How the Elves Turned Evil

Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

So as you may recall from my previous blog posts about my fantasy setting, Thalacia, King Argol fought many demons that roamed the landed. In the final battle, the last demon was defeated by Argol was lost and the magic crown he wore was destroyed. The gems in the crown, the Aglaril, were not harmed, just scattered and lost. 

The Aglaril Cycle, my fantasy series, is all about how the gems are found once more.

Meanwhile, the elves were not happy when news of Argol’s death became known. But it wasn’t until another group of humans was encountered that internal differences among the elves began to surface. 

The humans they encountered were clearly not related to the humans who had accidentally summoned the demons in the first place. But that didn’t matter to some of the elves. And it was Argol’s wife, Queen Emeriel who insisted all humans be killed to avenge Argol.

But other calmer voices called for peace and a resumption of relations with the humans.

In the end the elves split into two groups and those led by Emeriel left the elven forest and began to plot the destruction of all humans in the world.

Over the centuries that followed they were quite successful harassing and contributing to the fall of human civilizations. But when the kingdom of Thalacia was formed, things began to chance.

More about that in my next post.

A Few Words of Encouragement #ourauthorgang

Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

I’m interrupting my regular series of posts for this public service announcement. My series of posts on my fantasy world will resume in two weeks, but first I want to make this offer to everyone …

As some of the readers of this blog may know, I write fantasy novels and have a rich fantasy world in which the stories are set. But it wasn’t

always so. It has taken me years to reach this point after burning out completely to the point where I couldn’t write anything and rebuilding and retraining myself so I could string together a few words and working my way up to stories and novels. In this way, it was very much like a person who has had a stroke and has to retrain to walk and move again.

I say all this so the aspiring writers among you will know that for many writers, the writing process is hard won. A very few can just pluck stories off a tree and have success. This is important to remember as you struggle in your own writing.

As further encouragement to you, let me also point that I do a anywhere from six to twelve events every year where I sell my work. Often at such events I am approached by aspiring writers of fantasy. In all cases I offer to help them with their writing because I believe it is important to give back. No one really helped me get to this point and I want to ease the burden for others because I know it is easy to delay and defer and get lost in rat holes because your thinking is misguided.

And I want to make the same offer to readers here: if you are a writer of fantasy and want help, please contact me. The help can be to review a story and give feedback or discuss and idea or get advice on want you should do solve your current dilemma. Whatever it is, I’m here to help. I hope you take advantage of this opportunity.

I can be reached at rfeitelberg@gmail.com.

Thank you.

Argol and Zortan #ourauthorgang

Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

In previous posts about my world, I described how the Aglaril, a set of elven magic gems, were made and how the elves and humans collaborated. Everything was great until the wizards of Davenar attempted to put an end to war with a spell of peace and prosperity for all. The spell went horribly wrong, and the city was destroyed unleashing demons upon the land.

In response the elves, led by King Argol leaped in action, mobilizing their forces to combat the new evil that threatened the world. Taking Balodol, the magic crown in which the gems had been placed, Argol did battle with the demons until only one remained, the most powerful and the strongest demon of all, Zortan.

The battle between Argol and Zortan is chronicled in Book 1 of the Aglaril Cycle and reproduced here.

The elves were now camped on a flat, desolate plain.

Beyond the camp, rock and rubble were strewn about. Broken and charred trees stood as the last clue that life had once thrived here. All other plants and animals had been blasted clean from the surrounding land, leaving only a bleak and barren tableau where nothing and no one moved.

From the elven camp and out into the ruined city, a lone figure rode a black horse. A silver circlet with seven gems rested on the rider’s head. He wore no armor and carried no sword or shield. No other protection was required with Balodol atop his brow. The long, dark hair that blew in the breeze and the rider’s green eyes identified him as an elf. His fierce expression confirmed his identity: it was Argol.

The elven king rode quickly and unimpeded through the desolation of the human city. The galloping of his steed was the only sound that could be heard. The land sloped gently towards the center of the devastation where the initial explosion had occurred. Argol rode on for several minutes, barely looking about.

He drew near a large crater and pulled up on the reins of his black stallion. Giant hands with claws half a foot long rested on the edge of the crater. Equally large wrists and arms disappeared into the hole.

Argol’s horse snorted. The giant hands moved at the sound. Immediately Argol was off his steed and preparing to summon the power of Balodol. The gems brightened and appeared to come alive. The hands pushed against the ground and the rock underneath each palm crumbled a bit from the pressure. A giant figure emerged from the crater with measured slowness. It had narrow yellow slits for eyes and sharp pointed fangs that looked like spikes protruding over its lower lip. No hair covered the demon’s head and large pointed ears moved as a malicious smile crept over its thin, drawn lips. It seemed to be considering Argol’s strength when its voice boomed.

“Now you will die.”

“No,” said Argol. “Only your end is at hand, evil one.” He concentrated and the light from the Aglaril illuminated the area.

Lightning bolts struck the ground where Argol stood, but the king remained unharmed. Sheets of flame scorched the land around the crater, but still Argol was unscathed. The gems in the circlet flared and a hole in the air formed, revealing a black void beyond. All the nearby loose rock and debris was sucked into the opening. The demon braced itself against the crater and laughed.

“Is that your best effort? It will take more than this to eliminate me.”

Argol knew that Zortan spoke the truth. It was just as Nolendur had said. He must be careful not to underestimate the demon. That meant using the full power of Balodol, dangerous as that was — but there was no other choice.

Argol’s jaw tightened with determination and he redoubled his concentration on the circlet he wore. The seven gems sparkled and glowed with the fury of the sun. Zortan was pulled out of the crater and into the air, tumbling head over heels repeatedly.

“No!” cried the demon. “I am Zortan. I am the strongest and the greatest being that has every lived. I cannot be defeated by a mere mortal.”

Despite his protest, Zortan was pulled towards the dark void. He struggled against the force that dragged him forward, but he had nothing to push against. He tried to fly away and failed. Some unseen force held him tight and prevented his escape.

Argol, meanwhile, felt the stress of maintaining his concentration mounting. His fatigue was like a physical weight, and beads of sweat formed on the king’s brow. Still, he did not relent. Argol could feel Zortan’s resistance like a dead weight — the proverbial immovable object — and he pushed against it.

Zortan reached the opening of the void. He peered into the darkness and gnashed his teeth. The pull on the demon was stronger now and it took all his strength not to be swept into the dark hole. Even so, Zortan could not stop his legs from entering the void. Argol saw the demon look about for something and noticed his opponent’s eyes shifting from side to side rapidly. The elven king wasn’t sure what Zortan was looking for, but it did not matter. In a few more minutes, the demon would vanish into the void and that would be the end of him.

Argol saw a smile come to Zortan’s face, a hideous, evil smile. In a single movement, one of the demon’s giant hands came up, as if to slap Argol across the face. The elven king saw the maneuver and dodged the blow, but Zortan hadn’t been aiming for the elf’s face and, a second later, the circlet was knocked from Argol’s head.

The effect was immediate. The winds and force that pulled at Zortan turned against Argol. He couldn’t concentrate and lost control of the magic that had created the void. Swept up into the air, Argol plummeted into the void, pushing Zortan through as well, just as Balodol struck the ground and shattered.

Thus ended the battle, banishing Zortan from the world and Argol along with him. What happened next I've discuss next time.

The Tale of Kaimin and Kellar #OurAuthorGang

Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

The wizards of Davenar attempted to put an end to war with a spell of peace and prosperity for all. The spell went horribly wrong, and the city was destroyed unleashing demons upon the land. Some humans survive to father other groups in later years.

In response the elves, led by King Argol leaped in action, mobilizing their forces to combat the new evil that threatened the world.

Let me pause here and explain that the elves were given a powerful artifact by their gods when they first entered the world. It is a magic crown, a silver circlet set with seven gems. The story of the crown’s creation is told as the Tale of Kaimin and Kellar. It goes as follows:

Kaimin and Kellear were twin brothers who lived before the making of the world. Kellear was ruler of water, oceans, rivers, and lakes. Kaimin was lord of the earth and crafter of jewels, silver, and gold. Together they shaped many lands. Yet both were sometimes quick to anger. And in that rage, Kellear would often flood the coast and Kaimin would cause lava to erupt, creating new areas of dry land and conquering the sea.

They argued constantly, like most brothers, over the smallest points: a length of coast, the course of a river, or the size of a lake. They seemed not to care so long as they argued. Yet they agreed on one thing — the beauty of Lothanna.

Lothanna, giver of fruits and flowers, trailed after Kellear and Kaimin and flowers grew where she tread. Now Lothanna’s beauty was second only to Elas’, Queen of the Heavens; and, early after the world began, Kellear and Kaimin both swore oaths of love to Lothanna.

Yet Lothanna could not choose whom she loved best. To help her settle the matter, she devised a contest: each brother was to demonstrate his love for her. Kellear made fine water sprays that caught the sunlight and created rainbows over Lothanna’s gardens and orchards. Kaimin crafted silver inlaid with seven gems, to create a circlet for Lothanna.

And when Lothanna saw the circlet, she loved Kaimin best. Kellear was furious and flooded the land with a great storm. He disappeared after that, preferring to be alone. And they say on cold, windy nights, you can hear Kellear’s lament of loneliness and unrequited love.

Lothanna gave the circlet to the elves subsequently and within, King Argol and the elves went to fight the demons. More on that in my next post.

A Golden Age #ourauthorgang

By Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

I populated my fantasy world with nine races of various types, which I described in my last post. They had little contact with each other to start because were separated geographically.

Eventually, however, other races began to change this and caused havoc. Orcs burned and cleared the forest, causing the elves to go to war with them. And goblins moved into the hills near the dwarves stronghold, raiding their hunting parties, and in some cases, their mines as well. The dwarves had no tolerance for this and went to war with the goblins.

Lizard men lived in desert and other inhabitable environments keep to themselves, but were hunted by dragons as abominations of the saurians blood line. Many dragons believed at this race is the result of magic spells going horribly wrong.

Ogres and giants occupied mountain locations and fight among themselves.

Against this background humans emerged, establishing the city of Davenar. Soon they made friends with the elves, who teach humans magic. The humans helped control the orcs and goblins, bringing some measure of peace to the land.

Humans and elves collaborated more and more and a golden age began where the threats in the world were minimized and the joys were maximized.

Then in an act of hubris, the wizards of Davenar attempted to put an end to war with a spell of peace and prosperity for all. The spell went horribly wrong, and the city was destroyed unleashing demons upon the land. Some humans survived to father other groups in later years.

But the damage was done. The Golden Age was over and the elves rose to the challenge, doing battle with the demons.

What happens in this series of conflicts is the subject of my next post and forms a key piece of the background for my fantasy novels, the Aglaril Cycle. Hope you’ll join me to learn more about one of the major events that shapes the world forever.

When the World was New #OurAuthorGang

Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

In order to understand a little about my fantasy world and the kingdom of Thalacia, you need a little background. So I’m going to begin with the early history. I can’t possible cover all of it in one blog post because there are many races and each has it’s own history so I’m going to highlight the most important events and dates.

The beginning of the world is a time referred to as, When the World was New. I like this better than the First Age, which sounds like something from Tolkien. It is the time from the start of the world until the death of the first elven king, King Argol.

How the world started is left vague because each race has its own mythology and thoughts on this, but there are nine races that are present at the start of the world:

• Dragons 
• Elves 
• Dwarves 
• Merfolk — Mermen and women 
• Winged folk — golden-haired people who look like humans with wings; it is where stories of angels come from 
• Bogger — a swamp monster 
• Kware sand — a sand creature 
• Plozark — an ice monster 
• Cloax — a rock eating creature 

Notice some of these are standard fantasy races and some are of my own invention. Winged folk are straight of out Flash Gordon, I believe. Notice that humans are not on the list. That’s intentional. They come later and cause trouble.

Some of these races don’t survive into the time in which my novels are based. They are purely for flavoring the background. Others are major races, like the elves. In fact the elves pretty much control the world, even though the humans think otherwise.

Also notice each race has its own terrain in which it lives. The elves are in the forest. The dwarves are in the mountains. Winged folk live in the clouds and in early years had to deal with dragons, until they went extinct.

Cloax and dwarves also interacted and dragons threaten all races but rarely attacked unless cornered.

So the history starts when other races, like giants, ogres, orcs, goblins, lizard men, and humans begin to thrive. Where did these races come from? I’ve cover that and their impact on the nine races next time.

Welcome to Thalacia #OurAuthorGang

Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

My next series of posts will focus various aspects of my fantasy world. As you may know from my previous posts, my fantasy novels are set in the kingdom of Thalacia. From the northern edge to the southern tip, the distance is about the same as from the equator up to Maine.

The kingdom is full of many races, government, places, religions, and magic. This series of posts will explore these. To start, let’s look at the magic in the world.

I’ve struggled for quite some time to develop a system of magic that I was happy with. This is partly because I’ve studied so many forms of magic in building the world. Some of those forms I described in my series of posts on magic.

I finally settled on the 12 Spheres of Magic. These are 12 unique aspects of the world that control all magic. I chose 12 because it is divisible by 2, 3, and 4 all of which number have magical significance.

To make magic work, a wizard must study in one or more of these spheres and must know the verbs that direct magical energy. For example to create a fire, the wizard must know the verb create and must know something about the sphere of fire.

It gets more interesting when you want to something else, say like control the weather. For that you need the control verb and the spheres of water, air, cold, and heat so you can make it rain or snow, create hail or a blizzard.

None of this is described in my books, of course it is just some of the background details I use as I write my novels.

Next time we’ll look at another aspect of Thalacia.

Don’t forget the Villains #OurAuthorGang

By Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

When I was a teen and still learning my craft, I bought this book by Stan Lee of Marvel Comics fame, Bring on the Bad Guys. The book highlights some of the baddest villains Marvel ever created, the point being that you can’t have a story without a protagonist. In fantasy novels, like the ones I write, that includes monsters.

Even now as I revise the next book in the Aglaril Cycle, I am considering different opponents for the heroes to fight because without them the story seems flat or to be easy for them. The heroes need to struggle like Hercules at his labors so that the reader says “Wow! look at all they had to overcome and they still succeeded.”

A word of caution here, it is possible to go too far. You don’t want a slugfest where all the heroes do is fight monsters and villains from the start of the story to the end. You need to balance it. How do you know you have the right mix? You test read the story. You can also see where the story slows down. That might be a good place to add something.

In Book 6 of the Aglaril Cycle, I found several places where I skipped over several hours with the vague sentence akin to: “They continued on their journey for the next several hours and stopped to eat at noon.” That’s a red flag to fill least part of the morning with a monster or some other encounter that will prevent the reader from dozing off.

Remember you need to keep your readers engaged or they will go elsewhere. You don’t want that. So don’t forget the villains or the monsters.

Systems of Magic #ourauthorgang

By Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

Regardless of how you decide to limit magic or the rules of operation you make up for magic, you want some sort of organizational principle for it. I see this all the time. For example, magic spells could be grouped by their effect. So fire related magic go in one bucket and spells related to enchanting items go in another. If you choose this approach, you’ll want to work out all the different types of spells there are so you can account for each grouping.

Another approach is group spells by how powerful they are. So beginning spells are in one category and expert spells go in another. This approach requires knowing all the possible spells so you can put them in a category.

Or perhaps there are no spells at all and all magic is improvised. A variant of this is there are no groups of spells, what matters is how the wizard does his conjuring. For example, perhaps he or she just speaks the words. Or perhaps the words have to rhyme. Or the words also need to be sang — with or without music. Perhaps the mage has to dance first or draw an image. Or some combination of these.

Color is another organizing principle. You hear about white magic and black magic all the time. But magic can be green or red or brown, if you like. Again, you’ll have to work out which spells go with which color.

Above all don’t forget that alchemy requires materials to work, as does rune magic. Be sure to include that your planning.

Magic Rules #OurAuthorGang

Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

Magic has rules. It’s your job as the author of your story to know what those rules are. Consider for the moment, the different types of magic. Sympathetic magic requires you have a likeness of something to affect the thing that the likeness represents. Alchemy follows rules and the alchemist has books on what to combine to achieve a specific effect.

Sorcery, on the other hand, is magic by repetition, chanting the same phrase over and over again. Rituals also follow a specific pattern of words, movements, and actions to yield a result. And Thaumaturgy is observational magic. The wizard sees how something is done and then mimics it.

You can, of course, make up your own rules for all of these forms of magic or do a little research and base your rules on real beliefs. You can even make up new forms. For example, perhaps magic requires a rhyme or a little song and dance. Or perhaps it is sacrificial requiring something be destroyed.

Often knowing the true name of a thing lets a wizard control that object. When combined with sorcery, you might be able to summon something by chanting its name repeatedly. And some forms of magic, say necromancy, are probably banned by most ethical wizards.

You are also going to need rules for when a wizard can use magic. Wizards aren’t above the law. So they can’t cast fireballs and lightning bolts causing property damage unless they want to be hunted for destruction of property. They can, of course, defend themselves. Other uses are probably in a gray area, say reading someone else’s thoughts. Are there laws about this? That’s up to you to decide.

Finally, you need to decide whether magic requires the use of an external item, like a wand, or whether words and gestures are enough. Alchemy requires physical components like lead or sulphur, by other forms may not. Again you’ll need to decide what works for you.

Above all have fun with it and look for new ways of doing magic. This will keep your story fresh and engage the reader.

Limiting Magic #OurAuthorGang

Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

With my world-building posts behind me now, I'm going to start a new series of posts, focusing on another topic I'm interested in: magic.

I'm not talking sleight of hand or tricks by Houdini. I'm talking about magic in fantasy stories. Magic of this type comes in all shapes and sizes and is one of the elements that sets fantasy stories apart from other genres.

In this series of posts, I’ll explore a few of the different types you might want to consider.

To start, consider how prevalent magic is in your story or your world. If everyone can do magic then it is not very special and it becomes more like using a cell phone or browsing the internet with a computer.

So I recommend keeping magic limited. Perhaps only one group of people can cast spells. Or perhaps only those who are taught can. Or perhaps magic is restricted to one part of the world by law or physical limitations.

The Harry Potter approach is that the use of magic is limited because the existence of wizards is secret. In a heroic fantasy story that’s not likely, but the use of magic could be outlawed because people of scared of wizards who can wield so much power. To balance that, you might set limits on how much magic any one people can do. Perhaps some spells are more costly than others. Or perhaps the trick is to break the spell caster’s concentration so he or she can’t cast spells.

Another aspect to think about is where does the power for magic come from? It is in the air or are wizards using a piece of themselves when they can spells. If the power is in the air, it can be like heat or light, something that exists in the environment that the wizard can draw upon. The limiting factor here is that casting spells is like physical exertion so eventually the wizard needs to rest. If the power from within the wizard, then each time the individual calls upon the power, the spell caster is eating away at him or herself, like a cancer. The effect of that is the wizard ages, grows gaunt, loses their hair, as if dying from cancer.

Regardless of the limiting factors you select, there are likely to be rules among the wizards about how and when to use spells. Likewise there probably rules for casting spells. We’ll look at these in the next post.

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Book Spotlight: Aure the Topaz #OurAuthorGang

By Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

Twenty-five years ago, invaders captured Andropolis, the capital of Thalacia, and ended the rule of King Leonard. According to prophecy, the invaders can be ousted and the royal line restored only by wielding the Aglaril, seven elven gems of unprecedented power. 

However, the circlet in which the gems were set was destroyed millennia ago and the gems lost. At least, that was the common belief. Evan Pierce, a priest of St. Michael, discovers one of the gems belongs to the town jeweler. He also uncovers a plot to steal the gem and does what he can to keep it safe. But it is not enough. 

Now, Evan must recover the gem by relying on a motley group of adventurers for help. Together, they must overcome a series of obstacles or humanity's one hope for restoring the royal line will be lost forever.

From amazon.com: Five stars. Possibly one of the best books I have read so far this year and the best fantasy I have read in a while. This book read surprisingly quick, it is easily appropriated for younger readers even early teens but it still very much so appeals to adults. There wasn't a lot of detailed world building that you normally expect, it just naturally flows and you learn as you read but don't feel lost at any point. There are a wide variety of characters, each with their own clear back story. There are several storylines going on at once but they mesh so well you don't feel you need to keep track of them. This was a very well written fantasy novel and now I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!

To buy: http://manasoftbooks.com/aure.php

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Deserts and Tundra #OurAuthorGang

Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

[Author's Note: While my series of posts on world-building is complete, I forgot to include this one, as promised. To correct this, here's the missing information for all you world-building fans. Enjoy.]

Deserts are unique places you'll want to include in your world-building plans. They occur where there is little to no rain to support grass and moss. Where there is rain, dry grasslands or scrub land result. So it makes sense to place desert next to scrub land or where the land is so broken (like the American Southwest) that only the hardiest plants and animals can thrive.

But all deserts are not the same. They are as varied as forests and grasslands, with their own ecosystems. We'll talk about placing animals and other resources soon enough, but when placing a desert in your world, think about the type of place it is and what lives there.

Consider our own world. The Sahara, with endless dunes is a very different desert from the American southwest which is rockier and full of cacti. In the Sahara, you have oases with palm trees, camels, and humans. Elsewhere there are hyenas and jackals scavenging for food. Snakes and scorpions are also common. If you want this type of desert in your world, think about what else might inhabit the sands.

The American Southwest, on the other hand, is home to some amazing geological formations. It is dry and rocky. Images of the Grand Canyon or the Mojave Desert come to mind as example for these types of deserts. Here, there are snakes and lizards, but there are also tortoises, spiders, cougars, ravens, owls, hawks, and ground squirrels. Since the desert in this area are not on the equator (like the Sahara) they have more of a seasonal fluctuation in temperature. They don't have seasons as most days are dry and warm (or hot) and nighttime can get very cold.

Tundra is another ecologically unique place and if your stories take place in the far north or on mountain plateaus, you should consider add tundra to your world. If you decide to include this type of terrain, place it in far northern climates. On our world that is north of the Arctic circle and on high mountains plateaus beyond the timber line.

Like desert, tundra has very specially plants and animals that live there. Let's look at our own world for examples. In the far north of Alaska and Canada, where it is too cold for trees to grow, tundra begins. Here the land is covered in grass, moss, and lichens. The land is flat here making it a good place for herd animals, such as caribou, reindeer, and musk oxen, to graze. Arctic hares, arctic foxes, migratory birds and polar bears also roam the tundra. Farther north are the ice caps of our world and as the weather turns colder, the snow and ice of the Arctic invades the areas of tundra for the fall and winter burying the grass until the spring thaw.

Tundra also occurs in high mountain plateaus, such as in the Alps, the Andes mountains, and the Himalayas. If you select a more mountainous site for tundra, then the plants and animals living that may differ from the ones I listed. For example, there won't be polar bears, but there are likely to be mountain goats and mountain lions. Adjust the ecosystem of your world as well, placing the most appropriate plants and animals in this cold and harsh locale.

Also feel free to research both types of environments for more detailed looks at them. I've given only a quick sketch here of each type of terrain. You'll want to be more though and when you combine these terrains with other types of vegetation and terrain, deserts and tundra give your world a realistic feel.

While they can be hard to place, I encourage you to do so.

Political World Building #OurAuthorGang

By Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

When its time to create a map for your story, be sure to do it. Consider it part of the planning process. I like to develop the natural world first, but eventually, I know I have to deal with the political side of the equation. When that time comes, if I have a solid map of the natural order then many details fall out from the there.

For example, the location and abundance of resources will determine where people settle and what goods and services are available. So will the placement of rivers, the climate, and the vegetation. One might say that all the work I’ve been describing up to this point is in preparation for the political map.

As you go, consider the various races (or groups of people if everyone is human) in the world. What is there history? What is the culture? What do they value? Dwarves like gold and gems and these are found in mines underground so that’s where they live. Or you could say they like to live underground and use the resources in the ground to trade for other things they need like cloth, spices, and other things they don’t make themselves.

Also consider what religions are in play. Religion has shaped the course of history as much as politics has, perhaps more. You don’t have to create your own religions if you don’t want to but you should have an clue what happens when different groups with different ideologies meet.

War is a likely outcome. And speaking of war, you’ll want to know when, where, and why hostilities have broken out. Was it a religious difference or did one group want the resources of another group? Or did they fear the other group? Or do they raid routinely?

If magic or special abilities exist, consider how these powers affect history. Are the wizards organized enough to fight another government? Or are they like leaves in the wind?

Lastly, set the technology level in use. Do they use swords, armor, and bows, or machine guns and kevlar? It doesn’t need to be the same for everyone, but you do have to know what weapons each group is using so you can describe the effects correctly. Also, be careful to mix very different technologies together. It can be done, but only if you really know what you are doing.

To help you understand what I’m talking about here’s a sample from my fantasy world.

The technology level is swords, armor, and bows, consistent with a medieval society. There is magic and they are some what organized but they are too few of them (among humans) to rebel against the government.

The human government is a monarchy and the their religion is a generic Christian one, which people will recognize without going too deeply into it.

But there are other human governments, one that is based on vikings, and one that is middle eastern.

Among other races, I have a freer hand because there aren’t real world example to drawn from. So the elves like nature, magic, and finely carved things, living in the forest. The dwarves lives underground and mine gold, gems, iron, silver, and any other useful metal.

The dwarves kept to themselves mostly, but the elves and humans interacted then the humans got in trouble with magic. They summoned demons accidentally. The elven king went to fight them and ultimately died in the process, which caused a split in the elven community. Now humans need to fight the evil elves which has put a strain on the relationship with all elves.

Notice how one thing leads to another and sets up a background for the stories I want to tell. My fantasy novels are about how the humans finally deal with the evil elves.

So there you have it. Go forth and think about the history, politics, religion, magic, culture, and technology of all the groups in your stories. When you’re done, you’ll have plenty to write about.

Book Spotlight #OurAuthorGang

Telep the Diamond, Book 3 of the Aglaril Cycle
By Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

While traveling to Ravenhurst, Sir Ahlan, a Michaeline knight, and his companions encounter a woman, Nancy, who has been beset upon by brigands. Ahlan comes to Nancy’s aid, driving off the thieves, and escorts her to town.

She claims to be a sword master for the Duke of Argentos, who lives in the castle outside of Ravenhurst, but the story Nancy tells of how she got separated from her companions and attacked by bandits raises many questions about the woman. Ultimately, Ahlan suspects Nancy of being a spy and plans to exposed her in open court. But unbeknownst to the knight, their fates are intertwined and she is critical in retrieving the next Aglari.

Our Halloween Stories #OurAuthorGang

Halloween stories by the Author Gang

Erika M. Szabo

 http://www.authorerikamszabo.com/

My first Halloween in the US was a memorable one. I grew up in Europe where we celebrated all Saints day November 1st when the graves are cleaned, the gravestones are washed and adorned with flowers and wreaths. In the evening people gather at the graves, they light candles, pray for the dead and share precious memories about their lost loved ones.

Foto credit to www.dailynewshungary.com

On Halloween day the building where I used to live was buzzing with excitement. The doorman decorated the lobby and I got enough candy for trick or treaters to feed an army. In late afternoon the kids started ringing the doorbells demanding treats, so I was excited when the first trick or treater rang mine. I opened the door and saw an adorable little girl in pink tutu smiling at me and holding her pumpkin basket for treat. I held the candy bowl and let her choose when I noticed black, furry legs behind her. I lifted my eyes and scanned the hairy torso and my eyes reached all the way up around six feet a huge gorilla head.

The head bobbed and said, “Trick or treat!” in a deep voice. My stomach sank and I almost fainted. The gorilla sensing my distress reached up and took his head off, which instead of easing my distress added to it, revealing a handsome man behind the mask. He apologized and grabbing the hand of the little girl, they quickly left. After that when I heard the doorbell I looked out the peephole before I opened the door.

Rich Feitelberg

http://feitelberg.net/

When I was a boy, growing up in a neighborhood of Boston, I dressed for Halloween as Spiderman and went out to collect candy. I went alone because I was old enough and times were different then. There was *much* less violence in the city. 

On the way home, I was stopped by a man dressed in a policeman’s uniform who asked me all kinds of questions about what I was up to. I was scared, to say the least, but explained that I was on my way home after trick-or-treating. He told me to get home because it wasn’t safe on the street alone. There were reports of mischievous pranks in this area.

He let me go, and I hurried home. I said nothing of this to anyone when I arrived. Later in the evening, I heard from my brothers there was a kid dressed in a police costume stopping children and taking their candy as punishment for some illegal activity. I felt like a fool because that was obviously who I had spoken to. He didn’t get my candy but I should’ve have known from the old style of the uniform, he wasn’t a real policeman.

That’s my one Halloween story.

Toi Thomas

https://etoithomas.com/

Aside from the one time I dressed as a pumpkin for a Homecoming parade near Halloween, I always dressed as a black cat. The thing is, though, my family didn’t really celebrate Halloween. Often my mom would have to chaperone a school dance, so she’d dress up me and my sister and we’d tag along. I have many fond memories of dancing with middle and high schoolers who thought I was just adorable. Fast forward a few years to college and my black cat on the frat house dance floor wasn’t exactly adorable; the words sensual come to mind… Ah, the days of being young and sexy. I’d say the scariest time I’ve actually had on Halloween was when the cops broke up one of those parties and I was the token sober girl who kept the hosts out of jail… Yolo, as they say. 

Mary Anne Yarde

My parents were not big on Halloween. My mum like carving various root vegetables — swedes and turnips were a favourite for some reasons! So we always had a couple of Jack-O'-Lanterns. Living in the country, there wasn't much call for trick-or-treating. I only went trick-or-treating once, and that was when I was at my aunt's house. I didn't have a costume, so she cut some holes in a sheet, and I became a ghost!

Grace Augustine

http://www.graceaugustine.weebly.com

(Photo courtesy of Pinterest)

As a child, I joined my neighborhood friends going door to door for candy on Halloween. It was the mid 60’s and northern Montana...you didn’t have to worry about all of the things today’s society brings to our children. We’d have Halloween parties at school, usually on the Friday afternoon before the holiday. We’d spend weeks planning what we were going to “be.”  More times than not I had a mask of some kind from the Ben Franklin store.

When I had children of my own in the early to mid 80’s, I dressed up and took them around the neighborhood. After we were finished, the boys would get into their pajamas and gather around the table as we dumped all the candy out and sorted it. It worked out great because each like different candy. What they didn’t like was given to us. 

(photo courtesy of history.com)

When my boys were 7 and 4 they decided it would be much more fun to stay at home and hand out the candy. They thought it was dumb to go begging door to door for something we could buy at the store.

Ruth de Jauregui

www.ruthdj.weebly.com

Halloween brings back memories of homemade popcorn balls, the fire crackling in the fireplace, a cold night and the few houses where we were allowed to trick-or-treat. Costumes were a mostly a plastic mask I couldn’t see out of or a sheet (or both) and a pillowcase for the treats. Flashlights carved streaks through the dark and children laughed as they trooped from one house to the next. And when we got home, chilled to the bone, hot chocolate, and a treat or two doled out by Mom. 

Joe Bonadonna

https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Bonadonna/e/B009I1KYIK

Halloween in Chicago, when I was a kid, was all-out warfare between the gangs hanging on different corners, and in different neighborhoods. But it was all in fun. Eggs, tomatoes, shaving cream, soap, toilet paper, Nair, cans of black spray paint . . . these were our weapons. When I was in high school, eggs were about 35-cents a dozen -- and we bought a lot! We’d buy them weeks in advance and keep them in very warm places. Every other corner in my Italian neighborhood had small grocery stores, and bushels of all kinds of vegetables were set out on the sidewalk. We’d help the owners carry the bushels in and out of their stores, get paid like 50-cents a week, and use that money to buy eggs and other things. In exchange for also making sure no damage would hit those stores on Halloween, the owners would save up all the rotten tomatoes for us. In high school, one guy’s father owned a butcher’s shop, and he had a small panel truck with no side windows in the back, and no business name on the truck at all. It was the perfect “troop transport.” We’d load that truck with bushels of rotten tomatoes and dozens of rotten eggs, not to mention shaving cream, soap, spray paint, and Nair. Then we’d put on these butcher’s aprons and smocks, drive all over the west side of Chicago, and wherever we saw other teenagers hanging out on the streets, we stopped the van, got out, and attacked. The Nair was saved for those we had a grudge against: we’d rub it in their hair, and you all know what Nair does. No doubt you also know what the soap, shaving cream, and toilet paper were for. As for the black spray paint? Wherever we saw a police car parked outside a restaurant and the cops eating dinner inside, we sprayed the windshields and back windows of the squads with black paint. We never got caught. Not even when we’d slash their tires. We didn’t much care for the police when we were kids: didn’t trust them. Still don’t. Ah, good Halloween memories. And NO one ever got hurt! 

COMMENTS

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Rich Feitelberg

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Actually, I'm wrong, I have another Halloween story but it's about our house getting egged. Didn't think that was the one to share.

 

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Rich Feitelberg via Google+

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Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Ahhh, the Halloween memories!!!

 

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

These stories are so great. Happy Halloween everyone!

 

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Mary Anne Yarde

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

I love reading all these stories!

 

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Joe Bonadonna via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Happy Halloween! Today A Small Gang of Authors brings you true stories and anecdotes about our own fondest Halloween memories. Check us out!

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Erika M Szabo

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Joe I'm glad I didn't live in your neighborhood in Chicago when I was a kid :)

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Joe Bonadonna

1 year ago

 

 

Oh, you would have had fun. We even threw a costume party now and then. Thanks for posting this for me.

Erika M Szabo via Google+

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Grace Au via Google+

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