Onwards!

Watcher of the West is done! For those who have not read it and wish to do so, please click here. As I said at the bottom of the post, sharing it with you all over the last few weeks has been a really great experience for me - and I hope it has been for you as well! Thanks to this piece of work, I've had new readers from the United Kingdom, the States, Russia, Australia, China, Spain, France, Ireland, Hong Kong, and Romania - something I consider to be a humbling acheivement so early on in the life of this little project. I really can't say thank-you enough to everyone who keeps reading. If it's not too much to ask - please can you share this blog with all your friends, family, loved-ones, and so-on. Bring them to Esdaria!

As you've probably noticed, posting has somewhat slowed over the last few weeks. There are a few reasons for this: primarily, I've been exceedingly busy with exams, coursework, and revision (which are all done-and-dusted now); secondly, I've been writing and re-drafting two short(ish) stories for this blog, along with planning a couple of lore posts and just generally content-creating. These will slowly be released over the next few weeks, though now I am free from the burdens of BA History (before MA Medieval History begins anew in September), I will focus on writing the extended pieces of work around which this entire blog is fostered. As a result, posts to this blog will slow down over summer in comparison to the relatively furious rate at which they have been released.

But it is not all doom and gloom (for you readers, at least)! I am now in a position to share some details on the aforementioned short(ish) stories - still so-called because both are between 15,000-20,000 words apiece, hardly 'short'. Watcher of the West was itself slightly over 15,000 words in length, for example. The first story that will be released, entitled Blood and Gold, follows a group of criminals operating in the imperial province of Altmeria. I decided to focus on a group of people drastically different to young Sir Hugh: poor, down-and-out criminals, desperate to earn some coin in a neglected corner of the Empire. Toughened by greed and the cold harsh truths of the poverty that grips their home, the story focuses on their struggle to earn both money and respect in a world that has little of either to give.

The second story I am very excited about, and eager to share with you all. This was a piece of work I worked closely with a friend to write, building it out of ideas we both had to help shape the narrative of the story and the development of its two main characters. Currently called Of Fire and Shadow, the story follows a budding Virodian academic and his closest friend as they make their way across the province of Maedar on an mission of great scholarly importance. What follows is a tale of true friendship, loyalty, and devotion against all odds.

There are also a few general lore posts planned for the next few weeks which I won't go into detail about now. I'll be sure to keep you all updated on what's going on. I'll aim to put something out once every weekend, and if possible at one more occasion during the week. Once I have enough content ready, I'll set this in stone and post a schedule.

Thank you again!

Rob