There is nothing more contemptible and pitiful than the bravery of the weak and powerless.
- The Human Question by Gideon de Salavia 378 AC.
A night filled with dreams of familiar horrors that by now felt almost cartoonish in their extravagance. I awoke, shaking off the dread of the night with a casual yawn. It was nothing short of amazing how swiftly one could grow inured to even the strangest of things.
Still, life was filled with surprises. Th...
2024-04-06 23:41:10 +0000 UTC
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Hope you guys are all putting up well with the allergy season! Finally worked out the ending of the series a few days ago, now it is just a matter of getting there!
2024-04-04 03:25:38 +0000 UTC
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Fearing the things that are alien to us is a sign of our insignificance.
- The Human Question by Gideon de Salavia 378 AC.
Thankfully, extricating ourselves out of the dump was relatively simple and uneventful. According to Elenora and Theo their former home was ironically called the Silk Quarter. Night had fallen and I had grown even more cautious, fearful not for myself but for my charges. Every shadow held a potential threat, every glance way...
2024-03-31 04:09:39 +0000 UTC
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Like that of a withering flower, are closing pages of the life of a courtesan of the floating court. Beautiful color and fragrance are forever soon lost, with nobody caring to spare the once subtle bloom a second glance. For youth flies as fast as the fleeting clouds, and fortune passes without lingering.
- The Fanciful Travels by Beron de Laney 376 AC.
Together, the little girl and I ventured into what seemed like a labyrinthine warren, populated by a...
2024-03-31 03:45:15 +0000 UTC
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Changed Kidu's size to reflect his large proportions. Ran through an oil painting filter and messed around with the vegetation. Still not very good with backgrounds.
2024-03-24 01:26:41 +0000 UTC
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The thorn in one’s foot is of greater import than the blade twisted in a stranger’s side.
- A Quassian Aphorism
You have gained 1 Luck.
Such simple words were bound with so much meaning. It was a hint, as strong as any that I was on the right path. The universe itself was bending over backward to make it so.
Or that I had avoided a most unfortunate outcome. Regardless, my outlook remained optimistic. I've always been the type to see the...
2024-03-24 01:22:54 +0000 UTC
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Alchemy revolves around extracting and enhancing the natural properties of materials to achieve a specific outcome. This process is fundamentally powered by the alchemist's own Mana, which dictates the final characteristics of the concoction. Materials with a stronger innate magic are more malleable and responsive in this process. However, the quality of the end product relies more on the Alchemist's skill and belief in his process than on the materials themselves. Instead of relying on c...
2024-03-16 22:40:16 +0000 UTC
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Puissant indeed are the priests of the River. When touched by their God they are given the power to pierce the veil of what is yet to come and to peer into the mists of the forgotten past. Unlike their God, they are mortal, and thus flawed. Their vision imperfect, their memories stained by imperfect minds, means what they see requires wisdom to interpret correctly. These mortal advocates of the River can not see the Source, the start of all things, nor can they see the sea of infinity int...
2024-03-10 02:41:49 +0000 UTC
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For the average man, the concept of free will is the grandest illusion. Yet, this misconception is dwarfed by the more profound and enveloping deception experienced by those touched by Mana. Forces whose natural state is one of indefinite paradox.
Those blessed, or perhaps cursed, by Mana operate under the belief that their choices are their own. However, their actions are manipulated by Mana, a pattern as old as the universe. This deception is so deeply ingrained within th...
2024-03-10 02:39:58 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 32 - Ups & Downs
‘There are things that not even coin can buy’ is the mantra of the destitute.
- Unknown.
With renewed enthusiasm and a new skip to my step, I wandered through the Grand Bazaar, Zariyah at my side. As we meandered past merchants peddling expensive, aromatic spices, Zariyah shared the names of those she recognized, detailing their origins and uses. However, my attention drifted. I was more captivated by the su...
2024-03-03 00:31:04 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 26 - No harm, no foul
2024-03-03 00:26:25 +0000 UTC
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The flowers of war are at their most beautiful when they blossom in spectacular disarray.
- Unknown.
I stood tall, drawing myself up to my full height and straightening my shoulders. As I did so, I couldn't help but remember, ‘He who shouts first, shouts loudest’. It was an old adage, half-remembered and probably incorrect, from a different time and a different place. With a deep breath, I mustered as much confidence as I could and said, "Please, allow me to ...
2024-02-25 02:51:43 +0000 UTC
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To the simple and common man, it must seem that the most puissant and powerful all wear the most monstrous of masks.
- Attributed to the playwright Vlan di Panoli.
“Your daughter is free. I do not keep chattel. I find it unseemly and unworthy,” I stated again with a smug smile.
“And you would state such before a magistrate?”
“Of course. Your daughter’s freedom was never mine to possess. That being said, I would still much appreciate it if ...
2024-02-18 07:37:58 +0000 UTC
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Like the regular armies of the land, there are ranks within the Mercenary’s Guild. Unlike the Adventurer’s Guild which bases its ranks on metals, the Mercenary’s Guild adopts a more novel approach.
The guild is organized into so-called great companies, each a formidable force split into two Wings, each Wing comprising a legion of five hundred warriors. These Wings are further divided into Claws, with each Claw numbering a hundred souls, and these, in turn, are divided...
2024-02-11 06:34:21 +0000 UTC
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One can not engage in debate without first understanding your opponent's exact position.
- A Quassian Aphorism.
The woman who looked back at her through the glass was not the same girl who had left for the Grieving Lands months ago. It felt like centuries to her. They said that time did not touch the First Children, but they, of course, were lying. It was in her eyes, she noted, a shadow within that held the signs of the passage of the years. A haunted hollow tha...
2024-02-04 07:16:38 +0000 UTC
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The party in book 1
2024-01-29 02:36:37 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 21 - Offering
2024-01-29 02:35:16 +0000 UTC
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Be as water in nature, benefiting all things without taking or competing with them.
- A Quassian aphorism.
At times, people can be sources of immense annoyance. I was relishing my drink, almost as much as the delicious moment of spite, when Sevas burst back into the inn. Kaila followed in moments later, her face a mix of exasperation and anger. Was there no respite in this world for me?
“You will pay for harming my man Basilio! I demand satisfa...
2024-01-28 02:32:32 +0000 UTC
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The greatest of rivers is formed from the smallest of streams.
- A Quassian aphorism.
After washing what felt like months of dirt and grime I was finally able to enjoy simply soaking in the cool water of the bath. The water enveloped me, a balm for my weary soul, as I surrendered to the simple pleasure of idleness. It almost felt like I had achieved a zen-like state of emptiness.
But there was still light to the day and time was, after all, money...
2024-01-21 04:57:01 +0000 UTC
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The air was tumultuous, yearning for freedom from the domain of her parents, eager to explore beyond the reach of the expansive primordial oceans and the tranquil, silent night. Distressed by this, Water and Darkness endeavored to craft both a haven and guardian for their wayward daughter, aiming to shield her from the emptiness that lay beyond. This they called the Earth.
- The Birth of the Gesthe, by an unknown author.
Cordelia delivered Zariyah's ta...
2024-01-14 12:02:46 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 16 - Al-Lazar
Why do we regain our essence, our well of energy, our inner Mana, more rapidly when we rest? The time when consciousness fades and we walk upon the land of the dream.
And why is it that the most intellectually capable of us are able to command greater reserves of arcane power? Is it because of rote practice, technique, or a deeper understanding of our element that allows us to perform greater feats of magic, like the writings of ...
2024-01-07 05:09:32 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 11 - Finish Line
Just as water holds greater value than gold for a thirsty man, so too does silence in a world filled with incessant noise. Cultivate your silence, contemplate deep thoughts, and you will be able to hear more. To observe without distraction.
- The Living Sword by Fen Vaigorus circa 520 AC.
Continuing onwards at a rapid clip, uncaring of stealth, or the better part of caution, I made my way, ever upwards, with the cla...
2024-01-07 05:05:46 +0000 UTC
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Arbitration, a weighty term for a seemingly quaint custom, both barbaric and enlightened in equal measure. In the days of yore, shortly after the inception of Al-Lazar and the discovery of the properties of the Dust, a river of gold flowed into the city.
The Shareholder families, the opulent dynasties of Al-Lazar, driven by insatiable avarice, plunged headlong into conflicts, each vying for a greater slice of the boundless wealth. The streets ran red as the newly...
2024-01-07 05:00:17 +0000 UTC
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With just a small touch of inspiration, the wings of the imagination unfold. Each thought, a feather on these wings, carries the mind higher, soaring over landscapes of wonder and possibility.
- Attributed to the playwright Vlan di Panoli.
The guards at the gate were not quite as physically imposing as I thought they were when I had first looked upon them from a distance, at least when compared to the giant man of the north. They were all, however, well-armed wit...
2023-12-31 03:37:40 +0000 UTC
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The highest good is water, it nourishes all things and competes with none.
- Unknown.
The desert sun had sunk a little lower in the sky but still beat, fierce and strong. The glare from the refracted light, rather than the heat itself, was more of a problem. I was forced to shield my eyes, the white shimmering sands almost painful to look at.
I found my companions, all of them, outside our borrowed wagon, seeing to the last of our preparations. Laes and Aba...
2023-12-27 09:04:19 +0000 UTC
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Gilgamesh in book 1 gear
2023-12-21 10:45:29 +0000 UTC
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In the hearts of men, there exists a profound emptiness, a hole that yearns to be filled. If not filled with faith in something transcendent, becomes fertile ground for something dark. In the absence of true belief, the allure of false deities and the seductive promises of Dust take root, offering illusory dreams and deceptive comforts.
- The Human Question by Gideon de Salavia 378 AC.
“And the gods would strike down a man if he would churlishly offer only moni...
2023-12-20 14:05:55 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys, been busy with a lot of work (my real job) and this time of the year is usually crazy. However, with the holidays coming up I should have some to build up a backlog and get back to releasing two chapters a week, which would in theory mean a book every 8 months or so.
Submission ready edited chapters from 11-20 should be ready sometime next week, so book three is about 40% done as Gilgamesh enters his next big story arc.
Happy holidays to you all.
2023-12-16 12:48:01 +0000 UTC
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The greatest of rivers is formed from the smallest of streams.
- A Quassian Aphorism.
Gelgor's eyes narrowed briefly, losing their cordiality before he skillfully masked it again. He likely mistook my response for hesitation, assuming I was a charlatan trying to salvage dignity before my deceptions were exposed as mere lies. I couldn't help but think with a touch of sarcasm, Oh ye of little faith.
I now realized that common human ailments like disease, inju...
2023-12-16 12:44:55 +0000 UTC
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The workers of the Dust fields are, for the most part, wretched addicts hooked on the pleasure that only the Dust Dreams can give. Lost in fantasies of their making, they slowly come to detest the waking world and all of its imperfections.
Famously, there are no slaves in the ‘free’ city of Al-Lazar, but still, it exists there in all but name. The lost, the forlorn, and the desperate sign portions away their lives on pieces of paper. These are ‘indentured’ workers o...
2023-12-11 14:11:19 +0000 UTC
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