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Thought I'd post a topic about this, and the progress that's being made toward bridging the gap in "Nobles by Deed" there's always been a big old hole in the middle of the timeline there. There's a group of stories taking place early in the life of the characters, and then a group of stories after they've freed Egoria. I feel that the early stories for all the characters need to be told, in order to fill in that gap. One trilogy with Darkni is already in progress, beginning with "Facing Destiny". The second story in that trilogy "Gates of Enchantment" is in progress now. The third story is called "Something Familiar". Those early Darkni stories ( taking place a few years earlier than the other Nobles history, because Darkni is the oldest of the companions ) contain a great deal of world history, as well as Darkni's. "Facing Destiny" fleshes out the origins of the Great Crater, where Fightershaven is situated. "Gates of Enchantment" is delving into the history of the Protectorates of Armand, where Danica and Devan are from. Lots of Easter Eggs for the Arts Ardane stories in "Gates of Enchantment". "Something Familiar" will take place in the Western Baronies, where Zoraster is from and "The Forge" resides. That trilogy sets up Darkni for a story where he teams up with Mindblind. Simultaneously, there's a new Thakkor and Alicia story that's going to happen. Those two stories will end in the same taproom of the same inn, and are the launching pad for "Rage of a Goblin King" ( Still a working title, but one that's seriously growing on me, despite it being only one word off from a Raymond E. Feist title ) Rage is where most of the companions first meet and team up to free Normandal from the grip of a goblin infestation. The lessons they've learned and the forces they've gathered push them toward a grander, and more dangerous quest — facing down the forces of Draxnog to free Egoria from his talons. Once I tell that story, the bridge is complete. "King Thakkorias" takes place shortly after the freeing of Egoria. I still need to flesh out the other companions with history, though. Saggitariad has appeared in only the briefest cameos within Danica and SOTM. Vladamir only brief cameos in "Lowborn", Danica, SOTM, and Blackhawk Hall, though I do establish a critical element or two of him there. I believe I've nailed down the early history story for both of them. Those then need to be followed up with "Growth" stories that push them closer to where they are at the time of Rage. I'll likely write a history story for Saj's wife Carol Darkholme as well. Darkni's wife is covered in Rage. Then there's a later story after the freeing of Egoria, taking place even earlier than "King Thakkorias" about Saj and his wife called "A Thief N' the Knight". It takes place as they're journeying from the capital to take over as Duke and Duchess. There's another Arts Ardane story as well. Prior to Rage, Devan is the first of the Ardane sisters to meet Zoraster. Just thought I'd post this up, so everyone knows that there is a plan to bridge that gap. It won't come quickly, as anyone who follows me knows, but it is creeping that way. I'm constantly opening SOTM and trying to get back into the right frame of mind to continue that story as well.

Here's a quick preview of "A Helping Hand". It's the second story in the new series of Celes shorts, and will probably post sometime today or tomorrow. ============================= Celes writhed and whimpered as she neared her peak, her fingers flashing between her legs. Next to her in the bed, Anna did the same. “Yes! Yes!” Anna cried out, and then suddenly screamed to the ceiling above. The sound of her friend coming set Celes off as well. Her scream joined Anna’s, echoing back from the walls. The pair thrashed on the bed, riding the tide of euphoric release until it slowly ebbed. They looked at each other’s flushed faces at the same time and broke out into weak laughter. Ever since Anna had taught her how to reach her peak, the two had masturbated together at every opportunity. They quickly discovered that the feeling was even more amazing when they could voice their pleasure. At Celes’ house on the edge of town, there was nobody to overhear them, allowing them to indulge in that wonderful addition – and not just at night. The two friends panted for breath in the afterglow of their orgasms, bathed in the light of the rising sun. Finally, Anna sighed and said, “I suppose we should wash up and get started.” Quite reluctantly, Celes nodded, and the two climbed out of bed. While they washed and dressed, Celes was struck by something she hadn’t felt since her parents died. The house felt like home with Anna there. Everything still reminded her of her parents, but Anna’s presence dulled the pain. Anna tugged at her dress and hefted her bosom, trying to get the heavy globes to settle into a relatively comfortable position. Then she said, “Ready?” “Aye,” Celes answered with a smile, and the two set out – Anna to her chores, and Celes to collect the laundry of neighbors, which she washed and mended to make her way in the world.

Here's an unedited preview of "The Right Touch" which will be a website exclusive, and part of a quartet of stories ( + 1 separate, dark chapter ) going into detail of Celes' explanation to Danica of how she came to understand and accept her sexuality. ================= The evening was warm, though the sun was sinking toward the horizon. Two dark-haired young women sat on a bench, joining many others their age in the ritual dance of courtship. Celes offered a shy smile to the young man looking at her from across the darkening square. She had a hard time not breaking out into laughter, but practice makes perfect, and she maintained the illusion. She saw him smile back just as she turned to her friend Anna. “You’ll have that one coming to talk to you soon,” Anna whispered using her uncanny ability to talk with only the slightest movement of her lips. She was busy fluttering her eyelashes at another boy. Celes was of two minds about that possibility. The game of flirting with boys was fun, and she had to admit that when one of them showed interest in her, it made her feel tingly all over. She was hardly ignorant of what that feeling was or what the boys wanted, but the prospect of exploring further was still quite frightening to her. Fortunately – or perhaps unfortunately – the young man couldn’t summon up the courage to come talk to her just yet. The object of Anna’s flirtations seemed likewise skittish. The setting sun slowly surrendered to fluttering torchlight, prompting a few couples to seek the shadows created. Still others abandoned the square entirely. “It’s as if they never learn,” Anna said, and then giggled. “Yesterday, I...” Celes followed her friend’s gaze as Anna trailed off, and her breath caught in her chest. Tamaris was the son of a wealthy trader from a faraway land. Unlike the boys of her village who were desperately trying to grow the beards that decorated the faces of their elders, he was clean-shaven. It made him appear exotic and younger than his years. Celes was entranced by and frightened of him at the same time. Anna’s feelings about him were far clearer. One night when Celes had been at home sick, Tamaris had sought her friend out and aggressively pressed himself on her. Feeling threatened, she had run home. When he glanced at them and offered a roguish smile, Anna’s features hardened. “Why don’t we go back to your house?” Celes offered. Anna nodded, keeping her hard gaze fixed on Tamaris as she stood. He chuckled and made his way toward an older blonde girl. Celes took her friend’s hand as they walked and said, “Just forget him.” Anna smiled. “I already have.”

Here's a brief, unedited preview of "Facing Destiny", which takes place when Darkni is about 20 years old. ====================================== The inn where the workmen of his father’s business were staying was a far cry from the well-appointed one where his own rooms were. The smell of cheap pipe weed and stale sweat lingered beneath the aroma of whatever was cooking for the evening. Through the dim lighting and haze of smoke, he spotted Ernest sitting at a corner table and crossed the creaking floor boards to join him. The man was one of his father’s wagon drivers, and was only rarely pressed into other service while on a business trip, freeing up his time. Darkni sat down, doing his best to drop the cultured tongue to which he had grown accustomed for the benefit of his more plainspoken conspirator. “Any luck?” he asked. “Yep,” Ernest answered. He then nodded toward the bar. “You’ll need to order something. I can already see the bartender giving you the evil eye.” “We can’t have that, can we?” Darkni turned and signaled a barmaid. He thought that she must have been quite pretty before hard work and long hours had hardened her. She was still curvy and attractive, but the bloom was certainly off the rose. From the crude words and gestures of the other patrons as she passed, it appeared the clientele still found her fetching. “What can I get you?” she asked with a thoroughly false tone and even falser smile of congeniality. Darkni pulled a silver coin from his purse and saw her eyes widen. “Bring me a cup of your finest wine, and you may keep what remains for yourself.” “Our finest isn’t all that good,” she warned. A flirtatious note crept into her voice when she added, “I can make sure the bartender doesn’t water it down and puts it in a clean cup for you, though.” “That will do,” he said as he held up the coin for her to take. She did so, making sure to let her fingers brush his. A genuine – if somewhat calculating – smile decorated her face as she turned and strutted back toward the bar with her hips swaying. “If you want to bed her, you just bought her,” Ernest said. “She won’t see that much from the whole of this lot all night. Might steal your purse while you’re all knackered, though.” He took a long look at her behind and said, “Think it would be worth it.” Darkniciad chuckled. “My father would faint if I even thought about it.” “True that.” “The shop?” Darkni enquired. Ernest tore his eyes away from the barmaid. “Place didn’t even have a sign. I asked about those herbs, and when he had those, I asked about the others. He got a bit antsy then, but I slipped him that coin you gave me and he brightened right up. Said he had a book, too.” The workman gave the slightest of nods, indicating that someone was approaching. Darkni glanced that way and saw the barmaid carrying his cup. “Here you are,” she said as she sat the cup down and stood in such a way as to display her womanly charms quite prominently. “Fresh bottle, only opened a few minutes ago. Just long enough for it to breathe.” “You know your craft. I thank you, my dear,” Darkni said as he lifted his cup. He took a sip, and while it was a relatively poor wine compared to his usual fare, it was passable. “This will do nicely.” She batted her eyelashes at him and said, “If you need anything, just ask for Milli.” “I will keep that in mind, Milli.” Once again she strutted as she left the table. Ernest let out a quiet whistle once she was out of hearing range. “Yep,” he said, “She’s yours for the askin’. Anyway, he had a book, and he let me see it. It was like you said to look for. The words almost looked like they were crawling on the page. Made my head hurt.” Darkniciad sat up a little straighter and leaned in at the description. “It had about fifty pages, and they all had that writing on them. There was some regular writing here and there, but I couldn’t make much more sense out of it than the spidery stuff. A little bigger than the size of your hand.” It had all the hallmarks of a traveling spellbook, and the number of pages presented a good probability of spells that were new to his studies. Darkni asked, “Was he willing to allow me to visit at such a late hour?” “He didn’t seem happy about it, but he said yes, so long as he knows you’re coming beforehand.” “Then let him know I will be there this evening. I should go and be seen somewhere my father expects me,” Darkniciad said as he pushed his chair back. “You’re going to break her heart,” his conspirator said, and then chuckled. “Well then,” Darkni said, and fished into his purse. He retrieved a coin of the same size as the one he’d given to the barmaid and pushed it to Ernest. “When you return, you could test your theory about the value of that coin in her eyes. You’ve certainly earned it.” He picked up the coin. “Doubt it’s worth half as much in my grubby fingers, but it might be worth just enough.” “Good luck.” With that, Darkni took his leave. As he moved toward the door, he noticed that Ernest’s prediction was bearing fruit. The barmaid’s shoulders slumped at the sight of him leaving. He felt a stirring in his loins as he considered that his conspirator’s other suggestion might also be true and he could bed the woman if he would only stay and let her take him home. But, if his father learned of such a liaison, it would jeopardize something far more important. He would almost certainly be left tending the business at home during these trips, rather than having the opportunity to seek out new magic. With just such a possibility on the horizon, he suppressed the swell of ardor with planning. There was much of that to be done.

I just added a new data point to the Danica timeline that wasn't a new story for the first time in a long time. 868: Cantel Bellows, known as Dark Obsidian, breaks his magical staff in Obsidian tower as a last act of defiance against heroes come to end his reign of power. The resulting magical explosion creates the Great Crater. I needed to pin this down before writing the last scene of "Facing Destiny". What's not on the timeline yet, and won't be unless I decide to delve deeper into Dark Obsidian's history than I plan, is that he was well over 100 years old at the time of his death. I'm thinking around 120. For close to a hundred years, he was a force of terror and near unlimited power in what would become Egoria, Draxnia, Freeland, The Western Baronies, and other surrounding lands. Little did the heroes who took him down know that they were paving the path for Draxnog to rise. There are significant changes to the PnP history of the character. In that continuity, he was Darkni's grandfather. Now, he's a many times great grandfather because it makes sense for the crater to have been there far longer. He also originally carried the same surname, but I decided to have the family change it to Softspake for the stories. I thought Bellows was a nice counterpoint to Softspake. I've also sketched out the details of what made him go off the rails to become Dark Obsidian. Some of that will be revealed in another Darkni history story. Darkni is about 20 years older than the rest of the companions, by the way. So because Destiny is an early story in his life, it's going to be way up the timeline from everyone else's history stories. Okay. Now that I'm done with that, back to writing

Just doing a little brainstorming on Saggitariad. He's one of the companions in the Nobles by Deed series who hasn't had much exposure at all. I think he only has a single line in one chapter of Danica plus a mention in another. He's also the character who had the least development in the game. I never really figured out where I wanted to go with him. This is as much notes for me as anything, but feel free to comment. I'm tempted to write a short story about the fall of Northreach ( which I need to remember is the name of the Duchy that I established in Danica 18. I keep calling it Mithas, after the knights who held sway there. ) So, Northreach fell in 990 by the timeline I have established. All of my characters are hitting 18 at 1042-ish in the timeline with the exception of Darkni, who is older. That puts Saj born in 1024. Think I'm going to have his father get a late start and be 34 before having him. That works out to his dad being in-womb at the time of the fall. So, it would be Saj's pregnant grandmother who fled Northreach. Doing that, an interesting twist would be for Saj's dad to have a young bride. That's another potential short story. That only puts Saj's dad in his late 50s at the time the companions lead the rebellion in Egoria. The way aging works in my world, he would be perfectly fit for a campaign of that nature, and most certainly would have participated. I could have him injured in some way beforehand, but I'm leaning toward him helping to rally the exiled knights once Saggitariad asks the Knights for aid. The Knighthood had become political and disconnected from the populace around the time of the fall. Serfdom had become common, for one thing. I'm thinking that in exile, they've become even more so. The reason Saj's dad and the older knights don't end up in control once Egoria is retaken is because the young rally around Saj to return to the Knighthood's roots of honor and protection. Without the power that already holding the land would provide, the older knights have to defer, and quite a few come around to the new way of thinking. I have to keep in mind that nobody other than Thakkor can have an established relationship at the time of the rebellion in Egoria. Christi says in Blackhawk that everyone was making passes at her except Mindblind, and Thakkor because he was already married. So, I need to keep Saj's eventual wife out of the picture for a while in any history stories. Her name is Carol Darkholme, by the way. Sounds like a knightly surname, so a good point to meet her would be at the time Saj is rallying the knights to help retake Egoria. One thing I've always had in my head for telling Saggitariad's history story that coincides with Merchant Princes, Casting, and Lowborn is a scene from Chrono Trigger. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEOQWsVBDSk That's about the best video of it I can find in a quick search. It's the Telepod scene at the beginning, and you'll probably have to expand it to theater mode to read the text. Odds are that when the story comes out, you'll know exactly where to start playing that epic Chrono Trigger theme in your head. It's not going to be time travel, but I'm absolutely going for that selfless rush into unknown danger. Just getting some thoughts down as I muse. May expand this in days to come, as I'm beginning to think Saggitariad is the next companion who's going to get a history tale. This also has some ties to the sequel to Blackhawk Hall, because Ari's barony borders Northreach.