Character Sketch... Tatyana Vermeer

a deviation from the traditional badass mentor figure, she’s cursed with epilepsy and often physically vulnerable despite all her skill and knowledge.

Full Name: Tatyana Akira Vermeer

Born: Novalion 12th, 5992

Skin: Light

Hair: Dark Red (dyed)

Eyes: black

Height: 162 cm (5’4”)

Weight: 54.88 kg (121 lbs.)

Physique: Athletic

Posture: Relaxed

For her, the struggle is real, but not her own. Born of two sorcerer parents into an affluent noble family, she left her stable life behind after a short-lived tragic romance with a lowborn wizard. Although not a witch, and infact very weak due to her neurological condition, she’s taken it upon herself to spearhead the revolution for equality on shaar, and devoted her entire life to it. After years of debating and studying among the magic elite she rose to become a noted public speaker and writer, and when her speeches took on a distinct note of disdain for the traditional social structure on shaar she went underground, becoming a blacklisted name in academia, but a household name for the oppressed masses. Drawing crowds of followers and idealists to her cause she realized she had become a symbol of hope and change.

Barely into her thirties she was recognized as one of the key figures of global revolution, and began meeting with other infamous leaders and intellectuals who opposed the magic elite. After brutal attacks on her students and several attempts on her life she fled for one of the few politically neutral nations for asylum. In Krago’Shaar, she rose in the ranks of the revolutionaries, who still planned their uprising in exile. Ten years after her first speech about equality in front of a crowd of students in Blackheart, she finally returned to Greater Shaar upon the invitation of the president of Xeri’Shaar, a fragile egalitarian republic on the verge of collapse.

Her own plans were also coming to fruition and while being entrusted with a fragile amnesiac initially seemed a great inconvenience, she’s quick to realizing how her strange new acquaintances may forward her cause on Shaar. Well educated and an expert negotiator, she’s known to use disguise, deception, and bluff to single handedly infiltrate and tear down the establishment among the kingdoms of greater Shaar. Labeled an anarchist terrorist by countless governments, she travels light, and alone, intending to sow the seeds rebellion wherever she goes before enacting her master plan to change the world.

It’s unclear how she attained such a masterful and manipulative personality, but her vast knowledge and wisdom are patiently extended her to immediate circle of...lets call them friends... and they often come to her in times of need, seeing as she’s already taken control by default anyway. I want her character to resemble one of the omniscient Shakespearean mentors, avoiding physical conflict through wit, and hiding her weakness behind jest and wry confidence. She may even ramble at times but has a very clever solution to most situations and a knack for schemes and control.

Character Sketch... Ashley Voltacore

A blonde revenge-driven princess. Hopefully not at all cliched.

Full Name: Velikaya Knyazhna Anastasiya Ashelika Oneysa Voltacore (Aka Ashley)

Born: Regios 7th, 6000

Skin: Fair

Hair: Golden Blonde

Eyes: Ice Blue

Height: 172 cm (5’8”)

Weight: 63 kg (140 lbs.)

Physique: Amazonian (With curves)

Posture: Elegant (She’s Royalty)

Despite the death of her parents, she’s had the entire world at her feet from a very young age. It wasn’t until the eve of her coronation on her ninth (equivalent to her eighteenth) birthday that she realized the true potential danger and treachery of her adoptive mother Tsarina Elaine. In the year afterward, she found herself alienated by her step-brothers and ostracized by all other contenders for the throne of Deltora, and honed her magic skills and gained the respect and loyalty of her own personal division of the armed forces. Generally beloved and admired by the military she feels powerless to stop the waves of fascism and imperialism sweeping her country to war, and is constantly concerned about the true extent of her subject’s loyalty to her.

As a witch, she’s bound by tradition to lead her own army into battle on behalf of her mother’s interests, and gets promptly swept aside and conveniently away from the intrigue and politics of Blackheart. She sees the war as just another bout of sabre rattling at first, but quickly comes to realize the apocalyptic potential once she meets Tatyana and comes to grip with the implications of the prophecy. She’s a skilled and graceful fighter, but hardly a bloodthirsty person, despite her naturally reserved personality she’s cordial and level-headed, even charming at times, and very aware of her physical beauty and intimidating status.

She’s had a hard time coming to terms with her harsh reality in the last few years, but has had to evolve fast to stay alive. She unfortunately is quick to judge and hard to read, letting few people, if anyone, know her inner thoughts. Around the time she meets Aaron her goal is initially to secure the throne of Deltora and thereby restore her birthright. As the war becomes an issue of global importance and the prophecy becomes real to her, she has to consider her responsibility to the human race if she’s to become a true ruler. She’ll always remain fiercely loyal to her homeland and the ideals of her father, who was a fair and just ruler, and is terrified by how hated Deltora is by its neighbors and enemies.

The only member of the royal family to abstain from supporting the Nexus party, she cites her father’s old fashioned morals and traditions as reason for avoiding corporate fascism. Despite her charitable nature and influence among the military and lower classes, this leaves her at odds with the more important members of Deltoran society, particularly the predominantly Nexus controlled parliament and the corporate class. It’s really a losing battle she’s fighting, but she’s yet to come to realize that the support of her few allies is hardly enough in the face of the the wave of the madness sweeping the nation. Call it naive, call it stubborn, but from any perspective but hers, it’s a miracle she’s still alive, and politically speaking, and even if she manages to subdue her rivals for the throne, she’d have no leverage over the massive Nexus party and it’s throngs of devotees in the general populace, who rely on the royal family simply to reinforce the party’s economic and political decisions.

Careful and cunning, Ashley represents the dream of stability and order in a mad world, and has the aura of a true leader, despite her age. She secretly wishes to pass the burden of her fate, and be a normal teenage girl for once. Her storytelling brings to mind Joan of Arc infused with Brunhilda.

The Nexus Corporation and You

   Originally the Nexus Chemical and Catalyst Company, the largest political party and most powerful corporation in Deltora began as a single independent refinery in Karnasi. Being situated under the dire conditions of Deltora's Eastern Shore region, the plant was constantly under siege by wild spirits and demons from the sea. In an effort to curb these attacks, the management saw fit to hire a local wizard along with their contracted demon. They introduced themselves as Mikhail Xevrich and Eperot, and during their first weeks employed to protect the refinery they began to implement changes where they saw fit in the production process. As productivity improved, they began dictating business decisions as well. In a matter of months Xevrich owned a controlling share of the company, and ultimately set about expanding the business in the decades that followed. While the detail's of Xevrich's contract with his demon Eperot has never been disclosed to the public, he's rumored to have given his mind to be eaten, in exchange for Eperot's services until the end of his lifetime. 
    The Nexus Company rapidly grew rich producing gunpowder during the Third Sand War and began buying up dozens of rival businesses, and began branching out into new fields of production and research. The company had over five hundred facilities as part of their vertically integrated industrial empire by 5991. At the start of the most recent Deltoran civil war they ended up deciding the outcome by refusing to supply the house Novacore and supporting the rebels, and eventually helping to install one of their primary shareholders on the throne, the house Glasskard. Under the new regime they were granted permission by the Royal sorcerer's guild to venture into the world of hyrbid technology (technology that invokes magic without human presence) and became a major manufacturing power in dozens of fields.
    Undoubtably a monopoly, the Nexus Corporation is the leading name in household chemicals, steam car manufacturing, electronics, and impersonal spells, with total control of all the factors of production behind those products. They're also granted first priority by the government in choice of raw materials, as they have received several exclusive contracts from the military for the production of guns, tanks, and airships. 
    Their management nowadays is as mysterious as they must be wealthy. More and more decisions by the board of directors are overridden by the reclusive Xevrich, Chief Executive Officer of the head branch of Nexus R & D. Over one hundred and twenty years old by 6009, many critics of the Nexus leadership claim he may be losing his mind to his demon, or even plain old age. These critics, of course, receive informal visits from the infamous Okhrana, the Queen's secret police, or worse yet The Stalkers, the abominable artificial demons supposedly created to dispatch the Nexus Corporation's most urgent threats. 

Character Sketch... Zayra Delacroix

Why does she have a french last name? I may end up shaping her native culture all around this just to keep the artist name theme.

Full Name: Desiree “Zayra” Delacroix
Born: Rumir 14th, 6001
Skin: Olive
Hair: Black
Eyes: Red-Brown
Height: 167 cm (5’5”) 
Weight: 57.3 kg (127 lbs.)
Physique: Slender (malnourished)
Posture: Proud (Defensive)

Zayra always felt helpless and angry with life. Born into slavery in the factories of the Church of Ulanazar, she developed a deep hatred for the Magic Elite of Shaar and her surroundings. When she was seven (around fifteen in our years), her mother tried to offer her as more than a sweatshop worker to one of their masters. Unbeknownst to Zayra until the moment she struck her would-be  assailant in the chest, she had the ability to eliminate any sorcerers natural use of magic with a single touch. Although she escaped her captors unscathed, she was enraged at her mother’s betrayal and disgusted by her naive intentions to try and uplift Zayra to a “higher” tier of slavery. She lived as an outcast for the next two years, eventually inspired to devote her powers to ridding the world of magic in a farfetched crusade she hoped to undertake. She returned home to announce  this to her mother and sisters, only to find them dead after a fire in the factory where they lived. Zayra was her younger sister’s name. She’s bitter and confused about how she feels about her family, and has a huge complex about their fates. On the one hand, she wants closure, even though everyone who ever wronged her has died in that fire, she still feels consumed with the need for personal vengeance and a longing for an innocence she never had as well. On the other hand, she feels the need to suppress all of that personal vendetta nonsense and fulfill the lofty dreams of crushing the powers that be with her newfound talent.

She vows to kill every sorcerer she comes across but can’t bring herself to do it after sapping the powers from several sorcerers and attracting the attention of the Nexus Corporation. She’s very much a fugitive and entirely unguided until she meets Tatyana. Despite this, she’ll always act like she’s certain and determined. She’s gone off the deep end, like Aaron, but doesn’t dare show it, instead she’s very aggressive and impatient. She hopes nobody sees through this, but it never takes long for anyone that’s been around her to tell that she’s just as scared and unsure of the future. Either way, she manages to maintain a fierce aura and keep pace with everyone she encounters, despite lacking a education and proper nutrition throughout most of her life, she’s learnt to speak Deltoran very well and is more physically fit than Aaron by the time they meet. She learnt of the prophecy about the end of magic listening to apocalyptic scriptures out of curiosity at a Ulanazarul mass. she only knows about half the whole prophecy before meeting Tatyana but still believes in inciting a global uprising against the magic elite afterwards. Well aware of the ideals of countries where wizards and humans live as equals, she sides with a more radical theory of cleansing the world of all magic use and it’s effects, rather than egalitarianism and peace. She keeps this to herself, however, as she intends to enlist anyone willing to help in the rebellion against the status quo. She’s forced herself to view the war as nothing more than an opportunity to ignite change. If anything she believes the horrors of a global war should open the eyes of the masses and goad them into action. Twisted and insecure, she’s a living struggle between light and dark- her past and present are all viewed at a distance from herself, her life feels unreal. Her storytelling perspective is reminiscent of  A Thousand and One Nights.

Thrilled as ever,
No.55

Deltora and Ulanazar: A Guide

    Here at SPFT, you may be encountering a great deal of words you do not understand. In upcoming (and past) posts there'll be talk of two entities which are very important to understand. A detailed history of each should come in due time, but today we're here to outline the basics for you. 
    The rival empires of Deltora and Ulanazar are two of the largest and most influential states in Shaarian history. At the start of Overture in 6009 H.E. (Human Era, as opposed to the previous Demon Era and the preceding Dragon Era) the two powers have been locked in cold war for over a generation. To understand the bad blood between the two powers you must understand the culture differences they fail to overcome.
    Deltora is a constitutional monarchy with a parliament and sorcerer's guild, each balancing each other, and in effect making up the imperial government. Historically prone to civil war and regicide, Deltora has seen a wild variety of identities, and recently taken up the sword of the conqueror, setting its sights on neighboring countries and long-contested colonial possessions. Why? Following the most recent Deltoran War of Succession, the House Glasskard of the Kulikov Province came to power, backed by the powerful Nexus Corporation. Over the next nine years the political branch of the Nexus Corporation, known as the Nexus Party to the people, became wildly popular with it's promises of restored economic prosperity and military domination. With Queen Elaine Glasskard on the throne, the nation certainly did flourish, and by the start of Overture the empire is overflowing with ultra-nationalism and practically fascist levels of bloodlust. The Nexus party controls five hundred seats in a six hundred seat parliament and the royal family is heavily invested in the company itself, which incidentally produces guns, airships, steamcars, and electronics. 
    
    Naturally war with their old rival seems inevitable. The Holy Ulanazar Nation has been noted for not being very holy, or by any means Ulanazar, and certainly not a nation per say. Traditionally Ulanazar refers the long-annihilated ethnic group from which the Church of Ulanazar originated. Dating back to 3000 H.E., the Church of Ulanazar Embarked on a spirited campaign of conquest and evangelization following the ascension of their lord and prophet, a vastly influential goatherd from the desert regions of Western Greater Shaar. His apostles each headed armies of their own and carved the region into a dozen "Aposolates", a few remaining to the present age, but most slowly consolidated by the central orthodox sect of the Church of Ulanazar, either through violent inquisitions, or even more violent crusades. The leadership of the Church and the Military in the Ulanazar nation has remained a mystery even to its own people. While it's clear the Church elders and high priests hold authority over the Church and state, the military and even some sects of the Church are rumored to be controlled by the Ulanazarul Scion, a supposed descendant of one of the apostles, and a powerful wizard as well. The empire has gradually expanded and solidified over the millennia and its leadership are as accustomed to their power as their people are eager for change. Unfortunately for the serfs of Ulanazar, a call for a ninetieth crusade has been issued, this time a war not against the heretic Aposolates neighboring Ulanazar, but against the heathen Empires across the deserts, namely Deltora and her allies. 

Egalitarian?

Remember, this is a industrializing fantasy world, wrought with political turmoil akin to Europe around the dawn of the 20th century. Although it’s already embodied in a select few countries on Shaar, the idea of egalitarianism is largely suppressed and unheard of on Greater Shaar. The concept is simple: sorcerers and humans live as equals under a firm meritocracy. Easier than said done of course, and old habits die hard. Traditionally the monarchies of Shaar are very close-knit (read: inbred) and have a high (but not assured) occurrence of thaumaturgy as do their respective aristocracies. This promotes a feudal system where the upper tiers, royalty, nobility, freelance sorcerers, have a supernatural advantage over the largely ordinary human estates of the merchant and working class. 

In newly industrializing nations the advent of certain technology has leveled the playing field and improved the quality of life for humans and wizards alike, but the archaic social structure in practice is quickly becoming obsolete as humans feel less and less inferior to their gifted counterparts. Although democracy and egalitarianism are not explicitly linked, most activists for equality also cry for a form of government that represents the population adequately, although this is a source of conflict within revolutionary circles, as people tend to take their details of government very seriously. The Church of Ulanazar and the Nine Royal Houses of Greater Shaar each deal with this threat to their power very differently, but at the outbreak of war they still consider it only a minor terrorism problem within their own borders, setting harsh examples and turning a blind eye to the vast international conspiracy to overthrow all magic establishment at the first chance. The exception to this is the Nexus Corporation of Deltora, which, despite being a leading technology developer, seems oddly determined to maintain the status quo in Deltora. They’re not particularly attached to any ruling house, as evidenced by their mercenary support of whoever happens to be residing in Blackheart Palace, but they’re firmly against, (or at least deeply curious,) about this impending global rebellion, and have spies planted deep within, observing but not reporting back to the Deltoran Royal family as of 6009.

What I need to figure out is if there’s a better name for this movement, even if the specific names never comes up. Anarchists, terrorists, and criminals are the more common labels for the particularly active individuals intent on stirring up change. And indeed, the vast movement is deeply divided over courses of action. A small but vocal and violent minority would rid the world of magic through genocide or any other means necessary. At the outbreak of war very many citizens are swept up in the frenzy of ultra-nationalism, but as the war proves futile and unforgiving, a large sentiment of  pacifism pushes in the opposite direction driving people to look to alternate forms of government to bring their children home. What needs to be fleshed out further here?

Character Sketch... Aaron Wyeth

Initially a classic “insert self here” protagonist, I hope to give a least a slight twist to Aaron’s character. 

Full Name: Aaron Wyeth II 
Born: Gamelion 13th, 6001
Skin: Pale (subterranean)
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Hazel
Height: 180 cm (5’11”) 
Weight: 68.03 kg (150 lbs.)
Physique: Lanky
Posture: Slouched 

Out of all the characters outlined thus far, Aaron might be the most relatable. After being orphaned by two very unlucky parents (father died in the mines, mother died of a heart condition) he grew up under utterly unexciting circumstances in a state-run orphanage. His hometown, Deepzeal, is one of the few egalitarian city-states on Shaar. Under a harsh collectivist government (think: communist dictatorship) concepts like money and class structure are supposedly removed. In reality a corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy inconveniences the industrious mining town and leaves Aaron particularly jaded to rhetoric and propaganda. He’s fairly educated, but with few books to read and hours of mind numbing boredom in the orphanage his main concern at the start of Overture is what his course of action will be once he’s ineligible for shelter provided by the state. 
His looming adulthood and lack of ambition lead him to wander the streets at night in his few free hours between work and school. Virtually oblivious to the war before it comes right to this front door, he debates in his mind whether to follow his friends into the mines or chase after the disant dream of becoming an aviator. When presented with the ordeal of the war and meeting Zayra, respectively, his primary objective becomes survival. Once the dust settles however, he’s quick to try and become relevant to his alien situation, but largely gets swept along due to blind luck (or misfortune) and gradually, grudgingly, becomes indispensable to his companions. There’s not much to reveal for now, at least not without spoiling anything. I want to explore his disillusionment with adolescence and of course show the power of infatuation in the face of dire circumstances, and I think Aaron’s more the type to let a situation take control of him, rather than the other way around. In terms of narrative style I want his chapters to sound as contemporary as possible without ruining the cultural setting of Shaar, I look to the great gatsby or more likely mark twain for inspiration on how to narrate for a misguided adolescent male.

An advanced copy goes to whoever comments explaining my name first,
No.55

Calendar and Chronology

Shaar is a large moon of a gas giant orbiting in a binary star system. I won’t compromise on this, and human life exists there against all odds. The question now is what would their days, nights, and years look like?

Orbit around around the Source (as they call their parent planet) causes weekly eclipses, orbit around the twin suns makes up the years, called Turns.

24 hour days, 12 day weeks, 4 weeks in a months, 16 months in a Turn.

768 day turn, 64 week turn.

Months of the year, Deltoran names first, followed by Ulanazarul designations

Cyris, Subar (mid-summer)

Herak, Rumir

Bodrolion, Nisat

Gamelion, Tesrin

Metagies, Aled (start of fall)

Teralion, Temmuz

Netrovia, Elusyn

Dantelion, Essed

Heratombion, Tenujin (start of winter)

Siphrobion, Attar

Kirak, Kirad

Lavos, Lavine

Regios, Ruri (start of spring)

Trogos, Nisad Al’Arat

Metrovia, Sabine

Novalion, Sud’Enet (start of summer)

it’s 6009 at the start of Overture. The first book which takes place across several weeks in early spring, centered around the outbreak of war on a certain character's birthday. The two events are unrelated. Mostly.

Comment for clarification,

-No.55

Overture

    The first work released will be appropriately titled Overture, seeing as it is indeed a prelude to a much more dramatic and exciting piece, although not a musical one. (yet?) All four books will follow an alternating viewpoint structure, with each chapter outlining events as seen through the eye of various characters. There's a consistent set of main characters you'll get to know and love(or hate, fine by me) and I will be detailing their appearances and personalities within the next few weeks.
   On top of that, there's the hints of plot and universe details to be unveiled bit by bit. No, I am not just making this up as I go along, feel free to ask as many questions about the great mystery that is Shaar, since it's all stupidly obvious to me I feel a bit lost as to where to start when explaining what's going on here.
   Most of all, it's an experience, for both you, the victims, and I, the author. I feel I will enjoy this ordeal tremendously regardless of the outcome, and probably gradually gain sanity as I obtain a regular fanbase. Or at least one would hope. So ask away, here on via email or carrier pigeon, it's all the same to me. Ask about anything.

ANYTHING.

-No. 55

It’s Like a Devblog... but for a book.

TL;DR: Just a field day for grammar Nazis. If reading's not your thing though why are you on a book blog?

I can’t believe I didn't keep notes until now. That’s okay, better late than never. So... Without Further ado: “Once upon a time...” That’s what I’m thinking for a start. That’s how fairy tales are supposed to start, right? I want it to be known that this is above all, a steampunk fairy tale, a dark evolution of the vague mysterious worlds we grew up hearing about, not a tolkienesque fantasy world with dozens of races and supernatural beings. Actually, picture the way medieval Europeans viewed the world. the cryptic xenophobic aura of judeo-christian mythology, replete with demons, curses, and distant, almost absentee benevolent forces.

But of course shaar has it’s own flavor with touches of whatever cultures I see fit. Overall the books can only hold so many themes and alternating moods, so I’d like to condense or even polarize the character’s perspectives to reflect different cultural styles of mythical story telling.

These are human stories, love stories, war stories, and tragic tales, but all beheld in the face of a mysterious force nobody quite understands. In the instance of the European style fairy tales i think the brothers Grimm set the standard and it’s right in their names. Grim. Dark and blunt, unapologetic about the vague atmosphere and brutally straightforward about twists and turns in the threads of fate. there can be other styles to counterpoint this, and look no further than real mythology and epics to see this. I want every unique perspective to be reminiscent of a different culture's traditional simplified mythology, mostly meaning their (sentiment?) unique take on the fantastical implications of the world. Whether it’s Homer, Shikibu, Shakespeare, Pierce, or Valencia, it’s all different takes on the same expressions of the human spirit we witness in everyday life.

I largely want Shaar to be a new planet because I love fictional histories and making my own homemade mythologies. But I also think it’s important to spell out the dark fairy tales aspect. remember all those kingdoms with princes and princesses with resident dragons or angry spirits from all the fairy tales ghost stories? They grew up, but not old. If those generic vague fables are juvenile, then this is their turbulent adolescence. A dark clouded time, fraught with uncertainty and inadequacy. it’s hard to compare an entire human civilization to the the teenage experience, but isn't it just that? maybe its wrong to compare the course of civilization to a human being’s life, since as far as we know human lives only end in death eventually.

Either way, if the course of human civilization is a human life, then the past two centuries are only are awkward puberty and violent teenage rebellion. But I digress, Shaar is Industrializing, yes, and it brings about a planet wide question of purpose and value, which is ultimately disregarded in favor of outward expression. I’ll have to fill in my own psychological blanks for the most part here, and I’m always second guessing myself about the history of shaar every time I come to another big revelation about human nature. Would this affect Shaar’s history?

Maybe I should focus on individuals, since personally that’s all I’ve ever been. of course from the bottom up it’s no easier to see the big picture, but there’s certainly moments when it comes. And just like that I think I see how I’ll get the big picture for Shaar. Seeing it from each character’s perspective, every wildly different style and view, that makes up a truly rich and developed world. In short, I want something better than a two dimensional fairy tale world plus some gore and mature themes, I want a familiar, yet amazingly striking new world where we watch the mistakes and struggles of humans come to life against yet another fascinating setting.

Really, that’s all I feel I can control. If writers are gods, I’m a rather powerless one. All I can do is create the world and man in my image,  but I’m doomed to watch all creation play out the same song or dance that we all can relate to. I can’t claim to have full control over my own characters if that makes sense. So I do what I can, to set the stage as logically as possible, and record what my children see accurately while still capturing the essence of their personas. Comments welcome but distrusted.

Deliver us from evil,
No. 55

What the devil is a Shaar?

    Not what, but where. Shaar is the second terrestrial moon of The Source, which in turn is the third planet in the dual Infernos/Glacis star system. For you, my victims, Shaar is the setting of the eponymous steampunk fairytale you've heard so much about. What you'll need to know for the moment is this: the chronicles of the lands of Shaar will be a cycle of heart-wrenching steampunk fantasy novels, and this blog is the penultimate source for information regarding their impending escape onto the wonderful world of the Internet.

Best of luck to you,
No. 55