I broke the string of consistent progress when I spent a day working on a record of the major engagements of the Darklands campaign in the Trident War. I’d already finished a similar record for the Notos theater and decided to continue the work. That didn’t leave me with any time for actual story progress, unfortunately. Yesterday I very nearly had no progress at all, but I managed to jot down a little on the mystery project I’ve mentioned in passing a few times earlier, a Cross Arc story of the Fifth Empire Cycle I’m tentatively calling Merkab as I haven’t thought up a proper title yet.

You know, before Square started making lateral sequels, I used to think it was a waste for them to build up a world for only a single game. However, I’m doing much the same in a lot of my Cross Arc stories and I have to say, my love of worldbuilding makes me not mind all that much. Of course, I always reserve the option to tell more stories in any given setting. I don’t know if I mentioned it here, but originally, the novels that would become the Tellus Arc were nearly all set on different worlds. (Direct sequels and prequels being excepted, obviously.) It wasn’t until I was digitizing my original notes in ’01 that I stitched the world map together. That’s why the current maps of the Southern Continent in the KoG series are aligned in such a way that the top of the map actually pointing eastward. I’ve repeatedly vowed to redraw the maps but have yet to make it happen.

Anyway, this new project should prove interesting. I’m including more fantasy elements than a lot of the Cross Arc stories, so that should be fun. We’ll see what I get into next. Stay tuned.

I made a little progress on Xorgoth’s Chapter 4 of TTWC2 but fell short of my goal of finishing it (in no small part due to the mascot’s urging me to go to bed). I may continue working on it another day before moving on. Stay tuned.

I pretty well finished Xorgoth’s Chapter 3 and did a little work on his Chapter 4 as well. I should be able to finish the section as planned. I’ll then switch over to either JJ or EM. Stay tuned.

I made some more progress on Xorgoth’s Chapter 3 of TTWC2. I may not meet my goal of finishing his section before the weekend’s out, but I’ll try. Stay tuned.

I managed to mostly finish Ophis Python’s Chapter 4 and Xorgoth’s Chapter 2 while making a little headway on Xorgoth’s Chapter 3 as well. At this rate, I should also have Xorgoth’s section finished before the week’s out. That’ll just leave a few chapters of Medusa’s and TTWC2 will be done. It looks like the final wordcount won’t even break 50K, but I’m not going to let that bother me. I’m ready to pick up TTWC3. I plan on switching over to JJ or EM next week, so the week after may see me wrap TTWC2 and start in on TTWC3. Stay tuned.

I made a little progress on Ophis Python’s Chapter 4 and also worked a little more on the logistics of the string of conflicts in this stage of the war. Still have a little more to do on both fronts. Maybe I can make the push to get through Chapter 4 in short order. Stay tuned.

I managed to mostly finish Ophis Python’s Chapter 5 and rewrite parts of Chapter 2 to resolve the plot hole I had. All I have left to do is finish Chapter 4 and his section will be done. Maybe a little dedicated push and the job’ll be done. That’d certainly be nice. Stay tuned.

While I haven’t posted any progress in a while, I have of course still been working on reviews and I was also developing a new story. No actual story content until yesterday, when I made more progress on Ophis Python’s Chapter 5 of TTWC2. I’m going to have to do some rewriting to resolve a plot hole, but I guess that’s part of the joy of catching it before it goes up. If I didn’t mention it, no one would have to know. I could potentially finish Chapter 5 with another day or two, so I’d like to get that done. We’ll see if it actually happens, though. Stay tuned.

I actually did some work on TTWC2 for a change, making some progress on Ophis Python’s Chapters 4 and 5. I’m trying to push myself to get the daggone book done. I don’t have that far to go. Two weeks or so of consistently meeting quota and I’ll be through. Sometimes in the writing process it’s good to let inspiration come as it will, and other times you just have to drive yourself onward. Let’s see if I can finally stick to it. Stay tuned.

We continue our look at the leads of TTWC2 with the Spider Queen Arachne. I know there are some people out there who don’t like raiders of the public domain, but that’s precisely what it exists for. Besides, I’ve had a passion for Greek mythology ever since I was 8, so it’s little wonder that I’d want to integrate a lot of Greek mythology into my own mythos, with a bit of my own spin, of course.

When I first added Arachne to the cast, she was little more than the giant spider boss with shades of Shelob, but with a little more working on her character, her personality started to come out. Her grudge against the Olympians, particularly Athena, was a given, but that didn’t have much play after the prologue, except as common ground for establishing her friendship with Medusa. I’ll talk about those two more in a moment, but first I want to cover her relationship with the Monarch Lich.

Although I set her up as the Monarch Lich’s consort from her first entry in the story, there really wasn’t much going on there until I added Basilissa into the story. The Monarch Lich and Arachne paired off in a simple bid for power. Arachne wanted a share of the Monarch Lich’s power for her own increase and however grudging the Monarch Lich was to sacrifice his power to perpetuate his line, she was the most powerful female in the Darklands and the most likely candidate to produce a stronger offspring. You may not think jealousy is a particularly interesting motivator, but the introduction of a rival helped rekindle Arachne’s more human emotions and gave something to drive her. Her rivalry with Basilissa and the detriment it caused to the overall war effort ties into one of the key themes of Volume II, that being the chaotic nature of the Dominion. (The name was no accident, after all.) For all the faults and failings you can find on the Zephyrian side, they’re much better at being united in a common purpose. Yes, the many allied factions in the Dominion fight against Zephyr, but there is no real bond connecting them and their competing individual interests largely serve to negate the great power they represent.

One of the more redeeming aspects of Arachne is her friendship with Medusa. Yes, they’re both monsters, but theirs is the truest bond you’ll find in all the Darklands. Almost every other relationship you’ll find in Volume II is tainted in one way or another, but Arachne and Medusa’s friendship is the closest thing you’ll find to anything pure. Orguz is perhaps the most upright morally, but we’ll get into the failings of his relationships when the time comes. Back to Arachne and Medusa, it started as little more than kinship based on their shared hatred of the ones responsible for their cursed fate, but over the years, they developed an almost sororal bond. It really is quite sweet.

Giving Arachne a more humanoid form was a relatively new development. Besides serving as a way to gain an advantage over Basilissa for the Monarch Lich’s affections (or whatever passes for such with him), it also gave her a way try tempting Ionathas during their encounter (somewhat in parallel to Simona the Dark Elf’s attempt during the Battle of Kalonis). Unfortunately for her, Ionathas likes his girls scaly. ^o^

I think that’ll do it for now. I’m looking forward to the next entry, though it’ll be a few weeks yet. I’ve got quite a bit to say on the subject of Sir Caligo, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.