Greetings everyone! I hope you’ve been doing well and, for those lucky enough, enjoyed the long weekend.
It’s been over a month since my last update so I’m going to make this a bit of a big one! What’s been happening since last time? Quite a lot actually!
New Zealand – Australia’s Canada!
I recently returned from an epic trip to New Zealand. I’ve never been before which is really slack on my part considering I live in Australia. I guess with New Zealand being so close to home I took it for granted.
I loved New Zealand! The country was beautiful. The people were extremely friendly. And, most importantly, the food was great!
My American mates flew all the way from New York City and joined me in Middle-Earth. Come on, you had to expect there to be at least ONE Lord of the Rings reference! Trust me when I say there were plenty of them on the trip…
We spent most of our time hiking around the national parks of the South Island which included Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, Mt Aspiring National Park, and Fiordland National Park. Unfortunately, some of the trails we wanted to do were closed off due to some recent storm damage. Regardless we still got to see some amazing scenery including this shot from Gertrude’s Saddle:
Despite being in New Zealand for a few weeks I felt like I was there for a few months. The fresh air and stunning natural landscapes put my brain into a creative overdrive. Though it was sad to leave New Zealand and bid farewell to my mates, I looked forward to coming back home so I could get back into writing.
Zoya – My Feline Distraction
As you might recall, I’m now the proud father (?) of a Russian Blue kitten called Zoya. She continues to follow me around everywhere and is constantly preventing me from progressing further with my writing! I mean, look at this photo for example:
You might be asking yourself, “Shouldn’t he be writing, and not playing Sekiro?” Yes, I probably should be writing but if she’s not sitting on my keyboard or walking over my keyboard… or sleeping on my keyboard… she’s standing in front of my screen and attacking the mouse cursor.
Now I think about it, I should’ve posted a photo of that instead…
In any case! She’s a little furball of fun and recently has grown bored with my desk.
Encyclopedia Sarcadia – Vampire Section Complete!
Since returning from my trip I’ve put in a LOT of work into the Cardinal’s Encyclopedia Sarcadia. I’m happy to announce I’ve completed the vampire section of the Encyclopedia Sarcadia!
In the last update I mentioned I finished working on the backstory for Octavian, the First Vampire, and Darius Aventis, the first human turned by Octavian. Since then I’ve completed backstories on multiple key vampire characters as well as various vampire clans in Sarcadia.
Here’s just a quick sample of some of the major vampire clans and who their leaders are.
The Cardinal are the most dominant vampiric force in Sarcadia. It’s their belief humans should be under the rule of vampires, specifically the Cardinal, in order to ensure humanity’s survival from supernatural threats and to save them (humans) from themselves.
The six founding members of the Cardinal were responsible for Octavian’s death. The factions & leaders within the Cardinal are as follows:
- House Aventis led by Darius Aventis (click here to see a brief rundown on him).
- Clan Magnar led by Magnar Blutfest, a feared barbaric warrior with a violent, short temper.
- The Duchy of Stagnum led by Beatrice Ellsworth, a Duchess from Hartland infamous for her cruel regime and ravenous appetite.
- The Torino Dynasty led by Thomas and Tabitha Torino, a pair of twins who pride themselves on their appearance.
- The Lyceum of Shadows led by Leverett Augustine, spiteful boy who loathes being trapped in the body of a child for an eternity.
The Menagerie are an aggressive vampire clan spread throughout Sarcadia. Initially the group was comprised of Octavian’s three hundred neophytes and their fledglings. The numbers suffered greatly due to the vampiric civil war known as the “War of the Blood Moon”.
Those still loyal to Octavian continue to fight in his name to this day. They’re bitter rivals of the Cardinal and are feared throughout Sarcadia for their ruthlessness. The Menagerie believe Octavian will rise again and will shroud Sarcadia in permanent darkness.
What’s next?
The next, and final, major section of Encyclopedia Sarcadia will focus on the countries which exist in my world. There’s a decent amount of work to do as each country has its own history, religious beliefs etc. that need to be fine-tuned.
Despite there being a lot of work ahead of me, I’m confident I’ll have this section completed by the end of May. I’ll be keeping you updated at least once a week with how things are progressing. That way, it should motivate me to write at a quicker pace!
That’s all for now! Thank you for reading and thank you for your continued support. Once I’ve completed the first draft of this encyclopedia, the real fun will soon begin!
Until next time, be safe and take care!
W.F. Thorne
W.F. Thorne 