“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“Not again, Nyx.” I pulled her away with one hand as the other attempted to hide the temptation away in my spatial vault, only realising the cloth had slipped when the notification arrived.
. . .
Ding! Regeneration Trait Absorbed
. . ....
2024-08-16 15:30:51 +0000 UTC View Post
“All things are difficult before they are easy.”
Thomas Fuller
“Shit, [Stone Skin]!” Namir’s final words, as he stepped up to face it, told me this would be a different kind of fight. Claws alone were not going to cut it. I focused on my task at hand, attempting to freeze the troll before the next troll, Zalmar, could reach us.
[Freeze]
[Ice Aura]
[Observe]
2024-08-05 17:12:51 +0000 UTC View Post
“Don’t feed the trolls; nothing fuels them so much.”
Oscar Wilde
“Trolls?” Njordson shouted in shock as the felled trees blocking the river came into sight around the bend.
On one side, a tree had been knocked over, blocking half the river, while on the other side, the tree had clearly been uprooted from further afield and dragged into place. Together, they blocked the river held ...
2024-08-04 15:39:20 +0000 UTC View Post
“Two is company, but three is none; two’s a couple, but three’s a crowd; four’s too many, and fives are not allowed.”
Dictionary of Proverbs
Njordson had been waiting in ambush for us to leave. “Before you go, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind me accompanying you at least as far as Drangskoll.”
“Why not travel with your family?” Namir sighed at the complication.
“You’ve inspired me. I...
2024-08-03 19:09:33 +0000 UTC View Post“I learned early that class is universally admired. Almost any fault, sin or crime is considered more leniently if there’s a touch of class involved.”
Frank Abignale, Catch me if you can
The door opened to reveal Frau Ingar still in her nightshirt. “Lord Silversea? An incident?” she asked as she held the door ajar before her a little defensively. My knocking had clearly woken her, but I was surprised it had brou...
2024-08-01 15:28:41 +0000 UTC View Post“Those who foolishly pride themselves on their nobility mistake that which makes them noble, for it is only the virtue of their ancestors that gives them noble blood.”
Madeleine de Souvre
Someone was attempting to enter my master bedroom silently, but they had failed to account for the spring in the locking mechanism; the slight noise as the tumbler turned had been enough to wake me. I kept still, eyes closed as the man step...
2024-07-27 23:53:55 +0000 UTC View Post
“After a good dinner, one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.”
Oscar Wilde
“That will not be a problem.” Jarl Njord answered, waving away any worry, unaware of exactly what I suspected to be true. “Dragonlings are rare indeed in the north, and most likely, it has simply found somewhere warm to shelter from the cold. It will not take long for you to find the beast at all. Once I ma...
2024-06-26 20:02:35 +0000 UTC View Post“A dinner invitation, once accepted, is a sacred obligation. If you die before the dinner takes place, your executor must attend.”
Ward McAllister
I had no plans on dying, but I was looking forward to finally meeting the local lord Jarl Njord, if only because I would hopefully reunite with Nyx. Our dinner invitation arrived less than an hour later; Xenodochus seemed to derive great pleasure in delivering it to us and promisi...
2024-06-22 21:49:26 +0000 UTC View Post“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.”
James Oppenheim
“Lord Njord?” I asked, concerned. Bypassing, waiting for Namir, and quickly questioning our first lead. Who in the depths of the Lodestone Labyrinth was Lord Njord? It was a stupid name anyway. The stallkeeper, recognising my frustration, chose to rephrase and elaborate.
“Jarl Njord . . .” He paused...
2024-06-14 13:06:12 +0000 UTC View Post
“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
Abraham Lincoln
We walked back to the inn in stony silence. I was a little sheepish now that I had considered how far I had travelled; what if I had been unable to make it back? Then there was Asta, who was a little crushed by the cold shoulder she was receiving from Namir. And Namir? I was unsure what he was thinking or feeling, but his intimidating presence did not inv...
2024-06-01 19:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
“The famous ‘Abra Kadabra’ originates from Aramaic, which was spoken in biblical times, and means: I will create with my words.”
Mor M. Cohen
Lurching, I steadied myself on the shard of the Lodestar in front of me. It felt off. A little lower and a little smaller. I opened my eyes in astonishment and found myself standing in the sealed altar room of Drangavik, where we had been only but yesterday. As ...
2024-05-24 23:38:13 +0000 UTC View Post“Life is a series of sudden disappearances, leave-takings without the proper goodbyes.”
Kelly Link
“Welcome in the light of the lodestar.” A voice intoned as we entered a blue light shining down on the entrance we had passed through. But looking up, we realised it was just a trick of the light with a stained glass blue window placed to catch and colour the light over the entrance. The actual shard was hidden furth...
2024-05-19 12:45:21 +0000 UTC View Post
“Folks around these parts freeze to death all the time.”
“Especially the stupid ones.”
“It’s nature’s way of thinning out the herd if you ask me.”
New in Town, Film
It did not take us long to catch up to the group ahead of us, as their boat, laden with goods from Drangavik and beyond, was significantly slower than our smaller, lighter canoe. Nyx enjoyed sitting on the prow an...
2024-05-04 20:27:14 +0000 UTC View Post
“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A Milne
Our arrangement on the boat was swiftly switched. I made a far better steersman, and Namir, uncomfortable as he was on the water, still made a far better oarsman. We took our ease after an eventful night as we headed downriver toward the coast. We only needed the occasional paddle to push us along or out of the way of approa...
2024-04-16 20:27:50 +0000 UTC View PostHappy New Fiscal Year,
Is there any interest in doing an art competition with prize money for Singer,Sailor Merchant, Mage?
Thoughts?
Notlimah
“Land of lost gods and godlike men.”
Lord Byron
I’d come here to heal someone, not talk about the gods. Although I guess I was happy to sit back and let the priest patch up the thief who had tried to steal from us. His unconscious body was the only audience for the priest’s words, as he had sent Cami to get us some provisions for the road. It seemed rude to decline and would only draw further notice, so we would accept t...
2024-04-06 22:18:14 +0000 UTC View Post
“The phrase, ‘Cat Got Your Tongue’ is used to describe when someone is at a loss of words or being unusually quiet.”
Internet
Namir’s POV
The town did not take a long time to traverse. There seemed to be nothing unexpected, and he enjoyed scouting out where they would be walking on the morrow: the church, the market, and the departure dock that ran out of the town on the western side. As...
2024-04-04 12:02:30 +0000 UTC View Post
“I tell you this as a cautionary tale: beware of getting what you want. It’s bound to disappoint you.”
Jodi Picoult
Unknown’s POV
He watched as the foolish pilgrims parked themselves alongside one of the giant guards. This town was a dump, with no work that did not involve, actually working. After running from some heat a few towns south, he had ended up here, catching a convoy of merchant...
2024-04-03 13:33:25 +0000 UTC View Post“Every tall tale was rooted in truth.”
Kerri Maniscalo
My mana did not last the hour, but it did last long enough for me to see the town of Drangavik appear on the horizon. It was the first northern town of the Kingdom of Tramontana, which meant there would be humans. The giants had been surprisingly accommodating in accepting our arrival and departure. Namir was unsure that humans would be as welcoming of his presence so fa...
2024-04-02 15:21:51 +0000 UTC View Post“Life isn’t a race. It’s a relay.”
Dick Gregory
“Where are we?” Were the first words out of Namir’s mouth. While I could keep the spatial vault open enough to look out of using my expanded senses, it was far more straightforward to close it when I was not within, and Namir did not have access to the same skills I had. He had been confined for the entire flight south so far and was happy to be no longer cont...
I'm sorry for the poor month of writing. Last month, I took a week off to write, even paying £500 for childcare for the pair of them for the week to cover their holiday from school, but instead, I just crashed hard, only managing two chapters instead of the five I had hoped to write. Work continues to be challenging, with several hundreds of words reports to write and/or rewrite. My wife is in the final stretch of her four-year degree while working, and then there are the children. Weekends ...
2024-03-16 00:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post“Cowards never won heaven. Do not claim that you are begotten of God and you have His royal blood running in your veins unless you can prove your lineage by His heroic spirit: to dare to be holy in spite of men and devils.”
William Gurnall
“What new ridiculous did you manage this time?” Namir quizzed me when I emerged from my spatial vault.
“Why do you think I did something?” I asked defensively, still smirking a little at my success. Those were...
2024-03-15 22:42:54 +0000 UTC View Post“The windfall of great riches can, if mismanaged, make things worse, not better, for the recipients.”
Michael Mandelbaum
My medical duties were not finished with Gervir. Fascinated and astounded by the possibility of reviving giants frozen in the battle against the ice giant, the hunters and warriors gathered any entirely or partially frozen fighters and brought them to me, forming a long line. Volur and his students continued to provide me with mana as I wor...
2024-02-13 19:39:20 +0000 UTC View Post“Battles are never the end of war; for the dead must be buried and the cost of the conflict must be paid.”
James A Garfield
Lying exhausted on my spatial vault floor, I laughed as I had finally lived up to my former name. I was now Jack, the Ice Giant Killer. I couldn’t help but grin at the idea despite the devastation the beast had caused. Undoubtedly, the system would reward me for my success. I could not wait anymore to look.
Letting my health, sta...
2024-02-13 12:20:21 +0000 UTC View Post“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”
Isaac Newton
The Ice Giant’s head rose over the horizon. It was colossal. Grey and white with hints of blue, it was impossible to tell what was elemental ice and what was giant flesh. Somehow, it felt that the footprints it had left behind did not honestly do its actual size justice. Even from so far away, it felt as if it was glaring down at the giants that dared to despo...
2024-02-03 17:45:26 +0000 UTC View Post“KEEP CALM
and
CARRY ON”
Unpublished Ministry of Information UK
“All aboard, all aboard.” I gestured to the seating placements for Eryk, Varvara and Namir, saving the steering and sailing seat for myself.
“Here we go again,” Namir muttered as the ship slid onto the i...
2024-01-30 22:26:23 +0000 UTC View Post“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations if you live near one.”
J.R.R. Tolkien
Everything about the Thorpe was built defensively. The giants did not live near dragons, but they did live near ice giants, or at least they were the first neighbours they would knock on when they moved south. The heart of the Thorpe the Lodestar was surrounded by spikes protruding outward, but not only that but the entire edifice was dropped below the ...
2024-01-28 13:51:14 +0000 UTC View Post
Typing away . . . my 2-year-old is finally asleep for midday nap . . . but image making is a nice break.
2024-01-28 13:06:28 +0000 UTC View Post“There’s always another level up. There’s always another ascension. More grace, more light, more generosity, more compassion, more to shed, more to grow.”
Elizabeth Gilbert
The first fortnight went by quickly. I had soon grown accustomed to my new size. What I missed most from my childhood, though, were my elvish robes, which no longer fit properly. Still, the enchantments on them were the most crucial part of the clothing, so I had carefully cut the clot...
2024-01-22 02:27:15 +0000 UTC View Post