Behind the Scenes: Ancient Nebe

Please see the post on Neban Religion to better understand this post.

After Azed’s sons taught the Unhallowed the ways of their father, they took wives and settled in different lands, hoping to spread the message amongst the various tribes. However, Nebe was still one land. The walls had yet to be built, and the sons and their followers shared amongst each other, despite the distance between them.

Hundreds of turns later, man forgot Azed, remembering only his sons and their differences. The sons had been fruitful and filled the land with generations of children who honored their forefathers. How could the farmer Amir be the same as the shipwright Aded? What could the priest Abiel have in common with the scribe Abrien?

Fighting broke out amongst the land as man forgot their connections, for how could a priest praise without written language or how could a ship sail without the builder? To better honor their own god, each land formed mighty walls to keep the others out. Thus, the Strongholds were formed.

According to Neban historians, an unbroken line of fathers and sons can trace their lineage back to the son-gods. Those men became the first lords of the Strongholds.

In Vustania, the Llyr dynasty began. The last Lord was Lord Willif Llyr, who was the first to fall in Shorack’s Revolution.

In Feldeen, the Lagier dynasty began. The last Lord was Lord Burl Lagier, who fell in the first turn of the Revolution.

In Rana, the Fazil dynasty began. The last Lord was Lord Valin Fazil, who fell in the second turn of the Revolution.

In Hrundl, the Zimmer dynasty began. The last Lord was Lord Padrik Zimmer, who fell in third turn of the Revolution.

In Agralax, the Pfaff dynasty began. The last Lord was Simonis Pfaff, who fell in the third turn of the Revolution.

In Goffany, the Taksony dynasty began. The last Lord was Lord Garret Taksony, who fell in the fourth turn of the Revolution.

While there is much more to Neban history than this simple overview, suffice it to say that the Stronghold stood for almost two millennia before Shorack’s Revolution (which happens approximately ten turns before our tale begins).

Shorack’s Revolution and the Unification will comprise the next “Behind the Scenes” post.

Behind the Scenes: Neban Religion

To help me keep things organized, I have a huge notebook of information about Nebe. It might be helpful to share it with those of you following along with the WIP. 

Any culture’s foundations are set in its myths. So, I’ve chosen to start there…

According to the Doxa (the official religion of Nebe), Azed lived in the time of chaos. He ordered the elements, creating the world and all that inhabits it.

The first men were the Unhallowed, and they had no knowledge of Azed or what he had done for them. To rectify this, Azed sent his six sons to Nebe to teach man his ways. Each son was a piece of himself and had the knowledge of a specific domain.

After sharing their knowledge with all, each of Azed’s sons took a wife and settled in a different part of Nebe. According to the Doxa, this is how the six Strongholds came into being, as each is known for a different skill.

Alban, the builder, taught the Unhallowed how to mine and lumber. The Unhallowed learned how to build homes for themselves and temples to Azed. He is associated with the Stronghold of Hrundl, in northeast Nebe.

Amir, the farmer, taught the Unhallowed how to cultivate the land and its animals. The Unhallowed learned how to grow crops and domesticate animals. He is associated with the Stronghold of Feldeen, in west-central Nebe.

Abrien, the scribe, taught the Unhallowed to write. The Unhallowed learned to put their words to stone or parchment and keep records. He is associated with Rana, in southeast Nebe.

Arlind, the metalsmith, taught the Unhallowed to identify and use precious metals. The Unhallowed learned to shape metals to their needs. He is associated with Taksony, in southwest Nebe.

Adet, the shipwright, taught the Unhallowed to craft ships that would sail the rivers and ocean. The Unhallowed learned to navigate and fish. He is associated with Vustania, in east-central Nebe.

Abiel, the priest, taught the Unhallowed how to praise Azed. The Unhallowed learned the laws that Azed wanted them to follow. He is associated with Agralax, in northwest Nebe.

Thousands of turns after Azed’s sons died, man forgot their father and the connection between the sons. Instead, each isolated Stronghold honored its specific son as the true god, and much fighting occurred between the lands. Azed spoke to the prophet Wasa, who reminded the people of Nebe that their gods were all incarnations of the almighty Azed.

Though Wasa was killed for his teachings, a small faction of believers continued to preach Azed’s message. This is how the Doxa came into being, though it took many, many turns for it to become the official religion. The servants of Azed are now known as wasals in honor of the prophet.

More on the Nebe, the Strongholds, and the realm’s history to come…

Welcome to Nebe

For those of you reading along with my novel (tentatively called “The Protector’s Legacy), I thought a map might help.

This is nowhere near done. I edit and add and erase as I go along. However, you can at least see, in general, where the action is taking place.

My newest addition is the hole in the top left of the map, which I’ve based off this amazing image from Belize. (Thar be critters lurking down thar!)

More novel to follow in a day or two. I’m adding the final parts to Chapter Five this weekend.

The Hero of My Own Tale

As a child, I wrote. I spun pseudo-plagiarized versions of my favorite books, taking their ideas, changing them slightly, and filling spiral notebooks full of characters who lived out my childhood dramas. My friends and enemies provided fodder for the semi-autobiographical tales where I was the hero of my own plot. It was therapy for me in the days before children were given drugs to focus their energies.

As a teenager, I read. I looked over what I had written. I was appalled. I saw the inconsistencies in the storylines. I saw my pages as knock-offs of more seasoned writers who had already said what I wanted to say – and said it better. Even worse, I saw myself sprawled naked across the pages. I saw my fears, my inaptitude, my young mind grappling with childish dramas. Disgusted, I tore the pages from the once-treasured notebooks and shredded them in the hopes that destroying the pages would hide the child I once was. After all, I was sixteen and an “adult,” embarrassed by the person I had been.

As a parent, I see my own daughter scribbling away in her room in spiral notebooks, which she keeps hidden under her mattress or under a pile of clothes in her closet. Hard as it is, I respect her privacy and let the stories remain concealed. I dread the day that she, too, will toss away her childish plots and dramas. I want to run into her room and steal the precious pages – not to read, but to put in my own special hiding place where they will remain safe from the teenager she will soon become.

She is the reason I’ve started writing again. She is the reason I’ve started this blog. Once I press “submit,” there’s no going back. The information is out there. Feel free to judge or mock or delight in my writing. I’m no longer a self-conscious teenager who seeks approval from others (though, I suppose, the critiques will always hurt, no matter how much I try to convince myself they won’t).

There will always be authors who’ve said it before, told the same story. There will always be authors who articulate their ideas more clearly and poetically. I may never make it to Mordor to destroy the ring or return home to free the universe from the evil empire, but I don’t have to. I’m content to be the unnamed bard or minstrel at the anonymous tavern where the hero stops for the night and sheds a tear as he listens to my words.