Tag: synka

NaNoWriMo Day 29

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As I said last night, I actually already hit the 50k, but I’m still writing a bit today and tomorrow to finish things out. Today I wrote a little bit more of my villain for the story – he’s coming along nicely in all his lawful evil efficiency.

Word Count: 500

Excerpt:

“The eighth king of Synka has been born. He is living destitute in a small town, barely more than a village, in the Timewilds. The people’s living hope is in squalor.”

Another thing about elves, Autumnus had noticed, was that they never minded letting a pause draw out. While his revelation sank in, the two of them watching his face closely for any tells he didn’t intend to give away, Autumnus relaxed into his chair. He could be damned patient himself; his only disadvantage against them was not having elven longevity. Whatever processing they needed to do, he could wait it out. That was part and parcel of dealing with their kind.

“The eighth king,” the second elf echoed delicately. His eyes were keen as a razor. “And you haven’t secured him yet?”

Autumnus tilted his head and let his expression shrug for him. “Your rumor-mongering is powerful indeed, my friend, but even you could not dress up news of the Order taking a child from his mother without there being some careful … massaging of the truth in place first. Even if he is the most important asset for us, we can’t move too hastily.”

“This will put pressure on the mother,” the elf woman surmised.

Autumnus smiled, the expression reaching his eyes this time. “Precisely. Who is Marina Fehrliss to argue with the will of the people?”

NaNoWriMo Approaches …

Neon BrightLeave a comment

And I plan to make an attempt at it! Just like last year, the writing energy has been a bit spotty, but I have been keeping in the habit of writing almost daily for the past couple months in preparation. Have I written enough per day to stand up to the usual word par for NaNo? Certainly not, but I don’t think that by itself is reason enough not to try.

And so, without further ado, I introduce my next project for NaNoWriMo:

Heavy Lies

Cover created using stock images from pexels.com

A self-taught witch with ties to the pantheon, trying to keep her child safe. An exiled mage with no voice, looking to clear his name. A wandering man whose people have scattered, trying to keep his traditions alive. Worlds and borders collide as three unlikely allies work to subvert the designs of powers far higher than they. Drifting among the Timewilds, perhaps the answers to their questions lie in wait among the ruins and the grass.

Muunfel Lore Bits #3

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In the southeast of Muunfel, Synka and Heptaena are separated by a ridge of mountains called the Dragonrest Mountains. Most travelers can find their way through these mountains with a guide and following the trails, and most don’t have much inclination to try to climb too high.

The dragons that come there to sleep aren’t often friendly to anyone who wakes them up, accident or not. They are more understanding when they come down among the people, and simply request that their rest not be disturbed in return.

Muunfel Unexplored

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A lot of Muunfel is left without a specific map of the area. The Timewilds of Synka used to be better known to cartographers, but because of the shifting nature of the region and its hostility to settlement, that knowledge has shifted to the coastline and not far inland. Going off the road in Synka is terrible luck, so says the superstition.

Another region that comes to mind is the vast forest covered by the Faelands. Some would argue this land doesn’t count as “unexplored” because it actively prevents anyone from truly knowing where they’re going. The local fae lords and the leaders of the whole nation are able to clear the roads for visitors, but they can also trap trespassers in an area that may not let them leave.

Most regions of Korvasin, Genfierz, and the North are pretty well known. Rutan’s desert and the lands beyond it were unknown until recently, but as the country gains more of a foothold in the international world, more corners of the map are being filled in to the west.

Geography of Muunfel

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Muunfel is a broad continent with a few climate zones. The island as a whole has three notable offshoots defining part of its shape:

  • Scytheshadow Cape to the southeast; forms a significant bay and has a view of the Dragonrest mountains, a very jagged and tall range that forms the border between the Timewilds and Heptaena.
  • Meraev; the crescent-shaped home of the solians is an island connected to the mainland by a narrow strait in the southwestern region of Muunfel, and its point very nearly touches the southern shore of Genfierz, forming the Moondrop sea between them.
  • Sun’s Escape Archipelago; an icy collection of islands extending from the north of the continent, these reach into the arctic latitudes and are thus largely unexplored.

The geographical regions within Muunfel’s borders include:

  • The vast mixed forests of the Faelands, taking up much of the northeastern quadrant of the continent. A smaller deciduous forest stands nearly in the middle of the continent, and is part of the Faelands despite being disconnected from the main forest.
  • Purin Lake in the middle, a vast body of water that, in addition to the smaller Faeland exclave, separates the southwestern wilds of Genfierz from the north.
  • Matton Desert to the west, a vast and unforgiving land that is bordered on the north by a long, narrow mountain range and to the east and west by more fertile farmlands.
  • The Godstep Plateaus in the far north, where the gods are said to have done battle with one another before.

Double Feature Pt. 1: Scytheshadow College

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Like any world in which magic exists, there exist people who study its uses. In Muunfel, the first place that comes to mind as a major destination for magical scholars is Scytheshadow College.

On the far eastern coast of Synka, a peninsula juts out into the Kela Ocean. The peninsula has a unique scythe shape (for a real-world example, think Cape Cod). This shape is the reason the bay cradled in the curve of the peninsula is called “Scytheshadow Bay”, the namesake of a college built on the edge of the peninsula itself.

The college is a stronghold of information, with records dating back to the earliest humans to set foot on Muunfel. Experimentation and development of magical skills is encouraged there, and many young mages and sorcerers find themselves training with the scholars. It was built with a focus on those who don’t have inherent magic in their blood, but in recent years there have been Fae and Tam teachers to give their own insight on the workings of magic.

The top mage of the college is one of the younger wizards in its history to earn the title, rising to the top by his late thirties. As the leader of the college, he carries the Sytheshadow Staff, one of the most iconic magical foci in the world.

“It’s not easy, earning this spot. I didn’t get here by counting buttons or letting musty old books tell me what I can’t do.” – Valen, archmage of Scytheshadow

Folklore: The Towers

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Muunfel is commonly known as the land of the gods because the gods themselves walk the earth there more than on any other continent. Rumors abound that it should also be known as the Land of the Three, because of the three towers found on the far ends of the vast island.

Time, Nature, and Magic each have a strange tower dedicated to them. They are immune to the elements and remain very plain. No known peoples can claim responsibility for their construction. It is believed that they existed as soon as the world did to stand tribute to the energies that made all things.

The Tower of Time is located in the wilds of Synka. The Tower of Magic is located in Meraev, and is a common gathering place for the solians. Not much is known about the Tower of Nature, but it rests somewhere in the Faelands, guarded by the fairies.

These towers aren’t especially high, and in fact mortals have built taller ones throughout history. And yet, few have the desire to climb them. Those that do always seem to turn back before they reach the highest rooms.

Pantheon Spotlight: The Goddess of Time

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Vayla, the goddess of time, keeps all things that have happened in her memory. Nothing that happens is beyond her recollection. While the future by its very nature is beyond her, Vayla keeps watch over the Vaykind that are privy to things that have yet to happen. She is also responsible for the naming of the ages. It’s said she has a temple somewhere in Synka near the Tower of Time, and she meditates there when in her corporeal form.

It is said that Trace, the god of mind, could potentially steal Vayla’s memories and erase portions of history from all knowledge.

If he has done this, it is impossible to know for certain.

Muunfel

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Muunfel (my setting in a high fantasy project and the focus of my world building June for 2017) is the Land of the Gods, the one continent where the gods are known to walk the earth and give their blessings (and their fury) in person. Empires of mortals have come and gone on its surface throughout the ages. In the Year of Vayla* 2219, there are 8 countries:

  1. Korvasin, the Fallen Empire
  2. Rutan, the Rebel Kingdom
  3. Meraev, the Solian’s Domain
  4. The War-Torn Crown
  5. Genfierz, the Clockwork Kingdom
  6. Heptaena, the Bleak Elflands
  7. Synka, the Timewilds
  8. Faeland, the Fair Kingom

*Vayla, goddess of time, is the keeper of memories and gives names to the ages