The Elf's Prisoner - Future Plans

Thirty-seven full chapters and a third of another later, The Elf's Prisoner is not complete.  The plot is a complex web of conspiracies that Kazi, Nyssa, Jyslyn, Wren, and Leo and cutting with a sharp sword.  Different cultures have appeared.  What's next?

That's the big question, even for me.  I have ideas of what I want, and I know that there needs to be a showdown against the Big Bad.  It's the path to get there that's in question.  The general direction is south, thanks to Sessarine.  South seems like a good spot to have backstabbing snake people.  It's warm, it's humid, there's rocks.  Everything a snake might like.

Along the way, the group would meet other Niceans and the crystal elves.  I don't want a travelogue, but the world would get explored.  The Niceans are more laid back than the ambassador to the Realm Under the Mountain is.  The crystal elves, well, they're another matter.  Like the elves of Wildwood and the Sundered Chasm, the crystal elves are a matriarchy.  They're also who the dark elves were sundered from and they have long memories.  Jyslyn would become their prisoner until Kazi and Wren sorted things out.  Jyslyn has some of her own tricks up her sleeves, too.  The crystal elves are very much into magic.  Jyslyn goes for practical means as needed, so getting out of manacles while in a magic dampening field is a matter of sleight of hand.

Speaking of ambassadors, it occurred to me that the ambassadors from both the Nicean Islands and the Seven Dominions are officious.  While the Nicean ambassador had other matters on his mind, the respective governments may have sent such people to deal with the dwarves because the dwarves appreciate such an approach.  That may have been the insight I was missing when I started Chapter 38.  Nyssa hinted at it, though.

Once done in the Realm, the heroes will take a canal boat to the coast.  I have a working canal locally, the Rideau Canal, that will help me with ambiance and actual working of shipping along a waterway.  It can pay to take note of what's around.  Anything can be tossed into a story.  Once down the canal, off to the Nicean Islands to catch a ship further south.  That may be the perfect spot to end the first book.  Not that I intended The Elf's Prisoner to have multiple books.  It kinda got away from me.

Long term, I need to get Kazi and Jyslyn to become a couple.  A possible sequel set decades later would have their children dealing with Valenza and her machinations.  Valenza has a long memory and the capability to nurse a grudge until the time is right for vengeance.  How best to do that than to tempt one of Jyslyn's kids back into the fold?  Jyslyn would be older and crankier by this time and is feeling her years.  Kazi, not so much.  The difference between dark elves and surface elves.

The biggest lesson learned from The Elf's Prisoner is to have the world built before starting to write.  So much effort was spent laying down the tracks in front of the characters that could've been used figuring out plot and characters.  However, I also learned that I can create a world on the fly while letting the characters interact to hide the frantic paddling.  It's a good skill, one that shouldn't be overworked.

This ends The Elf's Prisoner for now.  Unlike the other stories that were unfinished, there's too much right now to try writing chapter by chapter for the next few weeks.  I have other stories in the works right now and I do have a serial lined up for the next ten weeks.  I'll also post the potentials for NaNo 2019.  Thanks for sticking around for The Elf's Prisoner.

The Elf's Prisoner - Commentary 38

The sudden stop, Chapter 38.

Not much to Chapter 38, is there?  I reached this point in the final days of NaNoWriMo 2015 and the creative well was empty.  It wasn't a block.  I had a sense of where I was going.  I just didn't have the creative juice to keep going.  I not only was creating the plot, I was creating the world, and I realized that I didn't have enough in my to flesh out dwarven culture.  I considered myself lucky to figure out the naming convention for dwarves.  (For the record, Aztec/Mayan names.  Because no one has done that before.)

There's not much to talk about.  Nyssa's using some linguistic tricks to get away with having Jyslyn, Leo, and Wren at the meeting.  The dwarves aren't going to hold Jyslyn's home against her; they're not going to let her make any mischief but they'll give her the rope she needs to hang herself.  Having all five, though, sends a message that the problem is bigger than imagined.

The goal of the meeting is to find out if the dwarves have a problem with Count Varin.  None of the heroes believe there is one, but getting it confirmed by the dwarves is key.  Nyssa can send a missive back to the Count and to the King and be considered to have discharged her duty with this mission.  That leaves her free to pursue the investigation.  She's there under orders of the King, not Varin.  The King likes results.

/The Elf's Prisoner/ is not something I'd want to do again, not the way I did it.  Worldbuilding is something that should be done in advance, even if it's just where the story is happening.  Steve Savage, who runs The Seventh Sanctum where I have Lost in Translation, has a series of books about worldbuilding and the different elements that go into it.  It's not something that is easily done on the fly.  Quite frankly, I am surprised that The Elf's Prisoner got as far as it did.  Lesson here, it helps to plan a bit, even if you pants the story.

I don't think I could have written The Elf's Prisoner even five years sooner.  It was my tenth NaNo, and just being able to tackle a large project with little prep helped show me how far I've come since Lethal Ladies, my first NaNo project.  The plot is more complex.  The world is deeper despite the rapid development.  Everyone has a motive.  There's a sense of a world outside the pages.  I can live with what I wrote.

Tomorrow, what could be, the future of The Elf's Prisoner.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, advertising, adaptations, and Wacky Races.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, The LEGO Batman Movie.

The Elf's Prisoner - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Previously:

The new path.

Entry Cavern, Realm Below the Mountain
Jyslyn stared in awe at the sheer size of the Entry Cavern.  Her home, the Morien Citadel, towered over most of the other residences within the Sundererd Chasm, but even the Citdel was overshadowed by the immenseness of the Realm Below the Mountain, more so because the dwarves had hollowed out the mountain itself, not just settling inside where space allowed.  The dark elf, covered head to toe, felt a nudge.  Wren urged her to keep up.  Jyslyn brought herself back to the moment and fell back in pace behind Kazimier and Nyssa.

A dwarf in armour made from a black metal greeted the group.  He set down his massive warhammer.  "You're Kellus and Starpetal?"

Kazimier stepped forward.  "I am Kazimier Starpetal."  He waved an arm at the knight.  "This is Dame Nyssa of Kellus."

"And who are the rest?"

"Our companions."

"The scroll said nothing about companions."

"The response didn't say anything about just the two of us attending," Nyssa said.

The dwarf spat on the stone road.  "Follow me."  He picked up his warhammer and began walking, not noticing or caring if he was followed.

Instead of going up to Embassy Row, the dwarf led the group on the road down, into the Realm Below the Mountain.  The light globes grew further apart, still lighting the road but not as brightly as ine the levels above.  After a fifteen minute walk, the dwarf stopped in front of a structure carved into the mountain.  "The Temple of Stone," he announced.  He looked at Jyslyn.  "Not polite to hide your face in the temple."

Jyslyn glanced at Kazimier, who only nodded.  She removed her hood.  "I didn't know if I would be allowed in."

The dwarf scowled. 

Next Week:

An overview of what is planned.

The Elf's Prisoner - Commentary 37

The last full chapter of The Elf's Prisoner, Chapter 37.

Chapter 37 was the last full-sized chapter written for The Elf's Prisoner.  By the end of NaNo 2015, I was exhausted from not just creating the story but also creating a world several steps ahead of my characters.  NaNo is a marathon, not a sprint, though there are days when sprinting happens, thanks to local events.  Mentally, I was tired.  I knew that I had to step back and figure out not only where the plot was going, as in, what were the characters going to do, but where it was going, as in, where in the setting needed to be developed.

I did wind up working on the world after NaNo.  There is still a lot of world to be developed, but if the characters aren't going there, there's no push to fill in the details.  However, when I ended NaNo in 2015, I had to figure out dwarven culture and names, southern culture, how the characters will get there, how to avoid unnecessary random encounters, and how to keep the plot on track and going and still be interesting.  That's just exhausting to think about, really.

Chapter 37 recaps a lot that has happened now that the group is back together.  However, I wanted more than just restating the obvious.  The group needed to figure out where to go.  There's no turning back from the mission now; there's too much at stake.  As a group, they figured out the details, like where Sessarine might be from.  Leo is thinking of the name Sevarine here, mind, but it's close enough.  What I did was take Sevarine and had a snake say it, since she's half snake.  I'm not going to ignore an obvious convention when it makes my job easier.

The canal was tossed into Chapter 28 as a way for the Realm Under the Mountain to ship ore and goods off for trade.  It became far more useful than I imagined.  First, the Canal District in Silver Trailings became the shadier part of the city, a place where thieves skulked.  The other use I found for it was travel, as in, I can get the heroes down the mountain without dealing with roads and bandits and all sorts of distracting encounters.  It may not be the most comfortable trip, but it's direct and patrolled.

The Tivalan, Sevarine, was a royal brat.  Poor Leo was assigned to watch over her, since he's just a squire.  Being from the south, Tivalans have darker skin in general, though there's varience.  The goal was to make this world feel like Earth, with different shades of skin throughout.  I have no idea if this is working, though.  Too much time spent in too small an area.

The last tidbit, The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 38.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, the balkanization of television.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, advertising, adaptations, and Wacky Races.

The Elf's Prisoner - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Previously:

Jyslyn made some key discoveries.

Inn of the Foxes, Silver Trailings, outside the Realm Below the Mountain
Once the elves returned to the inn, the group gathered in Kazimier's room.  Leomund stood beside Nyssa, who sat in one of the room's two chairs.  Kazimier claimed the second chair, sitting near the knight.  Wren and Jyslyn sat on the bed, the latter in her new dress.  Leomund worked at not staring at the dark elf, succeeding most of the time.  For her part, Jyslyn didn't notice the young squire's furtive glimpses.

"We have some news," Kazimier said.  "Whether it's good or not is up to you."

"My feeling is that it's a mix," Nyssa said.  "First, the Niceans now know the fate of their ambassador.  It's hard to tell whether they're relieved, angry, or overjoyed."

"We may have forced them to cancel a war footing build up," Kazimier added.  "The Minister didn't indicate anything to us.  To be fair, the Niceans were a new addition to everything we have discovered."

"Second, we did get a reply from the dwarves.  They sent their missive to the embassy for the Seven Dominions, not to us."  Nyssa held up the scroll from the Realm Below.  "The meeting is tomorrow morning, back in the Realm Below.  We may have an third person with us, the ambassador from the Seven Dominions.  She received the scroll on our behalf."

Wren held up her hand.  "Is she someone we can trust?"

The Elf's Prisoner - Commentary 36

Sibling rivalry, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 36.

I realized that while I had the villain introduced, I didn't have a way to let the heroes know who is the immediate mastermind.  Sessarine had a few appearances, but the way the plot was going, it'd be some time before Kazi et al found out anything, if ever.  Silver Trailings was introduced to be a trade town, so beings from any number of nations and cultures could be here, which helps with Sessarine.  I just needed a way to make a connection to the heroes.

Enter Biala.  I introduced him with the rest of Jyslyn's siblings, more to flesh her out than anything else.  But, much like Mara in The Devil You Know, once introduced, Biala became useful.  First, he's a link to Jyslyn's past, one that isn't sympathetic to her.  Second, while Valenza is busy consolidating her new role as family matriarch and Tereska is busy trying to not die by her sister's hand, Biala has spare time.  He just needed a motive to join Sessarine in her plot.

Biala's motives comes from wanting to destroy his society to rebuild it in his/the Defiler's image.  Valenza wants power, but she doesn't want to destroy the power structure to get it.  What's the point of striving and strategic murdering if society is left in ruins and all she gets to rule is a half a dozen vermin?  Biala hasn't planned that far ahead.  But he has a plan and Sessarine is a useful pawn.

Just don't tell Sessarine that.

Obviously, the roster of deities expanded in this chapter just from necessity.  The Defiler is a deity of destruction and corruption.  Followers tend to leave things in worse shape when they leave.  Destroying the Sundered Chasm?  Almost too easy, except that the matriarchs there hold on to power like a koala holds on to an eucalyptus tree.  However, the ensuing chaos will send ripples through society, destabilizing it further.  If successful, there may not be much left of the Sundered Chasm.

When Jyslyn was skulking around to learn magic, she realized she needed some practical spells.  Spells that weren't direct, to get around magic resistance, helped earlier.  Jyslyn also planned on being caught at some point.  She has a spell to unlock chains and manacles.  However, given where she's learning magic, spells tend to be rough on the recipient.  The manacles needed to close tighter before releasing.  This goes back to the idea of special effects for spells.  Just as Kazi needs to use light as a motif, Jyslyn can't really use magic on herself without causing pain.  Once the voyage to stop a massive chaotic war is over, she can start learning new ways to cast spells, ones that don't hurt when cast on herself.  Her rod, as mentioned before, is a way to channel magic without burning herself out.  She can cast without it, but she becomes the path for mana.

A new direction, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 37.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Solo.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, the balkanization of television.

The Elf's Prisoner - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Previously:

Politics and worries.

The Busty Dryad, Canal District, Silver Trailings
The manacles hung heavy on Jyslyn's wrists, pinning her arms behind her back.  Her cloak and tunic sat in a crumpled heap where they had landed after Biala removed them from her.  Her brother pulled on her arm, forcing her to sit down hard on a creaky chair.  He stepped back out into her view.  "Now, dear sister, we can talk."

"Are you sure that'll hold her?" the young man asked, his voice trembling with nervousness.

"Not even a Matriarch can cast spells with her arms locked together."  Belial knelt down to meet Jyslyn eye to eye.  "Shall I start to tell you just how much trouble you are in?"

Jyslyn maintained the eye contact without flinching.  "Just how is Mother these days?"

"Dead.  She died in a tragic accident."

"She was tragically in Valenza's way, you mean.  Just how did Valenza kill Mother?"

"Do you really think Valenza did the deed herself?"

"It's so hard to tell with her.  Did she see killing Mother as a task or as sport?"

The Elf's Prisoner - Commentary 35

Political complications for Nyssa, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 35.

It's the final countdown until the end of what's written with The Elf's Prisoner.  The plot is coalescing.  Characters are coming together and relationships are forming.  It only took thirty-five chapters, and I'm not even close to the middle.

Nothing happens in a vacuum.  Having a Knight of the Realm appear with no warning sends a message, intentional or not.  The embassy to the Realm Under the Mountain had no idea Nyssa was coming.  Mind, that isn't on Nyssa.  Count Varin should have sent a missive; he didn't.  Nyssa should have sent a note to the embassy announcing her arrival, but her approach is more bull in a china shop.  His Majesty thought he had one problem, not the one that exists.

Enide is officious, but she wasn't appointed to get her out of the king's hair.  Her mindset is useful when dealing with the dwarven realm.  Every regulation has a purpose, even if she cannot fathom it.  'Tis better to obey than to risk offending her hosts.  Trade between the Realm Below and the Seven Dominions is good, so she is doing her job well.

Wren tried to stay calm.  The day has past, though, and Jyslyn hasn't returned or even sent a message.  Wren doesn't know what's going on, so her imagination is running wild.  That she hasn't gone hunting for Jyslyn yet shows that she's willing to give the dark elf time to work.  She didn't stop worrying and she's not experienced enough to know when to follow her instincts and when to hold back.  And Kazimir is correct; Jyslyn is in trouble.

Friday, news from home, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 36.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, the anti-adaptation backlash.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Solo.

The Elf's Prisoner - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Previously:

Jyslyn investigated a fellow dark elf.

Embassy Row, Realm Below the Mountain
Nyssa and Kazimier began their trek back to the Inn of the Foxes.  The meeting with the Nicean minister left the two travellers unsure of the Niceans plans, though neither expected the Minister to share his thoughts with them.  Nyssa's footsteps on the stone road echoed off the walls of nearby embassies.  No one else on the street noticed.  Functionaries rushed about, delivering messages and missives.

Over the hushed din, a voice called out with a strident tone, "Dame Kellus!"  The knight came to a stop as she looked around.  A woman wearing a long red dress ran to catch up, hiking up her skirts to avoid tripping on the hems.  "Dame Kellus!" the woman repeated.  She slowed as she neared Nyssa and Kazimier, allowing herself to catch her breath.

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you," Nyssa said.

The woman scowled.  "Enide, His Majesty's representative to the Realm Below."  She pulled the purple sash of office back up on her shoulder.  "Why wasn't I told that His Majesty had sent a Knight of the Realm?  What is your business here?"

"I am not here on His Majesty's business," Nyssa answered.  "I am here on the behalf of the Count of Varin.  Has news of what has happened in the County even reached here?"

The Elf's Prisoner - Commentary 34

Jyslyn's investigation turns up unexpected connections, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 34.

The Elf's Prisoner is in its final stretch of completed chapters right now.  As a NaNoWriMo project, there came a point where I just could not word anymore.  I did what I could, but the well was drying out.  I was also starting to hit the point of multiple subplots starting to get out of control, much like previous works like The Soul Blade.  Considering that The Elf's Prisoner might be a third of the way to completion, that's frightening.

This is a Jyslyn chapter, obviously.  Jyslyn made the decision to go check the shady part of Silver Trailings.  She has reason to believe the mystery dark elf she saw is part of the conspiracy; the knives found in two dead bodies were of dark elf manufacture, so someone had to be providing the weapons.  Jyslyn believes that she is best suited for the more shadowy parts of the mission, leaving the others to stay in the light.  Her goal is atonement.  The catch, though, is that she isn't that much more suitable.  She's coming from a position of power through her family, and any dealings with the darker elements back in her home were through having clout, not wheeling and dealing.  Nyssa, though Jyslyn doesn't realize it, is more suited thanks to her experiences.

One goal I set myself for this chapter was to not go heavy in dialogue.  There was action to be had, so the action had to be front and centre for a change.  A little scenery also helped.  Jyslyn is skulking about, which is something she knows how to do, and investigating, keeping an eye on her quarry.  The young man is, indeed, the same one who found the body and the same one who Sessarine promoted by eliminating his boss earlier.

I hadn't considered any of Jyslyn's family to be involved in the overall plot.  Yet, when I needed a dark elf connection, I went to the ones who had already appeared in the story.  However, it's Jyslyn's younger brother that's caught up in the conspiracy and not her sisters.  Valenza is too busy taking over her mother's position and quashing rebellion.  Tereska is occupying herself with making sure her older sister decides to not remove competition.  That leaves Biala.  He's younger, male, and not as likely to kill Jyslyn on sight.

That explains why Biala and not his sisters, but why choose Biala at all?  Conservation of characters.  I introduced Jyslyn's siblings, so I had better make use of them somehow.  I knew Biala was going to be linked soon after I introduced him, though I didn't know how then.  With him available, I didn't have to work out a backstory for a dark elf with no connections to Jyslyn.  I can up the drama just by having her brother be involved.

Friday, politics in an epic fantasy, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 35.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, hiatus week.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, the anti-adaptation backlash.

The Elf's Prisoner - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Previously:

Kazimier and Nyssa visited the Nicean embassy.

Inn of the Foxes, Silver Trailings, outside the Realm Below the Mountain
Satisfied with the fit of her new grey dress, clinging to her even as she walked, revealing the right amount of leg, Jyslyn began pulling her leather trousers on.  She pulled her sleeveless tunic over her new dress, hiding the garment away.  The dark elf covered the rest of her bare skin with her cloak and long gloves, leaving her head and red hair open.  As she was tying her hair back, Jyslyn heard her door open.  Out of instinct, her hand fell to the grey rod at her belt.

"Sorry, Jyslyn," Wren said.  She held her hands away from her body to try to ease the dark elf.  "I should have said something before I came in."  The young elf cocked her head to the side.  "Why are you dressed to go out?"

"I am going out."

Wren picked up her bow.  "I'm going, too."

Jyslyn held up a hand to stop the young elf.  "Not this time.  Wren, I need you here.  First, we're still waiting for a reply from the dwarves."

"But they might not answer at all!"

"I know, but we need to be patient."  Jyslyn patted the young elf girl's shoulder.  "The second is that where I'm going, it'll be too dangerous for you."

Wren crossed her arms.  "And it's safe for you."  Sarcasm laced her tone.

"It's not safe for me.  It's not safe for anyone.  I'll be safer than you would be, though.  Wren, you are so innocent.  I don't want to see you get tainted because of me."

The Elf's Prisoner - Commentary 33

Communications helps heal rifts, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 33.

And I'm back!  Last week got hectic, but I was still creative, thus the filk song last Friday.  Take note of it.  I rarely write poetry of any kind, even filk.  This is a once in a lifetime event.  Even my high school English teachers never saw poetry from me for assignments.  And, yes, Ottawa drivers are just that bad.

Anyway, back to The Elf's Prisoner.  Again, the story is incomplete and we're on the final countdown to the end of what was written.  It's not like The Soul Blade or The Devil You Know with just a few chapter left.  The Elf's Prisoner sprawled with the scope of the story.  I'll work out a summary of what I want to do with the rest of the story once we reach the end of the written part.

One of the biggest problems in many plots is that they can be wrapped up if people would just talk to each other.  Clear up misunderstandings by saying, "Hey, that's not what was supposed to happen.  Sorry about that."  Wacky hijinks aside, just have the concerned parties talk.  Nyssa and Kazi are using diplomacy to head off a possible war.  They have information that the Niceans don't.  Now, they don't know what the Niceans will do with the information, but the goal is to keep them from going after an innocent third party, in this case, the Sundered Chasm.

To help their cause, both Nyssa and Kazi are going in with full regalia, polished until light bounces off their outfits.  They are dressed to impress.  The Niceans aren't dealing with low-level flunkies.  Nyssa even gives Kazi a title to be more impressive.  Nyssa is also showing off her heraldry.  Nothing is being left to chance.

Lie detection spells are tricky things.  They don't discern if a statement is true or false; that would be beyond the power of the spell.  Instead, the spell detects if the subject is lying.  If a subject believes what he or she is saying, no matter how bizarre it is, the spell does not register a lie.  If Nyssa believes that Kazi's title is Chaplain, even if it isn't, then the spell will not register a lie.  Likewise, Kazi saying that they have an expert on the Accursed elves with them is the truth, without revealing that their expert is one herself.

I wound up creating a lot of Nicean culture for this scene.  How the society is shaped, who is in charge, how they deal with foreigners, all solidified for this chapter.  Ambassadors are called Ministers.  Society puts wizards, or their Nicean equivalent, in charge.  Security to get to see an ambassador is strict, too.  The dwarves don't want any messy situations from beyond the Mountain to get inside.  They don't care too much about what happens in Silver Trailings as long as it stays outside.  World building on the fly can be fun, but there's implications happening that I will have to deal with later.

Friday, a small family reunion, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 34.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, "Machinama and Fan Adaptations".
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, hiatus week.

Commentary Break

It's been a busy week.  No commentary this week, and instead of the next chapter of The Elf's Prisoner, a special presentation.  There will be a Lost in Translation Saturday and expect a review of Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express over at Psycho Drive-In.

The Elf's Prisoner - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Previously:

Culture lessons.

Inn of the Foxes, Silver Trailings, outside the Realm Below the Mountain
Kazimier sat in the common room in his formal white robes, sipping on an after-lunch glass of red wine as he waited for Nyssa to arrive downstairs.  The midday crowd thinned as people left to return to work.  Sorcha made a circuit of the common room, collecting used dishes, mugs, and utensils, a wisp of her red hair escaping her pony tail to fall in front of her face.

The sound of heavy footsteps came from the staircase.  Nyssa took each step with care, her helmet tucked under her arm.  Her plate armour shone even in the dim light from the common room's lanterns.  Kazimier drained the rest of his wine before he stood up.  "Over here, Dame Knight," he called.

Once on the main floor, Nyssa had no problem joining the elf.  "You look impressive, Chaplain."

"It's just Kazimier, Nyssa.  There's no hierarchy back in Wildwood beyond the Elder."

"Now, now, Chaplain.  There's an image we need to maintain with the Niceans.  They will be expecting proper titles.  We should oblige."

"The Niceans will know that I'm lying about the title, Nyssa."

"Nonsense!  You are a priest, thus you have the title of Chaplain, at least in these lands, mine, and theirs.  You don't have to tell them anything."

Kazimier narrowed his eyes.  "You're hoping that the wizard's spell won't detect a half-truth as a full lie."

The Elf's Prisoner - Commentary 32

Lessons in elven culture, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 32.

More emphasis on how Jyslyn is new to the surface world.  In her home, there's no need to block light.  She lived underground.  Windows are a security risk  It's too easy to shoot an arrow, a spell, or a venomous animal through one.  Jyslyn's windows were narrow slits that didn't have a great view; her sisters took the better rooms.  I didn't want to play up Jyslyn's fish-out-of-water too much, though.  She's smart and observant.  She should be able to pick up on things, though.

Kazi's personal philosophy isn't one that I share, but I understand it.  What looks like a choice might not be one, because of personal beliefs.  Jyslyn could have stayed in the Sundered Chasm.  According to Kazi, no, she didn't, because she felt the need to atone.  Likewise, her sister Valenza had many choices on what she could do instead of killing her mother and taking over the family, but she wouldn't be Valenza if she made any other decision.

The angry broom are a nod to "The Sorceror's Apprentice".  In the Sundered Chasm, the wizards tend to bind spirits to objects to force services out of them.  Wizards from more friendlier locales, like the Nicean Islands, might just animate the brooms, but the same problem exists.  At some point, the brooms will get out of hand.  With the bound spirits, they'll fight back anyway they can if they sense weakness.  Animated broom, on the other hand, just don't have the processing power to work out a new solution if they run into a problem.  The result is the same either way - the wizard gets smacked about by the broom.

Friday, the Nicean embassy, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 33.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, The Renault Brazil D&D ad.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Murder on the Orient Express.

The Elf's Prisoner - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Previously:

Sharing results.

Inn of the Foxes, Silver Trailings, outside the Realm Below the Mountain
The next morning, Jyslyn lingered in her bed, her covers pulled up over her head.  The dawning sunlight streamed in, brightening the room.  The dark elf could hear Wren walking around, humming to herself.  The young elf had been out of her own bed the moment the sun began to rise.  Jyslyn turned under her blanket to face Wren.  "Good morning."

"Good morning," Wren sang.  "I didn't know you were awake."

"The sun is bright.  I couldn't stay asleep."

"Do you want me to close the shutters?"

"Shutters?"

Wren stopped humming.  "I guess you wouldn't know what shutters are.  We use them to keep bad weather out and the heat in during wintertime.  They block the sun, so we don't close the shutters unless we need to."

Jyslyn pushed the covers away from her head.  She squinted with the morning sun lighting the room.  "No, keep these shutters open.  I need to get used to sunlight, right?"

"I guess."  Wren twittered.  "You're a bit like me.  You don't really fit in, but you're trying to."

The Elf's Prisoner - Commentary 31

Sharing the results of the investigation, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 31.

The biggest challenge when a group investigates is to get everyone up to speed while not boring the audience.  The body and the knife stuck in it are clues, but not everyone was at the crime scene.  If this was modern day, Jyslyn could just text a message to Kazi and Nyssa, all done with a sentence or two.  "Jyslyn shot a quick text message to Kazi and Nyssa, updating them."  See?

The Elf's Prisoner, though, is a fantasy.  While there is magic that can send a message - Kazi used that in Chapter 24 - Jyslyn doesn't know how to cast the spell.  Kazi used a wisp of light before, since divine magic uses the special effect of the divinity to shape the spell.  Jyslyn has to study or create her spells and she had no reason to have a messenger spell.

To avoid retreading on ground just covered, I had to add other tidbits, like character interaction.  It's not the what, but the why and the reactions.  It's not that Jyslyn found the body, it's that she brought the younger members of the team to a dangerous part of Silver Trailings.  There was movement on the investigation, but the risks were higher than what Kazi wanted.  Wren is innocent of the ways of the world, so she gets to ask the obvious questions.  Why did someone stab an already dead body?

The other obvious question is from Kazi.  Just how involved is Jyslyn's family?  Being essentially an outcast, she doesn't know.  Dark elven society is matriarchal, just like Wildwood, so Jyslyn's mother and sisters would be in charge.  Her sisters don't really like or trust Jyslyn, though Valenzia doesn't like or trust any of her family, so no surprises there.  Jyslyn also went out on her own to learn how to use magic, pulling her away from family discussions.  She's guessing, really.

Long term plans for the story, characters, and setting include having Jyslyn and Kazi become an item.  The relationship isn't going to be resolved quickly for two reasons.  The first - I'm not that great at writing planned romances.  Laura and Mackenzie in Unruly are suffering from that, and the first actual romance I tried to write failed spectacularly.  I find it easier to have a couple start as a couple.  The hard part is done, now they're together and have to deal with new challenges.

The main reason, though, is that Jyslyn and Kazi aren't in a rush.  They're elves.  Elves have a long lifespan.  A whirlwind romance might be just a decade.  They are feeling something for each other right now, but both have baggage.  If it helps, their children will be cute.

A quick reminder - The Elf's Prisoner is not complete.  Not incomplete like The Devil You Know or The Soul Blade, where I had a couple of chapters to finish to wrap things up.  Incomplete, as in, "why has HBO wrapped up A Game of Thrones when George RR Martin hasn't written let alone released the final books" incomplete.  The story, which was completely pantsed, sort of got away on me, especially once the villains started showing up.  There's more to come at some point, including a trip to the crystal elves.

Friday, nature and magic, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 32.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Playstation Productions.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, surprise adaptations.

The Elf's Prisoner - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Previously:

Violence on the streets.

Inn of the Foxes, Silver Trailings, outside the Realm Below the Mountain
"It's the same marking," Jyslyn said, showing the recovered dagger to Kazimier.

"And there wasn't any blood on the ground beneath him?" Kazimier asked.

"No, sir," Leomund answered.  "The body was dead when he was stabbed, I'm sure of it."

Nyssa crossed the room to stand behind her squire.  "I've taught the lad how to tell how someone died."

"But why stab someone already dead?" Wren asked.  "It seems like a waste of time."

The Elf's Prisoner - Commentary 30

Another dead body and another dark elf knife, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 30.

The seedier part of Silver Trailings became the setting for the chapter.  The city is a trade town, so I figured there'd not just be a rough part but one where the thieves' guilds would use, a neighbourhood the watch avoids.  Wildwood doesn't have a similar neighbourhood; the dynamics are different there.  Kazi has travelled to other cities, including in the Seven Dominions, and is aware of such places but doesn't spend time there.  Wren has been kept sheltered since her village was destroyed.  Leo has snuck off to visit such quarters while travelling with Nyssa, who did the same when she was a squire.  Jyslyn has more experience than Kazi, but not that much more; instead, she knows the mindsets involved.  She won't say it, but Jyslyn was relieved that Leo was around to help explain what Wren saw.

The streetwalker discussion let me throw in the differences between Silver Trailings and Wildwood, the big one being the latter's matriarchy.  Wildwood is very much a place where the women are allowed to express their sexuality without reproach.  Silver Trailings, under the watch of the patriarchal dwarves, aren't as open.  Add Silver Trailings' role as a trade town, and the nature of sexual relations changes.  It's not quite night and day; Silver Trailings gets influences from cultures that trade with it.

Wren still has the fuzzy memory of Kazi and Jyslyn hugging the night before, though not the full context.  Jyslyn managed to distract Wren's thoughts, at least for now.  Wren might think over what she saw, but Jyslyn's non-explanation works for now.  And if anyone used a spell to detect falsehoods there, none would be found.  Jyslyn deftly avoided the question.

Wondering who the body is?  He's Sessarine's victim back in Chapter 22.  She doesn't believe in wasting resources.  Much like Space Mutiny, no one is allowed to call in dead if they work for Sessarine.  I had gone back to make sure that she killed him by breaking his neck.  Normally, going back to edit is not recommended during NaNoWriMo, but this was needed.

The third interregnum was more for me.  I wanted to get Sessarine's reaction and to make sure she knew what was going on.  Our heroes are now known, though not with great details.  Sessarine knows she has opposition actively working against her.  This should set up the middle, as the heroes and Sessarine try to outmaneuver each other.

Friday, communicating, in The Elf's Prisoner Chapter 31.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, hiatus week.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Playstation Productions.

The Elf's Prisoner - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Previously:

The Nicean emissary.

Canal Distract, Silver Trailings, outside the Realm Below the Mountain
Jyslyn, Wren, and Leomund wound there way through the narrow streets of the Silver Trailings' Canal District.  Away from the bustling crowds, the trio took their time, taking in the sights.  Jyslyn stopped Wren from staring at daringly dressed women a few times, pulling the young elf away by the elbow.

"What is the big deal?" Wren asked after being dragged for the fifth time.  "I've never seen anyone wearing clothes like that."

"You don't need to know," Jyslyn answered.

"Can I ask them?"

"No, Wren.  It's not a good idea."

The young elf stopped dead in the street, crossing her arms.  "Why not?"

"Kazimier will be upset with both of us."  Jyslyn sighed.  "It's complicated, Wren, apparently."

"Apparently?"

Leomund laughed.  "All those women are streetwalkers."  Feeling Jyslyn glaring at him, the squire said, "Kazimier can be upset with me."

Wren added her own glare at Leomund.  "What's a streetwalker?"