Artus, sat tapping his fingers absently against the table, midday light filtered through the windows of the small studio illuminating the tiny particles gently floating in the air. “No one is buying, we need to increase our renown.” picking up a jar from a box filled with similar containers he scrutinized it’s thick luminescent content. “It’s a great paint, I’ve never seen such a beautiful hughe of orange before. And for the price we are asking for it, it should be flying off the shelves.”
“It’s not just our renown,” replied Creg filling another flask with the glowing paint and sealing it. “You’ve created an impressive recipe. With this combination of lantern spider ichor and cripple cap as reagents we have a balanced paint that is fairly stable and surprisingly strong. The problem is that most painters can’t use it.”
“I’m afraid he’s right.” Added Citili from behind a work table “Our paint is quite toxic. I have an antidote figured out just in case; but with a toxic level of seven of ten, the local painters aren’t buying it. I think we should find a way to dilute it’s toxicity.”
“Paints with this level of toxicity aren’t uncommon.” Artus replied a little frustrated.
“You’re right but they are more for huge industrial projects, which we can’t supply. You don’t care because for some reason the corrosive effects of paints don’t seem to affect you. But we need to produce a paint that can be used more commonly. That’s the only way we will hit the market demographic that we need.” Creg explained.
Artus replaced the jar back into it’s box, and considered the situation. This was the technical side of business that he did not enjoy. Exploring and discovering new uses for reagents was exciting. He was grateful that he could leave all the uninspiring technical details to Creg. “Okay, you are right. We need to mitigate it’s toxicity.”
“And we need to do it without dramatically increasing the price of the paint or it will eliminate the incentive for people to do business with us.” Said Creg “But I don’t see how we can do that since adding a third reagent to counter the toxins will dramatically increase the cost of making the paint. By the way do we have a name for this stuff yet?”
“I was think of calling it bog rush” replied Artus, “it’s potent and we found the ingredients in the bog. As for nulling the toxins we can do it without a third reagent.”
“How?”
“When I was thinking of solutions to remove the ill side effects of Citili’s confections; I did a little research to see if there were any artifacts that could be used to negate their effects. unfortunately I didn’t discover any. But I did find that artifacts that remove things like toxins and poisons are fairly common.”
“How much would something like that cost?” asked Citili.
“More than we can afford, but we could craft our own. With a little research I could figure out how to paint an anti-toxin enchantment.”
“You can’t be serious?” Creg chimed in sceptically. “Crafting an artifact is just as improbable as buying one. Where would we find the ingredients to craft something like that. Not to mention the skills required to bind it. You’re an amazing painter Artus, probably the best our age, but do you really think you could make an artifact strong enough to be used for our purposes?”
“I’m positive I could figure it out; but you’re right, the ingredients are going to be tricky to find. We can ask Blankstrip the book djinn what we will need. Citili would you mind summoning him?”
“Yup hold on.” Citili walked to the back room and returned with a beautiful leather bound book splattered with flour. Opening the book she grabbed a quill and began writing in the book. “He’s coming.”
A few moments later a small explosion of paper shrapnel erupted in mid air, and Blankstrip stood before them. “Do you have books for me?”
“I traded this off of a traveling merchant. I can’t read Grell but the illustrations are nice.” Artus handed the book over to the djinn.
The djinn examined the book with a deep scowl. “Traded this? They give these away. I’m sure you recognized from the illustrations that this book is nothing more than theological nonsense and cultist propaganda about the panthian Haix and the end of the world. This book is good for nothing except as a door wedge to let the draft in, how disappointing.”
“Well you’re one door wedge richer. While you are here we have a question for you; we need to craft an artifact that could detoxify all of our paints. What would we need to craft something like that?”
“You plan on crafting an artifact? My archives have extensive knowledge on such things let me think. For something like this you are going to need a bowl made of wood or stone local to the paints reagents. Of course it’s going to need to be durable so that it can endure the wear and tear from that enchantment. There is nothing of that durability around here so you will have to reinforce the bowl with a reagent. It will have to be something that won’t have a negative reaction to the other reagents. You will want something good with liquids I would suggest harvesting some leather lilies from Rockponds. Use the leather lilies to reinforce your bowl and you should have a very durable container. As for a purifier you would need something extremely potent for a long lasting enhancement. I believe the most appropriate reagent would be a crystal like mineral called angel horn. They are expensive because not many new ones are seen on the market the cave where they were mined became too dangerous and was sealed with a powerful ward. You could try your luck with the mines and see if you could find a way around the wards. Your young group have proven very resourceful so far. Or you could try your hand at treasure hunting. It seems there is a record of one of the last shipments of angel horn going missing.”
“Was it hijacked?” asked Artus.
“The record does not mention highjacking, the shipment simply disappeared near the pyramid lakes.”
“The pyramid lakes? All kinds of crazies and pirates in that area.” Said Phen excitedly from the other side of the room.
“It was a route the miners had been using for decades they had plenty of armed protection. But they just vanished.”
“Well I’m curious now as to what happened to the that shipment. I love treasure hunting and I’d much rather solve a mystery than go spelunking again, I’ve had my fill of caves. So how’s this for a plan, Creg you take Rayku head to howler’s bog and craft us a nice bowl out of bogwood. I’ll take Phen and Cilitli and see if we can catch ourselves some leather lilies, and find ourselves a lost shipment of angel horn. If we can craft this it will make our bog rush the most affordable paint of a third rank caliber in the entire south of Laotria.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Ocustodii - The eye guards
The Ocustodii are a faction of elite guards that work for the Huliganti. Their augmented eyes allow them to visually recall anything they have seen since being augmented. The augmentation also allows them to share live and past feed to other Ocustodii. To communicate over long distances they will share feed with each other and sign with one hand while covering their signs with their other hand. They also have the ability that by pressing their thumbs against their subjects eyes they can recall what their subject has seen. To do this they usually place a numbing gel over their subjects eyes that relaxes the eyelids and makes them easy to open. It's easiest to identify Ocustodii by the complex glyphs that replace their iris'. They are also commonly known for having painted faces. The Ocustodii are usually given the role of watchers. They are formidable fighters and carry a special kind of short blade. They are however, discouraged from fighting because they are expensive and difficult to replace.
Friday, August 30, 2013
AUSTRADIAN EMPIRE 1/5
The City State of
Tryll- The Trylls culture and architecture have a strong Greco/Roman
influence. Their cities and structures are made of white marble, and
magnificent statues line the streets. Trylls place a huge emphasis on art,
culture and learning. They are generally non confrontational and have a
reputation for being open minded. The Trylls are also known for throwing lots
of parties, every month has at least a two day celebration. They have a
democratic government that tries to represent their entire people. As a result their congress is full of
hundreds of senators and political decisions move slowly. The role of their king is commander of their
armies.
Strengths: They are highly educated and open minded. It
is widely accepted that the Trylls are the most magically advanced. Their
cities are beautiful. They produce the best garments and most delicious foods.
Weaknesses: The
Trylls are a softer people; and have a problem with obesity. They are slow
decision makers. They also have a bad reputation for being lascivious.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Story Skeleton - Chapters 1-4
Prologue -
A tall masked goddess visits six year old Artus, and rewards him for solving her puzzle.
Chapter 1 - All but Awake
(10 years later Artus is studying at a prestigious Academy known for teaching lord-lings and princes) Artus is suffering from not being able to sleep, a result of his curse from Papprika. He approaches a teacher with a unique take on solving an impossible to break painting. Prince Vallir (the son of the emperor) asks for Artus' help with an advanced glyph, the glyph rifts and both boys sustain serious injuries.
Chapter 2 - Biscuits and Blue Feet
While Artus is at the healers Papprika creates a temporary cure for Artus' curse. She crafts some small biscuits that induce sleep, but Artus must eat them every night to fall asleep. Like all of Papprika's dishes the biscuits have a debuffing side effect, the biscuits make your feet cold and turn them blue. Vallir's mother the empress is enraged by her sons near death experience (she is at the healers via an automaton surrogate). Artus receives the blunt of the empresses displeasure and is expelled from the academy. Papprika drops out to help Artus find a permanent cure for his curse. After being expelled two of Artus' older siblings arrive to escort him home as partitioned by their mother. Upon hearing about their younger brothers curse they agree to convey the message to their mother of Artus' desire to search for a cure. Neither sibling can help since Artus' situation seems manageable and they have urgent business of their own. They do however offer to give his adventure a jump start, they give him a small piece of a rare and valuable mineral to help cover his adventuring expenses. They also give him a small cuboid shaped crop made of a blue stone and threaded with a leather strap to wear around the neck. The crop is called the Seal of Pizalae; it is a one time use artifact that summons a powerful warrior djinn as a last resort. All of his older siblings have had it on their adventures but none have used it.
Chapter 3 - The Irrefutable Inknose
Artus' and Papprika go to the great library and meet with a young ruin-djinn (ruin-djinns spend all their time reading) in exchange for Papprika agreeing to record her progression and discoveries as a gouremage he agrees to help them scan the library for reagents that might reverse the curse. They discover there is a potential reagent but the text offers only rumors to it's location. the djinn tells them the great Observium can locate almost anything but that it has been sealed for almost eighty years. He tells them that if they want to learn more about the Observium they should talk to the Old King, since he was involved in the events that lead to it being sealed (The Old King is not the current king, he is a 256 year old hero who has been everything from a king to a beggar in his time). The djinn also helps them locate a nearby reagent that Artus could possibly harvest for paint. After leaving the library they find the old King Kabuto at a tavern trading stories with other white haired veterans.
Chapter 4 - A King a Key and a Keeper
When asked by Artus the Old King recounts the story of how and why the Observium was sealed. He explains that the key to the Observium is in the back of a small wind up mechanical figure. And that the riddle to find it is still around but the riddle to catch it has been lost. The Old King takes them to the map room in his manor and shows them the riddle, the answer to the riddle is a trigger word you speak to the map and it will reveal the location of the mechanical figure. The figure is currently in the buried city. Which is where it has been for the last fifty years. The Old King explains to them that the buried city is extremely dangerous and the last adventures looking for the Observium key suffered heavy losses before relinquishing their quest. The Old King suggest that if they are desperate enough to enter the buried city that they should try seeking out the fowl lady first. The fowl lady is a dangerous witch but far less dangerous than the buried city. The fowl lady is the most adept curse remover in the entire kingdom. The Old King suggests they talk to her first and if she can't help them, then he will personally help them retrieve the key.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
The Protagonist - lead
*Artaius (Artus) Haldayne
(changed 8/29/2013)
Description:
Age: 16
Height: 5'11"Weight: 135 lbs
Hair Color: Honey Brown
Hair Type: Slightly Curly
Hair Length: Ear Length
Eye Color: Icy Blue
Flavor: face often smeared with paint
Abilities:
Artus is a finger painter. Painters are spell casters who use "reagent enriched" paints to write their spells in the form of "glyphs." A brush is required to paint glyphs, with out a brush an individual would be forced to write a spell long hand. Finger painters are the exception to the rule and can manipulate paint with their hands, and paint in a truncated glyph style.
The finger painting ability has to be gifted by a god caliber being.
Painting School: Artus is of the school of Binding. Binders specialize in breaking (unraveling spells, unlocking things, reverting a complex item to simpler state, etc..) and binding (locking, sealing, enchanting, etc..). Binding and enchanting are the most popular focuses for Binders. Artus however is unusually adept at breaking. His entrance exam showcase into the academy (at the age of 10) included the breaking of a small insect into it's basic organs and limbs harmlessly while it was still alive, then piecing it back together again. Artus' focus at the academy was spell breaking.
Background: At the age of six Artus solved a sculpture-puzzle that had appeared in his town a year before he was born. Although the giant puzzle pieces would move at the slightest touch; no one could solve it. Until it was solved by young Artus When the puzzle was solved a tall masked goddess appeared to him she explained that it was a special puzzle that solved people, and that he had the innate traits she was looking for. She then asked him if he would like to be her helper, at his concession his hands were gifted the ability to finger paint.
Artus is the fifth oldest in a family of eight children. All of his siblings tend to have adventuring tendencies. His second oldest brother is a renown hero.
Motivation and Strengths: Artus has a drive to measure up and find a place in his family. He has a thirst for knowledge and a desire to push the limits of his power. Loyalty, honesty, and responsibility are the virtues he strives to emulate.
Weaknesses: Stubborn, easily embittered by unfairness. Artus suffers from a curse of Insomnia. He can only sleep after eating a specially prepared dish that induces sleep.
*I have a difficult time naming characters, especially main characters. I suspect the name of the lead protagonist will change often though out this writing process.
©2013
(changed 8/29/2013)
Description:
Age: 16
Height: 5'11"Weight: 135 lbs
Hair Color: Honey Brown
Hair Type: Slightly Curly
Hair Length: Ear Length
Eye Color: Icy Blue
Flavor: face often smeared with paint
Abilities:
Artus is a finger painter. Painters are spell casters who use "reagent enriched" paints to write their spells in the form of "glyphs." A brush is required to paint glyphs, with out a brush an individual would be forced to write a spell long hand. Finger painters are the exception to the rule and can manipulate paint with their hands, and paint in a truncated glyph style.
The finger painting ability has to be gifted by a god caliber being.
Painting School: Artus is of the school of Binding. Binders specialize in breaking (unraveling spells, unlocking things, reverting a complex item to simpler state, etc..) and binding (locking, sealing, enchanting, etc..). Binding and enchanting are the most popular focuses for Binders. Artus however is unusually adept at breaking. His entrance exam showcase into the academy (at the age of 10) included the breaking of a small insect into it's basic organs and limbs harmlessly while it was still alive, then piecing it back together again. Artus' focus at the academy was spell breaking.
Background: At the age of six Artus solved a sculpture-puzzle that had appeared in his town a year before he was born. Although the giant puzzle pieces would move at the slightest touch; no one could solve it. Until it was solved by young Artus When the puzzle was solved a tall masked goddess appeared to him she explained that it was a special puzzle that solved people, and that he had the innate traits she was looking for. She then asked him if he would like to be her helper, at his concession his hands were gifted the ability to finger paint.
Artus is the fifth oldest in a family of eight children. All of his siblings tend to have adventuring tendencies. His second oldest brother is a renown hero.
Motivation and Strengths: Artus has a drive to measure up and find a place in his family. He has a thirst for knowledge and a desire to push the limits of his power. Loyalty, honesty, and responsibility are the virtues he strives to emulate.
Weaknesses: Stubborn, easily embittered by unfairness. Artus suffers from a curse of Insomnia. He can only sleep after eating a specially prepared dish that induces sleep.
*I have a difficult time naming characters, especially main characters. I suspect the name of the lead protagonist will change often though out this writing process.
©2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Chapter 2.1 Biscuits and Blue Feet
Artus opened his eyes. His body was sore but the aching in his head that had been his constant companion for the last seven day was all but gone. Somehow he had fallen asleep. Closing his eyes he tried forcing himself to recall what had happened. Slow as sap memories came back to him: His head throbbing like it was going to burst open, the pain in his arm and the blood running down it. Valir screaming in agony, and Papprika giving him something to eat, had it been a cure?
Slowly he tried to sit up, a tall metal man wearing a long white coat walked across the room towards him. “Careful now.” The automaton grabbed a pillow from an adjacent bed and placed it behind Artus for support. “How do you feel?”
“I’m ok I think,” Artus looked down at his bandaged elbow, he knew he was going to have a really bad scar. “Where is Valir? Is he ok?”
“The young Lord is in our finer accommodations. The damage he sustained has left serious scarring along both arms and some of his face, they are of course permanent, but no deep damage was done.”
Artus felt his stomach drop. The heir of the imperial throne had just been permanently disfigured, and he was going to be blamed for it. He doubted the amnesty promised him by Valir would buffer him from the wrath of the Empress. His thoughts turned to Papprika. “Has a girl about my age, with pink hair come to visit me?”
“Yes, when you were brought here you had become catatonic from the pain, normally when the body reaches a certain pain thresh it goes unconscious, but yours didn't. We tried to administer an anesthetic to you but nothing worked. Finally your pink haired girl showed up and insisted that these little biscuits,” he pointed to a plate on a nearby stand with a stack of square bite sized biscuits on it, “are the only thing that will make you sleep.” the automaton picked up one of the biscuits and examined it “very curious.”
She had found a cure, Artus felt a wave of relief despite his predicament. At Least that nightmare was over. Another thought entered his mind. “I’ve never seen an automation healer before, can you paint?”
The automaton placed the biscuit back down and shook his head “I’m afraid painting is impossible for automatons, no i’m just a doctor, a surgeon in fact. Restricted to razors, natural herbs and the wondrous regenerative properties of the human body”
“That’s kind of funny becoming a doctor, when automatons don’t need them.”
“No funnier than a human becoming a mechanic to help repair automatons.” the doctor retorted.
“I suppose you’re right.”
©2013
Slowly he tried to sit up, a tall metal man wearing a long white coat walked across the room towards him. “Careful now.” The automaton grabbed a pillow from an adjacent bed and placed it behind Artus for support. “How do you feel?”
“I’m ok I think,” Artus looked down at his bandaged elbow, he knew he was going to have a really bad scar. “Where is Valir? Is he ok?”
“The young Lord is in our finer accommodations. The damage he sustained has left serious scarring along both arms and some of his face, they are of course permanent, but no deep damage was done.”
Artus felt his stomach drop. The heir of the imperial throne had just been permanently disfigured, and he was going to be blamed for it. He doubted the amnesty promised him by Valir would buffer him from the wrath of the Empress. His thoughts turned to Papprika. “Has a girl about my age, with pink hair come to visit me?”
“Yes, when you were brought here you had become catatonic from the pain, normally when the body reaches a certain pain thresh it goes unconscious, but yours didn't. We tried to administer an anesthetic to you but nothing worked. Finally your pink haired girl showed up and insisted that these little biscuits,” he pointed to a plate on a nearby stand with a stack of square bite sized biscuits on it, “are the only thing that will make you sleep.” the automaton picked up one of the biscuits and examined it “very curious.”
She had found a cure, Artus felt a wave of relief despite his predicament. At Least that nightmare was over. Another thought entered his mind. “I’ve never seen an automation healer before, can you paint?”
The automaton placed the biscuit back down and shook his head “I’m afraid painting is impossible for automatons, no i’m just a doctor, a surgeon in fact. Restricted to razors, natural herbs and the wondrous regenerative properties of the human body”
“That’s kind of funny becoming a doctor, when automatons don’t need them.”
“No funnier than a human becoming a mechanic to help repair automatons.” the doctor retorted.
“I suppose you’re right.”
©2013
Write the books you want to read
I was just reading "How to steal like an artist" when I came across this quote "Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use-do the work you want to see done." -Austin Kleon
I love reading, but it is rare I find a fantasy genre book that satisfies. Most books of the genre seem to be written by amateur authors; and the writing comes across as cliche and juvenile. After drudging though a few chapters I always get itchy to write a story that I would want to read.
I'm sure my writing will also come across as juvenile and cliche, but hopefully with enough editing and mentoring I will write a story where the reader can be absorbed by a juicy adventure unencumbered by the slog that is so prevalent in the fantasy genre.
What I want in my story
I love reading, but it is rare I find a fantasy genre book that satisfies. Most books of the genre seem to be written by amateur authors; and the writing comes across as cliche and juvenile. After drudging though a few chapters I always get itchy to write a story that I would want to read.
I'm sure my writing will also come across as juvenile and cliche, but hopefully with enough editing and mentoring I will write a story where the reader can be absorbed by a juicy adventure unencumbered by the slog that is so prevalent in the fantasy genre.
What I want in my story
- I want the writing to feel intelligent and concise.
- I want the story to feel creative yet familiar and relatable.
- I want to use pronouns that seem familiar, and are easy to remember.
- I want to break away from the traditional and well used dark fantasy genre (goodbye orcs, dwarves, and elves).
- I want the reader to feel like they are learning something, even if it is fictitious.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
First post
I'm making this blog as a way of recording a story idea. I've had this particular idea rattling around in my head for awhile and I'd like to see if I can get it out. The story is called "The Painted Story." I'm just going to write and post as ideas come to mind. Constructive feed back is appreciated.
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