Posted Chap 19 - Encounters

Posted Chapter 19 - Encounters from An Empire Forgotten for comments.

Synopsis: Archer, Hieronymus, Magnuson continue searching Mithdros Dhuruuk. Their search moves to the keep and remains fruitless until Archer hears and follows a noise that reveals tunnels into the city not created by dwarves. They enter the tunnel to learn who still inhabits Mithdros Dhuruuk. The Hand find the dwarven campsite and introduce themselves. (~3500 words)

Glossary: draekken

Posted Chap 18 - Exploring

Posted Chapter 18 - Exploring for comments.

Synopsis: Archer, Hieronymus, Magnuson and the others enter Mithdros Dhuruuk and begin exploring it's abandoned interior, until inside the inner keep, the true reason for the expedition is revealed. Meanwhile, the Hand closes in and Biscuit the cook decides to go fishing. (~3550 words)

Glossary: Cenhyylm, Ghormanggr, Shard of Hyudvasa, The Fall of Mithdros Dhuruuk

The replotting/rearranging of scenes helped and I was able to finish this chapter with 2/3 of chapter 19 all ready to go.

Posted Chap 17 - The Gate

Synopsis: The dwarf expedition discovers their destination, the mountain fortress called Mithdros Dhuruuk. With some work they breach the main gate and enter to explore its forbidding depths. Archer and Hieronymus reach an agreement. (~4200 words)

Glossary: Dryggr, Querh, Rhuub

NIP: Currently I am at 265 printed pages and 71,200 words and feel I am heading into the final chapters, with a target goal of approximately 30 chapters to completion.

Download latest PDF here.

Posted Chap 16 - The Citadel

Synopsis: The dwarf expedition makes its way into the Blackstahl Mountains with Archer and Hieronymus as members. Magmouskain leads them to an ancient citadel seeking clues to the relic, Archer finds a way into the citadel where they find evidence of an ancient conflict, and the expedition leader finally reveals the nature of the relic they seek. (~4400 words)

Glossary: Bravokairn, Brukk, Hyudvasa, Jekul (Jackal), Jhorguld, Mithdros Dhuruuk, Oddr, Urlux, Ursune (BigTeddy)

Download latest PDF here.

Posted Chap 15 - Conversations

Posted chapter 15 for your reading pleasure.

Synopsis: Hieronymus and Archer agree to join Magmouskain's expedition and the Hand arrives in Gulgash forcing them to flee again. Hieronymus makes it possible for them to escape unseen while Archer determines who makes up the Hand. Archer attempts to learn more about Hieronymus as they wait for the expedition. (~4400 words)

Glossary: Ghas

Posted Chap 14 - Gulgash

Posted chapter 14 for your reading pleasure.

Synopsis: Archer and Hieronymus arrive in Gulgash, discuss how they may escape the Hand and go shopping. There, Hieronymus meets Magmouskain, a dwarf scholar seeking a mysterious item that he claims is vital to his clan's survival. (~4300 words)

Glossary: Art, Darach, Dwar, Great Eastern Woods, Magmouskain, The Cobbled Road, Yuu-honshi

Posted Chapter 13 - Desert Encounter

Posted chapter 13 for your reading pleasure.

Synopsis: Feryous casts Archer and Hieronymus out of the caravan while the Hand follow closely behind. (~4200 words)

Glossary: Blackstahl Mountains, Deep Night, Dugalduruun

Status: As of today's release, 238 pages, 53,900 words.

Posted Chapter 12 - High Desert

Posted chapter 12 for your reading pleasure.

Synopsis: Archer and Hieronymus make their way across the barren desert called Urdraxian. Archer listens to legends about the how the desert came to be while Hieronymus makes a new friend in the caravan and has a strange encounter in the ruins of Illishimeer. (~4200 words)

Glossary: Balessith, Illishimeer, lanshee, Klinkarkin, Nakaraj, The Undying One, Waheed

Chapter 11 - The Caravan posted

Posted chapter 11 for your reading pleasure.

Synopsis: Keke helps Archer and Hieronymus depart Choy on a caravan heading into the Urdraxian Desert. Cashille, the Hand, and Vikenti have a meeting, and Alethea determines she doesn't need Hieronymus. (~4200 words)

Glossary: anchan, Savant Bashuir, beaded snake, Feryous, kaffe, Owixi Jungle, Rasym. sunkite, Worldheart

Chapter 10 posted

Posted Chapter 10 - Deep Night Discussions of The Forgotten Empire.

Synopsis: Archer and Hieronymus finally get a chance to talk, but they soon learn they are no longer wanted in Choy. (~3400 words)

Thought this chapter would be a snap but then learned that juggling four people in a conversation was not as easy as I originally thought. Learned a bit about dialog here, so it was all good.

Am now officially 1/4 of the way through writing the book, weighing in at 41,300 words so far. Whew, there's still a long way to go. This chapter completes the Introduction section of The Forgotten Empire, now to move them to the main action.

New glossary terms: Gulgash, Kara

Coming soon, a desert journey, dwarves, sand, fights, and more odd words to learn.

Chapter 9 Posted

Posted Chapter 9 - A Busy Night for your evaluation and enjoyment.

Synopsis: Hieronymus seeks revenge in a card game on Vikenti for his beating, Archer discovers Hieronymus might be worth getting to know after all, and the two meet in a clash of arms that leaves them deeper in trouble then they were originally.

All-in-all, this was a very productive week for this project, for several reasons.

• First, Chapter 9 is the largest of all my chapters so far, weighing in at 5700 words. Partly this is due to the content of the chapter, but also because I've starting to feel more comfortable writing about these characters, which means I'm relaxing my writing style from what I use in my daily tech writing, which is very terse and matter of fact.
• Second, it was a tricky chapter to write as well, melding four different points of view (PoV), of which everyone sees nearly the same events, but interpreted them differently. I've used PoVs in previous chapters, but really liked the stylistic manner in which this one came around. The fight in the alley, of which I'd written a long time ago, evolved much differently then I'd originally planned it. Partly that's due to the new events leading up to this fight scene, and partly its due to my learning more about my characters motives while writing the story.
• Third, in speaking with my brother Kevin about the project he complained about not being able to pronounce all the weird names. So, I've collected and exposed my glossary, all 1700 words of it, for your edification. If you're wondering what an item is or how to pronounce Hieronymus' name, you'll find it here. Going forward I'll do my best to keep it as up-to-date as possible.
• Fourth, I also had some time to work on my maps, as described in my previous post. Still lots of work to do, but I am liking the results.

So, in conclusion, a very productive week, 7400 words by my count, map making, and a growing excitement as this portion of the book ends. Next up, the two adventurers start to roam the world together.

Enjoy

Glossary Added

Added a new Glossary tab that describes all the people, places, and items found throughout the book, with suggested pronunciations. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Have much more to report on tomorrow, or at least later today.