I have been busy working on the rough draft for the Flight of the Ninth Spire for the last month. It is slow, but it is going better than expected. This is my third run at the book. The last two times ended in disaster. The stories were too big and didn’t focus enough on the characters. I have reduced the scale but added enough steps to take the characters into a larger story. This book will be the first of four books. They represent a new arc in the Fallen Spire series and a new age, the Age of Desolation. In later blogs, I will discuss what happened in Tallendrall after the end of the Storms of the Eighth Spire. For now, all I can say is that when it comes to the voids that were left by the battle, something has to fill them.
For now, I would like to take the opportunity to introduce the main characters to the story. The descriptions will be brief and certainly not final. As I continue to refine the story, these details could certainly change.
Ben
He is a man in his early twenties with a thin, wiry frame and large glass spectacles. Born to a large farming family in the southern regions of Adia, he was never happy with his lot. His dream was to learn more about all things mechanical and wondrous in the realm. Most people would find him sitting in the corner reading books, drawing, and daydreaming. This certainly caused issues with his family, who could barely survive each winter. Eventually, he left and made a promise to himself to return with an invention that would aid his family and their farm.
Wyr
Growing up in a monastery as an orphan, he learned that the only person he could rely on was himself. While the priests did their best, food and clothing were scarce for a large number of orphans. Once he came of age, he left and joined the military. There, he learned that he was ill-suited to following orders, especially when he didn’t agree with them ethically. After deserting the army, he found himself in the old city of Trinity where he eventually met Ben.
Ellie
Princess Ellysia Pellandarr is the granddaughter of Calais Pellandarr. Her parents are the king and queen of the Rendall Republic, a mostly ceremonial title since the governing power remains with the senate. Being representatives of the republic, etiquette and diplomacy lessons were thrust upon the girl for her entire life. But, her interest was more in the scholarly areas. Like her grandmother, she loved old technologies like the portals and magical machines left by the ancients. Her mother tried to push her to be more sensible like her sister, but Ellie never listened and disappeared at the most convenient opportunity. Once she was old enough, Ellie attended the academy in Trinity to escape her royal duties and find her own path.
Piper
Piper is a storm elf, a person with elven heritage from different elemental affinities. Usually, the child will take the affinity of one of their parents, but a storm elf is one that takes no affinity. Their appearance is often a combination of their parents with different colored eyes, skin, and hair. Also, with no power to control any element, other elves looked down upon them. This made Piper’s life hard, especially after her parent’s death. Due to her parent’s heroic deeds, she was taken into the palace and trained as a guard. She loved to fight, even if it meant with her fellow soldiers. Rather than kicking her out of the palace, they gave her one last chance to be Princess Ellysia’s bodyguard. It kept her away from the other guards and meant she would be spending long amounts of time away. While she found the princess to be a little mousy, she found her company enjoyable and more time to hone her combat skills.