I asked my friends for questions about Thren, because I am so used to tags now. Some are detailed enough that I will have separate posts for them (like about the magic system), but I shall answer some now. Mainly the short ones.
Also, I will show a map.
Still a vague map, but better than an unlabeled sock globe:
Although the text is tiny. Oops.
The First Set of Questions
1 - What is your favorite kind of cake? (because this is a celebration and definitely needs to be determined.)
Hmmm...I like fruity ones. I like ones that are mild or plain flavor but have special filling or frosting. Vanilla cake is with regular buttercream is nice, but I like it when there's something extra about it.
2 - History lessons are always cool: major rulers, conquerors, heroes, threats; major cities and regions; odd imports and exports; important holidays and historic events; etc.
To in order to evade superfluous and verbose speech, I shall share a few fantastical aspects of Thren with as much brevity as possible:
The gold dragon Gallaran leads all other colorful dragons. He is the Elemental of Wind and frequently interacts with humans and the course of history. He mainly dwells on the Island of Silanar in the Westlands.
The leader of the Shadow Dragons is the Elemental of Darkness, and he always seeks to counter Gallaran. I have recently been rethinking his name though, I call him Dagnelmar, and before that, Dendoth. Neither of the names feel right. He mainly dwells in Venkoshe.
Naphatari is a magical, immortal horse that roams Venkoshe and Dahara and aids the heroic few whom he deems worthy.
Princess Kitallia of Coranda is better known as the Lunatic Mage after her millennia-spanning, globe-hopping feud with the Elemental of Time was all said and done. Kitallia is a powerful combat mage and has no greater satisfaction in life than blowing up buildings with sheer arcane power and shouting at people. Someday she shall rebuild her kingdom that was taken from her by the fiendish Bazzelites led by their cold and calculating Princess Naerosha who held strange and unknown powers. Beasts devoured her enemies at her slightest command. It was a terrifying time, and everyone forbade the study of meteorology for many years thereafter.
The battle of Kitallia and Naerosha passed into legend, and some still wonder if Coranda will ever regain its Golden Age....
For odd imports and exports, it's not quite odd, but the delivery system is a little unusual, for there are many a dragon rider who specialize in air delivery of fresh fruits grown in warm places and bringing them to palaces sitting upon ice-capped peaks.
There however, is a trade in dragon hide for high quality armor. Most of it comes from Shadow Dragons and is charcoal colored or black, but some wild dragons offer up more colorful options when they raid too close to civilization.
Oh, and magic crystals. Magic crystals are one of the most important commodities around. Expect many a war to be fought over them. They power everything in the most convenient means possible.
3 - Some overlapping questions:
And then, of course, you could talk about how you world-built and what inspiration you used.
How it came to exist...
What was the inciting incident that brought Thren into creation?
Do you have any fond memories of Thren and/or its creation?
I have written a little bit about Thren's start before, mainly that my story The Dragon Keep is what started it all. Lenorin, Hankor, and Silanar were the first countries I made and they've stuck around all this time. Though Silanar is the most well-developed of the three. At that time I called the continent Thren, and later I added one called Quayanar (which I haven't really used), and called the whole world Zalondurray.
Thankfully I later concluded that Zalondurray is such a ridiculous mouthful that I should never, ever call an entire storyworld that. So, I renamed the whole world after that nice, simple continent. And then I never gave the continent a proper name except "It's the Western one!" And eventually there's a country called Westrin...
I am obsessed with the direction West. Clearly.
Now, there's more I could say about ongoing worldbuilding and inspiration, but that would be good for a separate post.
Now, fond memories of Thren's creation...? Well, it was my first real book, so that was pretty neat. Actually, The Dragon Keep was developed not only by watching Shrek (and playing with a crocodile Beanie Baby in my toy castle), and listening to an audiobook of Dealing with Dragons, but I had a little princess flannel graph set I played with. And I pretty much outlined the whole story that way. Though the princess was blonde, while Princess Lanuka is a brunette.
Now I wonder if I should make flannel graph plotting tools for things like Spectra...
All the Heroes of Thren: CAN YOU PLEASE FOCUS ON US ON OUR BIRTHDAY???!!!
Me: Well, okay, flannel graph for Tristan as well!
Tristan: Are you going to flannel graph a Sunday School scene that has flannel graph in it? Because that would be a thing...
Me: I do not know how that would be plot relevant at all.
Tristan: I don't either.
4 - Can you tell us about each of the characters who inhabit Thren?
There are hundreds of characters...HUNDREDS I SAY! I should just list 15 characters with a line of dialogue. If I can think of a good one...
- Elda - "What was the point of all that fighting if two people can undo it all?"
- Brigon - "Not by the one who matters most."
- Tristan - "Well, let's see a sorceress do this!" *Punches Dhelran in the guts*
- Dhelran - "My Lady, you are as beautiful as you are just."
- Kelatra - *Can't think of anything to say. Realizes the serendipity of the above contextless quotes:* "Dhelran, stop being mean to Tristan."
- Elvyla - “Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer an armorer's shop?”
- Miranda - “Would you prefer to flambe killers on dark streets or go on endless calls to talk about the weather and the older ladies’ ill health?”
- Ravak - “Que’es que vous dit de danse?”
- Diandra - "It was all over the Guard Hall. And...I have guards."
- The Sorceress of Seven Stars - "Oh dear, you just missed me. Missed me again!"
- Kitallia - "I haven't eaten anything in days except one stupid fish! I AM EATING THIS CAKE!"
- Naerosha - "Why? Another empire in need of conquering?"
- Elsida - "But dragon meat has such a character-building texture to it!"
- Nasanya - "By the gods' power we shall conquer the world and I shall be the Queen of Thren!" (Hello, lone villain!)
- Naphatari - *Can understand everyone completely* "Neigh." *Can't talk*
That took way too long...Too much of Thren is on scattered papers rather than conveniently on my computer. Tsk tsk.
Bonus Quote from Me: "NO! MY STORY IS DOING THAT EXPLODING THING AGAIN!" *Sobs and wails as papers scatter everywhere into a hundred million possibilities.*
5 - Which Thren character is your absolute favorite/absolute LEAST favorite?
Right now, I think Eldakiah is my favorite character. My least favorite character is...is actually the category of any protagonist's extended family who I didn't make up for specific plot purposes, but just has to exist cuz it's more realistic than everyone being orphans!
Basically they're all boring people who have to exist and I don't know what to do with the dolts. BLEH!
6 - Are there any scenes/comic pages you could share?
I don't have any scenes to share right now, plus this post is pretty long, but I did find this in my notes for Willowbrook:
Listening to HP music and John Williams always makes me think of Star Wars...So, Miranda with a red lightsaber as she turns into a Sith Lady while balancing on a tight rope suspended over a river of lava. Perfect.
Miranda: Aren't I a fun character?
That is all for now!
