Schools of Magic in the League of Elder

As with many things in the League of Elder, the concept of Magic is a rather odd thing. It is the purview of a few, yet it can be had by any with the temerity to claim it.

THE THREE SCHOOLS OF MAGIC:
There are three distinct schools of magic in the League of Elder: TK, Vortex and Gellar.

TK Magic is practiced almost exclusively by the Sisterhood of Light (Eve Ventrue)

TK: TK magic deals with performing magic-like feats using only the power of one’s mind. It is an extremely versatile and potent form of magic that can emulate most aspects of the other two magical schools. It can manifest itself as: telepathy, empathy, telekinesis, sympathetic magic, divination and Elder esotericsm. The use of TK magic requires incredible mental prowess and is almost solely practiced in the League by the Sisterhood of Light. The Xandarr 44 also use a limited form of TK magic they call Simple 7.

A course in TK magic was once taught at Sarfortnim College, where it was said students began demonstrating great mastery of it. The Sisters abolished the course and forbade its further teaching. The Hertogs, a hidden sects of scholars and other professionals who are frequent critics of the Sisters, seek to uncover the secrets of TK magic.

In Xaphan Space, the Black Hat Sisterhood also makes use of TK magic, though their mastery of it is not in the same category as the Sisters.

Sygillis of Metatron using Silver tech (Vortex magic) to assist Captain Davage.

VORTEX: Vortex magic deals exclusively with Shadow tech and how it relates to the structure of the universe. The term “Vortex” comes from the old story of Punt, a place with a hole that goes to the center of the Universe. The Vent at Punt was said to belch a great vortex of raw Shadow tech.

The study of Shadow tech has been illegal in the League since the ouster of the Grand Abbess of Magravine in 144670AX, therefore Vortex magic is practiced mostly in Xaphan Space. The Black Hat Sisterhood makes great use of Shadow tech, often clashing with the Sisters. Their Shadow tech can often match the Sisters’ TK magic.

All schools of magic can vary depending on their application, however Vortex magic manifests extreme differences in terms of Good (Silver tech), Neutral (Emplosser) and Evil (Shadow tech). The use of Silver tech was recently legalized by the Sisters and is studied and practiced by the Xandarr 44 and a social circle of married ex-Black Hats known as the Silver Circle.

GELLAR: Gellar magic, or Acquisition Magic is the largest and most widely practiced magical school in both League and Xaphan Space. The prime tenet of the school states that objects, both arcane and technological, have power, and to collect a vast number of objects imparts magical power on the owner of said collected objects. The more objects acquired the greater the power. The word “Gellar” comes from the godlike legendary beings outside the League said to be able to control man, animal, and plant.

Admiral Pax, by way of his vast personal collection, is able to influence the thoughts and feelings of those around him via Gellar Magic (Eve Ventrue)

The LosCapricos weapons of the various Great Houses all function via Gellar magic to a greater or lesser extent. Additionally, by using Gellar Magic, people can create their own sub-school of magic, tailoring it to their needs and desires. Magicons are local sages skilled at assisting people in designing their personal magical school.

The Old Vith were said to have achieved great strides in the development of Gellar magic. They devised the Gellartron, a structure housing their arcane objects, focusing it into vast power. Most of the Old Vith castles dotting the north of Kana, including Castles Blanchefort, Durst and Bloodstein, were functioning Gellartrons wielding power approaching that of the Sisters. To protect their cashes of treasure, the Vith invented the Bowerchest, a great animated construct usually in the shape of a mystical creature, where they kept their prize posessions.

The Sisters became quite fearful of the Vith and began an active campaign to take their arcane items, seize their Bowerchests, and deactivate their Gellartrons. The Vith were said to have hidden their Bowerchests in a distant place known as Edamathrombo to protect them from the Sisters. In time, the Sisters were successful, the Vith were reduced in Gellar power and their Gellartrons were deactivated. Edamathrombo, and the riches kept there, was largely forgotten in Vith lore.

Though the Vith Gellartrons are all non-functional, the Sisters strongholds of Westron, Valenhelm, Kurtiss and Kentaro are all said to be functioning Gellartons granting the Sisters vast power.

copyright 2013, Ren Garcia, Eve Ventrue and Carol Phillips

The Many Faces of Carahil

“Carahil”, by Felipe Montecinos

Of all the various characters roaming around the LoE Universe, Carahil appears to be the most sympathetic and well-loved. He’s a cool guy, has a heart, has a sense of humor, and he’s always ready to give of himself. He’s reformed the cold hearts of wayward goddesses and saved whole planets. For that reason, he tends to strike a chord with readers. You never know what might happen when he’s in the area–could be anything.

There are several aspects of the character you may or may not be aware of:

Carahil 1 (Carol Phillips)

CARAHIL 1: The original Carahil, or Carahil 1, appeared only for a brief period of time in LoE Book 1. He was a scavenger living in the dregs of Sygillis of Metatron‘s temple, eating the dead bodies she created in abundance. Occasionally, when driven by hunger, he would take one of Sygillis’ Hulgismen guards. He was basically a big rat. When Syg was turned from evil and the Shadow tech of her temple changed to Silver, Carahil too was enlightened. He grew in size, became intelligent and powerful with Silver tech. He carried Captain Davage aloft into battle and, when Syg’s temple escaped the desolation of Metatron, Carahil 1 escaped as well and was, from the reader’s perspective, never seen again. We can only hope he had a happy ending out there somewhere along with his friends. Notice he is quite large, and has a natural, somewhat predatory appearance diminished a bit with a benevolent expression. Aside from his size, strength and ability to fly, Carahil 1 had none of the amazing abilities Carahil 2 would one day possess.

Carahil 2 (Carol Phillips)

CARAHIL 2: Though he only knew him for a short time, Carahil 1 had a great influence on Captain Davage. Davage would often speak of Carahil at dinnertime, how he had admired him and considered him a benevolent soul and a friend, and that he missed him. Sitting at the table listening to all of this, was Captain Davage’s sister, Lady Poe. As a Silver tech female of growing power, Lady Poe loved creating little animals in Silver tech, and she was inspired by her brother’s tales. She decided to give Carahil back to Davage as a gift. She spent months collecting thoughts and recollections direct from Davage’s head, placing them into an ancient Vith fountain in the Telmus Grove. As she worked, Lady Poe became particularly devoted to the “Carahil Project” and was determined to make him “something special”. She gave him great wisdom, knowledge of magic and lore, and even threw in knowledge of cooking, sewing, botany, alchemy, and animal husbandry. Still not satisfied, Lady Poe wanted to give her masterpiece “a proper heart” She wanted him to be kind, to have a love of life, though she didn’t quite know where to get such a thing.

Carahil, as a human, with a pregnant Mabsornath (Carol Phillips)

She would soon have an answer. The kitchen staff had an old bloodhound they called “Cookie” who was known for her gentle disposition and willingness to mother lost animals. The staff often brought her lost kittens, and Cookie would mother them until they were big enough to fend for themselves. Cookie was old and, as she lay dying, Lady Poe took her essence and placed it into the fountain as the final ingredient. Soon, Carahil 2 emerged from the fountain.

Lady Poe was delighted with Carahil and considered him to be her first child. She created a number of medallions which would summon carahil when needed. Carahil 2 brimmed with power. He loved rescuing small animals and nursing them back to health. He also had a love of jokes and pranks. His favorite prank was stealing gowns from Countess Sygillis’ wardrobe and hanging them from a flagpole.

Carahil’s abilities have never been fully tapped or displayed. He is powerful enough to be invited to join the Celestial Arborium, an organization of gods seeking to maintain Universal Balance. Carahil follows the rules of Universal law preventing him from using his abilities to their full extent. He is known to change his shape at will, become larger or smaller, use TK, control the weather, control animals, travel vast distances in moments, become ethereal or astral, ward away evil and destroy Shadow tech.

XANDARR:
Carahil took an active role in saving the Planet Xandarr from a Black Hat attack. Ever after Carahil was considered the protective patron god of the planet.

Carahil and his family (Felipe Montecinos)

CARAHIL’S FAMILY: Carahil eventually took up with Mabsornath, the Cat-Goddess and together they had seven children. Their children were all very powerful, including Lannis, the Herald of the Gods and Atha who became a goddess of unluck, misfortune and impossible quests.

CARAHIL’S TEMPLES:
There are a number of mystical places associated with Carahil. The places are usually fun and filled with Carahil’s light. The Mystery Library in Castle Blanchefort, 1000 Carahil Park and its Gift Shop on Xandarr have both been confirmed as temples dedicated to Carahil.

There is another place associated with Carahil that is very frightening and dangerous, the Cathedral of Bone and Wire where a hideous demonic beast resides. How Carahil could be associated with such a dark place is not currently known.

copyright 2013, Ren Garcia, Carol phillips and Felipe Montecinos

Where a Dead Man Falls, a Flower Grows: The Horvath Creeper

The Horvath Creeper in its favorite setting. (Carol Phillips)

THE HORVATH CREEPER: AN ODDITY OF NATURE. The Horvath Creeper is a freshwater flowering plant native to the temperate regions of the planet Trimble, an N1 world in Xaphan space. Prior to human colonization in 000024AX, it was a slow-growing plant with a large, meaty flower requiring clean, still water and ample branches or twigs to cling to. A number of conditions had to be met in order for it to thrive and its mortality rate was high. Those specimens that did manage to grow large were often fed upon by local fauna.

However, that all changed when man came to Trimble several centuries back. The Creeper, in the presence of man, turned out to be a parasitic opportunist. Its spores had a tendency to collect in the maxillary sinus of any who breathed it in. In some cases, the spores actually sprouted, resulting in the death of the victim. Weeks after the person’s death, a flower would burst out of the victim’s skull. The Creeper found the brain matter of those possessing Gifts of Mind were rich in nutrients required for germination. In a few cases, people infected with the Creeper found themselves taken over by it. They were compelled to seek out calm pools of water and drown themselves in it. There, the Creeper would emerge, devouring the victim’s brain and using their skeletal structure as a framework from which to cling. In time the symptoms of carrying the Horvath Creeper’s spores became known: the inability to use the Gifts of the Mind, confusion, and a fervent desire to drown oneself.

Queen Ghome I of Trimble was enchanted by the macabre nature of the Creeper and added it to her deadly Garden of Zama. There, she bred it and enhanced its sinister characteristics until it became her favorite, and the phrase: “Where a Dead Man falls a flower grows.”

copyright 2013, Ren Garcia and Carol Phillips

Sands of the Solar Empire Free Giveaway on Amazon

Click on the pic to go to Amazon

It’s Day 1 of the Big Sands of the Solar Empire giveaway on Amazon. Sands is beginning of the Belmont Saga and takes off in a new direction with a fresh cast of characters: Same LoE Universe, different folks!

Monday, April 8th and Tuesday, April 9th the Sands ebook is totally free. Click on the Sands cover picture to go direct to Amazon.

Here’s the Blurb for the Book:

GET THE BRANDY TO BAZZ . . .

That’s all Paymaster Stenstrom, the Lord of Belmont-South Tyrol, has to do and the old warbird Seeker is his. He has dreamed of captaining a Fleet ship his entire life.

Little does Paymaster Stenstrom realize that he is in the grip of an old Vendetta and the short trip to Bazz might very well be his last.
Faced with a dead ship and a lost crew, Paymaster Stenstrom finds help in the strangest places: the thief Marine and the milquetoast young man from the Admiral’s office, and, though he just became acquainted with these two strangers, he discovers they have been influencing each other’s lives for a very long time.

Something sinister hovers over Paymaster Stenstrom and his two new friends, something they are only now becoming aware of. The SANDS OF THE SOLAR EMPIRE stretch out before them in an endless gulf brimming with the unknown. Can a masked Paymaster, a thief, a coward and a once great warbird face what awaits them?

Click on the pic to go to Amazon

Also, don’t forget that Book VII, Against the Druries is also available on ebook. Book VII is the exciting conclusion of the Belmont Saga.

Here the blurb:

THERE’S A WHOLE LOT OF BAD BETWEEN KANA AND BAZZ . . . That’s what they say on Bazz, that the “Deep Sea”, the open space between the two planets, is cursed and full of bad dreams—but nobody ever listens to people from Bazz, do they? Paymaster Stenstrom, Private Taara and Lord A-Ram struggle to navigate the Seeker, an old warbird, through the shipping lanes to Bazz. If the Paymaster can’t get to Bazz with his cargo of brandy, he loses the ship and will probably end up in jail as well. Jail? If only . . . The three adventurers are about to discover the old farfetched mariner stories are very real and that the Devil himself waits for the unwary in dark places where there is no help. The Circle closes in on Stenstrom, Taara and A-Ram, and its judgment for them is far worse than any jail cell. The Seeker is about of become just another ship that set sail from safe shores and was never heard from again, unless . . . The Belmont Saga concludes in this heartbreaking and action-packed tale of friendship and dedication, of vile evil and hopeless terror, and that sometimes help for those gone astray comes from the most unlikely of places.

See you there!!

copyright 2013, Ren Garcia

LoE Sciences: Mentralysis

I love making things up … obviously. I look around and see all that is there and I wonder, I embellish things, I make them wilder than they ordinarily would be. One doesn’t need to be an author to engage in such antics, it’s just natural, to add import to the things around one, to imagine motive or sinister intent to a harmless passerby. Therefore, when my tales wander in a direction that requires some sort of scientifical authoritative backing, I simply make it up. I created the following after witnessing how different my wife is when she sleeping than when she’s awake. I noticed a similar change in my grandmother when I was a kid.

Mentralysis Lab on the Gold Coast of Hoban (Carol Phillips)

MENTRALYSIS is the science of communicating with sleeping, unconscious or comatose subjects. It is a forbidden science, unknown and unapproved by the Sisterhood of light. In the league, you’re not supposed to do anything without the approval of the Sisters, scientific study included. Sciences invented by the Xaphans in particular are forbidden by the Sisters. A tenet of the science is the assertion that one’s SS (or Sleeping Self) is different in terms of wants, needs and objectives than the WS (or Waking Self).

Mentralysis was invented by the famed jeweler Vehelm of Waam in 0000845AX. Vehelm was one of the many Doomed Men in Xaphan space, picked to court the dreaded Queen Ghome I of Trimble. Ghome would pick her suitors for the throne of Trimble by force, selecting them usually for their money or other material possessions she wanted. If they refused, she would attack with her powerful Tri-Court Alliance. Vehelm was known throughout Xaphan space as a genius maker of rare jewelery, and Queen Ghome coveted some of his works for herself. To court Queen Ghome was to dance with death and most of her suitors were eventually killed in her deadly Garden of Zama. A tiny, studious man, Vehelm was not expected to survive.

Queen Ghome I of Trimble (Unfinished painting by Carol Phillips)

But, survive he did, quickly becoming one of her favorites. He was said to have constructed, or, in some accounts, repaired and enhanced, Ghome’s Bower Chest where she kept her prized possessions. Eventually, he made his way into her bed chamber. There, he made a significant discovery. In her sleep, Queen Ghome would cry out, would mumble in apparent agony. After many nights of wittnessing this, Vehelm came to the conclusion that Ghome seemed to be remorseful and sorry for the horrendous atrocities she was guilty of committing during the day. He hit upon the notion that, if he could communicate with her while sleeping, that she might indeed be a very different person than she was when awake. He secretly constructed the first Mentralysis Deck, a computerized device that could hone in and lock on to one’s Beta Waves. He also created a machine language code-named Serenity that could interpret the nightmare of thoughts, memories and the primal urges of the Ego and allow cogent two-communication. With Serenity 7, he was successful, and, as he suspected, the saintly voice he heard through his Mentralysis Deck, was crying out for help.

What happened afterward and the tragic fate of Vehelm of Waam is another story…

MENTRALYSIS ARCHETYPES:
The fledgling science of Mentralysis escaped Vehelm’s death and made its way to the Ephysian Hospitalers on the Gold Coast of Hoban. The Hospitalers continually refined and expanded Mentralysis, making a secret full-time study of it. They determined through analysis that there are seven archetypes of people depending on how different their Sleeping Self is from the Walking Self.

DO: Diametric Opposite: The SS is radically different from the WS in terms of wants, needs and personality. The SS and WS are actively at odds with the other.

SC: Significant Change: The SS is significantly different from the WS in terms of temperament, needs and wants, though there might be some similarities.

NC: Noticeable Change: The SS is similar to the WS, but will vary in topical ways in terms of likes/dislikes, loves and wants. These topical changes shall be noticeable and readily apparent, though the basic personality of the SS and WS are the same.

U: Ultra: The Ultra is a median point. The Ultra might display traits of any of the other 6 Mentralysis archetypes. The Ultra will always display/demonstrate skills and abilities in the SS that is not possessed by the WS. The SS will manifest skills and talents the WS does not have or has not trained/studied for.

MC: Moderate Change: The changes between the SS and the WS are not readily apparent, though topical differences will become apparent with detailed analysis. The MC archetype is the most common and documented.

RC: Relative Comparison: The changes between the SS and WS are very difficult to determine. In an RC, the SS is very underdeveloped and beholden to the WS. RC’s are often quite young and develop into other archetypes as they age.

L: Like: There is no identifiable difference between the SS and WS. The SS does not appear to exist in an L archetype’s mental makeup. The L archetype is often temporary, manifested most often in children and disappears by early adulthood. An L archetype often changes into an RC.

There is a final classification known as G, or Gamer. Any of the above classifications can be a Gamer. Mentralysists have discovered that the Sleeping Self, when boosted with certain neural stimuli, have very specific, very detailed dreams. Gamers can dream of places they have never been, and their dreams are accurate to the smallest detail. The stimulation required to create a Gamer can be very dangerous to the Waking Self and is practiced with extreme caution. A synthetic and rather caustic neurotransmitter known as H4 is used to creating a Gaming Session. Those stimulated into the Gaming State often-times do not wake up.

copyright 2013, Ren Garcia and Carol Phillips

Against the Druries available on Amazon

Finally, LOE Book VII: Against the Druries is out!!

This book is the triumphant conclusion to the “Belmont Saga” and all of the concepts and plot threads introduced in “Sands” are dealt with and answered in detail.

An author naturally puts a great deal of themself into any particular work–with this book it’s even more so. I normally try to keep myself out of the proceedings, but this book encompasses many of my hopes and my dreams, my fears and my wants. There is a great deal of friendship and discovered love in this book, and there is vile cruelty too. This book is me with the curtain pulled aside, and it’s my favorite so far of the series.

LoE Book VII: Against the Druries , from Loconeal Publishing, is available on Amazon.com

copyright 2013, Ren Garcia

Age and the League of Elder

One of the more confusing aspects of the League of Elder concerns age and the process of aging. How do people age in the League? Why don’t the characters get old? How long do they live? Are they Immortal??

Let’s take a look.

Captain Davage and Countess Sygillis, both over 100 years old (Eve Ventrue)

CONCERNING AGE:
A little history. Way back in the CX Time Epoch when the people who would one day become the League were given the Gift of Youth and Health. The 25 god-like Elders, whom they faithfully served, decided to reward their loyal servants and engineered the ravages of old age and infirmity out of them. The effects of this engineering essentially granted them the energy of youth throughout their lives and disease became a thing of the past, such that knowledge of the medical arts was no longer considered necessary and was therefore lost to the ages, not to be rediscovered until the EX Time Epoch by the Hospitalers.

Here are a few facts:

The average Elder (or Leaguer) lives to be 220 years old. For example, Captain Davage is about 120 years old, while his wife, Countess Sygillis, is well over 200, though her exact age is unknown.

THE PUFFIES and TWEENERS:
One of the side-effects of their condition is a very malformed and somewhat grotesque youth. Children 15 and under are often rather malformed and puffy in appearance. Those with the Gifts of the Mind suffer from it the most, while the Browns hardly have it at all. Lady Kilos of Blanchefort is a well-known sufferer of The Puffies, having it well into her twenties, while her elder brother, Lord Kabyl, never had it at all. The Puffies normally clear up by their mid-20′s.

A-Ram and Alesta (Eve Ventrue)

From the time an Elder child reaches their 20′s until their early 30′s, they’re known as Tweeners and develop into full maturity. After that, they remain unchanged in appearance until their death. For example, Lord A-Ram is in his 40′s, while his fiancée, Lady Alesta of Dare , is 152 years old, however, looking at them side-by-side, one couldn’t determine their difference in age.

THE LENTICONS:
There are some in the League who, through a malady of the flesh, grow old and only live to be about 100. They are known as Lenticons and are generally considered products of bad breeding. The Esther House of Milke is known to be thusly afflicted.

Monamas, like Lady Sammidoran, are not engineered to remain young, and age normally as they get older. (Eve Ventrue)

Various indigenous Leaguers, such as the Monama peoples of Kana and the Females of Carina 7 do not have the Gift of Youth and Health and age normally.

THE TIME OF GOODBYES
One severe drawback of their perpetually young bodies is that the Leaguers are never quite certain when they will die. Death strikes without warning once a certain age has been passed. A usual tradition is for people turning 220 to perform the Time of Goodbyes ritual to get their affairs in order and bid their loved ones farewell, just in case they die in the night. Lady Poe of Blanchefort is past her Time of Goodbyes, however she has lived well past 220, possible due to her status as a Shadow tech Female (see below).

IMMORTALITY:
It has been long suspected that the Elders not only made the Leaguers young and healthy, they made them immortal as well. The Hertogs, a group of disaffected scholars and detractors of the Sisterhood of Light, often make that claim. They maintain that the Sisters are actually doing something behind the scenes to suppress their immortality. That argument has yet to be fully proved. The Hertogs make it their business to track down those they believe are Immortals and collect them, so to speak. Their code-name for a suspected Immortal is: Rundlepharge. The Xaphan tyrant Queen Ghome of Trimble is a suspected Immortal.

Immortality aside, there are certain variables which appear to grant certain Leaguers exceptional long life. Shadow tech females, such as Sygillis of Blanchefort, are known to live to incredible old age, unchanged with time. Additionally, proximity to Elder-tech and with alien power sources are said to expand one’s life. The Xaphan House of Burgon, the Court of George in particular, often engage in the practice of cannibalism, which they claim also expands life.

copyright 2013, Ren Garcia, Eve Ventrue

Atha: Evolution of a Character

“Atha” by Fantasio

When I created the Character Atha, the youngest daughter of the amiable Carahil, I did so with the intent of misbehaving.

I’d written in the Temple Trilogy, of Carahil and his chosen mate Mabsornath the Cat Goddess. In “The Machine”, we saw that Mabs had given birth to a delightful assortment of seven children. The scene came and went, I finished the series and didn’t give Carahil’s children much thought afterward.

But then, I wondered.

What sort of children would Carahil have? What would they be like? Carahil is basically a big kid himself, would his children follow in his mold? Would they be just like him, or, would their respective apples fall far from the proverbial tree? I wondered.

As I began work on “The House of Bloodstein”. I found myself needing a god. Up to this point, Carahil had been my go-to resident god, always ready to lend a hand and offer his boundless encouragement. As sometimes happens in writing, the story sort of goes off in its own direction with the author merely along for the ride. When a god was needed who showed up, not Smiling Carahil, but instead his daughter, Atha.

From Left to right: Carahil, Mabs, Atha, Orthyia (Illustration by Felipe Montecinos)

From the moment I first thought up her name, I wondered about Atha. I worried about her a little. From the start she bucked the god-tradition in the League of Elder. Gods usually appear as ordinary animals, Atha, however, appears almost exclusively as a sultry human female. I’ve always had a “Crush”, so to speak, on Lady Poe of Blanchefort, and, as she is Atha’s grandmother, I made her a more-sexy version of Lady Poe. Probably, of all her brothers and sisters, Atha is most like her father. She has a sense of adventure, a sense of humor as well. She’s bold and uninhibited. Yet, unlike her altruistic father, Atha’s motives and intentions are always unclear, and, the only thing one can truly be certain of is that’s she’s out for herself first and foremost. Her eyes, windows into the soul, are never seen, always hidden behind a pair and giant geared goggles giving her an obscured and somewhat sinister air. There’s another thing about Atha–she fixates on certain heroes throughout the history of the League. She’ll watch them, toy with them, put them through the wringer of adventure and quest, and, if they happen to survive, she’ll bring them to the top of the universe and seduce them. When she tires with one, she moves on to the next. It’s a genuine hobby for her.

Certainly, Atha, as originally conceived, was not a PG-13 rated goddess.

“Atha” by Felipe Montecinos

But then, my needs as a story-teller changed. I attend a lot of book shows and conventions, and I’ve learned a lot about the business and, particularly, the current trends on book-selling. The most requested books I’ve found: YA and children’s fare. “Are these for kids?” I’m often asked. “What age group are these books for?” And I’d tell them my current works aren’t really for kids, and they’d move on.

Understandably, I became rather annoyed.

In time, I became determined to surf this wave, to ride this bus. By Golly–I was going to write a series of children’s book. How hard could it be?? Within minutes, I knew what I wanted to write about: a domestic farce featuring Carahil and his Family. I figured out the backdrop for the stories: the Top of the Universal Tree and I fleshed-out Carahil’s children one-by-one. There was the eldest, Maiax, old “Old Ma’” as he’s called, a great walrus. There was Orithiya, a proud lioness, Faula an Occelot, Chryses a swift cheetah, Lannis a harp seal and Atheniatus, a rather dour sea-lion.

An energetic Atha bursts in on her sleeping brothers and sisters (Illustration by Felipe Montecinos)

And then there was Atha. Of all the children, she was the only one I’d pre-developed ahead of time, and certainly her character as a sultry and chaotic vixen spoiling to hop in the sack and have sex with various bedraggled heroes wouldn’t do at all for a children’s book. Therefore I had to massively retool, reform and reimagine Atha. I wanted her different and toned-down, but I also wanted her spirit to be the same.

I did the easy thing first. I squashed her down from adult to child-sized, or “fun-sized” to use a candy-bar reference. I then harnessed her verve and inscrutable nature and changed it into bold innocence and untempered curiosity about the universe around her. I left in her unpredictability and her adventurous spirit. While her brothers and sisters are weighed down with the responsibility that comes with their power as gods and goddess, Atha, on the other hand, is unhindered, unchained and isn’t afraid to use her abilities. She alone has an occasional and rather hit or miss relationship with their neighbor, “Old Lady Anabrax” the Mole-Goddess. As we come to learn, though Old Lady Anabrax complains bitterly about Atha’s raids and trudging forays through her garden, she is her only friend and only source of companionship. Eventually, as the old goddess moves on to the Next Plane, she leaves all her possessions to Atha, the child she never had.

Through this whole process I learned a lot about the character, about who she is and what she wants. She was a character that mystified me to some extent and whose newly explored childhood delighted me as well.

The first children’s book in the series, “Carahil’s Busy Morning”, illustrated by Felipe Montecinos, will be available July 2013.
Bowl Naked
RG
copyright 2013, Ren Garcia, Felipe Montecinos and Fantasio

The Liebster Awards

I was nominated by my fellow author, the amazingly talented Chantal Boudreau, for the Leibster Award. “What is that?” I asked.

“Dunno,” she said. “Just do it, `kay.” Actually, she didn’t say that, but I just can’t help but tell stories. As you continue reading, I’m clearly one of the must boring humans on the planet.

So, here we go.

The rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you. Thanks, Chantal!

2. Post eleven random facts about yourself.

3. You answer the eleven questions asked by the person who nominated you.

4. You think of a new set of eleven questions and nominate eleven others to answer them.

ELEVEN RANDOM FACTS ABOUT REN (and these are all true)

1)–My folks thought I was “Mentally Challenged” as a lad for my inability to keep up with my studies. My teachers agreed and suggested DRUGS to fix my issues. After two years of mind-altering DRUGS, Darth Vader finally discovered my problem. I came out of the theater crying: “I couldn’t see anything!” I babbled. A trip to the eye-doctor and a pair of glasses later, I was fixed.

2)–I used to play ice hockey, goal tender. I’ve been knocked unconscious three times and the one-and-only time I’ve been in a hockey fight … was with a girl.

3)–A trip to a Turkish Brothel was one of the coolest experiences of my life–not to mention one of the most expensive.

4)–During my time in the Air National Guard, I was inches away from being sucked into the intake of a running F16.

5)–I’ve had a loaded gun shoved into my face twice in my life: once by the FBI and once by the Body Guard of the Prince of Saudi Arabia.

6)–I barely missed the following catastrophic events: The F5 Super-Break-out Tornado of Xenia, Ohio (1 Day), the 1989 Loma-Prieta earthquake: (3 Weeks), and 9/11 (1 Month).

7)–In an abandoned YMCA, I managed to dodge metal girders falling from the crumbling ceiling only to fall into the drained swimming pool in the center of the room.

8)–I was once engaged to a woman 20+ years my senior.

9)–I have a mortal fear of spiders, yet I have a recurring dream of sticking my hand into a tank with a tarantula and letting it bite me.

10)–While cutting through a field on my way home from school, I was chased by an Arabian Horse and bitten in the rear-end as I scrambled under the fence to get away from him. I haven’t liked horses much since.

11)–I’ve been to five places the Ghost Adventurers have been, and I haven’t experienced a thing.

Ok, that was embarrassing, now to Chantal’s questions:

1. What was your favourite childhood show? Gilligan’s Island. Still one of my favs.

2. If you could be a bird, what bird would you be and why? Common Nighthawk–just because the name is cool.

3. What is the best dessert you’ve ever eaten? I’m pretty boring when it comes to deserts. Simple yellow cake with creamy chocolate frosting–or, if I’m feeling frisky, strawberry frosting.

4. If you could pick band line-up for your ultimate concert, who would you have open, follow and headline? I’m totally not into concerts. If I had to pick–Lady Gaga would open for Adam Ant.

5. What would you say is your favourite book outside of your preferred genres? I hate to say it, but I loooove Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I just love it.

6. If you had to sit through the goriest of horror movies of the sappiest of chick-flicks, which would you pick? Gory horror films actually bore me. Probably the goriest film I’ve seen that I enjoyed was John Carpenter’s “The Thing”. My fav Chick’s Flick must be Moulin Rouge by Baz Luhrmann. I actually named the planet Bazz after him.

7. Kirk or Picard? Kirk. Picard’s a $%^^&

8. What is your favourite board game? Talisman by Game’s Workshop. I have all the expansions and they’re worth a fair amount of money these days.

9. If you had your choice, quiet night at home or rowdy night out? Home. I’m not much a of Bar-Guy.

10. What are the top three colours in your wardrobe? Blue, green and white.

11. Have you ever read anything you were expecting to dislike but to your surprise you loved it? Not that I can think of. If I think I’m not going to like something, I pretty much always don’t.

Now comes the hard part–I’m supposed to forward this to 11 more bloggers. Problem is, Chantal knows pretty much the same list of bloggers that I do. I can’t think of 11 more to send to.

Ah me…

ATD: Places–Bazz

In LoE Book VII, Against the Druries, the destination of Paymaster Stenstrom and his friends, Private Taara and Lord A-Ram is the planet Bazz.

Let’s learn a little bit more about Bazz.

Bazz, like many League worlds, was terriformed from a lifeless body to a fully functioning ecosphere in 744ex, when the planet shed its technical designation (Nu-12Gamma) and was given the name Helios. The terraforming process took over two hundred years to complete, the planet rather stubbornly clinging to its lifeless primordial past. It is twelve stellar units from its parent star, Nu Torriander, or Ole’ Scrub as it is known on Onaris, its planetary sister-world. Nu Torriander is a blue super giant, and its habitable zone is much farther back than many systems supporting life. It also has a dwarf companion star known as Lil’ Whiteface.

Bazz is known for cold winters and hot, humid summers. Those hot summers dissuaded the Vith, the usual explorers in the League and normally the first to populate a new world, from settling it. Helios sat empty for nearly three hundred years. After the Great Betrayal on 000000AX, it was occupied by the House of Sorrander for a short time.

Eventually, Helios began attracting settlers, mostly tax exiles and other people looking to get lost. From the beginning, the settlers found themselves seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. It was believed that there was some sort of gas or nerve agent in the air causing the hallucinations, though nothing of the sort was found. Eventually the planet became known as Bazz, short for the Vith word for Bazzal, or “Nightmare” in the common tongue. The name “Bazz” was officially given to the planet in 000022AX. It’s capital city is Helios-Mason.

Bazz, unlike Kana, Onaris and Hoban, never developed a feudal Great-House system of governing. instead, it developed a pure democratic system. For centuries, the place was considered barbaric and rather Xaphan-like. Its name became a metaphor for being rude, crass, noisy, profane and generally lacking in proper manners. As of late, its exotic culture, spicy food and distinctive architecture have given the place a new standing in the League.

Some notable facts:

–All cities and villages on Bazz have two names. This tradition hails back to the antiquity of the planet.

–Likewise, Bazzers also have two names instead of just one as seen in the Great House system.

–Women on Bazz wear their hair with distinctive “sideburns” known as Mollucks indicating their marital status. Married women do not wear Mollucks.

–Currency on Bazz consists of a computerized monetary unit known as a “Credit” or “Cred”. Bazzers transact business using a “Cred Stick”.

–Bazz’ most popular hero in antiquity was Darius Jones, the “It ” man from the south.

–The Hospitalers on Bazz are known as “The Jones” in honor of Darius Jones.

–The symbol of Bazz is a ferocious bear-like beast known as a Gallian Torr, which is said to eat nothing but human flesh.

LoE Book VII: Against the Druries will be available February, 2013 from Loconeal Publishing.

copyright 2013, Ren Garcia