The Joys of Life

For many years I've talked about my world, my books and my hopes to publish them.  Sometimes I felt like I was just blowing hot air, other days I thought I would never achieve my goal.  But now I have done it!

This week I self-published my first book on Amazon!  Yeah, I know, probably won't be a New York best seller, but, hey, I did it!

So here are a few things I learned in the process of doing this.

1) Picture art.  They recommend 300dpi for the cover.  My daughter... I mean my cover artist, (she got paid in shopping trips and mom's eternal love), used a lower dpi when she drew it on her computer and so we had a little problem there.  Nothing that can't be worked through, but just bare that in mind.

2) Also, make sure the picture is in the right format, not PDF and orientated the right direction.  She drew it rotated to the right 90 degrees and even when we flipped it in the cover creator, we had issues with it staying where it should be orientation wise.  So save in the right format and orientation to begin with.

3)Use the templates that KDP offers for your actual manuscript.  Luckily, the nice writing teachers I had through our local community college got us set on the right direction there.  Now, that doesn't mean there won't be format issues. I had about 10 pages I had to go in and manually fix before KDP set up would let me proceed.

4) When you set up the financial information, use a checking/saving account that isn't important, just in case.  We had to start an account for a heat pump loan with a credit union so we put the minimum amount in and just let it sit.  Now I'm using it for the spot to send any money I make on Amazon, (haha).  The reason to do this is so if there is some breach of information at Amazon, you don't lose all your money in a major account.

There you have it.  I'm published.  I hope that everyone who dreams of writing a book can and does.  If you are interested in seeing my book, (which I hope you enjoy), it is at Amazon under "The High King's Sword".  

Happy writing and good luck!

Organizing Your Thoughts

 I have a great idea for a story and my characters need to slay the bad guy, come from humble beginnings and face all sorts of adversities.  

Well, that is a good start, but you need to lay out an idea of where to start, your characters, and how your characters are supposed to get to the end and what they have to overcome to reach their goal.

My suggestion is to take this in steps.

Step One: Discover both your protagonists and antagonists. I've read many books where the main character is well flushed out, but the bad guys are just flat.  It makes it hard to get excited about the story if you know the bad guys are just going to basically role over or be the stereotypical bad guy.  Put some time and thought into ALL your characters, (maybe even some side characters) before you go very far.  At the very least, this process may help you with your outline.

Step Two:  Make a basic outline.  Characters start here---This is their adventure---This is their adversities---This is how the over come and win.  Simple at this stage is better.

Step Three: Flush out your outline.  This is where you do those pesky outlines your High School English teacher always liked you to do.  Do the major points, with some sub-headings and ideas.  Then I would suggest going back and typing in more detailed ideas.  So, for example:

1.     Tarkil meets the other members of the party.
1. Tarkil comes back from a ride with his "friends" then wants to go to a bar to relax for the night.
2. Krom meets Guthlaf on the ship to Bloodhelm, then they go to a bar to find housing for the night.
3. Kenna escapes Five Roads and makes her way to Bloodhelm, finding Duncan on the way, and they end up the inn of Duncan's friend.
4. Elly finds herself in Bloodhelm and finds an inn to stay for the night.

From there, you can add in notes below each subheading, such as Tarkil is looking for a tumble, or Duncan's wagon is stuck on the side of the road.

Step Four: Write.  At this point, you should have a good enough outline to get moving.  And don't be afraid to change your outline.  It's just a guide and never set in stone.  Maybe you write something that says "hey, the party needs to do this instead of that".  It is more then fine.  It's your story and you want it to be the best.

And this works for roleplaying campaigns, as well.  People love to think you have taken a lot of time and effort to make things fun for them.  And just like your outline for a story, sometimes things go sideways.  Just go with it!

Happy Writing!

Borrowing From the World

 As a writer, there are many ideas that influence how you write.  From the way you grow up, to where you live, even the culture you are from.  It's unavoidable that your personal experiences would influence your writing style and the content of your story.  I mean, my father came from Oklahoma, where apparently they eat onions like apples, (I always thought my father was weird, but you have to love them, right?).  How you see the world will really depend on your life experiences.  Here are a few elements to take into consideration when you are writing.

1) You know you.  Don't be ashamed of who you are or where you come from.  The idea that an inner city person is going to perceive the world way different then me, a forest raised far from civilization person, is not unreasonable.  It's what makes all of us unique.  Its fun to see other people's perspectives.  Just bare his in mind, though, when you are writing.  Not all people in your audience are going to understand mass transit or crowded cities, nor are all people going to understand Forest Service roads and large tree stands.  Take a little time to explain such things, but not overtly.  Yes, you are explaining the obvious to you, but others may not see the obvious as well.

2) Don't be afraid to use ideas of the past.  In my stories I use the Roman Empire as a background for my Empire of Ariella.  The military, the leadership structure, even some of their beliefs on how things should be run.  It's not being lazy in your writing, it's incorporating ideas from our world. It is who we are and there is nothing wrong with blending it in to your stories.

3) Research what you don't know.  Like in the first idea, I really have no idea how mass transit works. (I grew up in the woods, mass transit was when the moms caravanned to town to do the monthly shopping, not buses and trollies.)  If I were going to use that in my story I would have need to look into how that works, like bus lines, times, routes, the whole nine yards.  Don't be afraid to admit you don't know.  If you don't know what a good tree for a forest would be in a certain climate, Google it.  Ask a friend.  Read a book.  In this day and age, the information is always at your finger tips!

Happy Writing

The Importance of Characters

 This should be a no brainer for a writer, but even though a solid plot is vital, characters that are loveable, or ones you just want to hate, are essential.  If you can't empathize with the characters, you won't enjoy even the best laid out plot.

I'd like to think I worked hard on my plots, but I think I've worked even harder on my characters, with a little help from those around me.  I have my main characters which I spend a lot of time molding and shaping, but I also make sure my side characters are just as well thought out.  Here is an example.

One side character I spend quite a bit of time on is Targon.  Yes, he's a god, but he's essential to the plot, even if he isn't a main character.  I make him humorous and almost "human" like to make the reader sympathize with him as he tries to save the world he loves through his rag-tag group of adventures.  He breaks rules, he manipulates his fellow gods and mortals alike, and he never apologizes for what he has to do.  I make sure he is embarrassed, helpful and God-like all in one breath, so a reader just can't forget him as they go about reading my story. 

These thoughts also work for NPCs in a campaign someone might be running.  Your players will enjoy the session much more if that barkeep who gives them a great nugget of information also tells a good story or listens to their worries.

My point is as a writer you can strengthen even the best plot, or prop up a small plot hole, with well thought out characters.  Take the time to make your characters memorable.  It will be worth it in the end.

Happy Writing!

My World of Martapa

 So lets talk about my world.

My world consists of two major continents and two major island groups.  At least at the moment.  There is some unexplored areas I could always use later if I have need to expand my universe. To give you a rough idea of what they are like lets start with Taina.

Taina is the northern continent and could be roughly equated to North America.  The west side of the continent is forest/farm land not unlike the west coast, (cough, cough, because that is what I know best), and the east would be more like the mid-west, with a little bit of coastal life on the east coast.  The northern part has harsh winters, the coasts are pretty mild, the interior of the west is fairly temperate and the east is hot and dry during the summer and cold and harsh during the winter.

Ariella is the southern continent could be equated to the African continent, with belts of lush growth and areas of arid deserts, with huge mountain ranges that seem to pop out of no where.

The Dwarven Islands could be best equated to Britain and Ireland, with highlands, bogs, and harsh landscapes.  This is a population which relies on fishing and herding of sheep and goats to feed the population, versus a lot of plant farming.

My last area is the Islands of Janesh.  I would picture these like Japan.  They have some gorgeous landscapes, but it is hard to eek out a living here, as well.  In the time of my stories, this is mostly destroyed and the remains yet to be discovered.

Happy writing!

The Idea Seed

 When writing up your companion book, have a small section in there for why and how your book/book series came into being.  It could be as simple as, "I like the feel of the world I made," to as complicated as, "I worked on this idea for years."

For me, it was very personal.  I'd been working on this world since college.  It helped this homesick, very introverted girl focus on the good stuff that was happening in my life.  I could spin things in a good light when the day was looking bad, such as I just bombed some test, or it could give me a creative outlet when the troop of boys I hung with were off doing "boy things".  It was great for me.

Over the years I dabbled with my story, but work, kids, and married life kinda got in the way.  Then my dad got sick.  He had beat colon cancer a few years prior, actually the year before my husband and I got married, and was doing well, but then it came back with a vengeance.  It hit his major organs and he was on dialysis. But he was cheerful.  He showed the family his best side, even as we knew he was in pain. One day were were talking and he asked about my writing.  I told him I was still dabbling at it and then he said something that still makes me tear up.

"Well, finish it up.  I want to see it next to my Tolkien books, pronto."  

Not only was he telling me he thought I could do it, but he was putting me on the same shelf of his all time favorite author.  What an honor.

So on those days I think I can't finish, that I will never have my book published, I think of my dad.  I can't let him down, so I will plunge ahead and finish my book, if for no other reason then to keep my promise to my dad!

Keep on writing!

The Writing Bug

 I'm finding as my kids go three different ways to Sunday and I become my mother and mother-in-laws intermittent care takers, and throw in a family farm, writing doesn't get done as much as I'd like.  But starting this week I plan on making sure my "butt is in chair" at least for 15 minutes a day.  What, you say, just 15 minutes?  Well, here is the thing.  I say 15 minutes, but it could be longer.  The 15 minutes is a start, it's a carved out time for ME.  I say, "go away world", and give me 15 minutes.  I hope that I will be able to write longer, but I will take what I can get at the beginning.

My point for bringing up my struggles is to give you hope.  You, too, can try this method and find some writing time for yourself.  That is the biggest issue with all would be writers.  You make excuses, "It's a hobby" or "I'll do it later when things slow down".   But things never slow down.  I know retirees that are busier then me!  If you truly want to let your writing bug do it's magic, just do it.  Give yourself that time, give your creativity an outlet!  Be you and express yourself!

Happy Writing!

A Different Way to Spread the Word

 Hopefully you have thought about your author page, but there are other ways to spread the word about your book.  Some people like Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, etc.  Other ways are a Blog or a Website.  I'm going to focus on the latter two.

The Website and Blog allows you to expand and show off your world, (take my blog for example).  You can give all sorts of information about your books, where to get them, your world, even about yourself.  Here are some things you might think about putting on the pages of your website or blog.

1) Your book titles!  I'd post cover art and titles, once you have them for sale, so it's easy for a reader to find them. And don't forget to post where to find them!

2) A little bit about yourself.  People like to know about the people they are reading about.  I'd stay away from politics and sensitive subjects, but you can talk about your hobbies, why you like the genre you are writing in, even where you live, if you don't mind sharing.

3) Talk about your world/setting.  For some people, the world will be here and now, but there might be twists, so don't think you shouldn't talk about your setting even if it is set in the here and now!

4) Pictures, maps, and concepts.  Maybe you like to doodle and you have maps or character sketches. Maybe you can do graphic art on the computer. Here is the place to share them!

5) Links to your favorite authors and movies.  This gives the reader an even better idea of where you are coming from or maybe they will appreciate some new reads that you like!

Happy writing!

Spreading the Word!

 So now you have your books and source book all ready to go.  How do you tell the world all about it?

If you are self-publishing on Amazon, there is something called an "Author Page".  There are some real good guides on what you need to do to set one up and attach them to your books you are trying to sell, so use Google to find one that works for you.  Here a few things you will need when you go to do so:

1) A good biography.  People like to know about the person writing their awesome novel!

2) A list of books.  There may only be one, if it's your first go, but make sure to get all books, even if you are just publishing book three in a series.  If someone likes one of your books, they might be more willing to buy another from you.

3) Website and blog info.  How can they learn more about your world/novels/you?  The author page is great, but you can't really go into your novels. (Friday I will talk about websites).

4) Book trailers.  This is a newer thing, where you actually do a video about your book.  It can be you talking about your book or even a movie trailer type video.  Your creativity is the limit!

5) Author photos.  This is up to  you.  You probably had at least one on your book cover, but it really depends on how much you want to show the world.

6) A follow button.  When you post new stuff you want readers to see it, especially it is about a new release!

Keep on writing!

The Mundane Made Fun

 Hope everyone had a wonderful Spring Break, if they are around that age or have kiddos that age!

So how do you make the mundane of your world, important to how your world works, interesting to your readers?

I have a chapter, soon to be written, on the bits and pieces of the world, the glue you don't see, but many people who like your stories want to know!  As a roleplayer, I like to know these things, and I think this is where you will have your most interest.  Not only them, but the deep dive people who really get into your stories.  I read everything on the Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffery, to the point I at one point knew all the wyers and major houses by heart!  In a chapter like this you want to bring in that sort of information you think is just a side description but is very important to your story world.

Here are a few things I thought of putting in:

1) Holidays.  I'm going to stick to the major ones, but it makes your people of your world seem more real.  Just think of how important holidays are to our world.  To know what your characters find important in holidays can be interesting.

2) Languages.  Some of this will probably be covered in regions or race areas, but to talk about the languages all in one spot is also a good idea.  If you are Lord of the Rings fan you know how much time Tolkien put into his language stuff.  I'm not going into that much depth, but I like to talk about the languages.

3)Money types.  Just like our world, my world has different coinage.  This is a small interest to most readers, but for roleplayers this is pretty vital.  I have this in pretty good detail because we did use my world for roleplaying.

4) Trade routes.  This is for the detailed orientated people, and roleplayers.  If roleplayers use the world for being trade merchants/mercenaries knowing what they are hauling would be a great idea. 

To make it interesting and not dry I plan on using quips from my bard narrator or even little stories to get the information out.  And I also plan on relating it to some of the issues my characters have in the books, such as language issues.

Happy Writing!

How to Make History Interesting

 With many fantasy books and sourcebooks, there is some sort of timeline in the front of the book.  Generally, it's there to give the reader an idea of where the story is taking place in the "world's" timeline.  For me, a timeline was important so I knew I was getting everyone to the right place at the right time, plus I could talk about distant events and make sure I was consistently keeping the times the same.

When writing a sourcebook you can expand on this short, (or not so short), timeline and maybe give a little life to the dates in the book.  In roleplaying books they sometimes give a short timeline, then pick out some important dates that shape the world you are roleplaying in.  For roleplayers, this important so they can feel as if their character truly lives in this world they are in.  For readers, this allows them to see some more depth to the world they have come to enjoy.

For me, I am going to have a chapter on history, but not make it dry.  That is a tall task, I'm sure.  So I'm breaking down my chapter as follows:

1) A short timeline.  Here I will hit all the major points in history in a bullet point list.  I will start with the creation of Martapa and finish up with the current date of the High King's Sword.

2) I will take each bullet point and explain them a bit.  At one point there is the comment that the dragons disappear from the world.  Here I would explain the reasons and speculations by historians.  The speculations is what will make it not just dry  history.  It's fun to see ideas of why they think the dragons disappear instead of a "just the facts, ma'am" kinda of article.

This doesn't seem like a lot, but once you get going this could be reams of paper.  Make sure to hit the most important points in history and if these things didn't come up in the book or you plan on filling them out more in a later book, be vague, it's okay.  If done properly, it will bring your readers back for more!

Happy writing!

Oh The Places I'll Go...

Though not as apparent to the importance of a story, places and locations are a vital cog to your story.  And, thus, they should be a very important part of your sourcebook!

You can make this section as detailed or not detailed as you feel necessary or want to work on.  For me, I like to give lots of details, so I will have to hold myself back if I don't want to have 300 pages of area descriptions!  For some people, it may be a little more difficult.  Here are some ideas of what might work for your sourcebook to get your creative juices flowing!

1) Name your area.  Are you going to do a small section of the world, a continent, or just the whole world and pick a few choice places to describe?  Myself, I'm going to break my areas up by ruling areas.  So, in my case, I have Western Taina, Eastern Taina, the Tsalagi Mountains, The Dwarven Islands, the Ariellen Empire, and the Southern Reaches.

2) What is the important features of this area?  I would describe the major terrain and weather patterns for your area you are working on.  For the Tsalagi Mountains I would say they are a mountain range from the north part of Taina to the southern part, effectively cutting Taina in half.  I might mention there is a lot of snow in the winter, lots of rain the rest of year, and not fun to cross in the few passes that exist.

3)What are some important places in this area?  For my mountains, the passes would be the big features.  So I would mention how they are protected, any cities there, any problems for that area.  The biggest pass is Devonshire and I would mention this is also the site of one of the biggest battle in the War of the Chosen.

4)How in depth do you ant to describe the places?  For Devonshire, I would mention the High King's troops manning the walls, maybe some local business, like taverns, inns, and shops a person in the world would see or frequent, and maybe some major NPC's, (Non Player Characters for you non-roleplaying people). I would put any characters from here in your character section, but don't go into depth about them in this section.

5) How is this area important to the story?  You don't have to make it tie in directly, but readers like to see the tie and maybe a little more in-depth description about the areas the characters of your story have gone.  But feel free to flesh out areas just mentioned or not mentioned as all, but make sure there is a good balance!

Hoping this helps kick in your creative juices.  Keep on writing!

The People of My World

 A story isn't a story without the people who fill your world.  In your sourcebook, you most definitely need to hit upon those same people, because your readers are going to want to know more about them.

One of my chapters will be devoted to the characters of my book.  Some time in the past I found a wonderful outline to help you flesh out your characters.  I'm not sure where, but it was just enough to get the creative juices flowing.  I figured I would use a similar format for my book, but make it flow just a bit better.  Here are the highlights I suggest you throw in about your characters:

1) Name and a short biography.  This really depends on when you make your companion book.  If it's with your first book in the series, you don't want to put too much in there.  If it's after the series is done, feel free to let it all hang out.  I mean, if someone is picking up your companion book, they've most likely read your stories and know all the plot excitement already!

2) Add statistics, because followers of your stories love that sort of thing.  Height, weight, race, age, how they look and what they wear.  Even speaking style is good.  Do they speak with an English accent or, like Krom, rolling r's?

3)Their best and worst qualities.  Elly loves animals, is a quick thinker and loves good jokes.  But she is obsessed with killing Wizards, finding out who she is and saving children.  This gives your character a little more depth, even though some of these things should be obvious when you read the stories.

4) You can also add in where they are found or how they are integral to the story.  Shadowdancer was just supposed to be a random waif that Krom uses to find some information but became an important cog later on in the series.  It happens more often then you think!

5)Lastly, add in some random facts about your character.  Elly knows how to weave, while Krom can carve.  Small things such as this make the characters a little more alive.

Keep on writing and good luck!

What is the Point of My Source Book?

 Alright, so we've determined that we want a source book for our series.  Many fine book series, like Lord of the Rings, the Dragonriders of Pern, and even Dragonlance have sourcebooks to allow their readers see more of their world, but they all do it from a different take.

What is your take?  Are you trying to just give a step by step view of your world?  Are you setting up for the use in a roleplaying game?  Or even just to fill in what you couldn't in the book?  Or even all of these?

To help you pinpoint what you want to put in you need to know your goal.  Myself, I plan as an exploration of my world as well as the ability for someone to use it in any roleplaying system.  My husband and I use to roleplay every weekend, (before kids and tons of volunteering), and were starting to again, before the Covid.  The ability to have another world to roleplay in would be awesome.  I don't need a new system, we can use what ever one we want and adapt.  But without a backbone to work with, it would be hard to game in my world.  Roleplayers like a good handle on what they are playing in and with.

So my advice is decide what your goal is before you begin, so you know what information may or may not need to be in your source book!

Keep on writing!

Happy President's Day

 I hope everyone has a chance to relax today, but also think how lucky we are to live where we do.  Yes, I know not everyone is happy with every bit of our history, but think of what we have done as a country.  Let's dwell on the positive and discuss civilly the negative and I think we can continue to have the greatest place in the world to live.

Stay safe out there and more writing on Friday!

The Gods on High

 Many fantasy stories have a higher power watching over the characters, whether known as the Fates, the Gods, or something else.  If you are working in a fantasy world of your own, you probably have some form of guiding influence and will want to add them, even as a passing footnote, in your companion book.  I am certainly no exception to this.

In my world, my Gods are integral, becoming characters of their own.  My most used is Targon, God of Magic and the Arcane.  He is a swashbuckling flop if there ever was one, riding the edge of God protocols and doing what he wants.  But how do I talk about these all powerful beings with out making them seem as just some over powerful character?

Here is my rough plan on how to present my Gods:

1) I'm going to talk about their personalities.  Are they friendly, indifferent, gruff?  Like I said, my Gods ARE very much like characters, so it is good to know where they are coming from.

2)Describe their ethos/pathos.  How does he/she like to interact ethically with mortals or just use them?

3) What is their realm of influence?  In Targon's case, he oversees the arcane and magic in general.  He effectively allows the other Gods have more or less power for their followers.  It causes friction, to say the least. But this will give the reader an idea of how they would act or control.

4) How are they related to the other Gods?  Are they all separate beings or did they create some of those who are in the pantheon? In my pantheon, most of the major gods consider Sarjon and Catiana their parents, though they aren't, because all the Major Gods simply appeared from the depths of space.  But the minor gods, most of them, were the products of major gods dalliances, Targon being the father of many of them.

5) If you are setting things up for a roleplaying help, alignment and abilities of followers would be good, as well.  In my example, Targon's followers should probably be a little chaotic and lean toward the neutral.  They would have a lot more mage spells then priest spells, are charged with passing on knowledge of the arcane, and should enjoy a good wine now and again.  You might also want to throw in what type of "vestments" priests are expected to wear.

6) How do they interact with other Gods?  In my world, it is very important.  Most Gods, even those of darkness, find Targon amusing, the unofficial God of Mirth.  And Targon has a "friendly" rivalry with Lokar, the God of Death, while loving and sheltering his daughter, Aiyana, the Goddess of Love.

Keep on writing because you can do it!

Expand That Outline!

 So you have your generic outline?  Good on you.  What is the next step after that?  Well, I suggest you slowly expand on that outline.

If you started like myself, you had what you wanted to have in each chapter.  Basically, I wrote the chapter name and a few brief notes about what I would like in each chapter.  Now lets take that basic idea and expand upon it.  Here's my example.  (Bare in mind, I'm not a professional, but sometimes you just need a little jump start to get you going!)

My chapter 7, theoretically, will be about the major groups which play a part in the my world of Martapa.  The following is all I initially wrote down:  Find the groups in my notes and make sure they are all in my list.  From there, I've written down the major groups in a list like below.

Knights of Tridon

Blades of Janesh

Wizards of Shaniko

The Kin

Wolf Warriors

The Crystal Brigade

The Northern Alliance

Snowbird’s Spellblades

Society of the King

The Hand

Disciples of the Gods

Saber’s Blades

The Shadow Gaurdians

After that, I added a few notes for what I needed to do next:

Need to describe each group, what they stand for, who is usually found there, even a few major NPCS that would be found in the leadership or in the ranks.

It's just a little expansion, but it's a start.  Everything about writing is steps.  Don't overwhelm yourself and try to do it all in one sitting.  Granted, if you can do that, good for you!  For the rest of us mere mortals, we need to take it in steps.

My next step would be to hit highlights of each group, then flush out each group completely. I say that knowing that you might decide to change something halfway through your list and that way you haven't wasted a lot of time filling out each one, then just have to go back in change it. (Granted, that will probably happen as well 😂)

And if you are just writing a campaign for roleplaying, this is a good way to start, as well.  You may not fill out the details quite as thoroughly as someone writing a book, but it's the same idea.  Don't overwhelm yourself trying to make the best adventure ever.  It will come to you and may, (and will) change over time!

Keep on writing!

Day One...

 If you are familiar with Disney's Mulan, Chi-Fu doesn't really want Li-Shang to succeed.  So his comment after the huge rice fight is to say, "Day one..." with an arrogant tone.  As I stare at my outline I feel like I'm staring at my own personal Chi-Fu, that he is ready to send off his scathing report on me for not getting further, faster on my companion book.

But I am ready to tell my own Chi-Fu to just take a hike.  I have to realize, and so should all of you working on your books, that you can't get it all done in one day.  That inspiration comes when it comes, that you will write when the the thoughts come to you.  If you force it, it won't feel natural and may not be as good as you would like it to be.

I think my point is, yes, get your butt in the seat before your computer, (or notebook or scrap of paper) and try to write.  But don't be hard on yourself if you don't write Homer's Iliad in one hour.  Just take what you can get.  Maybe it's just some editing. Maybe it's an outline.  Maybe it's a little research.  It all gets you moving in the right direction and is progress.

Don't give up on yourself and keep writing!

How Should I Have My Book Edited?

So you are getting close to finishing up and self publishing.  That is very exciting! But maybe you should have someone who didn't write it, look it over.  If you are publishing with a publishing house, they will have staff to do this for you, but for the self publisher, you are on your own.

Here are some suggestions to help you on your way:

1) Ask friends and family members to look it over.  This is okay for catching spelling mistakes, layouts that just don't look good, or for, "hey, why didn't you add this", kind of things.  For actual constructive criticism this may not be good.  Unless you have a relationship like my husband and I where we are use to giving each other constructive criticism and not feeling offended, this may not be the best idea.  As much as you want your book published, losing a relationship is not worth it.

2) Join a critique group.  This can be fun and very rewarding.  Early on, when I was taking classes, I joined the local writing guild and started attending meetings. While there, they had an option to sign up for groups and I found a marvelous group of very opiniated ladies with very diverse backgrounds and writing styles.  I learned a lot and got a lot of good, constructive feed back.  I'm hoping I gave some back, as well.  Plus, we had a potluck each time we got together, so that was good, as well.

3) Pay for someone to look at it.  Again, English majors at your local college would work, but there are professional editors that will charge by the hour or page.  This is an option, but does cost money.  Check with your local writing guild, because they will have a list of local editors.  Not nearly as much fun as critique group, but if you are an introvert, this probably would work for you.

Keep on writing!

What Size Should My Book Be?

 So once you've determined content, pictures, maps and organization, what size should my book be?

In most cases, with self publishing you are auto defaulted to 6 x 9 inch.  For reading books, this is a great size.  They aren't tiny print, like the 5 x 8 inch, but not the huge size of 8.5 x 11 inch.  But reading books are a little different then a companion book.  There is a lot more information in those companion books and at the very least, the larger the map in print, the better.  

In KDP paper size and color will change the minimum price you have to charge for the book.  I'm assuming that publishers will be the same way.  Look up what size fits not only your look, but your budget.  KDP is a little confusing, because it's example of 300 pages has a minimum amount of 7.42 dollars.  I tried their little calculator for my own books and my 368 page book had a minimum of 8.79, but wouldn't get me out of the red for Expanded Distribution, (to book stores and libraries, basically), until 14 dollars.   So bare that in mind, as well.  Do you just want to sell on Amazon, or would you like libraries and book stores to be able to order it?

Keep on writing!

What Pictures Should I Use!

So what pictures should go in my book?

This is a definite individual choice, but here are some things to consider:

1) Can I put pictures in my book using a self publishing applications? I believe you can put pictures inside your book using KDP, but I'm still researching that topic.  But other publishing applications may not allow them.  You also have to consider resolution and how big they can be.  Even a publisher is going to have restrictions, so before you go all gung-ho about putting in pictures, know your limitations!

2) What do I want to have pictures of?  If you have limited space, keep to the most important ones.  Main characters are probably the most important, but small maps or images of say relics or important documents might be good as well.

3) Where do I put them in my book?  If it's a source book, as near to the information about that picture as possible.  In a reading book, I'd do at the beginning or end of the book, or maybe at the beginning of a chapter.

4)How do I find my pictures?  Well, just like maps, there are options!  There are a lot of free images you can use, but those aren't very specialized for your story.  Find an artist or draw them yourself!  High School art classes, or even college ones, have very talented, not professional artists.  Use your resources wisely!

Keep on writing!

What Does My World Look Like?

Maps.  You can love them or hate them.  They can show what you want or never enough.

Fantasy stories, and role playing games, love maps.  Sure, you say the party travels southwest, but what does it look like?  Where are they really going?  Give me some scale here!

For my companion book I most definitely want a map of my world, (and some regional and city maps as well).  But how to best go about that?  There are several options for this.

The first is the good old hand drawn stand by.  My husband is a wiz at making area maps on graph paper. They aren't super detailed, but they are to scale, (engineers are like that), and you have a good idea where you are going.  For a book, they probably won't work, but for roleplaying games they most certainly would.

Another option is semi-prepared maps that you fill in.  A little above the old graph paper, but still in the hand drawn realm.  When we were rolplaying a lot I liked to use AD&D World Builder's Guidbook by Richard Baker.  I'm not sure if you can find it anymore, but I liked it over the graph paper, mostly because the sheets came with a key already in place.

Now there is also a lot of choices for online map makers, such as Inkarnate, Worldspinner, Wonderdraft, and many more.  I would Google those and see which one might suit you.  Some you can do very detailed maps, others look more Tolkien esk in nature.  The one thing to watch if you want to use these for your books and sell said books is to see if you need to pay for such uses instead of just using the free version.  On Inkarnate's website they do mention you have to have a subscription to use their maps in a published work.  So check carefully before using this method, even if they the maps are super cool.  A lot of these sites also allow you to make regions, cities or even building maps.  So check them out!

Keep on writing!

How Should My Cover Look?

If you are having your book professional published, some art director will figure this out for you and you might have little choice on how it looks, (but good on you for snagging a publisher!).  But if you are on your own and self publishing, it is up to you.  There are several steps to look at before deciding on what you want.

The first, what or who should be on the front?  Do you want a stylistic cover?   A map of your world? A main character?  A mixture of everything?  This seems like such a small step, but this is what going to catch a reader's eye.  Depending on your genre, you can do a myriad of things.  For science fiction, space battles are always eye catching.  Ideally, I'd love an Elmore painting for mine, but since I can't, I will rely on my awesome daughter.

For example, I'm thinking the map of my world faded in the background with my group of ragtag heroes in the front, in a not so perfect group "photo".  (Think rabbit ears.)

The next, how do I get the picture done?  Do I hire an artist?  Do I use stock art on KDP or what ever platform I'm using?  Do I try my hand at art?  (And you might be good, so don't discredit this idea!)  As I've mentioned, my daughter is pretty darn good at art. She's self taught, not completely polished, but where else can you get a cover drawn for the promise of more paint and a batch of chocolate chip cookies? (Well, the cookies worked when she was younger...).  I know not everyone is so lucky, so why not reach out to local High School art programs?  The kiddos there are always looking for a few extra bucks and art teachers love for them to be focused.  Also contact local artist guilds, if your area has one.  Or network with fellow writers who might have an idea where to find a good, and reasonably priced, cover artist.

Lastly, make sure it fits in the cover space of your publishing platform.  I'm in the process of using KDP and they do not make it easy to use your own pictures.  Just know what you are getting into before you start the whole process of finding a picture.  I'm not giving up, but it definitely is going to take some time.

Happy Writing!

The Next Step For Your Source Book

 Eventually I would like to have samples of my source book to show you, my loyal readers, but right now I'm organizing, so instead, I will share my process of thinking.

Right now I'm working on a smaller outline, that I will expand to a larger outline.  I broke it up into chapters of what I would like share, (which may be more as I go through all my information, but you have to start somewhere).

So my suggestion for you, and this can even apply to your novel, as well, is start with an outline.  It can be as basic or complex as you like.  I'm sure your English teacher probably said the same thing when writing essays for their classes. 😁  For me, I like to start with the simple and then get super complex so you are basically writing the book/essay as you go, with the need for a good transitions here and there when you are done with the outline.

I started with chapter headings.  So far I've got the following:

1) A small introduction.  Most books of this nature give a quick overview of what to expect.  It's good not only to get the reader an idea of where you are going, but to show case what you want to share.

2) Races.  A world is filled with people and most people who read about your world want to know about those people.  Here you can fill in those things which may have not hit the pages of your novel.

3) History.  Sure, you give a small glimpse of your world in your novel, but I bet, like me, you have tons of history you made up to make sure things flow in the time line, (and to use as novel fodder maybe later).  Show case all you want, but don't bog down in uninteresting events.  We don't want to know farmer Joe planted seeds 40 years in a row, but we do want to know the world was saved in said year by said people.

4) Area descriptions.  This is where you can make your world shine.  Show case those large areas of your world, and those small spots you want to share with the rest of the world.  It becomes a travel log for you reader.  If any of you played 2nd Edition D&D there were travel guides for the Forgotten Realms called Volo's Guides, which had everything from haunted locations to inns to stay at.  I probably won't get that in-depth, but it is something to think on, and is certainly enjoyable.

5) Gods.  My world, and many fictional worlds, rely on their God/Gods as major player in their stories.  Mine is no exception.  In fact, my Gods/Goddesses become characters, mostly my God of Magic, but many others as well.  Here you can talk about their ethos and their followers, along with symbols, colors, attire and hated enemies!

6) Life in General.  What do people do for a living? What are their holidays?  What money do they use for exchange.  Reading a book, you pick up some of this, but not always a lot of it.  Here, you could expand as much, or as little as you like.

7) Major groups.  With these you could bring up major players in the world.  My major bad guys are the Wizards of Shaniko.  My major good guys are the Knights of Tridon.  And there are all sorts in between.

So, keep on writing!  You will get there, as well!

The Beginnings of a Source Book

 As I dive into the whole of a source book, which many good SciFi/Fantasy book series have, I realize I've dove into a deep lake.  I have a lot of information on scraps of paper, notebooks of thoughts, and information stuck in my head.  How do I organize it?  How do you convey the most important parts of your world to the readers?  What is the best format? 

As I do this, I realize people who put these together for not only book series, but roleplaying games, are very good at their jobs!

My first decision has become how should I present the ideas of my book.  I love the source books which are narrated by one of the characters of the book.  So my idea is to use Duncan Bloodhelm as our guide through my world.  He is a minor, but important character in my series, that the reader meets later in the series.  As a bard, I figured, who better then he to lead us through my precious world. 

So there is my first step.  Now to actually write it!  My suggestion, if you do something similar, find a voice for your world.  It will give life to your world and not seem like you are reading an encyclopedia!

The Start of a New Year

 Like everyone else, I've made some resolutions for the year, many of them having to do with writing.  I'm almost done with setting up my self published book.  My cover artist, *cough, cough, awesome daughter, cough, cough* is helping me make the cover picture fit the cover then I'm on the way.  So maybe I'll get that resolution out of the way, about 3 years late, but, hey, at least I'm getting there.  

My big resolution for writing this year is to work on a source book for my world.  So twice a week, I plan to share my progress here and hope I can keep up with my writing.

Hopefully you have some good resolutions for the coming year and one I hope we all share is to rid of this stupid Covid mess!

Keep writing!

Merry Christmas and Goodbye to 2020!

 I have been horrible at keeping up with my blog, but my new year resolution is to start it up once more.  This year has been an interesting one, to say the least.  Shut downs, lay offs, thousands of deaths.  One will certainly not forget 2020!  I hope the new year brings much better events to your life and the lives of the world.  Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and may you all be blessed with a fun, but not super weird, year next year!

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 373

Year 373 AC

Fires engulf the northeastern corner of Taina.  The fires engulf forests, plains lands, small cities and villages and displaces thousands.  Because of the displacement there are lots of bandits and monsters roaming the area and those who are trying to get on with their lives and recover need help dealing with them. Though many have little to offer, there is a call for adventurers to stop the troubles and take it out at the roots.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 372

Year 372 AC
A caravan of wood elves winds its way across Tridon.  They are heavily armed, but peaceful, and speak to few as they pass through the world of humans.  They appear to be in mourning, but if asked why, they will not answer.  They are polite, but do not like to be pressed.  Many speculate they carry some great warrior or leader to be buried somewhere sacred.  Some speculate there was a civil war between the elves and they are trying to find a new home.  Some speculate they are carrying a great treasure.

For the GM they are escorting a great warrior back to his home in the northern forests of the east side of the Tsalagi Mountains.  They do not want to share their grief, for he was much beloved.  But they will take any help on stopping any mercenaries or thieves who try to rob the caravan.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 371

Year 371 AC
A cult of Kahalla rampages through several larger cities upon the east coat of Taina.  They demand all bow down to the God of Undeath and if they don't they will die.  Many try and resist, but many flee, as well.  The cult take over one large town, Rosetrail, forcing all within, (who didn't escape) to follow Kahalla or die.  Rescue plans are being made and there is a call for adventurers to aid in their efforts.

Expanded Timeline For After Chaos (AC) Part 370

Year 370 AC
Ogres swarm down from the mountains in massive numbers, destroying villages, cities and trade ways.  Refugees head east and west away from the mountains, overwhelming the villages and cities on either side of the Tsalagi Mountains.  Armies begin to train to take on the ogres, but this will take time.  Mercenaries are asked to clear sections and are paid by the local cities and towns and hopes of buying time.

Expanded Timeline For After Chaos (AC) Part 369

Year 369 AC 
A family of mages starts the Stars and Moons Magical Trading Company.  They start simple with light stones, that become a  household item in most homes after much time, and simple magical locks for the rich who want to protect their valuables.  They slowly grow over many decades until eventually, when there are Houses on Taina, every major city has an outlet of Stars and Moons.  For the first few decades they simply trade in trinkets, but as time passes they become proficient with magical arms and armor along with much harder magical items to craft.  The rich and powerful clamor for their products, but since they were from humble beginnings they always make sure to have magical bobbles the common person can afford, as well.

Expanded Timeline For After Chaos (AC) Part 368

Year 368 AC
Lillian Two-strings becomes the Devoted of the God Vates, God of Bards.  She rescues an entire village with her magic, chasing off a tribe of ogres by herself.  The village raises a temple to Vates, where Lillian remains as a priest for decades.  Many centuries later this temple becomes the Bard College of Calabay.

Expanded Timeline For After Chaos (AC) Part 367

Year 367 AC
The fishing boat, "Lovely Lady", is hauling in their catch of fishing nets when they drag in a small statue of a praying man made of coral.  Scholars pay the owner of the boat handsomely, but the scholars want to know where it comes from.  They wonder if it is sea elven in nature, or some other culture they are unaware of, since the features of the man are not very elven.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 336

Year 336
Patrols on major road ways are lead by a group known as "The Protectors".  This is the beginning of five whole decades of protection by this group which grows to cover many of the major roads of Taina.  They are led by the half-elven ranger named Trueshot.  It is rumored he lost his family to bandits and decided to save others from such an occurance.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos Part 335

Year 335 AC
A farm horse named Swift beats all the fancy horses of the nobles in races, winning the continent wide race held every year and the 2000 gold prize.  The farmer is proud, but there are a lot of horse breeders that are not pleased.  Many wish to steal or kill the stallion from the farmer.  Some want to kill the farmer who was just trying to improve his farm and get land for his sons.  He asks for help from any willing adventurers who will take a little pay and maybe a foal from the stallion once one drops.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 334

Year 334 AC
A plague sweeps through all of Martapa.  It is carried by ships and caravans, causing ports to close and caravans to be killed and burned out side cities.  The cities are hit the hardest and the farmers and outlying villages seem the least affected.  Thousands die, leaving every family in cities with at least one dead, if not large portions of their families dead. Panic at strangers arriving are not unheard of and healers are in high demand, even held as prisoners by the rich so they stay healthy.

Writing Tips for Those With Little Time

Hello, all!
So I've been bad at keeping up with my blogging, with family emergencies and the busy life of a mom of teenagers.  So I came up with a few ideas for those busy writers who want to catch a few minutes of writing when even spare minutes are hard to find.

1) Keep a small notepad in a coat pocket or your car.  I have one to jot down ideas, short thoughts, even editing ideas.  You can use something on your phone, too.  It's not butt in chair time, per say, but at least you can have a few minutes to jot down ideas to work on when you have that mythical writing time.

2) Driving time is a good time to ruminate on ideas (thus the notebook in the car).  I have a 50 minute round trip of dropping off my daughter/picking her up twice a day.  It give me plenty of time to think on my ideas and while I have that 3 minutes in the parking lot waiting for her, I can jot down my ideas.

3) Any time is a good writing session.  Many of us think if I don't have a half hour or so to write, we have no time to write.  I haven't been writing, but I have been taking 5 to 10 minutes to edit my older stories when I have a chance.  Mostly when I waiting for lunch to cook or I'm eating it, (the days I have time for that), but I take it.  If you can sneak that in even a few times a week, it's still progress.

4) My biggest advice, don't give up.  Clearly you like to write, so do so.  Don't make it a chore, learn to enjoy it again.  And maybe you can make that few minutes here and there turn in to more time!

Keep on trucking!

The Castle of the Lake Part 6

The Castle of the Lake Part 6
The sleeping quarters are spacious, though covered in layers of dust.  The beds have fallen through their frames, the mattresses are moth eaten and falling apart, and any other furniture in the rooms is questionable whether anyone wants to sit on or use them.  The curtains and blankets are moth eaten, but look as if they were beyond beautiful at some point in time.  The windows are stain glass, though many are just of simple garden scenes or battle scenes.  Sir Vargin states that the royal family was large and well loved by the locals, but he does not know if they lived or not.  He will not say what happened or when he is from and if pressed, he seems very hurt by the questions.

For the GM the royal family did escape, though several were lost during the escape.  They resettled near by and became leaders of a small village that grew into a moderate sized city.  Most, if any, do not know they are descended from the royals of this castle.  Here is the crux.  If a member of the royal family, or their descendants, were to enter the castle, it would remain and no longer be cursed to bounce around in time and space. If the players were to pry this from Vargin and accomplish bringing a descendant to the castle, Vargin would be forever grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving, safe travels and best wishes to you for the holiday season and the year to come!

The Castle of the Lake Part 5

The Castle of the Lake Part 5
The ballroom is huge, larger then the outside would suggest.  There are stain glass windows all around the hall, depicting Gods, heroic battles and the wonders of nature.  The floor is covered in dust, but beneath the layers is a mosaic so breathtaking it's hard to walk upon the floor without feeling you are walking upon something sacred.  It is of the major Gods creating the world, and even with age, the colors are splendid.  There are tables and chairs around the edges of the dance floor, but none look reliable to sit upon or use.  There are more light stone here that also come to life as the party enters, and light stones placed upon a giant chandelier above the middle of the dance floor.

The Castle of the Lake Part 4

The Castle of the Lake
The library of the castle is huge, and Sir Vargin is not surprised the party wants to see the repository of knowledge.  The room is as large as four peasant hovels and 2 stories high.  Books line every wall, with small bookcases in the center of the room, along with study tables and chairs.  The room lights up as the party enters.  Sir Vargin is very proud of the magic, saying the lightstones have an extra magic to sense when people are in the room.  It would take weeks to find anything in the room, but Sir Vargin says there is a book catalog on the table near the door.

This is the main reason the keep continues moving through time and space.  The library is very complete in its knowledge, some of the books from future times, since Sir Vargin sometimes is able to convince his guests to leave knowledge with him.  But the keep continues to move because a mage wanted to save the library from a ruler who wanted to use the knowledge to conquer the whole world. There is some very powerful mage magic books here, but they are not cataloged and are hard to find.  Sir Vargin will help the group find mundane history or simple magics, but he will not help them find those books.  If the party does find those books, he will question them on their intent and if he finds them unworthy, he will attempt to kill them.  If anyone tries to take the books out of the keep, the keep will instantly disappear to the next new location and time it deems safe.

The Castle of the Lake Part 3

The Castle of the Lake
   Upon entering, the inside of the castle looks far better then the outside, though there is no life, no movements, save that caused by the wind, and a layer of dust.  Sir Vargin will greet the party , a smile upon his face, and strangely shakes their hands.

   "It has been some time since I have seen people to speak with and show the castle to.  Let me show you the way."

   He leads the party past the stables, a training area, and an area for carriages.  There is one carriage present, in poor shape, and probably not road worthy.  Granted, there are no mounts in the stables to pull the wagon if it could be pulled.  Not even crows or pigeons fly from the lofts as the party walks by.
   The next room is a cloak room, with faded rugs and curtains, and Sir Vargin asks them what they would like to see first or anything they would like to know.

For the GM this castle has all the normal bits, a library, kitchen, dinning halls, rooms, (for both servants and masters), etc.  I will go into more detail of each, shortly.

The Castle of the Lake Part 2

The Castle of the Lake
Once reaching the castle, the group will notice that the drawbridge is rotting through in a few places, but the small door in the drawbridge is still whole.  The stones of the castle are covered in moss and other hanging plant life.  And though it doesn't appear as if anyone is living there, a voice calls out to know who approaches.

For the GM, the voice is that of the seneschal of the castle.  He is tied to the castle, no matter where or when it might go.  He is a middle aged man, dressed in fine dark blues and blacks with the symbol of the tree of life upon his tabbard.  He carries a long sword and a curled horn on his belt and a ring of keys at his neck.  Depending on the group's answer he may or may not let them in.  If they say something along the lines that they want to explore or learn about the castle, the seneschal, Sir Vargin, will let them in to explore.  If they say something along the lines that they are there to plunder he will refuse to let them in and they will have to break in.  He is considered a fighter/mage of 10 levels higher then the party, with magical armor and arms and a large knowledge of magic.  He will be amused by their attempts to get in, but he will not try to stop them if they are not really making headway.  He, after all, likes to have entertainment now and again.

The Castle of the Lake Part 1

The Castle of the Lake
The castle has a magical aura about it, towers at each corner, at least 4 stories tall, while a taller spire is in the middle.  The walls stand 3 stories tall and there are clearly buildings of stone inside, which all look in perfect condition, at least from a distance.  There is a draw bridge, and a smaller door inside it, but it would never reach the shore.  The nearby villages and towns are willing to supply people to go investigate, but none of the locals want to explore themselves.

For the GM, many of the locals will rent out boats to get explorers out there, but none are willing to take them, so someone will have to know how to use a boat.  Any supplies the locals are selling will be two times the list price. (The locals are not above price gouging.)  There is not magic keeping anyone out, but the whole castle emanates a strong magic.  The magic is the translocation magic that brought it from a different location and time. (The time can either be in the future or the past, what ever fits your campaign.)  More details on its origins to come.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 333

Year 333 AC
In the middle of the great lake near Lakeshire, a great fog arises, lasting for days.  The fog is nothing new, since the lake bares fog during the winter months all the time.  This time, though, after the fog clears a great castle sits in the middle of the lake upon an island that was not there before.  People from Lakeshire go to investigate, but do not return.

The Lost City of Nuyah Part 4

The Lost City of Nuyah
The voices of the dead become more frantic and more frequent as a person enters the temple.  They beg to be released.  As the party remains in the temple a dark shadow fills the cave and a loud, rumbling voice asks, "Who dare disturbs the dead?"

For the GM this shadow is a red dragon, large enough to fill a good portion of the cavern.  He came in to the cavern as a dwarf, (or what ever humanoid would blend in best with the people working in the cavern), and wants to know what the people here now are doing to the resting place of his friends.  He was content to let people explore until the temple is breached.

The dragon's name is Fornoon.  He had befriended the former leader of the dwarves when they were both young and came to adopt the small settlement as his own.  He was devastated by the death of all his friends, but does not know how to release their souls, for he was never good with magic.  If a character says he may know of a way to do so, Fornoon is all ears.

The way to release their souls is up to the GM.  A priest of Taniger sanctifying the temple once more would do so, but if you want the group to go on a quest to find some magic item, feel free.  Once the dwarves' spirits are freed, the dragon will reward the group with tokens of his esteem.  If there is a dwarf in the party, he will ask the dwarf if he wishes to reestablish the small settlement for mining.

The Lost City of Nuyah Part 3

Lost City of Nuyah Part 3
In the center of the city is a large temple to Taniger, though it is in great disrepair.  The roof is caving in, the doors have been blasted inward, and the pillars that line the walk way in the temple itself are teetering.  Inside is the most devastating find.  The stone benches are shoved to one side, many broken and upside down.  The mosaic tile upon the floor with pictures of dwarves at work are broken and scorched.  There was once a stain glassed window behind the alter, (a stone fixture carved with lovely pictures of Taniger and his followers), but it was blasted out, as well.  Near the alter and behind the broken stone benches are the skeletons of hundreds.  Many hold axes and shields, even some of the children, but they are all piled where they died.

For the GM, this is where the wizard trapped the dwarves, then bust in the doors before casting his spell to suck out their souls to power his spells he wished to cast to take over the nearby kingdoms.  Their deaths were painful, and unfortunately not quick, but none from the city escaped.

The Lost City of Nuyah Part 2

The Lost City of Nuyah
The streets are made of stone, laid in intricate patterns, mostly geometric shapes, though it appears each street has it's own pattern.  Dirt and rubble cover the streets, small animal prints here and there in the dust.  Tools and wagons lay strewn upon the road ways, as if people just left them and walked away.  Most are in poor shape, (wooden handles falling apart at a touch, wagons leaning to one side because a wheel is broken, etc.).  The sound of dripping water can be heard but no living beings seem to be present.

The first major structure anyone would come to from the miners entrance is a large archway of stone with writing carved into it.  The language is familiar but not instantly recognizable.  As people go under the archway the whispers begin.

Anyone walking anywhere in the ruins will hear whispers of voices saying anything like, "Go back", "He is coming" or "help us" or any variation there of.  There is no visibly living people to actually talk, so the source is unknown, persistent, but not constant, at first.

For the GM, this is the first hint that something bad happened here.  For your knowledge these are trapped souls of the dwarves that lived here.  A wizard trapped them in the archway to give him power for his dark spells.  There is a way to release the souls, (though not bring them back to life), so they may continue on to their gods.  The writing is in an ancient form of dwarven, so anyone with the ability to read dwarven should be able to decipher most of the sign that says, "The City of Nuyah" or the City of Stone.  Anyone with a very high dwarven lore skill would know a little about the city.  The city was said to be abandoned because of a plague and that no one should go there if they didn't want to catch the plague.  The truth, which your players will not know yet, is that a dark wizard cast a horrific spell that sucked up all the souls in the city, from child to oldster, and placed them in the archway to serve as his focus.  Delightfully, the wizard died shortly after when the dragon that was friends with the city ate him, but was unable to save his friends.

The Lost City of Nuyah

The Lost City of Nuyah
The city sits in the middle of a large underground lake, three causeways leading out to the island, all of which are damaged in one way or another.  The cavern itself is large, reaching into the depths of darkness.  The tunnel the miners broke into appears to have once reached the surface but caved in at some time in the past.  It is a good mile from the surface, though more in then down. There are also two other tunnels, that are blocked, that may lead elsewhere.

The buildings are made of stone, with very little wood used in structure, though some for furniture.  Glowing fungus give the cavern an eerie glow and bats line the stalactites that are nearer the tunnel.  Blind fish swim in the water, (which the water appears to be fed by a spring but flows out of the mountain in a stream, which eventually becomes a river outside the mountain).

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 332

Year 332 AC

While mining in the northern Tsalagi Mountains, a group of miners stumble upon a small village/city in the mountain itself.  There are homes, businesses, even tools of trade everywhere, but no people.  Mages and scholars from all over come to see who the village may have belonged to, underground as it is.  But some of them begin to disappear and help in investigating the disappearances are called for.

For the GM this could be a good hook for adventure, for either a mystery or just ruin exploring.  In the next few days I will expand on the location and the history of the small village.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 331

Year 331 AC
Farmers riot against the leaders of several cities in the south eastern part of Taina.  The cities are demanding lots of tributes for little protection and leaving the farmers destitute as well as hungry.  The farmers band together and block food deliveries to the nearby cities, causing starvation and calls for retribution against the farmers.  The farmers ask for help from the nearby city leaders who are not over taxing, as well as mercenaries.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 330

Year 330 AC
The leaders of several large cities west of the Tsalagi Mountains meet and discuss a treaty involving them all.  It includes trade, non-aggression and aiding the other cities when the need arises.  Leaders of Pathfinder, Weatherworn, Jasper and Swiftwater, (all in the south eastern part west of the Tsalagi Mountains) are apart of the agreement.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 329

Year 329 AC
Scholars find a small, ancient ogre village off the east coast of Taina when the ocean recedes for a few years because of coastal flows. The village has stone buildings, though the roofs are long gone, and many of the objects of every day life are embedded in ash and sediments.  Adventurers were asked to be protection as well as help with the discovery.

For the GM, the village was covered in a ash from a nearby volcano that had erupted, then covered by the ocean once more.  No more ogres are in the area, but the ghosts of those who were killed still linger. This is an ideal way for an encounter with ghosts or saving the scholars form bad happenings brought on by the ghosts.

Expanded Timeline For After Chaos (AC) Part 328

Year 328 AC
Princess Rose and her family, while out inspecting nearby holdings, comes upon a herd of wild horses.  As Rose, now four, approaches the herd of horses, all giggles, the horses bow before her and she runs right up to a beautiful bay mare.  The mare allows herself to be led away from the group and handled by the princess.  No one else but the princess can approach her, but with the princess she as gentle as a lamb.  She calls the horse Ginger.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 327

Year 327 AC

A mercenary group carves out a small "Empire" in the northeast corner of Taina. They demand taxes and tribute from those who live there, and if they do not receive them, whole villages burn.  A few villages come together to sponsor a group of adventures to take out the mercenaries before they become a bigger problem.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 326

Year 326 AC
Princess Rose develops an ability to charm animals.  Druids come to see the two year old and test her abilities, but can't seem to catch her in the act.  The followers of Wesa are perplexed, trying to get her to show them her powers, but the wily 2 year old and her furry friends only show their abilities when the druids are not present.

A temple of vines rises from the forests near Pathfinder, dedicated to Iktomi.  Though no priest called it forth, soon many followers of Iktomi arrive and establish one of the few actual temples dedicated to Iktomi.

Expanded Timeline For After Chaos (AC) Part 325

Year 325 AC
Princess Rose is visited by the head of the orders of Pezuta and Catiana.  They meet with her parents for several hours, and though no one but those four no for sure what is said, many believe they were foretelling the future of Princess Rose and what she would do for the world.

In south eastern Taina, the grape harvest is so robust that wine merchants are overwhelmed with stock.  Wine is transported to all corners of Martapa and new trade routes for wine from the region are established, which will last centuries.

Graduation Season in Real Life

Here it is, June 17th, and I can finally breath.  My oldest graduated Friday and the weeks leading up to the grand celebration overwhelmed me.  But it was all worth it.  He graduated with honors, plans on going to OSU and wants to study engineering.  We are so proud of him.  But the whole ordeal made me think of all you other parents out there, going through the graduation and transition to adult process.  Breath, is my first suggestion.  You have raised these children for 18 years, taught them right from wrong, and molded them to be fine adults for all that time.  They will do fine.  Step back and let them become the beautiful adult you have worked so hard to raise.  Hug them, love them, but let them go.  They will come back and return that love, (if for no other reason that they need real food 😍), and you will be so proud!

Congratulations to all of 2019's graduates!

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) 324

Year 324 AC
Princess Rose, daughter of Lord and Lady Karoon, is born.  Celebrations last for weeks, with gifts given to many of the poor of the area, feasts for everyone, and tournaments of prowess.  Being the first child of Avir and Lacy Karoon, she is the heir to the City State of Karoon.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 323

Year 323 AC
A flock of gryphons is found in the northern regions of the Tsalagi Mountains.  Mages and scholars run to the place to research the rare creatures, while rangers and druids try to protect them.

The leaders of the village of Pathfinder start a medical herb garden acres large and invite healers from all over to add to what they have and come to research the herbal remedies.

Expanded Timeline for After Chaos (AC) Part 322

Year 322 AC
A drought ravages the east side of Taina.  Refuges flood the west and those spots on the east who have enough water are forced to defend their water and food from refuges.  Things get very ugly and many people die, peasant and royal alike.  Some of the bigger city states on the west side try to send aid, but it is only a drop in the bucket.  When the fall rains finally come, only 2 in 3 people remain alive.

The Order of Knights

The Order of Knights, brought on by the large coastal disaster, was started by the warlord, Lord Capson.  His holdings were near the coastal village of Calabay and he saw many of his subjects and friends harmed by the earthquake.  Taking his loyal mercenaries, his healers and a few mages he set up a camp for refuges to come and receive food and aid.  When word spread of what he was doing, priests of many of the light Gods and independent mages came to help and spread out more camps down the western coast line.  Needing to protect them, Capson went to other local warlords and asked for their aid to send guards and supplies of their own. Some did not want to help, but some helped as well.  Later, after the earthquake victims were made right again, those who helped Capson and his people formed the Order of the Knights, (though none of the warlords would call themselves knights), to meet future problems.  They set up a base in Capson's town and all of them sent a rotation of guards to work together, priests to learn healing techniques and mages to teach other rescue techniques.  Each warlord also sent supplies and money to pay for such activities.  This lasted for nearly three centuries before the region fell into power struggles.

Expanded Timeline For After Chaos (AC) Part 321

Year 321 AC
An earthquake hits the western coastline of Taina, causing tsunamis and whole villages to be swallowed by the earth.  The Order of Knights, a group of warriors, healers and clerics, is created in the hopes of helping the people of the area recover.

Expanded Timeline For After Chaos (AC) Part 320

Year 320 AC
A roving band of mercenaries and thieves roams the lands, burning settlements, plundering old tombs and cities alike, and taking royals hostage for money.  Those who are in charge, and even some small villages, put up a rewards for their capture or death.

Expanded Timeline For After Chaos (AC) Part 319

Year 319 AC
Mages try to start a mail system where they port with magic mail from one location to another.  It works, most of the time, but when a very important item from a noble disappears, the program is ended.

The road between Stormvale and Merryweather is being redone and will take years.  Things are made slower by animal and monster attacks. Mercenaries and adventurers are being hired to deal with the monsters to make the workers safe.

Expanded Timeline For After Chaos (AC) Part 318

Year 318 AC
A priest of Iktomi comes upon a glowing maple tree that heals anyone who comes with in close range of it.  The healers of Pezuta swarm the area in search of a reason and set up a small, temporary hostel to use as a place of healing.  There are many fakes who try to stop travelers so there is a need for adventurers, mercenaries and guards to protect the pilgrims who come in search of healing, as well as the healers protecting the tree.

Temple of Knowledge Part 3

The main room is large, with broken book cases here and there, but most are intact.  There are small study tables, a fountain, (which the water is not flowing at the moment), and small rooms off to the sides.  To one end of the room is a raised dais and where chairs would be if they were watching someone speak or debate.  There are a few skeletons in ratty robes here and there, most sitting at tables with writing material and books before them.  The paper and books are in bad shape, though there are some good books here and there.  To each side, high up, are what look like colored glass windows in the form of works of art.  Most are still covered in dirt from being dug out of the earth.

For The GM, the people in here range from priests to knowledge seekers who were caught in the spell. They died the same as the two priests in the greeting room.  The books are all from all over Martapa, ranging from theology to just basic farming techniques.  There are some magic items and coins upon the dead, and there are small magic items through out the room.  It is up to the GM what the players find.  But this is a good place to put in some long running adventure hook, such as finding some bit of knowledge, or an item, or even an entry way into the underworld.  If you do the last, perhaps find some muddy foot prints near the dais to start that adventure.

The Temple of Knowledge Part 2

The building is locked, but it is workable.  Once the door is opened inside is a small room with an arched opening that appears to lead to the rest of the building.  The room is lined with bookcases, though the books looks the worse for wear.  There are several broken chairs, shredded and moldy tapestries upon the walls, with worn rugs upon the floor.  In one corner sits to skeletons in once fine robes.

For the GM, the two priests who are siting in the corner were followers of Catiana who were chatting when the spell took place.  They were moved with the spell, but died since the spell was only meant to move inanimate objects.  This place was meant as a greeting/waiting room, so people were allowed to read the books as they waited to enter the rest of the library and discussion hall.  The priests do have a few magic items upon them and a key for a room farther into the building.

The Temple of Knowledge, Part 1

The small building the farmer found takes month to unearth, much to his displeasure.  He is compensated with gold and food stock by the nearby temple of Catiana, the Goddess of Neutrality.  When they finally unearth the whole building they find that it is made of marble, looks fairly intact, from the outside, and are unable to figure out why it was under six feet of dirt.  There are reliefs on the outside portraying people reading, studying and speaking to others, so the scholars are assuming this building was a center of learning of some sort.  They have asked a group of adventurers to help them explore, because the door is locked and they fear there may be traps.

For the GM, this building was a small shrine/learning center of Catiana's priests.  The reason it was under six feet of earth was a spell gone wrong.  They were trying to teleport the statue the farmer found to this location, (which use to be a meeting place before it was a farm), and ended up transporting not only the statue but the building as well, and it was miss transported by six feet deep.  I will go into the interior of the building, but you, as the GM, can always add tunnels underneath to make it a bigger delve.

Expanded Timeline For After Chaos (AC) Part 317

Year 317 AC
A farmer, plowing his field, finds a statue of a person holding a book.  The face is worn, but the bits of clothing still able to be seen, do not look local.  After some digging, scholars find an entire building made of stone.  Scholars are unsure who the building belongs to.

Mystery of the Sea Door Part 17

The door opens up into a forest, with huge trees, (at least 6 feet in diameter), with a deep canopy.  The park like atmosphere is cool, with the sounds of birds echoing through out.  Light beams break through the canopy here and there, and dancing lights seem to be everywhere.  Since it's the middle of the day, it is hard to believe they are fireflies. The sound of a water fall is not far off.

For the GM there are sprites who protect the woods and animals in this strange, magical room.  This is where the ancient race would come to relax and meditate.  The sprites will attack anyone who draws a weapon, casts a hostile spell or tries to harm the wildlife.  They will chitter at anyone who draws near and will talk to anyone who can speak their language or the ancient language.  They know very little, only that they need to please their masters who they have not seen in a long time.

There is little pockets of treasure, here and there, that the sprites have hidden.  If the players try to take it, they need to roll to see if the sprites notice. If they do, the players will be attacked.  There isn't anything super expensive, but there are some random magic items and potions here and there.

Mystery of the Sea Door Part 16

The hallway to the west is relatively flat, covered in dust, with frescos on the walls of forest scenes and winged elves in the woods. Empty sconces and dark light stones fill niches in the walls.  The door has a giant oak tree upon the face, which seems to grow leaves then loose them in slow rotation. There is some of the strange writing around the top of the door.

For the GM the door is trapped with an odd trap.  If it is tripped, (triggered by not properly disarming the trap on the lock,) vines come out of the walls and wrap around all those near the door, then they slowly begin to squeeze.  Fire, any spells that affect plant life, and chopping at the vines will keep people from being killed.  The lock and trap are moderately hard to unlock and disarm.  The words say "For nature is king", in the ancient elven dialect.

Mystery of the Sea Door Part 15

The former residents of this ruins were priests of many faiths, but mostly of the sun, nature, weather and knowledge.  Each of the doors lead to pocket dimensions that ultimately lead to the other planes if the proper keys are used. (No, the keepers of the desert do not have them, they were in the hands of the guardians of the temple.)  Each pocket dimension celebrated the cardinal directions and an aspect of the world at large.  The elves who inhabited not only the temple, but a village above, studied the stars, nature, and the weather, sharing their knowledge with all who wanted to know.  The keepers are not positive, but they believe the guardians of the ruins were killed by invaders and much of their knowledge carted off, since it's been so long since they had talked to the guardians. (They were in stasis, but they could still keep track of time.)  The keepers were in the oasis long before the guardians of the temple contacted them, but they are descendants of those who were originally there.  On a side note, the keepers will mention the priests were all winged elves, a race not seen in many thousands of years.

For the GM, you can use this knowledge to find the keys to be able to plane hop, sell to a collector, or restore the temple, or even a combination there of.  If a priest in the group wants to restore it, priests of Tymara, Iktomi, Wesa, Catiana and Furere are a good choice.  I have not fleshed out a god of weather, either, so that is always an option for you, as GM, to make up.  Also, this may lead the group to delve more into the winged, or Ancient, elves.

Mystery of the Sea Door Part 14

The door opens to a sandy desert oasis.  The area around the door has palm trees, a small pond, lush plants, even singing birds.  Beyond that is miles of sandy dunes and a bright sun in the sky.  To greet you is a group of humanoids who appear to have jackal heads and are dressed in light, breezy clothing and armed with curved swords.  They glare at you as you enter, their muscles tense and their hands straying toward their weapons.

For the GM, these are guardians of the oasis, protecting a magical font so that no-one takes the water source for their own uses.  They will not attack, unless attacked.  They can be reasoned with and even some knowledge can be learned.  If the group actually talks to them, then have a giant scorpion attack and they can help the guardians.  If they attack the guardians, then make the guardians, (who are jackalweres), two levels higher then the party is, (given that it makes the jackalweres high enough to be an encounter. Either way, take the treasure for a jackalwere.  If you want, add in the treasure for the scorpion.

If they talk to the guardians, the guardians know much about the ruins by the sea and the people who inhabited the ruins.  I will talk about what they know tomorrow.

Mystery of the Sea Door Part 13

The southern hallway slopes down for 30 feet with pictures of oasis, sun and elves in light and airy clothing.  There are sconces that are not lit and light stones that are not working line the hallway in small niches.  The floor is covered in symbols of suns and clouds.  The hallway, like the one leading north, is covered in cobwebs and dust.  It ends in a doorway with a large sun carved upon it with archaic writing around the top of the door.  The door is locked.

For the GM the door is trapped with a fire trap.  The difficulty for the trap and the door lock is moderate to disarm, and the trap is moderately hard to find.  The pressure plate is right under the doorknob.  The damage is fire and will catch other things nearby on fire if they do not make their save. There is an illusion upon the sun to make it shine when someone gets near the door and the words above the door state, "Let us bask in the glory of the sun."

Mystery of the Sea Door Part 12

Once the door is opened, the cavern is strangely icy, ice sprites fluttering here and there.  The sound of winter wolves echo in the distance, the cavern being so large a single torch or light spell can not see it all.  It almost seems larger then what the cliff side can hold.  The wind picks up as you enter the cavern.

For the GM this cavern is an extra-dimensional pocket and has a good 500 acres of ice, frozen trees, and critters that would wander in such an area.  They are in suspension until the door is opened.  This also wakes up the ice elemental that wanders the area.  There is a small treasure of diamonds, coins, and jewelry near a small outpost of trees and a broken down cabin near the middle of the cavern.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

From my family to yours, I wish all of you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I know there aren't meany people, if any, who read my story blog, but for those who do, or just happen upon it, I hope you have a wonderful new year, full of joy and love.  Merry Christmas!

The Mystery of the Sea Door Part 11

The northern doorway leads north and actually leads up from this room, though still deep within the rock of the cliff side. The walls are carved with pictures of icescapes and elves in winter clothing.  The floor is covered in dust, the walls are covered in cobwebs and there are sconces at regular intervals along the walls.  It goes for about 30 feet before ending in a door.  Around the door is more text in the archaic language and there are snowflakes carved upon the door.  The snowflakes sparkle in torch light.

For the GM there is a spike pit trap in front of the door.  The disarm traps is a moderate difficulty and the door is locked.  (The door difficulty is also moderate.).  The pit is 6 feet deep and the spikes are actually magically preserved icicles.  Damage is the normal for spikes, though.  The words around the doorway say, "For those who look north, look for guidance, look for the north star." There is an illusion magic upon the door making the snowflakes sparkle.

The Mystery of The Sea Door Part 10

The hallway continues down a slope into an open, circular room.  There are four doors, each at the cardinal directions, (if a player makes a direction/orientation roll they will notice).  Above each door is a word, each different, and in the ancient language.  The floor is a large representation of constellations, made out of pottery shards in a wonderful mosaic.  The room has sconces and light stones, (none of which work) and cobwebs hang everywhere.  There are vases spaced around the room, some broken, and all works of art.  Many have simple domestic scenes, while others are of stars and celestial bodies, while others are of animals.

For the GM, if the players make a perception roll, (easy) they will hear scrapping and a little harsh breathing from the ceiling.  On the ceiling is a large spider, (or if  your party is higher level you can do more then one).  The vases contain donations, long ago given, so you can throw in the treasure there.  Above each door is just the direction the door faces in the ancient elven dialect.

The Mystery of the Sea Door Part 9

Once in the star room, small points of light of flashing colors circle the room.  The frescoes that decorate this room are of celestial bodies, constellations, and even winged elves using sextets.  There is no alter in this room, but the floor is covered in the archaic script like from above the door.  There are several stone bowls around the room, glow stones, (some still weakly working), and gilded sconces.

For the GM if the players wait long enough and make a roll to know constellations, the colored lights will actually form constellations and whirl around the room as if they were the real constellations whirling around the night sky.  The writing upon the floor is the winged elves creation of the stars story.  There is a 95% failure chance for those who know elven, and a 50% failure chance for those who know Ancient Elven.  The stone bowls were used for offerings to the stars.

The Mystery of the Sea Door Part 8

The door with the stars carved upon it are inset with different gems and make a constellation common in the sky over the Sea Door.  The wood is made of madrone, a tree that grows in the forests near by.  The hinges are a dark color, as if made from iron and stained darker.  There is more of this ancient writing above this door that is locked.

For the GM the door is locked and trapped with a poison.  It is an easy trap and lock.  The writing above the door says, "As the sun sets in the east, we rise."  The language is an ancient form of Ancient Elven, so a 95% chance of failure for non-speakers, 50% chance for those who speak or read Ancient Elven.

The poison is a sleep poison.

The Mystery of the Sea Door Part 7

Once inside the sun room the first item someone would notice is the small alter with a beautiful globe of yellow swirly glass elevated by what appears air above it.  The room is dark, but there are sconces and lightstones, which are covered, that could light the room.  Frescoes of  winged elves praising the sun and offering gifts to the sun decorate the room's walls.  The floor also has writing upon the stone tile in the same language as around the door jam.

For the GM the floating globe is suspended by magic, which is still strong after all these years.  If the globe is touched it begins to spin, glow, and the colors swirl in varying hues of gold. It's just for decoration, but it probably worth a lot of money. The writing upon the floor is a story in the ancient form of Ancient Elven about the creation of the sun.  This also has a 95% fail rate to translate if someone has elven.  Forgot to mention if they somehow know Ancient Elven, (which should not be something a GM allows lightly), they only have a 50% fail rate.

The Mystery of The Sea Door Part 6

The door with the sun upon it is carved from a solid piece of cherry wood, the doorknob and hinges sparkle in torch light, as if gilded with gold.  There is carved writing around the door jam in a language that is not easily discerned. 

For the GM, the language is an ancient form of Ancient Elven.  For those characters who do not have Ancient Elven, but some sort of elven, they can try but they will have a 95% failure chance.  The words say, "The sun rises in the west, as do our lives."

There is a a trap upon the door, an easy needle trap, that will insert a sleep poison if set off.

Tomorrow, the inside of the room.

Happy Veteran's Day

Thank you to all the veterans who keep us safe and protect the world from the evils brought on by human kind.  Without all of you, we would not have the freedoms we have and women, like me, would never have the chance to speak their minds.  Keep safe and thank you so very much for your service, whether now or in the past.

The Mystery of the Sea Door Part 5

The hallway beyond is unlit, so your group will need to have light, (or night vision of some sort), to navigate the hallway.  There are frescoes of elementals, oceans, forests and the night sky on the walls.  A knowledge roll for stars and constellations will show that the night sky frescoes are accurate.The hall way slopes down, then flattens out continuing onward, but there are two doors, one on either side of the hallway.  One has a sun on the face, the other has stars that also seem to dance as the main door did.

The Mystery of the Sea Door Part 4

So, lets say that the group has found the "key" through adventure or some reward and now they would like to use the "key".  Here is where the adventure begins.  I would highly recommend this for a mid to high level group, but you can always scale monsters down, or out, if you really have a reason for lower level characters to run this dungeon.

Here is the flavor text for the door itself and the opening of the door.

In an alcove of a sand stone and granite is a door of immense height, large enough to allow an ogre to pass through with ease. The door before you is covered in a gilded sun surrounded by stars, which sparkle in the right light.  In the center is a depression that fits the key the group holds.  As the key slides into place, a light engulfs the stars and sun, causing the stars to literally move around the door, as if turning the key in place.  With a large 'pop' the door opens letting stale air flow out along with dust and sand.  The darkness beyond betrays no secrets, but the echo which resounds back to the group says the hallway goes for some distance.

The Mystery of the Sea Door Part 3

Some examples of possible adventures to find the "key" are as follows:

1) The group has a "treasure map" to where the "key" was last found or part of the "key" was found.  This can go on as long as you want, so if you just want to find one piece, or find it in one step, you can do it that way.  You can also use it as a trail of clues, one map leading to another, along with another piece.

2) The group knows the key is in a specific location, such as a cave, old shrine, dungeon, or abandoned manor. I would take time to flesh out each location with level appropriate, as well as location appropriate, bad guys and monsters.  Props and handouts are also very fun.

3) The group needs to do research to reach part one or two. This is more for the groups who like to find those tidbits of information in game.  Make sure you have good back stories and detailed information.  Handouts would be great for this.  (Parchment to write on can be found pretty much anywhere now and a little weathering of the edges and the paper make the whole adventure so much more personal!)

More later!

The Mystery of the Sea Door Part 2

If you, as a GM, wish to send your group on a search for the "key" to the sea door, here are some options.

One, you can have them find a piece or the whole "key" while adventuring else where.  This could lead them to the door and the adventure that lays within.  This is a good hook if you are trying to get them on to their next dungeon delve.

Two, you could have them find a piece and with some research they go in search for the other pieces, (the number is up to you) to find their "treasure".  They can also come across a reference to the "key" and then hear of the door which spurs them to look for the "key".

Three, the group can come to the sea door as guard mercenaries and a reward could be offered to find the "key", so they decide to go in search of the key. 

All of these are good jumping off points for having your group to find the "key" before they actually get into the actual delve.

More later.

The Mystery of the Sea Door

So last post I detailed a door found in a cliff side that can not be opened. There are two ways, as a GM, you could use this.  You could have the group already have a way to open it, (AKA a key they may have discovered in their travels), or they are hired to find the "key" to open the door.  I will detail, in the next few days and weeks, both options.  Feel free to change anything you need to fit your campaign, because I really want you to have fun with it.  I'm kinda taking from an adventure string that my husband ran us through, (though there was no sea door involved).  He had us go and look for a "key" for a tower that was the center of a curse.  (That is a story for another day.)  There is no curse related to this door, but I like the key search idea.  More to come!

Expanded Timeline For After Chaos (AC) Part 316

Year 316 AC
A door is discovered in a cliff side on the west side of Taina when the water recedes, leaving it exposed for the first time in centuries, it would seem.  The door is covered in arcane writing, that even the most learned can not discern.  The mages and priests have tried to open it with magic, but have not managed to do so.  The door is covered with a large sun, with stars dancing around it.  There is a notch in the middle with slots going into the door, but there is no indication what goes there.  Many of the learned believe the "key" for the door goes there and they just have to find the "key".