Monthly Archives: February 2011

Thieves Abroad

Monday, February 28th, 2011

A new serial from James Tallett

Butan and Náhte scanned the mountains opposite, watching for movement as they floated along the river.

“Anything worthwhile?”

“You know as well as I do, there never is.”

“True. Even ransom doesn’t work. Nobody has money to pay the requests.”

“Maybe we could head south, find a earl or baron, kidnap their family?”

“Because the two of us are going to sneak into a baronial mansion, kidnap people, and out again. The nobles have fallen far, but that far?”

“You’re probably right. So then what?”

Butan shrugged, twisting the tiller of the raft slightly to avoid a rock poking from the water. “We steal from the poor, like usual.”

Náhte sighed. “You know I hate doing that. Feels wrong to steal from someone who’s worse off than me.”

“But if we don’t do it, soon we’ll be worse off than them.”

“Vicious cycle, isn’t it?” Náhte stared down the river. “Think there’s a port ahead where we can sell this raft and get back on dry land?”

“It’s a piss poor little rotbox in the swamp. It’s called Át?san. I think it got that name because it smites your nose every time you go there.”

“In the swamp? Why the hell are we going into the swamp?”

“Relax. You asked if there’s a port ahead. It’s the only one I know, but with luck we’ll find a town on the river before then.…
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Things Unsaid

Monday, February 28th, 2011

There are things better left unsaid. There always have been. I’m certainly no different. I have things in my closet that I do not speak about openly. I think we all do. But given what is about to happen next, I think today is the time to speak of them.

When I was young and our family pets were old, I’d curse and shout at them for no longer being able to control themselves. They’d give me a sad look, like they wished they weren’t growing old, but they couldn’t do anything about it.

I wet the bed when I was older. For some reason, my bladder never stopped going in the night, and I had to hide it from everyone else. A little thing, but so embarrassing as a grown man.

I stole little things, here and there. They’d call out to me, speak to me, and I’d slip them in a pocket or under my shirt, and then be off with them. Nobody noticed, or at least I never got caught.

And well, there’s the reason I’m writing this. I slept with your wife. For years. And then I killed her and ate her. With barbecue sauce. Very tasty, if I may be so bold.

Anyway, that was what I wanted you to know.

Thanks again for being my friend all these years.

The end of the letter was splattered in blood.…
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An Old Friend

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Fire flickered against the steel, a deep crimson glow in the dark tunnel. Ice rimed the wood and bronze, a counterpoint to the crimson. Lýtling chuckled, and held his axe high, letting light bounce off the worked stone.

He had come here for treasure, like so many before. But he had come better prepared than the others. The thief had seen their corpses scattered about these ruins, some cut apart, others burned, each death a gruesome testament to their folly.

Lýtling would not fall into traps such as had caught them, and indeed, had not. He had survived pits, poison, and even the odd undead. The last one had been a particularly recalcitrant zombie. Now it was a small pile of ash. It really shouldn’t have let itself dry out.

The light revealed a glimmer in the dark, and he strode towards it. The tunnel emptied him out in a spacious room, and around him glittered rack upon rack of arms and armour, all ornate and adorned in filigree. One of those suits was the right one. The rest would kill him.

A clanking sounded from deep in the racks. Lýtling turned to see three armoured figures step forth, each brandishing a claymore. “Well now, life could do with a little excitement, eh?” He hefted his axe and shield, and stared down the foe. …
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A Princess Banished, Part 3

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

“Wake up, Brom!” Aislin shouted. It was past dawn and Brom was still sleeping. She wanted to be gone – needed to be gone. The border of her father’s kingdom was less than a day’s ride from their camp, and Aislin burned to be gone from this place.

Brom grunted and rolled over.

“Get up!”

There was no response. This called for drastic measures. Aislin found the largest rock she could heft and began smashing it into the front of Brom’s misappropriated shield. They had camped in a sheltered canyon with rocky walls rising thirty feet high, hidden from the road. The noise was deafening, echoing from the rock faces, reverberating endlessly. It pained her ears, but Brom sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. When he realized what Aislin was doing, he lunged forward, grabbing the shield and moving out of further harm.

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

“I would watch your tone, if I were you, Brom,” Aislin hefted the rock in her hand and fixed Brom with a venomous glare. He blushed slightly and looked away, ashamed of himself.

“Besides, I think you’ll find that I’ve improved on the design somewhat.” She tossed the rock away and rose, while Brom investigated his shield.

The metal was unharmed, but Troyce’s arms were another matter. Aislin’s rock had done serious damage to the paint. The acorn and antlers were all but gone, and only tatters remained of the blue field.…
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Creating a Magic System, Part 3

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

So over the course of the series, I’ve looked at how Strength and Prevalence affect both a magic system and a setting, and how Style and Powers shape and define that magic system. Now I’m going to examine Magical Interaction and Items and Artefacts.

The second of these, Items and Artefacts, is something that as fantasy readers and writers we understand and is near and dear to our hearts. Magical Interaction is a little bit more of a nebulous concept, because there’s two distinct areas that qualify, and I’m going to try and cover both today.

Magical Interaction is either how magic interacts with itself, or how people interact with magic. Both of these are critical when designing a magic system, as one has a huge impact on what it can do, and the other on how it cane be used.

And now to the choices!…
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