“Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.”
Ronald Reagan
After our midnight conversation with the Mayor, we knew what to expect when we officially arrived today. We swiftly returned under cover of darkness to contemplate the information we had discovered. My guards dashed over the water while I glided on above them. This time with the water to slow them down a little, I won the race back to the boat. While ...
2023-06-09 22:05:12 +0000 UTC
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"In the sacred solitude of self-reflection, the Lodestar illuminates our path to wisdom. It guides us to embrace the power of progression and embark upon a transformative journey where we awaken our souls and unlock the hidden potentials within."
On Reflection
2nd bearing Verse 1
The Light of the Lodestar
A rush of emotions ran through me. Relief, knowing that we had survived the encounter unscathed. I couldn't help but feel a surge ...
2023-06-01 06:31:30 +0000 UTC
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(Yes, you read the correct chapter number. This is a revision/addition due to a realisation explained at the bottom of the chapter)
“Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”
Henry David Thoreau
I knew what I was after, and it was not just fish; it was more experience and another skill. The ants had stopped providing experience to level up and had never offered much in the first place, so I was after somet...
2023-05-28 05:36:16 +0000 UTC
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“Men really need sea monsters in their personal oceans. An ocean without its unnamed monsters would be like a completely dreamless sleep.”
John Steinbeck
Accompanied by Arawn, Namir, and Captain Kashif, I embarked on a thrilling treasure-hunting adventure at sea. Our ship sailed across the vast expanse of the Azimuth Ocean, guided by ancient maps and legends that hinted at the location of a long-lost treasure. As the wind filled our sails and the waves cr...
2023-05-23 17:11:11 +0000 UTC
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“If the sky could dream, it would dream of dragons.”
Ilona Andrews
Now that the politics had been dealt with, I could focus on my most recent acquisition, the egg. I grinned with excitement as I slowly opened the box. The obsidian egg sat shimmering in the light of my mana mote lanterns. As I watched with my mana sense, the egg seemed to draw the mana slowly into its depths. The egg seemed immune to my sensory skills, and I could not see through it no matter ...
2023-05-21 01:22:03 +0000 UTC
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“If the sky could dream, it would dream of dragons.”
Ilona Andrews
To be rewritten
2023-05-14 16:57:04 +0000 UTC
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"The game of high lord politics is a labyrinth of shifting alliances, hidden agendas, and competing powers. It is a world where words can be weapons and silence can be deadly. Those who navigate this terrain with skill and cunning may find themselves ascending the ranks of power, while those who falter or misstep may find themselves cast aside or worse. It is a world where nothing is as it seems and everything is at stake."
Lady Acacia
“Lady Acacia, why have th...
2023-05-08 11:29:34 +0000 UTC
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“Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen all at once.”
Paulo Coelho
Our distant location and position of political isolation had served us well, but the more significant we grew, the more ripples we made. So it was unsurprising that we had finally drawn physical attention. It was just our luck that the two envoys had arrived at the same time and not much later than the Libeccian me...
2023-05-07 23:44:52 +0000 UTC
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“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.”
Boris Pasternak
The letter we held in hand was written and followed our guidelines. Ramil mentioned the failure of their mission, the teams' demise and his capture without mentioning where our island was or how they had been defeated. Hopefully, his family, friends and business partners would respond financially, but if they responded militarily, they would come in blind. It would be something to pass o...
2023-05-06 12:26:44 +0000 UTC
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“Reparations can make up for stolen wages, but not stolen dignity and stolen lives.”
Abhijit Naskar
“Merda!” One of them muttered.
It summed up the situation nicely. They were in deep, deep, do-do. It was nice to see them finally realise it. Small recompense for what they had put us through the chase, the imprisonment, and the flight. The remaining five quickly bunched up, aware of the seriousness of the situation and the fact that they might just n...
2023-04-27 15:22:56 +0000 UTC
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“Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Sinbad sat between Ramil and Junaid as they were ferried across the lagoon to the inner isle. Opposite them, Farris, Haakim and Bahis sat quietly, watching the island approach. It was white, as if carved from salt. A mountain arose in the middle, reaching up hig...
2023-04-22 10:02:15 +0000 UTC
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Quick apology for not getting a chapter out this weekend. We are now officially moved into our new place, but I am sitting on boxes as I write this. (A lot of unpacking still to be done)
I went back to Mum and Dad's this evening to get work done for my actual job, as there was space to spread out work and actually get it done.
1000 words are written but not really enough for a chapter. Suggestions on the upcoming meeting and its outcome in the comments below are, as always,...
2023-04-16 23:21:17 +0000 UTC
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“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences and failing to achieve anything useful.”
Margaret J. Wheatley
After a day's worth of battling the beasts, they finally managed to break free of the feeding frenzy that a demon in the shape of a boy had created somehow. His commission on this trip would have to be astronomical to make up for the lost money in the form of slaves that had helped to keep the feeding frenzy going....
2023-04-11 23:25:28 +0000 UTC
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Good morning, afternoon or evening,
Sadly, there is no post tonight; despite my taking a week off, there is still work to be done, still in the process of moving house, packing, unpacking and building furniture from Ikea. But having managed one a day for seven days straight, I did not want to leave anyone waiting or wondering about tonight.
I usually post as soon as I have finished a chapter. There is no backlog for Patreon, one of the difficulties of this becoming my secon...
2023-04-08 00:06:53 +0000 UTC
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“Success is all a matter of perspective. It depends on where you start from and where you want to end up.”
Pat Summitt
“There, but for the grace of god, go I,” I said as I turned back to look at the galley still besieged by monsters. It did not look like they would sink anytime soon, but with their ship damaged and nearly disabled, it would take a while for them to even attempt to pursue us again.
“Gods, Kai.” Father corrected. “That was . . ....
2023-04-07 01:11:42 +0000 UTC
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“Men of action are favoured by the goddess of luck.”
George S Clason
As I placed my hand in hers, we drew the god's attention, but it was too late.
Status Permission granted to Fortuna.
With a flicker, my status sheet was brought up and changed. I watched the flickering numbers revelling in the burst of power that flew through me as my status updated. I was reborn anew. I felt twice as fast and robust and could not wait to witness...
2023-04-05 23:47:46 +0000 UTC
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“From heresy, frenzy, and jealousy, good Lord, deliver me.”
Ludovico Ariosto
‘That could have gone better,’ I thought as I returned to consciousness. I could tell I was bound at the wrist and ankle without opening my eyes. I lay uncomfortably on a wooden floor with my arms behind my back, and my body felt uncomfortably hot. My skin almost burned where I was bound. I could not help but hiss at the increasing pain. This must have been what had woken me—th...
2023-04-05 00:48:54 +0000 UTC
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“Humanity must perforce prey upon itself, like monsters of the deep.”
Lemony Snicket
I held my breath comfortably as I swam deeper. I would need enough depth to pass below the galley and not be brained by it as it passed overhead. I could not surface alongside either, as that would likely see my head bashed in by the oars propelling it forward. My swimming and iron man skills had never been more needed. Underwater combat was not my forte, a weakness from trai...
2023-04-03 23:01:02 +0000 UTC
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“There are things known, and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.”
Jim Morrison
The lesson Namir had knocked into me the hardest was to focus my senses while maintaining an awareness of sudden changes among the ridiculously wide range of sensory data my stats, traits and skills could provide me. It helped me have the mental stats to process them and the clarity to do it quickly. The beastkin’s build was first based around hi...
2023-04-03 00:47:05 +0000 UTC
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“Never give up, and good luck will find you.”
Never Ending Story
“Other than an act of god, I can think of nothing. Even if such a boon were possible, a boost in a single stat would not be enough to save us,” I replied, my head bowed in defeat, not prayer.
“Not even your mana?” Father raised a dubious eyebrow toward me. He, too, had heard the teachings and tales from the Bishop. But, of all the family, he most enjoyed returning to the weekly ser...
2023-04-02 21:28:59 +0000 UTC
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Twelve hours to think of a way out and make suggestions. At times like these, I wish there were more than one option. Or more than one version of reality to read them all.
2023-04-01 22:31:20 +0000 UTC
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“You got the makings of greatness in you, but you got to take the helm and chart your own course!”
Long John Silver, Treasure Island
Our ship skipped across the waves, our skills working together to streamline and power our course. It didn’t hurt that we had the wind behind us as I filled the sails with my mana while my father held the helm. Lessons with Lady Acacia had only helped improve my mana control and power. But it was nice to avoid all the expectat...
2023-04-01 22:23:49 +0000 UTC
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(So, new house, yay! A new leak in the living room ceiling while putting together Ikea furniture, boo! Life has been somewhat stressful recently. It could have been smoother moving house. Sorry for the delay.)
. . . .
The bishop was not the only one insistent that we pay attention to our lessons. As a result, lady Acacia’s lessons continued apace.
“Let’s work through your spell forms.” Lady Acacia led the class that had grown over her time here. The gender disparity...
2023-03-27 22:40:21 +0000 UTC
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“Every seaman is not only a navigator but also a merchant and also a soldier too.”
William Pett
Lessons were never really over with the bishop, who seemed determined to redeem the Lodestar Church in my mother’s eyes single handily. He sat down with me every day to improve not only my understanding of how to heal the body physically but my understanding of the world, both the physical and the spiritual.
“The Anemoi are the gods of the winds and all t...
2023-03-18 03:02:02 +0000 UTC
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“Everybody’s got their poison, and mine is sugar.”
Derrick Rose
Sometime on the island . . .
“Ha, hah!” I cackled as I conjured the drug that all parents feared their children would find. I was using my mana to heat the morass I was stirring and looked positively malevolent in my method.
“You look crazy.” Commented Aleera. I had promised her a new product to trade that would sell even better than salt. She had been ecsta...
2023-03-12 17:58:58 +0000 UTC
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Thoughts?
2023-03-10 23:15:08 +0000 UTC
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Thoughts?
2023-03-10 23:13:39 +0000 UTC
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Apology and huge thank you,
Thank you for all of your support over the last 18 months. Your support has allowed me to buy:
Maps for the story
Book Covers for the story
A laptop to write on
Pay my taxes on writing
& . . . This week I paid for part of a deposit on a house.
I will finally move out of my parent’s house (we moved back in to build up a deposit) and get a foot on the property ladder before I turn 40. All it took was a...
2023-03-10 22:57:13 +0000 UTC
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“And though I came to forget or regret all I have ever done, yet would I remember that once I saw the dragons aloft on the wind at sunset above the Western isles; and I would be content.”
Ursula Le Guin
Meanwhile within the court of a Hundred Lords
After a furtive look up and down the corridor to ensure that they were not being eavesdropped on, the finely dressed man quizzed the servant that had found him on his way to the chamber. “W...
2023-03-10 22:55:16 +0000 UTC
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“Consequences were a strange beast, sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden, more often than not different to those expected.”
Mitchell Hogan
A couple of months later in Libeccio
The captain strode into the reception room, “Welcome back courageous Captain Kashif. You seemed to have sailed well though I confess I have not seen much of you at all this year. My vizier is looking forward to catching up with you.” Emir Ishtul stood up to gre...
2023-03-06 03:19:49 +0000 UTC
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