Whatcha Writing There, Thorne? (30 Apr Book Update)

Howdy Thorne! Been doing much writing lately?

I have, and the past few weeks have been busy. The final stretch of Encyclopaedia Sarcadia has been going steady. I’d say I’m around 93% completion though things have been slowly down a little.

How come?

I’ve been busy with a few non-book related things so finding the time to write has been a bit tough. I also have a trip to Canada coming up soon so I’ve been slowly preparing for it. When I do get time to write I’ve managed to complete more than what I thought I could, so it isn’t entirely negative.

That’s good to hear. A trip will help recharge the batteries.

I’ve found my previous overseas trips to be good motivation for writing as well. My brain finds itself going into a creative overdrive, especially when I go some epic hikes. Though I’ll be going to Canada for a wedding, there’ll be some time to go exploring and to get some more cool ideas brewing.

I like the sound of that! What have you been focusing on in Encyclopaedia Sarcadia over the past few weeks?

I’m at the point where I’m going through the timeline. When I first planned most of the important events Sarcadia experiences, I added chunks of paragraphs to what should be a brief overview of the world’s history. This isn’t a bad thing though as at the time it was more “note taking” than a summary.

As I’m tightening the timeline it’s allowing me to create new entries in the encyclopaedia. This process is helping me out a lot. Before I was hopping around all over the place without a real plan of attack, but now I’m more focused and my productivity has increased.

The focus is currently on the first of Sarcadia’s three main time periods known as the Time Beyond, or TB for short. I’m at the point of where Sarcadia’s deity, Atriarch, has gained control of his country, Un’Kabaal.

Praise be to the All-Father! Are you going to tell us about how awesome Atriarch is?

What do you think?

I think you’re going to be saving that for another day.

Right as always. There’s way too much to talk about Atriarch.

How about you tell us about Atriarch in 50 words or less?

Atriarch was the great ruler of Un’Kabaal who conquered Sarcadia. The benevolent ruler was named “Supreme Lord” by the people, which angered the world’s previous deity, Vratralarion. Vratralarion challenged and was killed by Atriarch, who ascended as the new deity of Sarcadia.

Summarised in forty-two words. You still have eight words to go.

And they lived happily ever after. The end?

And they lived happily ever after because…

I’m not falling for your tricks, but that’s Atriarch in a very, basic nutshell. As I said, more information about him will be revealed once the first draft of Encyclopaedia Sarcadia has been completed.

And edited… Then edited again… And again…

Until the end of time. Well, maybe not that long.

Let’s hope not! Is there anything else you want to tell us before we leave you to your writing?

Yes. I’ve decided to stop doing my Weekly Rasslin Rundowns for now. I’d like to focus on completing as much of Encyclopaedia Sarcadia as I can before I leave for Canada. I’ll continue to do my reviews on the important WWE pay-per-view events. I’ll also be posting up more Behind The Pixels reviews when I return from Canada as well as giving this website an updated look. I think it might be time for one even though it’s still relatively new.

Nothing wrong with a bit of change every now and then. Well, if that’s all, we’ll leave you to it. Write again and please, don’t get too distracted.

I can’t promise that, especially with Westworld season 2 now out.

That’s the one and only exception I’ll allow!

Whatcha Writing There, Thorne? (16 Apr Book Update)

Howdy Thorne! Been doing much writing lately?

Indeed I have, good sir, and it’s been a productive week. The end is in sight as I push into the final stretch of Encyclopaedia Sarcadia.

The final stretch, ey? Can you finally see the light at the end of the tunnel?

I can see the light and it’s getting brighter as I push beyond 90% completion of the first draft. As I mentioned previously, I need to touch up on Sarcadia’s timeline as well as write up minor entries of the encyclopaedia which focuses on important figures and events throughout the planet’s history.

We’re almost there! How exciting! What new entries have gone into the encyclopaedia lately?

The final sections relating to Tenebris has been completed. I’ve added information regarding some of its notable residents, such as Gollentore, Xensaroch, and Nekvourntis. On the surface of Sarcadia I’ve added in some important werewolf figures such as Grigori Whiteclaw and Theron Bendoro, as well as included information on drugs and diseases one might encounter.

That seems like a lot of work. Tell us more about these Tenebites and werewolves.

I would but I think each might need their own post. There’s a bit of information to take in on each person, so a quick summary of all five might wouldn’t be ideal…

Why do I feel like you’re about to give us a teaser?

You know me too well! We’ll keep this short and sweet, so which two would you like me to quickly talk about?

Damn you! Well, how about we talk about Xensaroch and Nekvourntis?

Xensaroch was an ancient Lycan who’s responsible for the creation of Sarcadia’s werewolves. Like all Lycans, Xensaroch is a large, anthropomorphic wolf who was tasked by Elysia, the Master of Tenebris, to turn Sarcadians into Lycans. Instead, Xensaroch scouted for the world’s best wolf packs, transformed them into humans then granted them the gift to shift into an anthropomorphic wolf form similar to that of a Lycan. Though she was impressed with the result, Elysia saw Xensaroch’s act not to transform humans into Lycans as a sign of disobedience.

What’d she do to him?

She had him tortured and executed.

Damn. Elysia’s hard to please. What about this Nekvourntis chap?

Nekvourntis was another ancient Tenebite who rightfully earned the nickname “the Blood Tyrant”. He was infamous for his indiscriminate butchery and insatiable thirst for blood. The Dark Realm’s most powerful beings would temporarily put aside their differences to imprison Nekvourntis and starve him into a comatose state. The Blood Tyrant would be revived many centuries later by Elysia, who used him and his blood to develop a curse which would see the creation of the vampires.

And once Elysia got what she needed, she killed him?

No. Someone else did. But I’ll save that for another day.

Curse you and your teasing! Shall we talk about drugs?

I’m not sure this is the right forum for this discussion…

I mean the ones in Sarcadia, not the real-life ones. You mentioned you wrote about drugs and diseases.

Oh yeah! Sorry, my brain’s been in overdrive. I could briefly talk about some drugs and diseases. The most common drug in Sarcadia is known as “latisium”. It derives from a purple flower and can be smoked or baked into food, such as cakes and desserts. Users experience a euphoric relaxation accompanied by an increased appetite, enhancement of taste buds and hearing, and sometimes fits of laughter. In a nutshell latisium is world’s version of marijuana, only it’s legal everywhere.

I’m pretty sure some readers like the sound of that! How about diseases? What disgusting, gruesome things do people suffer from in Sarcadia?

I’m a little disturbed b your enthusiasm but I can confirm one nasty, common disease infecting people does by the name of “the Rot”. It starts off with one’s fingers, toes, or nose becoming numb and over time, blood stop flowing to these parts. They turn black, rot away and eventually fall off. In many cases hands, feet, and facial features decompose and must be removed. Those suffering from the Rot eventually die when their kidneys, liver, brains and other organs begin to decay away as well.

Ok, you can stop now. I’m officially done being excited.

Serves you right for being that excited to begin with. In any case, I’m happy with how things are traveling. I’m going to focus as much as I can on writing this weekend. If all goes well and I don’t get too distracted, I should soon reach close to the end of the first draft of Encyclopaedia Sarcadia.

Sounds like a plan! I’ll let you continue with your writing journey. Have fun!

I shall!

Whatcha Writing There, Thorne? (2 Apr Book Update)

Howdy Thorne! Been doing much writing lately?

Indeed I have! Last week has seen a lot of work go into Encyclopedia Sarcadia.

How far are we from the completion of Encyclopedia Sarcadia?

Still a little way to go. If I had to give it a percentage I’d say there’s about 10% of the encyclopedia to complete. Though it might seem like I don’t have much more to write, there are still some sections I haven’t started yet.

What’s there left to complete that you haven’t started yet?

Sarcadia’s timeline needs some more work and they’ll be sections of the encyclopedia which will expand a bit on important people and events throughout the world’s history. At this stage I don’t anticipate these sections will take too long to complete, but the way my brain works the world and its lore is forever growing and expanding.

What new additions have been included in Encyclopedia Sarcadia since the last update?

Last week I added information regarding various races and supernatural creatures. We now have ghouls, ghosts, reptilians, draconians, blood fiends, the Discarded, the Dolls, and most importantly – werewolves.

That’s a lot of new additions! Let’s pick a few and talk about them briefly, shall we?

Sure thing. What would you like for me to talk about?

Let’s talk about ghouls. Are they zombie-like creatures?

Not really. A ghoul isn’t some type of demon in the world of Sarcadia. A ghoul is someone who’s unfortunate enough to have been “half turned” by a vampire. Part of the process for a vampire to turn a human involves the vampire allowing the human to drink several mouthfuls of their blood.

If a human is only given a small amount of vampiric blood, let’s say a sip, they will not undergo a complete transformation. Instead they’ll become a ghoul, a creature which isn’t a vampire nor is it a human. They become a weak, skeletal-like version of their former-selves left to suffer for an eternity.

That sounds terrifying for the ghoul. Let’s move on to reptilians and draconians.

Reptilians and draconians are two reptile-humanoids who primarily live on the swamp continent of Stagnum. Most reptilians aren’t hostile towards humans and frequently engage in trade with the coastal towns and villages throughout Sarcadia. They’re much slimmer and weaker than their draconian cousins, but what they lack in strength they make up for in agility.

Draconians are larger and stronger than reptilians. They despite their weaker cousins though not as much as they detest humans. They will attack any person foolish enough to venture too close to their encampments. It’s their aim to one day regain control of Stagnum, to remove the human presence from their homeland, and to re-enslave the reptilian population.

They sound dangerous, but not as dangerous as werewolves. Let’s talk about them, shall we?

Sure thing. I’ll keep it short since there’s a lot to talk about. Unlike the common werewolf found in movies and novels, werewolves aren’t the result of a curse nor are they human. They were created by the ancient Tenebite known as Xensaroch, the Tyrant of Lycans. Xensaroch scouted Sarcadia for its best wolf packs. The wolves the Lycan Tyrant deemed worthy were transformed into humans, who could then shift into anthropomorphic wolves.

The breed of a werewolf varies per continent. Some werewolves are large and strong, while others are small and swift. Some wish to co-exist with humans, while others seek to butcher them in honour of their Lycan Tyrant.

That sounds very interesting. I wonder what role they’ll play in the Cardinal series.

I guess you’ll need to wait for the novels to come out to find out.

I guess we will but until then, it’s best you get back to work!

Photo Credit @minan1398

Whatcha Writing There, Thorne? (12 Mar Book Update)

Howdy Thorne! Been doing much writing lately?

Heaps of writing! I’ve been cracking down on both Encyclopedia Sarcadia and my upcoming series for the blog, “Behind the Pixels” which should be ready in a week or so!

Damn! Sounds like you’ve been super busy. Let’s start with Encyclopedia Sarcadia. Where are we at?

Last week I continued to focus on all things dark and evil from Tenebris. I’m happy to say the section on witches has now been completed.

Witches ey? Are we talking about the ugly, green skinned hags who fly around on broomsticks?

Far from it. The witches of Sarcadia are practitioners of the dark arts who have learnt their craft from the books provided to them by Belzabardos, the Chatterer of Secrets. Not all witches are the same as there are various forms of black magic. For example, there are “hexxers” who specialise in curses while some witches may become “necromancers”, summoners who can raise and control the dead.

So can anyone become a witch? Is there something you need to do to get hold of this Belzabardos chap?

You need to provide a worthy sacrifice to the Chatterer of Secrets to not only get his attention, but to prove you’re serious about becoming a witch. Anyone can become a witch as long as the sacrifice is right. I should point out there are male witches too, so not every witch is a female. Male witches aren’t called “wizards”, or “sorcerers”, or “warlocks”. A male witch is called a witch. A female witch is called a witch.

Well, you know what they say, “A witch is a witch is a witch is a witch”! Have there been any powerful witches in Sarcadia’s history?

There have been a few. In fact, one is currently alive. Her name is Daiyu Shen and she is in command of the most powerful witch coven in Sarcadia. Her disciples are spread out all over the planet, committing inhumane and horrible acts to please the Chatterer of Secrets.

Then there was a witch by the name of Michael Karabos, a powerful necromancer who once terrorised Sarcadia. He amassed an army so powerful it took a combined effort of several armies to defeat him.

I want to know more, but I know you’re just saying this stuff to tease everyone.

Well, I did mention I’ll be providing some extracts from my book in due time. I’ll eventually start doing some “spotlight” posts on certain characters so my readers can start getting used to them. It would be another good way to introduce everyone to the Cardinal series.

I like the sound of that! So, this blog series you’re working on… We can expect it soon?

You definitely will be seeing it next week… If everything goes to plan of course! I’m going to briefly redirect all my attention to the “Behind The Pixels” series, which means I’ll be taking a quick break away from Encyclopedia Sarcadia. Fear not though, this just means I’ll be freed up to focus on it a lot more in the weeks to come.

Sounds like a plan! I’ll let you get back to it! Break a leg!

I’d rather break a leg than an arm, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to write…

Yeah, that would totally suck!

Photo Credit @minan1398

Whatcha Writing There, Thorne? (5 Mar Book Update)

Howdy Thorne! Been doing much writing lately?

Yes, I have! The focus of the past week has been entirely on Encyclopedia Sarcadia.

Where are we at with Encyclopedia Sarcadia?

I’ve finishing writing up information on the remaining Tenebites who are part of the Synod.

The group rebelling against Elysia, Master of Tenebris, right?

That’s right.

Who are the final additions to the Synod?

We have Behemoths, Manticores, Gorgons, the Zahrakii, the Sitorians, Banshees, and the Tengu.

Sounds like you’ve been very busy! And to think, you’ve written up all of this while playing Path of Exile!

I know right? I’m happy with the amount of work I’ve done.

I’m sure most of us are familiar with Banshees and Gorgons, but tell us about the Zahrakii and the Sitorians.

The Zahrakii are serpent humanoids who have the upper body of a human and a lower body and head of a snake. They’ve had a long rivalry with the Gorgons over who the superior reptilian race of Tenebris is. They now find themselves united against the Drakonkin, another powerful race of serpent-like beings, who have pledged their allegiance to Elysia. In return, the Dark Mother has offered to help the Drakonkin enslave the Zahrakii and the Gorgons.

If I were a Drakonkin Elysia would have my vote! Let’s talk about this other group, the Sitorians.

The Sitorians are mysterious, giant humanoids who look like mummified corpses. They’re powerful necromancers who have only existed in Tenebris for around five thousand years. They kept out of the affairs of the other races and, in return, the other Tenebites stayed away from them. Normally the Sitorians and their undead armies would be engaged in battles against one another, but now they’ve united and sided with the Synod against the Dark Mother.

That’s a bit odd. Why would dead people want to do something like that?

No one knows. Some thinks it’s due to the lack of corpses on the battlefield since Elysia is taking them to feed her children. Others think something more sinister is going on.

Like what? Wait you’re not going to tell us, are you?

Nope. I’ll let the suspense build a bit. You can read a bit more about them in more detail when Encyclopedia Sarcadia is released.

Well, get back to writing then! Don’t keep us in suspense for too long!

Photo Credit @minan1398

Whatcha Writing There, Thorne? (26 Feb Book Update)

Howdy Thorne! Been doing much writing lately?

Of course! I’ve managed to do a bit of work on Encyclopedia Sarcadia as well as work on a blog series I’ll be debuting in the very near future.

Sounds like you’ve been busy. Let’s talk Encyclopedia Sarcadia. Where are we at?

As I mentioned last week I’ve been working on the creatures and beings who exist in Tenebris, Sarcadia’s version of Hell. Currently I’m working on the Tenebites who make up the rebellious faction known as the Synod.

You mentioned that Lycans, Daemons, Orcs, and Hobgoblins are part of this group last week. Any new additions to the alliance against the Dark Mother?

The Verminkin. As their name would suggest they’re rat-like humanoids who are masterful inventors.

So why do the Verminkin oppose the Dark Mother?

Their reasons are driven by greed rather than loyalty. The Verminkin love to make a profit so since the Synod forces greatly outnumber Elysia’s forces, it makes sense to side with the group who will be buying a lot more weapons.

Those dirty rats! You mentioned you’re working on a blog series? Care to enlighten us?

Sure! “Behind the Pixels” will be debuting on my blog in the upcoming weeks. This series will take a look at the storylines behind video games. I’ll be starting off with old school classics before venturing into the modern era. So far I’ve been working on an old school Nintendo series which is a personal favourite of mine. Three games examined, another seven to go.

Thanks for the little clue. Well, I’ll let you get back to it! Remember to keep us updated! And please, please don’t get too distracted with Path of Exile this weekend…

Oh yeah the new league starts at the end of the week! Thanks for the reminder!

Ah crap…

Photo Credit @minan1398

Whatcha Writing There, Thorne? (19 Feb Book Update)

Howdy Thorne! Been doing much writing lately?

I’ve managed to get some work done on Encyclopedia Sarcadia, a reference book for the world my upcoming series, the Cardinal, will be set on.

Sounds like a pretty big world if you’re working on an entire encyclopedia for it! Give us a quick summary of what the Cardinal’s going to be about!

The series will focus on Abagael, the daughter of Sarcadia’s god, and her family battling the global vampire collective known as the Cardinal.

Sounds simple enough! So this planet, Sarcadia, is the time period modern? Medieval? Stone age?

Sarcadia is currently going through an advanced, Victorian-like Era so there’ll be some steampunk elements appearing in the series.

Now, I know we’ve been over this before, but these vampires…

Don’t sparkle in sunlight. They’re focused on the domination of Sarcadia with the ambition of controlling the human population so, as the Cardinal like to put it, they can protect humans from themselves. Anyone who gets in their way of the Cardinal’s goal will meet a very violent death.

Now we’re talking! I’m guessing the encyclopedia will serve as a background for the Cardinal series?

Pretty much. I don’t want to fall into the habit of explaining every single detail about Sarcadia while advancing the storyline at the same time. I’d like to hit the ground running as soon as the reader turns to the first page. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll be ignoring people who haven’t done their research. I’ll be mentioning things from the encyclopedia though not in great depth. If readers want to know more, they can turn to the encyclopedia whenever they want to feed their curiosity.

And everything about Sarcadia will be included in the encyclopedia?

From notable names in history to the backgrounds of the various countries, Encyclopedia Sarcadia will have it all. I’d say close to half of the information will be relevant to the storylines in the series while the rest will make for interesting reading. The encyclopedia should allow everyone to get a feel of Sarcadia and its lore.

What part of the encyclopedia are you currently working on?

Right now, I’m working on the races residing in Tenebris, Sarcadia’s version of Hell. The residents of Tenebris are known as “Tenebites” (shout out to Clive Baker). Currently there’s a bloody civil war taking place between Elysia, the Master of Tenebris, and an alliance of Tenebites called “the Synod”. I’ve finished writing up the information on Elysia’s faction which includes Succubi, Afreet, Ogres, and Harpies. The focus is now on the Synod Tenebites.

And who would dare oppose Elysia, Master of Tenebris?

Lycans, Daemons, Orcs, and Hobgoblins so far. They’re roughly a third of the races who want to see Elysia dethroned considering she was human once.

Oh, this sounds interesting? Tell us more!

I think that’s as much of a tease as I’m going to give for now. Let’s say we catch up every Monday? I’ll provide you all an update on how my writing in progressing. I might post up a random excerpt or two every now and then.

I like the sound of that! Well, whatcha waiting for? Get cracking on that writing. Unless you’re going to get distracted…

That won’t happen until the next Path of Exile league!

Figures…

Photo Credit @minan1398