Friday, August 26, 2011

Ansirk - The World of Diar - Part 2



Ansirk, the capital of the Brethen kingdom, sprawls for several miles. Located west of Keeper's Dale, this is the hub of human sophistication and debauchery alike. The balance of order and corruption are held in check by the numerous factions inside the city. The Mynler District for instance, known for its exotic jewels and banking, wields influence through financial prowess. While in contrast, the Shadowling faction, an all female guild of deadly assassins and thieves, beguiles for power in the political arena. In these respects and others, each district is onto itself a different community. The dynamic ebb and flow of unrest between the diverse cultures keeps any one faction from gaining ultimate power over the others.


The city welcomes visitors from all walks of life and allows them to openly trade goods and services in the districts of their choosing. Farmers from Eshendown Gardens for example, barter vegetables for coin or magical rain generation trinkets crafted by the water mages of the Wisentrop District. Then after a long day of selling their wares the farmers can treat themselves to brews at the Drunken Eagle; just a short walk down Main Street in the Market District.

The Drunken Eagle is a gaudy inn with a quirky ambiance. Themed and adorned with the Brethen Kingdom's colors of blue and gold, the inn is also lavished with eagle depicted murals and tapestries lined throughout. The inn boasts several floors to paying customers in need of a comfortable bed; each room designated by the name of history's most beloved kings. The establishment is most noted for their honey spiced mead and scantily clad and accessible barmaids.


There are plenty of other stores and activities within the Market District to keep oneself occupied, but those with ample coin will pass through the ornate mason columns located at the back of the district. Here they will find themselves in the upscale part of the city called the Mynler District. Run by Jawg Mynler and his family, this luxurious section of the capitol opens its doors to those of elite status and purses teeming with gold.

Jawg Mynler's fortune is fed from the jewel laden mines far to the east of Ansirk and deep in the Jade Mountains. The Mynler family has wealth beyond comparison, spending most of their days planning and catering galas for even the most obscure holidays. It is rumored that if Jawg had any desire for such lofty ideals of political power, he could have bought the throne several times over. Yet his infatuation with monetary expansion and social events keeps him adequately occupied.


From the dilapidated wood buildings of the Shadowling District to the cobbled streets of the Mynler District, the city of Ansirk is surrounded by a formidable defensive wall. This massive stone structure houses thousands of soldiers within its gatehouses and battlements. The feeling behind the walls, with their impressive armaments, is considered by most to be that of comfort and security; and rightly so. The walls have stood strong for a thousand years and withstood countless wars. The latest completion of massive siege equipment mounted on the high ramparts only adds to their effectiveness of keeping the denizens safe.


Modern architecture and contemporary styling make the city of Ansirk a breathtaking site. When King Connald Blake took the throne in the Brethen Keep, he had but one single peeve; the city was to drab and unkempt. By his decree the streets were made swept regularly, gardens were planted throughout the city, and his family crest was added to large banners that now fly high on the walls. Furthermore, new monuments were erected to showcase the city's grand history of survival through the bleakest of times. It is a time of peace for the Brethen people and the King has no qualms with that. He embraces the heartiness of his people knowing them fully capable of conquest, but he cherishes their capacity for productivity as well and chooses to let his lands flourish without bloodshed.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Whew.. Blogger Days of Summer

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, I wanted to drop in and give an update of this blog site.  After a little bit of research I realized that the 'pages' concept is not going to work as I originally intended it to.  For whatever reason Blogger only allows ten pages for us to use.  This of course does not bode well for my segmented story lines; 4 parts Fardea, 4 parts Scouting, 2 parts Diar, etc.

I've done a couple things to offset this and help folks find things in the future.  First I've implemented 'labels,' a feature that creates an index for my blog postings.  Also, I'll be consolidating the stories I've already listed.  You can already see the Scouting story line in its entirety in one single page.

At any rate, I hope all of that makes sense.  If so, great! Have a great weekend.  If not then have comfort knowing that I'm doing what I can with my limited knowledge of Blogger to keep the site functional.  Suggestions are of course encouraged.



   

Friday, August 12, 2011

Protect The Risen: Scouting the Enemy - Part 4

Had a bit of time tonight so I whipped up an additional installment of the scouting story. It introduces another of my favorite characters...

Scouting the Enemy


Nevel forego the pleasantries of a formal campsite as he lay hidden in the canopy overlooking the Haverdack army.  His horse safely tethered a mile back waiting his return.  He would have rode in closer but this leg of the scouting mission required a stealthier approach.

The ranger had evaluated the small woodcutting men assessing their potential as adversaries.  He concluded that their heightened agility and incredible speed could prove formidable.  If the tiny men were formally trained in warfare the Brethens would have their hands full.  Even without training, there were so many; Nevel did not want to think of the carnage that lay in the future.

All things being equal though, the creatures stood little chance of breaching the sturdy stone walls of the Brethen Keep.  Throughout history, several armies had tried to overtake the Brethen lands.  With every attempt, the men of the Brethen Keep stood stoic, building their walls taller and wider.  Each success taught them more robust models on how to defend themselves with greater efficiency.

In recent years, a genius architect had helped them design war machines for their battlements.  They were intricate mechanisms of counter weights and slings set upon the highest points of the Brethen Keep and capable of hurling salvos of rock down upon an advancing army.  Designs Nevel had thought were novel, but now looking down on the army below he realized could change the tide of the Brethens' future.  The ranger had been present the day the inventor, Red Eye, had presented his prototype to the king.

"The Brethen Keep has relied too heavily on the mages of the Wisentrop district.  They are formidable men, no question of that my liege, but men non the less.  We cannot assume to have their magic at our beck and call, loyalties as it is said can always change.  Should the time come, it would be nice to have an unwavering alternative to those who reside in the mage towers of Ansirk."  

The wily inventor pulled in a deep breath and then continued his presentation. "It is time to roll out a new era of defense.  We can always be resort back to the Order of Magi should my creations fail, my lord.  I plead however you trust in my abilities, these mongonels will not falter." 

Red Eye pointed to his odd contraptions spread across a dozen wagons.  "I know it does not look like much now but consider the schematics I showed you last year.  When we lock the forward load bearing legs in place on the keep walls and stretch the..."

The king's hand came up in a stopping motion, "Red you need not go into the details of it with me again.  I did not understand you the first time you told me of this design.  I had not realized how large it would be.  Can the walls handle it?"

The odd man shook his head yes, then slightly in a no fashion.  "My lord, a small retrofit of slate will need to be added to each of the mongonel locations on the ramparts.  My calculations suggest that the given sectional weight distribution, based upon the span and height of our current wall is inadequate.  I did however cross reference the known specifications of our current wall's construction versus that of Eshendown stone..." 

"Enough Red," The king waved his hand once more and then stood idle.  His majesty's face suggested a look of being lost in an internal dialogue.  His eyes shifted from side to side, and he nodded an ascent to a question none in the audience heard.  Most were accustomed to this anecdotal feature of their king and paid it no attention.   

King Blake turned to his constituents.  "Do any lords hold reservations of Constable Red Eye's proposed wall installation?"

Lord Wallace Manti spoke up, "My lord I concur with the constable.  The rock from my quarries is an excellent choice of material.  I would be honored to supply it for our beloved Brethen Keep."

"Lord Foxe?" the king asked, turning to his oldest friend.

As always, accompanying the sage man on either side was Sir Macimar and Nevel.  Marith Foxe shook his head.  "We have needed war machines of this caliber for a long time, my lord.  If Red says he has come up with a working prototype then we should test it.  I would be curious if he can achieve the projectile range he has boasted."

Nevel continued to watch the expansive army crawl through the valley.  To his dismay as coincidence would have it, rolling into view were similar implements of war to that of Red Eye's creations.  The Haverdack army had use of siege equipment.  This did not bode well for the keep, it would soon be time to test those new creations under most dire of times.


--

Also as requested, I added a bit to the previous Fardea story.  No not the romance part, but the tray part.  I think it adds a bit more fun to the segment.

Fardea - Part 4 - Turning the Tides

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Fardea updates

Part four is now available of Fardea's escapade.  I've also gone back and added a small bit into part two if you want to check that out.  It wasn't that I needed to, but I thought it added something to her storyline which may be useful to know later in her development (hint, hint.) 

Fardea-Part-2- Darcellis Fate

Fardea-Part-4-Turning the Tides