.
“Wait, a moment!” she cried. I turned around just in time to see her disappearing into a side room.
Crossing my arms im...
2024-07-25 04:56:59 +0000 UTC
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Rough sketch. Scabbard is based on Shadiversity's backscabbard.
2024-07-23 14:35:04 +0000 UTC
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Burlier Kidu with equipment from book 1.
2024-07-21 07:53:52 +0000 UTC
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