Writing Updates
January 25th 2009 16:38
Yesterday I finished a chapter in Winds of Change.
In this chapter I introduced a bunch of characters including Coran and Henry, two knights under Dumath's command, and Stumrych and Tomas, the innkeeper and his adopted son/helper, respectively. Coran started a brawl in Stumrych's inn which involved Philippe, and Henry stayed out of it; Dumath discovered this and punished them for being undisciplined and for making the regiment look bad. He had Coran whipped, and arranged a personal duel with Philippe, to teach him discipline and humility. Apparently--according to Henry--Dumath does this regularly with new members, and old members who continue to be unruly. Philippe is a great fighter and nearly overcame Dumath, but Dumath ended it by knocking him out; Dumath was purposefully fighting not as well as he could have.
Philippe, after being taken back to the inn and given a mug of ale to recover, goes to bed. During the night he has a strange dream in which he, riding on a horse and fully armored, is in pitch blackness. A phantom rider comes up next to him, and they start talking about darkness and light; the phantom tries to convince Philippe that darkness is a good thing, but Philippe doesn't buy it. The sun comes up in the dream, banishing the darkness and the phantom rider, but only to reveal that Philippe is in a destroyed Old Haven in winter. All of his friends are dead including his wife, Maria, and their child.
He wakes up to Henry telling him to get ready, for soon Dumath will want them on the road again. Philippe has breakfast with Stumrych and Tomas. Dumath comes in soon after, unhappy with the turnout of recruits from this town: the regiment is still one man short of what he wanted before they left. He tries to intimidate Stumrych into joining the regiment, but Tomas protests, saying that Stumrych is too old and wouldn't even survive the journey. He offers to go in his step-father's place. Dumath is indignant at first, but Philippe says he'll watch after the boy and teach him how to fight, etc. Dumath grudgingly agrees, only after saying that if anything happens to the boy his blood will be on Philippe's hands, not his.
The chapter ends with the regiment riding off, Tomas riding with Philippe on his horse, Stumrych's old sword--given as a parting gift--at his side.
I was happy with how this chapter played out, especially Philippe's dream sequence. Philippe and Maria--Maria more so--had been having strange, surreal dreams lately, and they keep getting more complicated and disturbing. The force behind the dreams and their disturbing warnings and messages is Dae-Vairar, the Darkness. He is the ultimate enemy of everything, though no one knows this yet--at least the story's protagonists don't know.
The next chapter will go back to Maria and her situation back home in Old Haven. Some more characterization will happen, and people's true colors will begin to show. Old Gertie, the town's innkeeper and beloved grandma figure, will help Maria cope with her loss and help her find inner strength.
Next Sunday I'll talk more in-depth about Maria's story, and a little more about the larger narrative. Have a nice day!
In this chapter I introduced a bunch of characters including Coran and Henry, two knights under Dumath's command, and Stumrych and Tomas, the innkeeper and his adopted son/helper, respectively. Coran started a brawl in Stumrych's inn which involved Philippe, and Henry stayed out of it; Dumath discovered this and punished them for being undisciplined and for making the regiment look bad. He had Coran whipped, and arranged a personal duel with Philippe, to teach him discipline and humility. Apparently--according to Henry--Dumath does this regularly with new members, and old members who continue to be unruly. Philippe is a great fighter and nearly overcame Dumath, but Dumath ended it by knocking him out; Dumath was purposefully fighting not as well as he could have.
Philippe, after being taken back to the inn and given a mug of ale to recover, goes to bed. During the night he has a strange dream in which he, riding on a horse and fully armored, is in pitch blackness. A phantom rider comes up next to him, and they start talking about darkness and light; the phantom tries to convince Philippe that darkness is a good thing, but Philippe doesn't buy it. The sun comes up in the dream, banishing the darkness and the phantom rider, but only to reveal that Philippe is in a destroyed Old Haven in winter. All of his friends are dead including his wife, Maria, and their child.
He wakes up to Henry telling him to get ready, for soon Dumath will want them on the road again. Philippe has breakfast with Stumrych and Tomas. Dumath comes in soon after, unhappy with the turnout of recruits from this town: the regiment is still one man short of what he wanted before they left. He tries to intimidate Stumrych into joining the regiment, but Tomas protests, saying that Stumrych is too old and wouldn't even survive the journey. He offers to go in his step-father's place. Dumath is indignant at first, but Philippe says he'll watch after the boy and teach him how to fight, etc. Dumath grudgingly agrees, only after saying that if anything happens to the boy his blood will be on Philippe's hands, not his.
The chapter ends with the regiment riding off, Tomas riding with Philippe on his horse, Stumrych's old sword--given as a parting gift--at his side.
I was happy with how this chapter played out, especially Philippe's dream sequence. Philippe and Maria--Maria more so--had been having strange, surreal dreams lately, and they keep getting more complicated and disturbing. The force behind the dreams and their disturbing warnings and messages is Dae-Vairar, the Darkness. He is the ultimate enemy of everything, though no one knows this yet--at least the story's protagonists don't know.
The next chapter will go back to Maria and her situation back home in Old Haven. Some more characterization will happen, and people's true colors will begin to show. Old Gertie, the town's innkeeper and beloved grandma figure, will help Maria cope with her loss and help her find inner strength.
Next Sunday I'll talk more in-depth about Maria's story, and a little more about the larger narrative. Have a nice day!
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