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Semi-Random Story Notes
Mar. 1st, 2011 05:56 pmSo, for years people have been asking about/remarking upon the obvious Discworld influences in Tales of MU and for years I've been saying "I've never read Discworld". Last year... about eleven months ago, to be specific... that changed, and while I can't say there's been a whole rash of new ideas and concepts infiltrating the MUniverse as a result, I do find myself on the cusp of writing something very Discworld-influenced.
To back up a bit: I'm not saying I'm going to write something that is like Discworld. I'm not saying to anyone, "If you like Discworld, you'll love this thing I'm talking about!" or announcing my attention to stand on the shoulders of Sir Pterry or emulate his unique style in any fashion. What I'm writing is neither pastiche nor homage, but credit is quite tautologically due where credit is due, and this story wouldn't exist if Discworld books hadn't fired up an interest in things like the running of a city, concepts of civic duty and pride, and so on
Anybody who's been looking for a modern fantasy story set in the MUniverse that doesn't actually related to MU or any students there might be particularly interested in this, as it's set in a cosmopolitan environment far from the plains of Prax, and involves the politics of the other human-headed empire, the one that Magisteria broke away from. This will probably be the first LitSnack book that's not adapted from existing material of mine or a continuation of the Gifters story.
As part of my "write for pleasure" day I've taken a couple of stabs at starting it, and while I'm not satisfied with the results in themselves, they've given me a picture of the setting, situation, and some of the characters. I'm going to go ahead and post some of that here, as a means of helping me distill what I want to keep from these drafts (as not all of this information actually appeared in the writing, it just became apparent to me as I was writing) and to gauge/whet interest from those who follow my blog.
Malbus is an island located not quite in the geographic center of the Mid-Reach Sea, which used to be the most important body of water to the inhabitants of the old empire. Its position allowed it to be a major sea power and shipping port before the rise of the empire; when it became part of the empire, it wasn't so much conquered as both sides recognized the benefits of joining up. The Mid-Reach Sea still borders many important destinations, but improvements in transportation magic has all but obviated the need for a port in the middle of it and so Malbus has gone from being one of the most important and powerful cities after the Mother City herself to being a huge and inconvenient tax liability for said City.
Countess Lucretia Falcon is the newly-appointed last proconsul of Malbus. The office of proconsul is a figurehead and a sinecure in most cases and doubly so in hers. The empire is pulling out. She's been sent to "oversee" (mainly in the sense of "stand by and watch") the transition from imperial colony to protectorate, a status which absolves the government in the Mother City from doing anything to aid Malbus in any situation but whereby they reserve the right to come back in and assert their ownership should anything interesting or potentially valuable happen.
She's also a hunted woman, with attempts on her life beginning before she even arrives to take office.
The day-to-day task of running the island is handled by an office headed up by Vogt. Note: not ruling, but running. He makes sure that forms get filled out and that everybody gets paid what they're supposed to get paid and everybody pays what they're supposed to pay. Being the person in charge of all the paperwork does give him some influence, but he's loathe to use any of it and even more loathe to admit when he does. He regards bureaucracy as a craft, and himself as a craftsman.
Vogt is a member of a dwarven clan that assimilated into the imperial government ages ago. His name (according to the internet, anyway) means "steward", and it's as much a title as a name. He has a form of polydactyly that gives him seven digits (six fingers, one thumb) on his left hand... dwarves consider this to be a sign of interest. Not necessarily favor or disfavor. On the one hand, seven is said to be the divinely perfect number, but on the other hand having extra fingers on one's hand doesn't necessarily make one any better at hand-to-hand combat or the sort of craftwork that dwarves prize. Vogt's first, last, and only concern is to keep things running smoothly. Perfection and discretion are his dual watchwords.
Marcus (last name to be determined) is a paladin who commands the Knights of Malbus, which operates as a police force on the island. Not the only police force... there is an actual civic police in operation. These things can get somewhat indistinct when dealing with a truly self-contained city-state, but the Knights of Malbus are more like federal agents. They only have jurisdiction in affairs of state. Marcus is motivated by a strong sense of truth and justice, and a desire to protect the people of Malbus from harm.
Marcus may be half-elven. I'm not sure yet.
These would be the central characters of the story, as Malbus is a racially and ethnically diverse city, as most of its population comes from its days as a shipping port and naval power.
These three would be central characters in the story, which concerns the nature of the conspiracy against Lucretia and the future rule of Malbus.
To back up a bit: I'm not saying I'm going to write something that is like Discworld. I'm not saying to anyone, "If you like Discworld, you'll love this thing I'm talking about!" or announcing my attention to stand on the shoulders of Sir Pterry or emulate his unique style in any fashion. What I'm writing is neither pastiche nor homage, but credit is quite tautologically due where credit is due, and this story wouldn't exist if Discworld books hadn't fired up an interest in things like the running of a city, concepts of civic duty and pride, and so on
Anybody who's been looking for a modern fantasy story set in the MUniverse that doesn't actually related to MU or any students there might be particularly interested in this, as it's set in a cosmopolitan environment far from the plains of Prax, and involves the politics of the other human-headed empire, the one that Magisteria broke away from. This will probably be the first LitSnack book that's not adapted from existing material of mine or a continuation of the Gifters story.
As part of my "write for pleasure" day I've taken a couple of stabs at starting it, and while I'm not satisfied with the results in themselves, they've given me a picture of the setting, situation, and some of the characters. I'm going to go ahead and post some of that here, as a means of helping me distill what I want to keep from these drafts (as not all of this information actually appeared in the writing, it just became apparent to me as I was writing) and to gauge/whet interest from those who follow my blog.
Malbus is an island located not quite in the geographic center of the Mid-Reach Sea, which used to be the most important body of water to the inhabitants of the old empire. Its position allowed it to be a major sea power and shipping port before the rise of the empire; when it became part of the empire, it wasn't so much conquered as both sides recognized the benefits of joining up. The Mid-Reach Sea still borders many important destinations, but improvements in transportation magic has all but obviated the need for a port in the middle of it and so Malbus has gone from being one of the most important and powerful cities after the Mother City herself to being a huge and inconvenient tax liability for said City.
Countess Lucretia Falcon is the newly-appointed last proconsul of Malbus. The office of proconsul is a figurehead and a sinecure in most cases and doubly so in hers. The empire is pulling out. She's been sent to "oversee" (mainly in the sense of "stand by and watch") the transition from imperial colony to protectorate, a status which absolves the government in the Mother City from doing anything to aid Malbus in any situation but whereby they reserve the right to come back in and assert their ownership should anything interesting or potentially valuable happen.
She's also a hunted woman, with attempts on her life beginning before she even arrives to take office.
The day-to-day task of running the island is handled by an office headed up by Vogt. Note: not ruling, but running. He makes sure that forms get filled out and that everybody gets paid what they're supposed to get paid and everybody pays what they're supposed to pay. Being the person in charge of all the paperwork does give him some influence, but he's loathe to use any of it and even more loathe to admit when he does. He regards bureaucracy as a craft, and himself as a craftsman.
Vogt is a member of a dwarven clan that assimilated into the imperial government ages ago. His name (according to the internet, anyway) means "steward", and it's as much a title as a name. He has a form of polydactyly that gives him seven digits (six fingers, one thumb) on his left hand... dwarves consider this to be a sign of interest. Not necessarily favor or disfavor. On the one hand, seven is said to be the divinely perfect number, but on the other hand having extra fingers on one's hand doesn't necessarily make one any better at hand-to-hand combat or the sort of craftwork that dwarves prize. Vogt's first, last, and only concern is to keep things running smoothly. Perfection and discretion are his dual watchwords.
Marcus (last name to be determined) is a paladin who commands the Knights of Malbus, which operates as a police force on the island. Not the only police force... there is an actual civic police in operation. These things can get somewhat indistinct when dealing with a truly self-contained city-state, but the Knights of Malbus are more like federal agents. They only have jurisdiction in affairs of state. Marcus is motivated by a strong sense of truth and justice, and a desire to protect the people of Malbus from harm.
Marcus may be half-elven. I'm not sure yet.
These would be the central characters of the story, as Malbus is a racially and ethnically diverse city, as most of its population comes from its days as a shipping port and naval power.
These three would be central characters in the story, which concerns the nature of the conspiracy against Lucretia and the future rule of Malbus.
