Shadow Dance continues

The Shadow Dance Novel has been on a rather long sabbatical, however recently I've found the time to re-enter the world of the Scarred Lands and continue the story of Elaine's entry and ascension in the world of Drendari. "Life," her father Edrin Northstar, Prince of the High Elf Tera Vi, tells her, "is ascending beyond your child, and becoming more than yourself."

The characters and heroes are all gathered, and while some will fall, others will push forward striving to fullfill their pacts, and promises. Starting this week I plan on posting a chapter a week again, until the novel is complete and then continuing to post at the same rate for the next novel, The Shadow Forge. The Shadow Forge will continue the story of Elaine, Mac Anu and Naill into the City of Mithril. Begining in Shelzar, the City of Sin, the group will travel to the East, past the Halls of Burok Torn, and into the lands of Vesh.

I also plan on using this blog area to walk through some of the more mudane thought patterens surrounding the novel itself, and hope that it adds to the enjoyment of the story, but mainly, as a way of keeping track of all that happens in my mind as I write this (some times overwelming) story.

Seriously loving AutoREALM

I've been working on the Scarred Lands web site, making adventure modules, and I'm not very good at maps. Maps are important for a module however, you really need good ones. AutoRealm seems to be my answer for this lack of talent on my part.

The only problem you might have is that it has an Access violation on Windows Vista, but then, what doesn't have an access violation on Windows Vista? Microsoft has forgotten, it seems, that an operating system's purpose is to run programs! If it doesn't run my programs, then it is not an operating system.

Anyway, I'm trying this software out and so far (on WinXP) it works very well. Making up some libraries for the Scarred Lands shouldn't be much of a problem either (city symbols and the like).

It would be nice if I could figure out how to put the existing (poorly made for game play) Scarred Lands maps in the background and trace it with this program. That would be very cool. I could make maps like that Mithril one out there (the one that is in French) for the other cities, like Shelzar and Burok Torn. Well.. maybe not like Burok Torn, that is a fairly complicated map.

Where the Wild Things Are...

Chess is a Wild game I've only been playing for a short time, but I've gained enough understanding to realize that the angles of ...