Thursday, August 14, 2008
Character Models
I'm trying to get images of each of the main characters in my head. I've got a few ideas, but if anyone has any input for (specifically) Ercon, Atrianna, Malacant, or Aeden, I would really appreciate it! Thanks. I have a list of ideas for some characters posted at the bottom of the page. PLEASE NOTE: These are NOT a cast list for making a movie of this novel. I am simply trying to get a picture of what the character generally looks like.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Dreams
Continuing on with the actual writing of the story, here's the next chapter. I might make it longer, or I might keep it short, as a refreshing break after that last monster of a chapter. Enjoy.
That night Atrianna dreamed.
Bare tree trunks, bleached bone white from a lifetime of sun, emerged out of a mirror-topped lake. Their slender white branches reaching out toward the horizon brought to mind a woman reaching out for her lost lover, rooted in place but wanting so badly to run to her beloved. Something of familiarity nagged at Atrianna's mind, but through the dream's haze she could not figure out what it was. A warm breeze whispered through the trees, creating gentle waves on the smooth surface of the lake, and the sunlight dappled the forest walks. A woman wandered along the shore, singing softly to herself. She walked along the shore until she came to a faint trail leading into the surrounding forest. The trail led to the doorway of a cabin. The woman went in, and the forest was silent.
Atrianna awoke. The dream left her with an eerie feeling, almost as if she knew the woman and the lake. Looking through her window, Atrianna could see a few bright stars and many dimmer ones. It was still late at night. Trying to shake off the unsettling dream, she rolled over to go back to sleep. Just before she slipped out of consciousness, a faint green glow caught her attention. How odd, she thought sleepily. But before the thought made any more progress, exhaustion claimed her, and her eyes closed.
That night Atrianna dreamed.
Bare tree trunks, bleached bone white from a lifetime of sun, emerged out of a mirror-topped lake. Their slender white branches reaching out toward the horizon brought to mind a woman reaching out for her lost lover, rooted in place but wanting so badly to run to her beloved. Something of familiarity nagged at Atrianna's mind, but through the dream's haze she could not figure out what it was. A warm breeze whispered through the trees, creating gentle waves on the smooth surface of the lake, and the sunlight dappled the forest walks. A woman wandered along the shore, singing softly to herself. She walked along the shore until she came to a faint trail leading into the surrounding forest. The trail led to the doorway of a cabin. The woman went in, and the forest was silent.
Atrianna awoke. The dream left her with an eerie feeling, almost as if she knew the woman and the lake. Looking through her window, Atrianna could see a few bright stars and many dimmer ones. It was still late at night. Trying to shake off the unsettling dream, she rolled over to go back to sleep. Just before she slipped out of consciousness, a faint green glow caught her attention. How odd, she thought sleepily. But before the thought made any more progress, exhaustion claimed her, and her eyes closed.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Discovery (Part 2)
This time Atrianna was prepared. In her leatherskin pouch she had a small hand shovel and a pick, both of which she had stolen out of Hrodin's blacksmith shed. She knew exactly where to find the place she had been last night and was impatiently dragging Ercon along. She glanced back to see how he was doing. Watching him stumble through the underbrush she realized she could have done without the blindfold, but it made this whole adventure more fun. They were almost there; Atrianna could see the glimmering icy surface of the lake appearing between the trees. A few steps further and they broke through the dark forest and onto the frozen lake. Atrianna stopped short, amazed yet again by the beauty of the scene. A cloudless clear azure sky stretched endlessly above them, the jagged mountain peaks sharply silhouetted against the bright vault of heaven.
"Okay, we're here," Atrianna said to Ercon, who had stopped when the bright sunlight seeped around the edges of the cloth over his eyes. "You can take off the blindfold now."
Ercon reached back and untied the rough cloth from around his head. Squinting at the sudden brightness, he looked first at the frosted landscape then at his friend's eager face. "It's just Widow's Lake," he said. "Why did you blindfold me and drag me through the forest only to bring me here?"
Atrianna's eagerness didn't fade. She just grabbed Ercon's wrist and dragged him out to the middle of the lake, where she stopped and pointed straight down. Though less impressive in the bright daylight, the ice still clearly glowed green, with the light radiating from a dark spot about an arm's length beneath the surface. Wonder and curiosity spread over Ercon's face, exactly mirroring Atrianna's from the night before when she first beheld the sight.
"What is it?" Ercon murmured, astounded. Atrianna grinned as she replied, "I don't know, but we're going to find out." She pulled the pick out of her bag and started to chip carefully away at the ice.
It was a long process, but between them Atrianna and Ercon dug a narrow tunnel down through the glowing ice to where the dark spot appeared to be. Their coats lay strewn about them on the ice, shed as effort and sunlight had warmed the workers. Ercon and Atrianna knelt on either side of the tunnel, faces glowing with excitement as they realized they were on the brink of discovering the mystery. All that was left was to break through a few more inches of ice and they would have it...
Atrianna, pick firmly in hand, reached down to break through the crystal clear ice stained blue from the obscure object's glow. Anticipation coursed through her, making her hand shake slightly as the thing became clearer. Suddenly the last glassy layer of ice shattered, allowing Atrianna to pull the entity from it's frozen vault.
"What is it?" Ercon prompted, excited for the discovery. Atrianna, at a loss for words, opened her fist to reveal their prize.
A green pebble lay in her hand, about an inch in diameter and perfectly round. The glassy surface was the deep, solid color of jade, to all appearances completely opaque. Yet, when she looked closer, Atrianna could see swirling tendrils of smoky green moving inside the ball. It seemed to be a gemstone shell filled with smoke. But the sphere was heavy for its small size, suggesting that it was in fact solid jade. Having been encased in ice, it should have been cold, but Atrianna was surprised to feel her palm warming where the orb sat. The glassy surface seemed itself to be cool to the touch, yet the thing as a whole radiated warmth.
Atrianna stared in wonder. The object seemed to be a paradox incarnate. still awe-struck, she handed it carefully to her companion. Ercon held it gingerly between his thumb and forefinger, watching the clear sunlight play off the emerald surface as he turned it. As he marveled, the light was abruptly cut off, as if a cloud passed in front of the sun, and in the dark the green orb began to glow again. Ercon looked up to see what had blocked the sunlight; there hadn't been a cloud in the sky all day. Dark wisps of smoke rose from across the lake, from where Idhrin had stood only days ago. Worry creased Ercon's brow.
"The looters must have returned," he said. He anxiously glanced around the lake. looking for any sign of the looters coming closer. If the smoke was already that high in the sky, then the fire had been burning for a while. Plenty of time for the arsonists to travel the fairly short distance between Idhrin and Widow's Lake.
"We should probably head back now." Atrianna sounded as worried as Ercon felt. She put the pick and shovel back in her bag, then carefully stashed their mysterious orb in a smaller pocket sewn into the side of the pouch. They quickly gathered their coats and headed back up the trail to Dorset. Seeing the smoke over the lake had reminded them that they lived in uneasy times. The pair walked quickly down the familiar winding path, eager to reach the safety of home.
"Okay, we're here," Atrianna said to Ercon, who had stopped when the bright sunlight seeped around the edges of the cloth over his eyes. "You can take off the blindfold now."
Ercon reached back and untied the rough cloth from around his head. Squinting at the sudden brightness, he looked first at the frosted landscape then at his friend's eager face. "It's just Widow's Lake," he said. "Why did you blindfold me and drag me through the forest only to bring me here?"
Atrianna's eagerness didn't fade. She just grabbed Ercon's wrist and dragged him out to the middle of the lake, where she stopped and pointed straight down. Though less impressive in the bright daylight, the ice still clearly glowed green, with the light radiating from a dark spot about an arm's length beneath the surface. Wonder and curiosity spread over Ercon's face, exactly mirroring Atrianna's from the night before when she first beheld the sight.
"What is it?" Ercon murmured, astounded. Atrianna grinned as she replied, "I don't know, but we're going to find out." She pulled the pick out of her bag and started to chip carefully away at the ice.
It was a long process, but between them Atrianna and Ercon dug a narrow tunnel down through the glowing ice to where the dark spot appeared to be. Their coats lay strewn about them on the ice, shed as effort and sunlight had warmed the workers. Ercon and Atrianna knelt on either side of the tunnel, faces glowing with excitement as they realized they were on the brink of discovering the mystery. All that was left was to break through a few more inches of ice and they would have it...
Atrianna, pick firmly in hand, reached down to break through the crystal clear ice stained blue from the obscure object's glow. Anticipation coursed through her, making her hand shake slightly as the thing became clearer. Suddenly the last glassy layer of ice shattered, allowing Atrianna to pull the entity from it's frozen vault.
"What is it?" Ercon prompted, excited for the discovery. Atrianna, at a loss for words, opened her fist to reveal their prize.
A green pebble lay in her hand, about an inch in diameter and perfectly round. The glassy surface was the deep, solid color of jade, to all appearances completely opaque. Yet, when she looked closer, Atrianna could see swirling tendrils of smoky green moving inside the ball. It seemed to be a gemstone shell filled with smoke. But the sphere was heavy for its small size, suggesting that it was in fact solid jade. Having been encased in ice, it should have been cold, but Atrianna was surprised to feel her palm warming where the orb sat. The glassy surface seemed itself to be cool to the touch, yet the thing as a whole radiated warmth.
Atrianna stared in wonder. The object seemed to be a paradox incarnate. still awe-struck, she handed it carefully to her companion. Ercon held it gingerly between his thumb and forefinger, watching the clear sunlight play off the emerald surface as he turned it. As he marveled, the light was abruptly cut off, as if a cloud passed in front of the sun, and in the dark the green orb began to glow again. Ercon looked up to see what had blocked the sunlight; there hadn't been a cloud in the sky all day. Dark wisps of smoke rose from across the lake, from where Idhrin had stood only days ago. Worry creased Ercon's brow.
"The looters must have returned," he said. He anxiously glanced around the lake. looking for any sign of the looters coming closer. If the smoke was already that high in the sky, then the fire had been burning for a while. Plenty of time for the arsonists to travel the fairly short distance between Idhrin and Widow's Lake.
"We should probably head back now." Atrianna sounded as worried as Ercon felt. She put the pick and shovel back in her bag, then carefully stashed their mysterious orb in a smaller pocket sewn into the side of the pouch. They quickly gathered their coats and headed back up the trail to Dorset. Seeing the smoke over the lake had reminded them that they lived in uneasy times. The pair walked quickly down the familiar winding path, eager to reach the safety of home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
