Rain and thunder

2,000 years after the Sundering, in the 83rd year of Lord Nakadai

The rain came down in sheets, filling the gutters and cascading into dirty pools of mud and waste that lined the back alleys of Yuruido. The ancient shells of once glorious megastructures were dotted with the small fires of survivors attempting to live in the crumbling ruins. Yuruido’s newer but more ramshackle buildings filled what little space there was between the ancient buildings. Running parallel to the main streets the back alleys were a maze of passages. Full of dead-ends and blinds turns, and shadowed by the tall windowless backs of the many looming structures, the alleys were avoided by honest people and were instead used by those who considered honesty a liability.

Moving quickly and carefully around the pools of water, Yun Kadak knew the alleys well. The thief-turned-spy pointlessly wrapped his thin, soaked cloth around his head, grumbling under his breath. One of the thousands of thieves in Yuruido, Yun grew up under the shadow of the Old World and unable to reach for the New. He stopped and glanced back towards Lord Nakadai’s castle and scowled. There was a new world being born from the ashes of the old, but Yun was not yet a part of it. He smiled.

“But maybe soon,” he thought to himself as he carried on through the rain.

Yun had lived in the streets and fought other boys and dogs for whatever food he could find. He would brag about this over beer, whenever he could steal enough money to afford it. He would tell stories to anyone too drunk to walk about facing six wild mongrels or burgling into a prefect’s house, right under the snoring guards or some other exaggerated feat. Over the years he gave up thieving (though he sometimes still partook in the target was too tempting) and found spying to be far more lucrative.  He had become quite skilled, and was sought after by those who knew where to look. Many nobles wanted to get the upper hand on their rivals and they paid handsomely.  In these days it seemed information sold better than jewels but even better, Yun enjoyed it. It made him feel powerful; to secretly watch someone or listen to them and know that they did not know he was there. He felt a rush through his blood and a tingle up his spine after a job. He particularly enjoyed jobs that involved beautiful women. Yes, the money was great, but it was just plain fun.

”Except this job”, Yun scowled at the thought.

This one was much more complicated than he had ever had. Usually he met some representative or even the poorly disguised noble himself. He found out what needed to be done and set his price, usually demanding payment upfront. The task always revolved around some petty blackmail or financial information. They were always straightforward and simple. This last one was different and he hated different.  He had never met this client, having only communicated through a letter written to him anonymously. After the job was finished then he would be paid. More than five hundred ryes was too tempting to argue but it was another red flag to Yun. The job itself was strange too. Unlike the more obvious tasks of rifling through documents for secreted information, all Yun had to do was listen in on a party. He was told to listen in on a dinner hosted by a lowly prefect Kin Datha, a newly appointed prefect for Old Town. Old Town district was vagrant infested ancient slums. He valiantly spoke of clearinf out those old structures  and removing the squatter but it sounded like empty rhetoric. It was all very boring stuff to Yun, but he did what he was paid to do and listened. He wasn’t even sure what the value of the information could possibly be. He shrugged; he wasn’t the one paying for it, so it didn’t matter really. As long as he got paid he was happy.

He stopped at an intersection in the alley and glanced around. He was to meet the client here. The rain had let up but the chill sent a shiver up his spine. He saw a quiet corner and slipped in to wait for his client. He glanced up again and instinctually reached for his dagger, panic knocking out all sense.

Seemingly out of nowhere a huge shape stepped out of the shadows. A man dressed in the dark battle robes of the Ordi Savoth stood before him. Rain dripped off the edge of a wide, round straw rain-hat, leaving the man’s face in darkness. The man stood motionless. Yun, alarmed first by the man’s great height and then by the sword at his waist, brandished his knife.

The savoth raised a hand, “Calm yourself, Yun Kadak,” he said his voice soft but laced with a power that frightened Yun more than anything else, “You do not wish to die before you have been paid, do you?”

Yun paused, his look of terror softened as the words sank in. This huge savoth was his client. The Savoth was a dwindling order of warrior monks. Since the Sundering they have sought penance for their involvement with what happened and the Ordi Savoth has feebly pledged itself to keep the peace of Lord Nakadai. However, with each passing year their numbers grow smaller and smaller. Most people saw them as righteous but ultimately ineffectual do-gooders. He breathed a sigh and put away his dagger. He bowed, water dripping from his scalp into the ground.

“Forgive me Da’savoth. I usually work for merchants or politicians, rarely warriors and never those of your Order,” Yun looked back up at the warrior that was strangely more than a warrior but could see nothing of his face behind the straw mesh of his hat. He felt eyes pass through him, searching his soul. The feeling left Yun exposed, as if all of his secrets were laid bare.  He briefly wondered if those people he watched ever felt this way.

“What did you hear?” the savoth’s voice retained its calm but Yun knew it would be in his best interest to get to the point. It would be better to tell this man what he knew and be on his way. Yun wanted to put as much distance between them as possible.

“Kin Datha spoke of many things, the weather was typical, but nothing of consequence. He mentioned Old Town and sending men there”

“Who was there?”

Yun thought for a second then brightened, “Ah, one of your Order, master savoth! Har Kivin and if I remember isn’t he the savoth adviser to Lord Nakadai?”

The savoth said nothing. Yun went on, “He tried to hide it but I knew, I could tell. He dressed in regular clothes but I’ve seen him before when I-!”

“Anything else?” The savoth’s voice seemed to boom and Yun’s babbling ceased.

“That’s-that’s all I know.” Yun replied, sputter as rain water trickled into his mouth.

The savoth nodded, dipping the straw hat down and causing rain to trickle down. Yun felt so small and weak in this man’s presence. He wanted to get home and away from this strange savoth. Although as far as Yun was concerned, all of the Ordi Savoth were strange. They were warrior monks and their skill with the blade was unmatched by any other warrior. But ancient legends told that they seemed to have intimate knowledge of the true ways of the world and could alter reality as will. Yun didn’t believe any of that, or he hadn’t. Standing in this Savoth’s shadow seemed to lend credence to those old tales. Yun stood in silence for several seconds. He thought it odd that a savoth of Kivin’s station would visit a lowly prefect, but he thought it more odd that another savoth would spy on their brethren. Yun wondered if this information would be worth anything.

The savoth reached into his robes and took out 500 ryes. The gold jangled in his palm as his handed it to Yun. The spy took the money eagerly and bowed, never betraying the grin he felt. Yes, he could sell this little bit of information about the savoth. There were always those interested in them and they would pay well for any shred of information to use against them. Yun pocketed the money as the torrent of rain chattered on the rooftops. Yes, tonight started out miserable but things were looking up. A nice tall glass of beer and a warm meal awaited him and who knows what companionship he would buy tonight? He turned and wrapped his cloth around his body.

“Yun”

He stopped when he heard the man’s soft voice, clear even over the intensifying rain and turned back.

The savoth shook his head slightly, as if disappointed, “So silent of foot, but your thoughts are as loud as thunders.”

Yun’s eyes went wide and reached for his dagger. Faster than the eyes can see, the savoth drew his blade and cut through the air and rain. Yun’s head fell back into the muddy water with a splash. The body stood stupidly for a second more before it crumpled into the muck. The savoth watched the body drift down the current of rainwater that rushed through the alley and disappeared behind a sharp angled corner. He returned his sword to its sheath and turned. Without a glance he adjusted his rain-hat, and walked out of the alley and toward the Lord Nakadai’s palace.

New Story series

Starting a new story series this week. I will be telling backstory in between narratives. Hopefully you all will like it and I'll keep adding more each week. 

Until Now: part one

We come from another place. This nearly lifeless universe that humanity believes is its own is not. Humanity comes from a rich universe that teems with life giving worlds. Humanity, and Earth, instead now exists in a barren, inhospitable galaxy with habitable worlds few and far between. We have forgotten our distant past and our great legacy. We carry on, unaware that it is we that are lost, and the time will come when we are found.

More than ten thousand years ago, Adamar, which we now call Earth, shared the solar system with a dozen other habitable worlds. Orbiting a vibrant star called Soulis, these were living counterparts to the barren worlds we know today. Adamar itself was a lush green and blue world, and on this world humanity grew and spread to each corner. With easy colonization a sure reward, humanity eventually crossed the airless gulf to these worlds and settled them, allowing unique cultures to grow and develop. Called the Nine Worlds, the first and oldest colonies of humanity became distinct and separate identities.

The Nine were:

• Izura, the balmy paradise world second to Soulis
• Selen, the small forest world that shares its orbit with Adamar
• Ashur, the sandy world of great deserts
• Kai, the small and windswept world
• The worlds of giant Asar: ancient Tython, Medan, Kallis, and Nethis 

Other worlds only sparely habitable were Metis, closest to Soulis and a world locked in day and night, and Heras, a cold distant world orbiting the ringed giant Isys. 

Adamar was still remained to center of human civilization. The antediluvian civilization of this ancient earth eventually consolidated into the arrogant and powerful Sulari Empire with the Island state of Durinsular as not only the political but also religious focus point. The Sulari sought to spread humanity to every world that could contain them. Arks of human colonists were launched towards distant stars in the hope that eventually whole new star systems would harbor humanity. It was considered by mean to be a golden age.

Even gold can lose its luster. Durinsular, although built upon what would be termed science, had its darker mystic side. A sect of arcane researchers and priests called the Nekralich sought to open doorways through the universe. Publicly they claimed to want to open new methods of travel and colonization but others whispered of dark pacts and beings beyond. Many mistrusted the Nekralich, and other arcane societies such as the Savoth and the Medikronica publicly denounced them. The Nekralich had a reputation for disregarding moral constraints in their pursuits. Despite the opposition, the Nekralich continued to experiment with the very fabric of reality. In the weeks leading up to The Sundering, people wondered at the strange colors in the sky. Power outages were common, plunging massive city blocks into darkness. Reports were common of strange creatures roaming the shadows. Finally, as if in culmination, a massive tremor spread from the center of the Island. Building collapsed and power failed totally. The sky shifted and the air seemed to burn. Millions died within a few hours. Only a few accounts survived of those chaotic days. They told of a struggle to find food in a ruined landscape and of the struggle against each other. It was centuries before any sense of civilization returned to the island.

From space, it was as if the planet suddenly ignited and what remained was a nearly barren and lifeless world. What was once teeming with life was gone, replaced with a much harsher landscape. Only Durinsular remained in place, but the once great city lay in ruins and its people scavenging and barley surviving. Without Adamar, the other worlds scrambled to fill the vacuum. Wars broke out and the survivors of Adamar were largely left to their own devices. It would be several thousand years before Durinsular was in a position to again affect The Nine. 

More to come. 

And now for something completely different.

I have always struggled with what I think my blog should be about. Sometimes I'll use it for rants but I can just as easily use twitter for that and for more economic use of language. The problem is that I usually try to vent out frustrating things immediately so that I don't walk around with that kind of harshness. And of course, when I sit down to write, that eloquent vitriol has already evaporated. After more than a year of not doing ANYTHING, I have decided to put this page to use.

I'm going to start using this blog as a fiction blog to explore a fictional universe I've been toying with. I'd like to eventually start a book but I really don't know where to begin. This procrastination has cost me nearly five years of not writing anything. So my goal is to just WRITE. Maybe they will be good and lead me somewhere. I'll probably still rant about stuff occasionally but I think new fiction will be the ongoing focus here.

I'll try to post something each week, even if it's just world building exercises.

So, hope to see you here in the future.

You are not special.

You are not special.

I am not special.

Webster's defines the word Special as "different from what is normal or usual; especially : unusual in a good way : better or more important than others."

Seriously, from that definition are any of us really special? Do we even want to be? Usually the term is thrown around to build self-esteem but I don't know if it's better to think that I'm better or more important than others.

I think we need to maybe refrain from using words beyond their intended meanings. I'm not special. I may have a special outlook on the world, but I, myself, am not special.

Of course, the phrase could also be used to teach kids to respect one another I guess. If I'm special, the reasoning may go, then everyone is special and I should treat them as such. This is a load of hooey to me. You want to teach a kid to be arrogant and self-serving as a way to teach them to get along?

No, teach kids that they aren't special, that they aren't better, and that they are not deserving of special treatment. Then teach them to treat others how they would want to be treated. It's different when you think you don't deserve it. For one thing, you aren't offended when someone else fails to treat you as you treated them.  

I think a better word to build a child's self-esteem is "unique." They are unique. There is no one else on the planet with the same outlook, thoughts and feelings. Oh they may be similar, but not exact.

We are all unique.

In the future let's not use the word special when we really mean unique.

Playing with toys

Haven't posted anything in awhile as I've been rather busy. I haven't taken the time to really do anything fun, this blog included. I started thinking about relaxation and how people do many different things to relax. Some, read, some watch tv or movies. Others go visit friends or play sports. Some play games.

I started thinking of my boys. They are 10 and 13 and are typical for a kid in the US. They play video games. All the time. ALL the time. I play video games, so I'm not against them. In fact, the games they play are my games. My only concern is that is all they do. When they do go outside it is to ride their bikes or something and that's fine too. The problem I have is that they do not know how to play.

I gave my youngest all my old GI Joes and told him I'd play with him. He asked me "how?" I was taken aback. How? He simply did not know how to play with toys. I'm seeing a trend develop in toy play. Either kids are predominately playing video games or they are playing with building toys like LEGOs. My boys love LEGOs. I know that if I get them some of those they will enjoy them. Watching them play though I noticed a trend. After they construct the toy they just leave it. The fun part is over for them. To them, the point is to build the toy and once that is accomplished it has no further purpose.

This is a problem to me. To me, play is vitally important to the growth of imagination and intelligence. It's a form of mental exercise. Instead we have a (largely) dictated play style imposed on our kids. "Go here, do this" mission parameters with fully realized graphics do not allow kids to use any imagination. Toys are no longer selling like they used to. Kids now want tablets and video games and while that is good, I think kids are missing out on a vital part of development. It doesn't take effort to play a little. A child playing with toys with a simple story based on his or her favorite movie is far more imaginative than sitting down and playing a pre-written game.

I'm not against games though. I just don't want to see children go without what I think is a vital part of their development. Parents today should think about that and encourage their children to put down the controller and pick up an action figure.

No place for grown-ups.

I have been a denizen of the Internet for over 15 years. I used netscape navigator and remember MIDI music and webrings and IRC.  The internet has changed a great deal in terms of technological innovation and application. It is eclipsing traditional social and commercial norms. Internet culture pervades popular culture and is ubiquitous. But while the internet can be a useful tool for acquiring knowledge and bettering oneself, I think it's easy to assume that these lofty goals are not what the majority of users come for.

This is no place for grown-ups. It is no place for Adults, the mature, or the wise. The internet is a place where everyone has a voice, but often that voice is ignorant, foolish, and downright stupid. Most humor on the internet can be thought of as either babyish "cat" humor, drunken frat boy logic, or shallow sex jokes. The internet (and by that I mean the larger population of users) seems to think that making a tired joke about breasts or inserting expletives automatically makes something funnier.  I used to read humor articles at Cracked.com. I found them funny if a little silly. In the past year I have found a downturn in quality as they have allowed freelance writers to post articles. They are terrible. Inserting swears in an article does increase shock value but that doesn't really make it funny. It's lazy.

The internet is the realm of the child, the sullen teen, and the idiot frat boy. Anonymity has produced a group of people who feel mighty but who instead reveal themselves to be small minded. For every intelligent article I've read, I've had to wade through a sea of uninformed opinion. We are championing peoples opinions as if everyone contributes something but they don't. Everyone does have a right to an opinion, but only an informed opinion. They aren't allowed to be stupid and not called out on it.

As content is further and further mired in the mud of the lowest common denominator. we can expect to see more base and juvenile humor, opinions, and behavior. It is the way of things I guess. When you open the door to the public you get the dumb with the smart, and the dumb generally outnumbers the smart.

This is why the internet is no place for manners. It is a playground for children, both in the physical and mental sense. The reasonable, the intelligent, and the socially mature have little real voice or say. They are drowned out by the clacking drone of the simple.

There are only two ways to really combat this unfortunate reality: To give in and become one of the mewling dullards or to carry on as one of the few voices in a sea of brash mediocrity.

Which would you choose?

What is in a name?

What's in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet? 

-Romeo & Juliet, ACT II Scene 2

A name is very important and changing the name of something changes the thing. Oh I know someone would say that is silly but this about how "re-branding" something can change how something means to us.


For example: The Opossum, or 'Possum.



A nasty, diseased pest, known as a roadkill delicacy in the more rural areas of the country.




Now, behold, The North American White-Faced Pouch-Cat.



A vibrant edition to the local ecosystem that should be preserved and respected.

Even though it's wrong, calling something by a different name has this affect. Think about people who are "pro-life". Well of course you are! Who isnt?? No, what they mean is they are "anti-abortion." However, "anti" has negative connotations. The same is with "progressives." So those that disagree with you are ultimately backwards? That is quite an assumption. Businesses that "downsize" are really just firing people and those that are "proactive" are...actually I'm not sure. They are "in favor of being active?" What's that even mean??