We can't go on without occasionally looking in on the OTHER side of the board... ------ Chapter 6. "They … they seem to be exactly as they were," Bolthawk murmured, in a tone of mingled fear and awe. It followed the false Justiciar's gaze to where Mist Owl stood in conversation with the earlier Silver Eagle, Gareth Lamell, and Skyharrier. "Oh, indeed, they are exactly as they were." It chuckled. "I suppose your surprise comes from your first re-introduction to your fallen comrades?" Assured by its [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 5
December 23, 2015 By Leave a Comment
They had made a hideous discovery... ------ Chapter 5. "It makes all too much sense," Tobimar said quietly. He saw Kyri nod, still pale under her dark skin. Rion had nearly collapsed after that last revelation, and it was clear that he needed rest badly. Now he and Kyri stood at the edge of Valatar, and he rested a hand on her shoulder. She started at that, then nodded again. "Of course. And fits perfectly with that sensation I had around him – the one that first led me to be suspicious of the Unity [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 4
December 21, 2015 By Leave a Comment
It's time to delve into the mystery of Kyri's supposedly-dead brother... ----- Chapter 4. "Ready," said Poplock. Kyri looked around the large, rectangular room and saw Miri, Tobimar, and Lady Shae in combat poses. "Do you actually think he's going to lunge out of the tube to kill us all?" she demanded, feeling a somewhat unreasonable annoyance at this suspicion. We don't know it's Rion, she reminded herself. It really can't be him. Can it? "Expect, no," Hriista said from beside [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 3
December 18, 2015 By Leave a Comment
There had been losses in the battle, and now after... Chapter 3. Poplock gave his own little salute from atop Danrall's shoulder as Tanvol's body, clad in a pure white robe with the pattern of the Seven and One embroidered on it in gems and gold thread, was borne towards the shores of Enneisolaten by seven people: Lady Shae, Miri, Anora, Herminta Gantil and another Color whose name Poplock didn't quite remember, Hiriista… and Tobimar. Tobimar had insisted he be the Seventh, and none had argued with him. The Unity [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 2
December 16, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Phoenix Kyri had just made a shocking discovery... Chapter 2. Tobimar caught at Kyri's arm and pulled her back. "Don't! We don't know how these open, remember?" He caught her gaze, staring steadily into the huge, gray eyes, waited until they focused on him. "You all right?" She closed her eyes and then nodded slowly. At that point, the recognition of the name she'd screamed hit him. "Wait. Rion? Your brother? But… he died in front of you, didn't he?" "Yes… yes, of course. You're right." She [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: Chapter 1
December 14, 2015 By Leave a Comment
We've been reminded of what went before; now the new material begins! Chapter 1. "Lady Shae!" Kyri shouted even as she realized that Shae could not possibly react in time, and lunged forward, shoving the taller woman aside. Her gauntleted hands caught the sagging beam, gripped so tightly that the hardwood dented beneath her fingers, and she braced herself, throwing all the Vantage strength into keeping the monstrous mass of stone above from moving so much as one more inch. By then, Shae had caught herself [ Continue reading... ]
Phoenix Ascendant: What Has Gone Before
December 11, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Today I begin the snippeting of the final book in the Balanced Sword trilogy, Phoenix Rising; we start with a summary of the prior two books. The first chapter will be up next week! Previously in The Balanced Sword Phoenix Rising Kyri Victoria Vantage lost her parents to unknown attackers some years before; even the Justiciars of Myrionar, God of Justice and Vengeance, the patron deity of her country Evanwyl, were unable to discover the identity of the assailants. But she has moved on, and her brother Rion has become a Justiciar [ Continue reading... ]
Under the Influence: Wizards of the Coast
November 5, 2015 By 1 Comment
As I have mentioned elsewhere, I was a major presence online in the Usenet gaming communities rec.games.frp.* for many years (going back to the late 1980s). One day, in 1991, I was contacted by a person going by the name of Mavra, whose real name I later learned was Peter Adkison. He said he was part of a new RPG company and was looking for people to take a look at an early draft of their first planned product, and I was the sort of gamer he was looking for. Little did I realize how important a first contact I had just made. I of course [ Continue reading... ]
Under the Influence: Nancy Drew
November 3, 2015 By 1 Comment
I have previously mentioned two of the strongest influences in my life that gave me a strong assumption of the essential strength and equality of female characters to male – specifically, the Oz series (in which the most prominent characters are almost always girls/women), and the Little House books told from the point of view of Laura Ingalls (later Laura Ingalls Wilder). But there was a third such influence: Nancy Drew. Dating all the way back to 1930, Nancy Drew in all her incarnations has been a young amateur sleuth, child of a [ Continue reading... ]
Demons of the Past: Chapter 5
October 29, 2015 By Leave a Comment
We conclude the battle we started this week. As a side note, the paragraphs that begin this chapter, and some others scattered through the chapter, are the oldest untouched pieces of prose I have ever posted; they are unchanged from the first draft of this work (originally called "Psionic!") written in 1978. -------- Chapter 5. Varan: Red fire-hammers slammed into the makeshift barricade. Being made of E-steel torn from the bulkheads behind us, it only gave a little, but even that little [ Continue reading... ]
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