Curse me for liking that idea!

So I was going over my new notes, which are coming along better than expected, for Dragon Knights and I found a plot hole to fill. I will not explain that plot hole as it gives away to many spoilers, but as I was typing away letting my mind run onto Microsoft Word I got an idea on how to fill this plot hole. I immediately rejected it as I did not want something to horrible to happen to one of my favorite characters and to all characters in general. But somehow, despite the fact that I had let that idea go, it continued to rattle around in my brain and wouldn't leave until I considered it. Why did I have to consider it?

I like this idea. It would add a lot to the story, and by a lot I mean a lot of sadness and grief and terrible things. I think that after I get to the part in the story where this idea comes into play all of my characters are going to hate me. Curse me for liking that idea!

Be Gone Plot Holes!

So last night when I couldn't sleep my mind was racing about my Dragon Story. One thing that came from the races was that I think for now the title will be The Dragon Knights of Terravia.

Another thing that that raced to the finish was the origin of magic. This was huge since my magic post left something to be desired.

Near the beginning of time, two great being used their great powers to create what is known now as magic. The first who is now known only as the Great One created magic in order to further benefit all races. He gave it to the races that were wise and powerful, this did not include humans. The second made his magic so that all could use it if they tried hard enough and he made it more powerful than the Great Ones. His magic had a taint however. All who used it slowly lost themselves and became slaves to his will. When this was discovered, his magic was called forbidden and he was banished to a rift in the dimensions. His name was erased and he became known as the Nameless One. In order to keep him there, they altered his form and made it so that he couldn't breathe the clear and pure air of this world. Yet his magic was still practiced in some places in the world...

This also filled the biggest plot hole of them all, but that would give away to many spoilers, so I won't indulge so much of that. The above might be pretty bad spoilers but it shouldn't ruin the story for you if you ever happen to read it.

There were a few more things that I discovered about my story as I couldn't sleep last night, such as another race and character, but again, to many spoilers.

The one big hole that isn't really a plot hole is the name of the world that this all takes place in. I still don't know what its called yet, but as I was writing this I came up with an idea, and I'll try it out for a while to see if I like it.

This was a momentous occasion. I got so excited after writing this. For the first time I felt that this might just work out and that I can do this. Happiness all around.

Mages and their Magic

In my unnamed world, along with all the creatures, there are also mages, more specifically, Mage Knights. Mage Knights all know some type of magic, and some are better than others at it, and they all are trained in battle.

Mage Knights all obtain their magic in different ways. Humans are not magical creatures by nature, so every Mage Knight has had some sort of even happen to them that gave them their magical abilities.

Because they are also knights, the Mage Knights must train themselves in a certain weapon. Staffs are not considered weapons among the Mage Knights, so if a Mages magic power is intensified by a staff they will craft their staff into a spear.

Anything that cannot be explained is called magic. A dragons breath attack, the Phoenix's fire, and the behemoths curse are all known as a type of magic. If something odd happens, it is common to hear people say, "It must be magic." Since the Mage Knights use magic the most, they are the most knowledgeable about magic, and have sorted magic into five categories. Some magic can fall into more than one category.

Battle: Magic that helps in battle, such as throwing fireballs, or putting up a magical shield.

Restorative: Magic that heals or rejuvenates. This type of magic will heal a wounded soldier or give a man more energy to do his tasks.

Practical: Magic that has practical uses. This includes levitating things, making a pie appear from thin air (very popular), or gaining the ability to fly.

Useless: This is magic that really doesn’t have much use. Magic in this category includes making a flatulent sound, making little sparks, and glowing.

Forbidden: This type of magic is very rare and is at its base very evil. One of the duties of a mage knight is to find those that practice forbidden magic and arrest them. Forbidden magic is used to torture, kill, and bring great harm to others in a cruel way.

Mythological Creatures

There are three more mythological creatures that are present in my fantasy world that still remains nameless. The Phoenix, the Behemoth, and the Leviathan.

A Phoenix is a great bird with many mystical abilities. As it flies it catches fire and it rains that fire down upon all below it. The fire it rains affects those it touches differently. If an enemy of a Phoenix touches the fire from a Phoenix he will burn, but if a friend of the Phoenix touches it he will be healed of any malady. When meeting a new person, a Phoenix will throw fire at the person to judge his character. If the newcomer is rejuvenated then the Phoenix would welcome him, but if he was burned then the newcomer would be chased away.

A Phoenix, upon death, will burst into flames. From its ashes it will be reborn will all its memories of its former lives. Thus a Phoenix will have two ages, the first being from the time it was first born, the second being how long it has been since its last rebirth.

~

A Behemoth is a cursed being, believed to have once been dragons stripped of their wings. They are similar to Drake Dragons in every way except for their lack of wings and their heads. Where a Drake's head comes above its body, a Behemoth's head is even with its body. The horns on a Behemoth's head are also different in that they aren't always symmetrical.

Behemoths have great power, but are unable to use it due to their curse. Their curse causes them to be submissive and timid. This timidness has only been strengthened because of the persecution they have suffered for their curse. Most other races will treat the Behemoth lowly because they are cursed, even when they themselves don't understand why they are cursed or what the curse is. Behemoths are incredibly loyal to anyone who shows them compassion.

~

Leviathans are great serpents of the sea. It was once believed that they were a sub species of the Snake Dragons, but both the Snake Dragons and the Leviathans disagree. Leviathans guard the sea and will protect any ship that travels on it if the captain is brave enough to ask for protection from the unknown horrors of the sea.

Leviathans can float a short distance above the water in order to do a devastating attack. A Leviathan will burst from the water in a flashy way and charge its intended target. Following behind the Leviathan is a great tsunami that is used to overwhelm any foes.

~

Those are some the creatures that inhabit my fantasy world. There are a few others, but they are still just ideas that need to take shape. There is one more important group that is related to all these myths, and they will be my next blogging subject.

Of Dragons

Dragons are my favorite mythological creature, and if you haven't figured that out yet, then you haven't been paying attention at all. One great thing about writing about dragons is that they can be almost anything. There are so many different stories about dragons and in each one the dragons are always a little different. In some stories they can speak, in others only a choice few can breath fire, and so on. Thus, I have mostly determined what the dragons in my story will be like and wish to show you now.

There are three different types of dragons. There are the Snake, the Drake, and the Wyvern.

The Snake dragon is basically a Chinese dragon, but there is no China in my fictional world (that doesn't have a name yet) so I called them Snakes. These dragons are very long with four legs and have no wings, yet are superior in the air compared to the other two. Most Snake dragons have a venomous bite and some can spit poison. Those that don't are considered inferior.

The Drake and Wyvern are very similar. Some consider the Wyvern to be a sub-species to the Drake. Drakes are traditional Dragons. They are massive, stand on four legs, and have enormous wingspans. Wyverns have only two legs and what would be their front legs are instead wings that they can use to help them stand when on the ground. Drakes and Wyverns usually have an elemental breath, with the most common being fire, though there are also some that can breath ice, electricity, wind, light, and darkness. Then there is a superior ability that very few have and that is to shoot pure energy from their mouths in a devastating attack. If any Drake or Wyvern does not have any of these abilities they are considered inferior.

There are rumors that there is a fourth type of Dragon, though most don't beleive it.

Dragons are not the only mythological creatures in my story, and you can look forward to a post describing the others later on.

Dragon Story- Tray sees the list

More from my dragon story. The third character Tray is going to see the list now, and this will probably mark the end to chapter 1.

Tray was nervous. He had heard that a messenger was bringing a copy of the Dragon Knight List to his village, and that meant that someone from his village had made it. Tray knew of at least three others who had tried, but he didn’t know them very well so he didn’t know how he compared to them.

It had spread very fast that the list was coming. The whole village was buzzing with the news. The only one who didn’t seem excited was Tray’s mother. She never spoke about it, but Tray had been told by some of the other villagers that she had been on the list once but had never made it. When Tray asked her about she changed the subject. He never brought it up again, but when the try-outs were announced for the list he felt that he might have a chance since his mother had made it once before. Now that news of the list had spread across the village he had seen a change in his mother. Her temper had gotten shorter and Tray could tell that something was worrying her. Tray hoped that he had made the right decision in trying out. He didn’t know how his mother would react if he got in.

Tray was waiting near the mail house. If the list really was coming, this is where it would be posted. He felt silly just standing outside the mail house doing nothing. He could feel the disapproving looks from some of the older villagers. They probably thought that he was slacking his work, and in truth he was, but he felt too anxious to get anything done. Once he saw the list he would be able to finish his chores, he just didn’t know when the list would get here, if at all.

“Oy lookit, its Tray!”

Tray turned and saw three other boys heading towards him. As they drew closer he could tell that they were the other three who had tried out for the list. They didn’t look happy to see him.

“What, you waiting for the list to get ‘ere?” one of them said.

Tray timidly nodded, which caused the other three to burst out laughing. “Oh please, you ain’t on the list, no way you could ever get on it! If anyone from ‘ere is on the list, it’ll be one of us!” the biggest one said putting his hands on the shoulders of his two friends.

Tray looked to the ground and didn’t say anything. He already felt defeated. All three of them were bigger than he was and probably a lot stronger. There was no way that he got in if those three were his competition.

“Tha’s right, you c’n just go on home to your mummy ‘n cry Tray,” the big one said and he probably would have kept on going if it weren’t for the sound of hooves.

Tray turned and saw a messenger coming toward the village. The Messenger was riding an enormous horse and was wearing a blue uniform. Tray had never seen a messenger before, but he had heard that they were a grand sight to behold. He could see that the stories were right. The messenger’s uniform probably cost more than the whole village did. It had gold on the shoulders and for the buttons and there were medals covering the man’s chest. The messenger himself was an older looking man, but had a very stern face. Tray was suddenly keenly aware of his poverty when standing near this man.

The messenger looked at the four boys and huffed at them before dismounting. He looked around at the village with contempt as he took a piece of paper from a pouch on his waist. He unrolled it and stuck it to the wall and started muttering something under his breath.

Tray was still staring after the messenger when he was pushed down by the other boys. They walked off before Tray even knew what had happened. They didn’t look happy as they left.

Tray picked himself up and went to the list. The other three boys had obviously not made it, so Tray didn’t have much hope for himself. The list had some of the fanciest handwriting on it he had ever seen.

The following individuals have been tested and found worthy to be trained as a Royal Knight under the Order of Dragons.

Tray skimmed through the names on the list, his heart dropping farther and farther as he read. He didn’t see his name there anywhere. All the other names sounded so fancy, and they all had at least two. Finally, Tray saw the last name on the list.

Tray, Son of Delilah

Tray’s breath caught in his throat. He made the list! He was the reason that the messenger had come! He was why the town was so excited! He read the rest of it.

The above named shall report to the castle of His Royal Majesty, King Ignatius, two weeks after the posting of this list.
Those unable to afford such a journey should send a special request to the castle.

Tray didn’t know what a special request was, but a few moments in the mail house would probably solve that. This was so incredible! Tray didn’t think he had ever felt this excited before. He wanted to jump and scream, but then a thought stopped him. What would he tell his mother? He needed to tell her soon, it would be all over the village in a matter of hours, and she wouldn’t appreciate hearing it from someone else. Tray couldn’t imagine her being happy about the news.

More on my Dragon Story

I had such incredible writers block for "The Final Great Ones" and I heard that writing something else can help, so I started writing my dragon story (that still doesn't have a title). This is a different and longer version of those three paragraphs from so long ago.

The night was dark and quiet, most people having already gone to sleep. If one were to listen closely they would hear the soft footsteps of a young man walking slowly through the town. At random intervals, the young man again became visible as the moon stole away from the clouds covering it, but that was always brief. The young man didn’t stop until he came by a list posted on the wall of a building that he was going by. This list was posted all over the city, the young man reasoned; it was happenstance that I should pass by this one.

He couldn’t help but smile as he saw his name at the top of the list.

Jason Claudius

He had already known that his name was there, but it felt good to see it just the same. There had been a crowd of people at each of these lists earlier in the day after they had been posted, hundreds of young men and women trying to see the list, wanting to see if they had been chosen. Jason had been watching them with scorn, how could they expect to succeed with such poor patience. He had heard many of them shouting when they found their names on the list, and Jason had taken special note of each who had made it, scrutinizing them, weighing them. None that he had seen would present any challenge for him, he was sure of it. Jason had to smile when the people in the crowd had read aloud his name and asked if anyone knew who he was. Of course they would recognize his last name, but none would know of him. Even if his parents were known by all, it didn’t mean he was. He wasn’t foolhardy enough to show himself to those who were likely to make it on the list, possibly exposing a weakness that could be taken advantage of in a dire situation. He could see that he needn’t have worried.

Jason was about to leave the list and head home when he saw who was directly below his name on the list. It wasn’t surprising really, that she had made it so high up on the list with her skill, what was surprising was that she had even attempted to make it on the list in the first place. He hadn’t expected that. She was probably the only person who knew of his weaknesses, probably better than he did. If she wanted to, she could be a great threat to him, but that wouldn’t be a problem. Jason knew her as well as she knew him, or he thought that he did. He never would have expected her to sign up for this. He sighed to himself. She had the skill, but he felt like she wasn’t cut out for it. She would be a problem only because he would have to look out for her.

Jason continued his silent walk through the town, satisfied with what he saw. He had been waiting for this his whole life. It felt surreal to finally see his name on the list. His training would start in just a few weeks. The wait would be agonizing, but worth it. Nothing was going to stop him now.

~

Serena dreaded her walk, because she knew where she was headed. Yesterday, the list had been posted on just about every willing wall in town. She couldn’t bear to check it. She had made every excuse to stay inside. She hadn’t told her parents that she had tried out for the list. If she had, they would have insisted on checking it the moment it was known to be out. Instead she had waited until all of the clamor had died down. Nobody would be checking the lists anymore a day after they had been posted, so she would be able to do it with no one around.

It wasn’t that she was afraid that she wasn’t going to be on the list, she hoped that somehow she hadn’t made it really, she was afraid of how high on the list she would be. She had heard stories of how dangerous it was to take part in this training. Many don’t make it, and some have even died. The whole thing is taken so seriously by the participants that some will do anything to make the final cut. Serena did not want to make the final cut, but that would disgrace her family for generations. She didn’t have to worry if she wasn’t on the list, but she knew that she probably was. She didn’t thing that she could handle all of the horrible things she was likely to face. The training wouldn’t be a problem; it would be those training with her. They would be cruel and unforgiving, and she didn’t want to put herself in that kind of environment.

She finally stopped walking and looked at the list that was on the wall.

The following individuals have been tested and found worthy to be trained as a Royal Knight under the Order of Dragons.

Jason Claudius
Serena Lucetta

She was second! Serena felt her heart drop and her stomach fill with butterflies. A normal person would love being second. The list goes in order of skill shown with the tests. But it also meant that she would be a target for all those hoping to make it to the top. She would have to defend herself from all sorts of people aiming to hurt her in all kinds of ways. Serena wasn’t sure she would be able to.

The only hope she felt upon seeing the list was that Jason was just above her. Jason was one of her best friends, and she was pretty sure that she was his only friend. She knew that he would be surprised to see her on the list, but maybe he could help her. There would be many people who would try and deceive or hurt her, and she felt like Jason would try and protect her, though he would deny it outright. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she thought.

Serena read the instructions on the bottom of the list.

The above named shall report to the castle of His Royal Majesty, King Ignatius, two weeks after the posting of this list.

Serena was not looking forward to this in the least, but at least Jason would be there. Jason wasn’t always easy to be around, but Serena felt like he genuinely cared for her. He wouldn’t stand by and let someone hurt her or cheat her. She needed a friend more than anything with what she was about to go through.

It wouldn't let me center just a part of it without centering the whole thing, so pretend that the list is centered. I would have written more, but I was tired.