Fragments

It comes in small pieces, night by night, leaking into my dreams from the place beyond sleep. Yes, I'm talking about inspiration. In the downtime between lengthy random exposition I see my self posting a great deal about the various things that inspire me and all artists in general. At one point in my life I would probably have attributed every interesting thought of mine to a single individual, and even gone so far as to discredit myself for all my creative accomplishments. In reality I've been able to carry on writing and drawing without excessively turbulent emotion or ridiculous self deprecating notions, so I'm lead to believe otherwise in regards to my theory about a singular female inspiration. 

  Trust me, I'm well beyond that. I hope. So where do I draw my imagery, plot and passion for writing? Your guess is as good as mine. A good starting point is music, although I'd say it acts as more of a catalyst for creative prowess rather than a wellspring. I'm sure at least  some of you involuntarily envision touching stories in conjunction with the music, oftentimes tragic, ironic, surreal love stories?  No? What about framing an appropriate music video to coincide with the lyrics? That's a more common practice, So I've heard. When I write, I stick to music without lyrics for the most part, but when I think about writing it's with almost euphoric delight that I soak in the words to every song I can absorb. Although I am partial to a few sub-genres in particular, I  strive to take in as much of the world's repertoire as possible. 

  Now, a few of you may recognize that not all music is created equal, and you're entirely right. But without fail, in one way or another, all music shares or expresses a human story, even if it's not explicitly about an interpersonal struggle. It all shares a bit more perspective,  and for now that's what passes for inspiration in my mind- Peek or hints at how other living beings perceive the world. All of this is subject to sudden drastic changes of heart, so feel free to point out how my rants about inspiration and the attainment of inspiration evolve. 

Demons 101

Spirits, gods, devils, angels, and demons all refer to the only other beings to use magic on Shaar. It was misunderstood that they might all have been separate species based on their actions and behaviors (I.e. Chaotic demons seen as devils, neutral ones as spirits, benevolent ones as gods) but this has long since been scientifically disproven. See, as you’ll remember from the calendar post, it’s 6009 H.E. or Human era. Before this Era was the terribly bleak Demon Epoch, in which humans scarcely survived in small tribal societies, at the discretion of the demons which became deities or guardian spirits in man's eyes. This existence was brutal for mankind.

Out of unprecedented generosity (or sheer laziness) a few demons gave humans their own limited magic abilities, often through possession but sometimes by creating human/demon hybrids (through various methods, all of them being equally upsetting) who held fractions of their demon parent's power.

Physiologically, demons are trans-dimensional beings unbound by space and time. Through some twisted evolutionary process they are however bound to ideas and symbols. Being imbued with immense arcane abilities from their hatching, they rarely are seen in their natural shape. It is rumored to be an insect-like form, with segmented bodies and serrated fangs, but this has proven difficult to prove. Demon's lives span aeons, and their births are infamously random and spontaneous. Even after the gift of magic to mankind, demons had been able to posses any living thing and pervert its form or control its actions. This made any resistance or misstep by humans easily punishable.

Although Demons are not omniscient or omnipresent, their indifference to distance and ability of invisibility (to the naked eye, that is) made widespread fear their conquering tool in securing Shaar as their personal eden during the Demon Epoch. Being trans-dimensional, demons are able to traverse the entire universe freely, but it is only on Shaar- they claim- that their powers fully function. They really had created paradise for themselves, with Shaar as the hub of the demon race they presumably plied the galaxy freely, and toyed with life at will. Shaar was certainly very chaotic, environmentally, as it had always been, but it was also more diverse and lush. Most modern depictions of demons show them frolicking in fire and volcanism, but recent fossil evidence shows that they undoubtably used their magic to foster rich varieties of flora and fauna, as well as manipulating the evolution of many of the magically inclined non-sentient beasts known as monsters. Modern oceans are still filled with many relics of the Demon Epoch.

This demon golden age ended within a century of the first recorded human wizard. The proliferation of witches and wizards was massive, and with thaumaturgy being genetically inherited, there was an unprecedented amount of humans willing to rebel against their guardian spirits and local deities, as well as tribes who dared venture into the vast expanses of wilderness and take on every monster and native god of the wilds. For reasons still unclear to humans, a minority faction of demons joined various human tribes in their fight for independence. It's long been thought that without this demon civil war mankind would have been driven extinct for its rebellion, but demonic logic remains a mystery to human theorists, and despite the fact that they could have easily sided with their own kind and wiped man out for good, they did not.

The official end of the Demon Epoch came when a band of primitive Greater Shaarian warriors came across an enraged volcano god and found themselves immune to its possession. The discovery of this mutation, now called the M Sequence, lauded the start of massive waves of human migration and rebellion in all regions of the world. This mysterious mutation is genetically linked gene similar to those infused into the human genome by demons, but its appearance is unprecedented. The dark ages that followed gave rise to the first major human civilizations, and the dawn of agriculture and metalworking came about in the time between the end of the Demon Epoch and the start of the modern calendar. By H.E. year 1, hundreds of miles of wilderness and thousands of species of monster and animal had been obliterated. This gradual clearing of the surface of Shaar was painstakingly slow at first, with every forest and mountain guarded viciously by its native demons, as well as the beasts bred there. With the invention of weapons and traps almost all humans could join in the struggle for land.

Today, most demons reside in the ocean. Its high acidity and immense pressure dissuade most humans from venturing there. Seeing as most of Shaar's surface is covered in water, the demons do not see the rise of mankind as a loss of "their" world, but rather a tragic despoilment of the upper biosphere. Demons born after the start of the Human Era have their own views on mankind's place, and each conducts them self as they see fit. Fiercely individualistic, demons have no known nations or families, and only one need in their lifetimes. Being bound to ideas, their reproduction depends on the proliferation of their natural idea. Hence, a forest spirit will fight to preserve its forest, while a greed demon will sow greed in the hearts of humans to ensure a home for its eggs.

Their behavior is just as unpredictable as always, with some living in perfect harmony disguised as humans, and others conducting fierce attacks from the sea. They do seem to identify with witches and wizards better, however, perhaps due to their shared ancestry. A common relationship between a human and demon is the Blood Contract, in which a human offers a part of itself (symbolically, as demons have no real need for food) and in return enlists the powers of the demon for a specified purpose or period of time. Like spells, however, these contracts are prone to poetic irony, with demons gladly willing to twist the words of their contracts for or against their contractors for pleasure.

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. 

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?

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