Once and Future Things

            After a long year of ridiculous depression and mental darkness I seem to be making a recovery. I’m far from perfect of course – I can still get knocked down pretty easily and I know I’m still depressed and have stress and anxiety issues – but I do, finally, seem to be in recovery. Karen and I are SLOWLY getting our finances in order, work is awesome and I’m feeling more myself than I have in years. Most things in my life are going very well and I’m happier than I have been in a long, long time.

            I’m so very nearly me I’ve changed the name of my blog. The new one seems more appropriate anyway.

            Still, even with this newfound feeling of joy and confidence, I’m scared. I’m scared for a very odd reason. I’m scared because I’m closer than ever to achieving my goals. I’m writing more than ever and it’s as sharp and good as I’ve seen from some of my favorite authors and I know that if the writing is solid, then the rest is good because my characters and stories are solid. I’m drawing again and building up to do actual commissions with my wife and my art is improving quickly. I’m also finding more and more people interested in my art and my stories and I’m working hard on getting Hometown up and running again.

            All of this work is starting to pay off. I might be doing it all full time by January of next year if things go well.

            And it terrifies me.

            I’ve wanted to be a writer since sixth grade and an artist since ninth grade (thanks Dave, Andy, Cory, and Marvel comics for inspiring me to those particular things). I’ve been working on one project or another since sixth grade where Mrs. O inspired me to start down my writing path. Looking back on some of it, I’m glad that I haven’t been published. But, seeing the response to my art and blog, I’m more certain than ever I can do this stuff and be successful like I’ve wanted to for so very long. Not having to leave the house for work would be awesome even though I know I need to get out now and then and get off my fat ass for my health both mentally and physically.

            Still, it scares me and I’m not entirely sure why. I mean, I suppose I could be scared of failure, but that doesn’t seem right. I’m used to getting knocked down or torn down, or even outright ignored. That’s not a fear, that’s something I’m trying to fight past as being my norm. My books might not sell (and won’t if I don’t fucking write the damned things) but this is the internet and time and patience will see my comics and commissions do well. Hell, I’ve already seen people willing to pay for my stuff.

            I think the reason I’m scared is that I’m happy. I’d rather forgotten what it was like to be happy – to not worry constantly, to not have fear be the guiding voice in my every thought – and I’m only trying it tentatively for now as my brain doesn’t deal with happiness very well. You see, in my mind, when I’m happy, bad things happen. Now, it’s not that I’m happy and I see the bad more easily, no, that would be the rational, reasonable response to such things. No, in my mind, my happiness directly causes bad things to happen. It’s like a cheap, mundane version of Angel’s curse, where, instead of turning into a terrible monster when I’m happy, I just have bad things like getting sick, a blown tire, or extra bill pop up. My happiness is a DIRECT CAUSE of bad things.

            I am aware this is quite untrue and silly.

            Even knowing that, I can’t seem to fight it.

            However, I am doing my best to deal with it. I’m pushing on regardless of what my stupid brain tells me and though I’m writing more than drawing, I will soon be doing both reasonably equally. For now, however, let’s move on to those happy things, shall we?

            I’m working on quite a few projects right now, more than I’m going to list here. The important ones are, first and foremost, art.

            Well, I call it art, but…

            No, no. Stop that brain. We’re happy now.

            I’m focusing on getting to the point where I am doing commissions for art online. Some of them will be colored by Karen and be joint projects for more money. I think with Karen’s coloring and my line art, we could do some really beautiful things. So, I’m finishing up some display pieces and by the end of August I’d like to have sales ready to go. Karen will help me set up prices and display pieces as she has a bit of experience doing it already. It’s looking very promising and I think it will go well. I might not make a perfect living off of it, but it’s a start and something that will make me very happy.

            Secondly, and pretty equally, I’m finishing stuff up for Hometown. I’m working on comics, art, promos, and more. I think I’m just going to host it on blogspot as its very own page. It seems the easiest thing to do and the best for the time being. If or when it gets popular enough I’ll look into my own site for it. For now, though, I’m having great fun writing and drawing it. It’s also good to note that my friends who appear in it, who we’ll call Eric and Jess (and those are probably not their real names, but they know who they are) find the denigrating humor about themselves as funny as I do. And yeah, I get as good as I give (mostly with them beating me senseless with baseball bats). I’m not entirely sure when I’ll start posting it, but I’m shooting for the first Monday in September. I want to keep it on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday rotation for now, and maybe if it takes off and I can make a living with it, it can become more full time. I’m hoping to take this month and build up a bunch of extra comics that can be ready to go so I have back stuff ready and I don’t have to draw every day if the need arises, but it’s also my goal to start drawing every day, so it’s a kind of wait and see for right now.

            Those two things are the things I feel are most easily attainable and the things that I want to do right now. I think they’ll do well and lead to other things and make my life somewhat easier financially and emotionally in the long run. But, like I said, I’m working on a lot of things at once. My top secondary priority is Legacy of Joresch. A lot of you know this story, or parts of it, in one way or another. Jacobar has basically taken on a life of his own, with his own Twitter and Facebook accounts. He doesn’t use them often enough, and maybe that will change too. However, those people who know him seem to love him, and that’s a start. Secondly, I keep typing out little scene blurbs that are going to be in the books and they are more popular than I would have imagined. People I would not have guessed would read them not only do, but like them and comment on them.

            It’s a little weird for me.

            Mostly, though, I think it’s a strong story with good characters and I really enjoy writing it. It’s complex and twisting and has a lot of surprises and will make great second and third reads. I just wish I knew how many books it was going to take to tell the story the way I need to. I’m sure three isn’t enough, but six might be too many, and it just is a bit weird for me cause I need to have these things planned out. I’m weird that way. I guess I’ll just have to write and wait and see how the story evolves.

            Alongside Joresch, I’m working on various stories in my Apokryphos Universe. It takes place on a version of Earth and has similar themes and ideas to things like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Supernatural. There are ghosts, gods, demons, vampires, magic and more. It’s a much bigger story though, with a lot more side stories and characters than Joresch. It’s also a lot darker in a lot of ways and, as anyone who’s played my Dark Earth campaign will tell you, it’s much creepier than Joresch (even though Joresch has Chaos Wizards). I have to admit that Apokryphos is more likely to be picked up and be more popular than Joresch due to the current pop culture desires (i.e. vampires, supernatural heroes, dark gothic settings, etc) but I don’t have as much planned or ready for it as I do Joresch, which I’ve been working on much much longer. So, for now, Apokryphos gets left behind a bit.

            I’m also considering starting up another blog that deals strictly with my role playing stuff and, maybe, other people’s ideas. I don’t have a title for it yet, but I do have lots of things to post in it, including stories about my time as a game master, stories and campaigns I’ve run, favorite characters, my own creations for various role playing games including Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder, and more. It’s something I could probably write on every day to the exclusion of working on anything and everything else, but I’d rather not. For now, it’s a side project on my mind, but may have to wait till I can do things more full time, or I have people interested in helping me with it and contributing to it (and I have some people I’d like to talk to about it, so you never know).

            While I have a bunch of other things I’m writing on or otherwise trying to work on, these are the ones I’m most interested in and working on the hardest. My only other goal is to start writing at least one blog a day for Monday through Friday. I know it’s good for me and I like to see that people are reading and interested in the stuff I write. We’ll see how it goes, I guess. I always feel like my blogs should be, at least, slightly important and reflective if not informational. That wasn’t my intent when I started it, but I guess that’s sort of what it’s evolved into.

            Again, we’ll have to see how things go.

            It might be that it turns into a weekly thing where I rant or just meander through whatever thoughts wander through my brain.

            Anyway, welcome to Song of Chaos, and thank you.

            Whether you know it or not, you’ve helped me recover and get this far into my dreams.

            Later days!

I've Gotta Live With the Choices I've Made, And I Can't Live With Myself Today...

            I like to write. I love to draw. I find, more and more that there are actually a lot of people who are open to my type of humor, who enjoy what I draw, who might pay for pictures or stories I create.

I find this more and more and yet, I don’t seem to be able to do anything about it.

Generally, there are a lot of excuses I find myself making when it comes to these things. I sit and I think “okay, I should do something tonight. People loved Hometown, even if it was short lived, and I’ve gotten a few chuckles out of people just talking about what I want to do, so let’s give it a go.”

But then, I don’t.

I’m tired. It’s been a long week. I need to relax. I’m hungry. After this. It doesn’t matter, no one’s going to read it anyway, no one read the last things I did. What’s the point? You’re not going to make anything from it. It’s dumb anyway. Look at that guy! His art’s incredible! You look like a crappy kindergarten crayon stick figure! AND it’s in color, you fucking hack. Just go play some dumb games and get some gold for your guild. You can’t do fuck all anything else, so make yourself useful somehow, you fat piece of shit.
            That’s sort of the process that happens and I end up not doing anything.

So, I’m told I am depressed. I have depression. I used to think it wasn’t a thing. Maybe it still isn’t. I don’t know. All I know is that I can’t fight that voice, or at least, I can’t fight it very often. I want to do these things. Eric and Jess are behind me in making the comic. They enjoy the stupidity I put in there, and the good (and not so good) natured mocking I give us all. Hell, just describing the comic to people who don’t even know my friends have laughed at just some of the ideas. They like the idea of the comic, and would probably enjoy it if I could get it out there. I have more comics that people want as well, more stories, more art. People like my creativity. They like what comes of it. I have marketable skills in those areas. I could make money off of them if I could just sit down and actually work on things.

But, my brain is fundamentally broken.

I still don’t know what all is wrong with my brain. The terms that are thrown out every time someone talks about an actual diagnosis is always the same; severe depression (crippling once), anxiety disorder, stress disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. There’s also the fact that I truly, deeply hate myself above all other things. I don’t know if that’s a disorder or if it goes along with one of the others. No one’s said. However, my brain isn’t right. And last night, it got the most not right it ever gets.
            Not a lot of you know about this. I don’t talk about it much. I play it off, pass it off, but it’s the most terrifying aspect of whatever is wrong with me, of this thing that I’m trying so hard to fight so I can be who I was once, so I can draw, so maybe, just maybe, I can be happy and successful.

Now, this doesn’t happen often. So far, it’s not done any real damage. That doesn’t mean it’s not bad, that doesn’t mean it’s not scary as hell. So, to preface, I have a tooth that needs to come out. A root canal at this point probably won’t do any good. It’s one tooth, after a year of completely not taking care of myself from super severe, crippling depression. The dentist says given what I did (or rather didn’t do, I guess) my teeth are actually in really good shape, and just that one needs out. This tooth has been infected once. Such things only get worse each time it happens. So, I’ve been in constant pain of one type or another in my mouth and jaw for a solid month. I have not been sleeping well. I have been working. I have been trying to work on drawing and writing. I have been pushing myself incredibly hard trying to live like I used to. Wednesday, the pain got so bad, I slept about 4 hours and simply could not get back to sleep. It wasn’t a big deal. Work went well and I had fun and came home and tried to grab a nap, but it didn’t happen.

The pain was so bad, I couldn’t sleep at all, and it only got worse.

I finally called a real dentist, since I had little other choice and managed to find one that gave free consults. I went in, got x-rays, and the place was great. It’s called Aspen Dental, by the way. The one in my area was amazing and everyone was so nice and so very helpful. But that was yesterday. They gave me some antibiotics, but they take time. The pain still hadn’t gone away and they didn’t really have anything for the pain. I did what I could to manage it, but it was intense, and still is to an extent. So, I was going on well over two days without any sort of decent sleep.

This is where things get bad. Most of you know that there’s something wrong with me, and that I’m not myself anymore. Some of you know I have an incredibly high pain tolerance. I worked for a week cleaning carpets with a broken toe, among other things (that toe got stepped on and broken again 3 times that week. The toe is so badly broken that it shows up like it’s broken on an x-ray cause it never healed proberly). So, when I’m beyond my pain threshold, you know it’s bad. I hadn’t slept, couldn’t sleep, tried to sleep, could not (still kind of can’t) escape the intolerable, ever building, throbbing, non-stop pain. So, with maybe four hours of sleep from Wednesday, I’d been up with this pain. It was now approaching 5 a.m. Friday morning. I’d been up almost two solid days. 43 hours without sleep and in constant, unbearable pain. I was watching Family Guy on the couch, trying to get the pain down, and hoping for the best. The next thing I know Karen is pounding on my chest and glaring at me and my face, arms and chest are burning.

This is the result.

If you think it looks painful, you're right.

Both arms are like that, as are parts of my face, chest, and stomach. I’d apparently been at it for a while.

I don’t know why I do it.
            It’s not a conscious decision. I am unaware that I’m doing it. I think, very strongly, it has something to do with how much I hate myself, but it’s very scary. It’s terrifying to know that there are times when I’m completely out of control of my body.

It’s even more terrifying because I do have suicidal thoughts.
            I’m afraid, one of these days, Karen will find me dead.

There’s not a lot of people who know how deep all of this goes. There’s a few, I’m sure who think I’m full of shit or don’t believe me, or don’t care. I wish I could say I didn’t expect that, or that I didn’t care, but I do expect it and I do care.

This is my life now. Trying, on a daily basis, to work through everything, to get out of this hell that I’m living in, to break out and get back to a life that makes me happy, a life that makes my wife happy, a life that is good and mostly care-free.

More than anything I can’t stand what this does to Karen. Every time it happens, my brain cycles to that place she hates.

“She deserves better. I’m holding her back. I’m making her miserable.”

She vehemently denies this, and will, occasionally (and with just cause) smack me a bit for saying or even thinking such things. I wish I could get over them, but I can’t. Not yet. I am trying. Things are, slowly, starting to improve in many ways. I thought I was getting better much more quickly, but, apparently not. Maybe this is an extreme case, with the pain and the lack of sleep. I don’t know and I can’t tell because I can’t see myself from the outside. I can from the inside. I don’t like what I think. I don’t like what I feel. It’s hard for me to fight back against things I see because I don’t feel I should. Who am I to correct anyone? And it’s the same with my writing and drawing. Who would care about anything I have to say?

Somewhere I know I have talent. Somewhere I know that people would enjoy Onyx and Jacobar, Saine and Chance. They would love to see Jess so seething with rage that he cooks the bed of meat I replaced his real bed with in his room. They want to see a Star Captain Canfield and the Galaxy Cadets patrol the stars. They want to know why there are so few priests with any actual power in the world of Liorus. They want to know Talon’s secrets, and why she so fervently defends and protects the Lightseeker.

I know I have good ideas, I know I have good stories. I know I have worth somewhere deep down inside.

Getting it out is like trying to balance an elephant on a mouse. It’s theoretically possible, but highly improbable. And despite his best efforts, Jacobar remains only a voice in my head, unable to bring about any real change in statistics.

So that’s pretty much everything I keep hidden. I’m sure the people I work with have no idea. They see this happy guy who makes people laugh, they see me work with customers and do my best to make their day better, but they have no idea that underneath is a man who just wants to sleep and never wake up again.

Later days.

Race a Day: Lycan

Lycan

Mystic travelers with ties to the primal and the night.

RACIAL TRAITS

Average Height: 5’-6’3”

Average Weight: 100-250lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma

Size: Medium

Speed: 6 squares

Vision: Low-light

Languages: Common, Sylorel, Lycan Dialect

Skill Bonuses: +2 Nature, +2 Perception

Bond of Nature: You can speak to animals who do not have a normal language and who are intelligent enough to speak. This does not mean an animal is predisposed to be friendly to you, but you can communicate with it.

Gleam of the Red Eye: You gain a +2 racial bonus to Intimidate.

Natural Weapons: You have claws on your hands that allow you to deal 1d6 damage to an opponent. You may use both hands on a single opponent in a single attack without suffering any penalties.

One with the Night: You gain training in Stealth.

Mystic travelers who have a strange affinity for the night, lycan are a mysterious nomadic race. They travel from city to city, country to country, in large caravans made up of one or two families. Some see them as beautiful, magical entertainers. Other see them as harbingers and dark omens; wherever you find a lycan caravan, you are likely to find trouble.

Play a lycan if you want…

            ♦ to be a mysterious, charismatic creature of the night.

            ♦ to have strange and powerful ties to the natural world.

            ♦ to be a member of a race that favors the bard, druid, invoker, rogue, shaman, sorcerer, and warlock classes.

Physical Qualities

Lycan resemble humanoid wolves. They are covered with fur and have bushy tails like a wolf or large predatory dog. They stand roughly the same height as humans, with a slightly leaner build and somewhat smaller frame. Some lycan have knees that bend backwards and resemble an actual wolf’s leg as opposed to a normal human leg. Their heads are entirely wolfish but they have no mains or hair aside from their normal fur. Their fur colors run a wide gamut of colors from oranges and reds, to browns and tans, and even greys and blacks. Most often they are a solid color with their belly being white, or occasionally white paws. However, there are a number that have mottled colors on their faces, or occasional streaks of color through their fur. Their eyes are very human-like, but they’re usually gold, silver, blue, or purple.

            Lycan have a very particular style of dress, enjoying lavish leather clothes and dark fabrics that are not only beautiful and elegant, but also functional. Woman tend to wear black lace and satin dresses that sweep and swoop and carefully, tastefully show off their curves, but also conceal various weapons and hidden pockets and pouches. Some prefer to let their hair flow free, while others enjoy intricate lace scarves to tie their hair in. Often these are decorated with jewels and coins. The men enjoy soft cotton shirts with leather vests. The vests are always ornate and have a few interesting bits of metalwork or jewelry on them. They also enjoy a nice broad brimmed hat such as a bowler, fedora, or homburg. Both men and women enjoy jewelry and talismans. You will find ears that have multiple piercings, several necklaces made of string and chain that have various symbols, characters, and talismans carved out of bone, wood, or made of pewter or gold and silver. The men enjoy rings more while the women enjoy bracelets and bangles worn on the wrist or ankle.

            Lycan mature at a human rate, but then the aging process slows. They are vital until around 100 years of age, then they begin to slow and degrade physically. They can live to see 150 to 200 years.

Playing a Lycan

The lycan are a very nomadic tribe. They generally move in large caravans, almost like a performing troupe; large wagons that are also homes, tents, various animals, and other things. The caravans size depends on the number of families who travel together. There are usually around 3 families or roughly 14 people in a small group, and the larger groups can have 20 families and more than 100 people. Family ties and bonds are very important in lycan culture, and often families will merge. Though there may be different bloodlines in a caravan, they often consider themselves one big family traveling together.

            Lycan make their living by being skilled merchants and excellent entertainers. Their mystic ties allow them to make tinctures and tonics that are potent and valuable, and they’re excellent at finding hidden and rare herbs and roots used in alchemy and cooking. Many are also bards and performers. They have enchanting voices and their travel allows them to learn a great number of inspiring tales and songs to cheer the spirits of anyone they perform for. Still others have great magic power and use their arcane abilities to enchant, dispel evil, and raise protective wards.

            It is this mystic power that keeps the lycan traveling. Since their birth, they have been tied to the magic and natural world of Joresch. They can speak with the animals, sense danger on the wind, and read tarots or tea leaves to peek at the future. They travel and use their abilities to protect the world from dark and secret forces. This has led them to become an omen among many people. A shaman will divine where they’re next destination might be, and when they arrive, bad things may have already started to happen. When the lycan are seen, they are tied to the malady of the city. The lycan will have their performers and merchants go out and distract by plying their wares, while the warriors of the tribe go and search out the darkness and destroy it. The fear of lycans is only compounded when the darkness is lifted as they leave for their next destination. They bear their fate with a smile, happy to be doing good even if no one sees it. It is due to their diligence that many countries and cities are still standing. It is also why lycan are the only race on Joresch that know of the Obsidian Order.

            In the end, the lycan are a noble race of protectors and mystics. They are strong and bear their burden with a smile and a song, happy in the knowledge that they are with their family and helping the world. They can be mistrustful of outsiders, given the way they are treated, but they are usually willing to give anyone a chance. They are a friendly, warm and affable people who only want to live their lives and protect the world from unseen dangers.

Lycan Characteristics: Adaptable, ambitious, cautious, charming, mysterious, mystic, protective, sly, wise

Male Names: Bo, Boldo, Diorjy, Emilian, Fonso, Hanzi, Luca, Marko, Milosh, Niko, Shandor, Stefan, Tobar, Walther, Yanoro, Yoska

Female Names: Aishe, Esmerelda, Florica, Jaelle, Luminista, Mala, Nadya, Nori, Shofara, Symza, Talitha, Vadoma, Viola

Lycan Adventurers

Three sample lycan adventurers are described below.

            Boldo is a lycan bard. He has traveled on his own for a long while to broaden his ability and talent. He’s made many friends and allies throughout Joresch in his travels, and his life is simple and easy. Recently, he decided to try and find his family caravan and went in search of his own people. He was shocked to find a caravan burning and nearly destroyed. He leaped into help his brethren, saving nearly 20 members of the caravan and fighting off strange, dark, twisted creatures that resembled kasoev dragons. After getting the survivors to safety he spoke with the elder of the tribe and learned that the creatures are not natural, and they suspect it has something to do with the Obsidian Order. They’ve recently been attacking caravans, and the attacks are coming more swiftly and against larger caravans. Something must be done. Ensuring the survivors are safe in a big town and will be well on their own, Boldo sets out to call in favors and form an adventuring group to discover the secret of the creatures and why the Order has targeted his people.

            Dark things have always followed Florica, and she commands them and controls them for the aid of the caravan. She uses her warlock powers to fight evil wherever her family travels. During their last battle, her powers were magnified, the shadows, demons and magic nearly slipping from her control. After she sat down and spoke with Those from the Shadows. They spoke of fear, they whispered to her that something had changed in the world, and that a great hero had been born, but it only served to weaken the barriers that shelter the world from other planes and evils. Now there are tears opening all over the world, some natural, some being ripped open by evil mages with dark purpose. Florica, determined, told her people, and they moved out, heading for the next town to protect while Florica worked to balance and control her power.

            Niko is a rogue who enjoys the shadows of big cities. He long ago left his tribe, believing the world was his for the taking. He lives in Quin’la and makes his living as a skilled thief and pick pocket. He’s never been caught and has made a small reputation for himself as a man who can get things or get into places no others should. One day, while parusing the palace and lightening the terribly overburdened coin purses of visiting dignitaries, he happened upon the king’s chamber and managed to sneak inside. What he saw shocked him. There was a man there he’d never seen before, using dark magic to animate the king’s corpse. Niko managed to escape unseen, but is now worried about what the necromancer might be doing with the king, and how long the king has been dead. He decides he must find help and goes out to seek adventurers he trusts to share this knowledge with and find a way to learn what evil is being plotted and bring it to an end.

Race a Day: Leyous

Leyous

Lords of the Yurisai and noble warriors of Joresch.

RACIAL TRAITS

Average Height: 6’-7’8”

Average Weight: 250-500lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Charisma

Size: Medium

Speed: 6 squares

Vision: Low-light

Languages: Common, Sylorel, Leyous Dialect

Skill Bonuses: +2 Diplomacy, +2 Intimidate

Alpha Inspiration: All yurisai within 10 squares of you gain a +1 racial bonus to checks and attack rolls.

Noble Bearing: You gain training in Diplomacy.

Powerful Presence: You gain training in Intimidation.

Born leaders, the noble leyous are defenders and protectors of the yurisai. They tend to be high ranking political leaders or kings and queen. Their power, elegance and control make them a force to be reckoned with.

Play a leyous if you want…

            ♦ to be a strong, charismatic defender.

            ♦ to be an inspiration to your group.

            ♦ to be a member of a race that favors the bard, budo, cleric, fighter, paladin, warlord, and wizard classes.

Leyous resemble humanoid lions and other large predatory cats. They are covered in fur and have tails. They are tall, usually around 6’7”, but tend to be relatively the same build as humans with somewhat broader shoulders. They have four fingers on their hands, three fingers and a thumb. Their heads are that of a large predatory cat, and both male and female have long, thick mains of hair on their head. Their fur runs from dark browns and tans, to dark grey and black. They have no stripes and are always one solid color on their back, but they may have white belly, though not always. Their eyes are clear and have very human colors and features.

            Leyous develop and age as humans do.

Playing a Leyous

Taking naturally to leading, the leyous have found homes in the highest parts of society. They are royalty, they are council members, they are law makers, they are knights and constabulary. Though they are not always something powerful or political, they tend to be in places where they are helpful and can make a difference. Their strength and charisma allow them to be excellent warriors and diplomats and has put them in places of power all over the world. The leader of Orlan, Baron Artesch is a leyous as is the empress of Thiassis, Lady Saiyanna.

            Leyous can be found practically anywhere, but, unlike their nomadic cousins, they are city folk. They enjoy the big cities where there are lots of people, opportunities, and society. They have their own city, Teloris, in Sundol. It was built by a great number of people, and is a sprawling metropolis with lovely gardens and the highest population of not only leyous, but also yurisai in the whole of Joresch. Here there is no slavery, there is no oppression and all are welcome. The leyous have very strong feelings on slavery as, during the Gerrax Conquest Wars, their people were forcibly and violently enslaved as warriors alongside several other races to fight against their own kind. They have since helped free slaves in Orlan, making it a free nation. They also helped lead a great migration of yurisai slaves from Askar, where the yurisai have no rights and are considered beasts of burden.

            Leyous love families, and rarely have fewer than six or seven siblings. They live in big homes with many generations of family together and few things make them as happy as their family. While they aspire to be leaders and help and protect people, their greatest desires tend to be simple; home and hearth, health and family. They yearn to settle down with a special mate and have a big family to share their love and life with. They are one of only a few species that are affected by the souralis, which translates to soul bond. When a leyous meets their mate, both sides know it instantly, and the passion that they find in each other is binding, permanent and, from all accounts, incredible.

            In the end, the leyous are, despite their great power, a very simple, happy race. Home and hearth are the important things in their lives, and though they wield great power, they don’t see themselves as being better than anyone else. In fact they are a warm and welcoming people who enjoy  making new friends. One of the interesting and most well liked aspects of the leyous are the fact that they are such simple and honest folk. Artesch will, after the end of a long day working with his council, go down to the local pub and meet with people, occasionally buying drinks with his own coin for the whole of the bar. The Lady Saiyanna teaches many students in her home, and also is a hostess and chef at a favored restaurant. Warm, friendly, affable, and loyal to those who earn their trust, the leyous are a great friend to have in or out of battle.

Leyous Characteristics: Brave, charming, confident, diplomatic, loyal, noble, open-minded, proud, wise

Male Names: Abasi, Funsani, Garai, Haji, Hamdi, Kafele, Kek, Khufu, Madu, Ryn, Sabola, Seb, Sefu, Zahur, Ziyad, Zuberi

Female Names: Akila, Anat, Bennu, Dendara, Isis, Jendayi, Lapis, Layla, Masika, Mosi, Nabiri, Sabah, Seletise, Umaya, Zaliki

Leyous Adventurers

Three sample leyous adventurers are described below.

            Ryn is a warlord who has served his people well for many years. During his life has traveled to every country on Joresch and made friends and allies in all those places. He’s currently enjoying retirement in Q’omar, aiding in training the guards and helping the man-at-arms with the day to day chores. However, a message has come from his home of Teloris; they are being threatened by dark forces. With the blessing of the man-at-arms and the leader of Q’omar, Ryn gathers a few friends and heads back into the world to defend his people.

            Dendara is a budo living a quiet, peaceful life in Thiassis. For many years she has trained and helped to train various budo and other warriors in the ways of the Harmonies and various martial arts. Recently, something odd has started to call to her. There is a feeling, a desire to leave, to go out in the world. After discussing her dreams and feelings with her master, she is both frightened and delighted to discover that she is being called to Judgment; that calling from Jorren in which all great warriors battle for the mantle of the Flame. Packing her things, she prepares for a great journey which could lead her to become the most powerful and knowledgeable warrior in the mortal world.

            Garai is a fighter who has been freeing enslaved yurisai in Askar for years. His most recent mission was ended with a surprise attack by a band of highly trained, heavily armed warriors he had never seen before. He was surprised to find that he woke up from the battle, and finds that he is now in a dungeon with a large group of other people. Each day guards come with a priest in black robes to take away a prisoner. Those who are taken never return. Growing weaker and knowing his chance will soon be gone, he works with some of the other prisoners and makes his move to escape. Leading a big group out, he finds that he has been held prisoner in a secret dungeon beneath the Academy of the Flame in Askar. They fight their way out and to a safe point to be teleported to Graywyn. There, he tells his tale to leaders of Graywyn and he helps them start preparing for an attack to free the others.