Clash

 

Clash is another small companion piece for A Call To Arms, and will likely be the final instalment until my next project is completely finalised. Taking place later in the overall chronology of the series, it features our first story within the dunes of Dahabi, with Lord Crispin Ellery Labourt and Baroness Serra Celestia Anhera having successfully negotiated a lucrative business contract with a dwarven merchant house. As Crispin walks through town with his betrothed to see what the bustling town around them has to offer, to Serra's constant disinterest, the two come across an amphitheater being used for basic combat demonstrations. Pressed by Crispin to showcase the might of the Anhera name, Serra finds herself squaring off against an elven fighter who proves a dangerous fighter himself.

Clash can be read here.

The above image was drawn by Kent Davis, whose online portfolio can be found here. 

Shadowplay

 Shadowplay is yet another side story to the series of works inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, as a part of A Call to Arms. Set at about the same time period as the previous installment, Through The Castle Garden, Shadowplay takes place within the aristocratic city of Bourret within Seelago. Unlike every other installment, however, Shadowplay focuses upon a rather ordinary civilian rather than an established adventurer, with the merchant's apprentice Primrose Reed getting the main role as she works a stand for her fragile, but budding merchant collective, Red Ambrosia Wares. In the midst of her day, however, Primrose finds herself accosted by an enigmatic traveler named Ash Snyder, a brazen woman who seems to know too much and too little at the same time.

Shadowplay can be read here.

The above image was drawn by ErosPanda, whose online portfolio can be found here.

The Still Parade

 

The Still Parade is a short story that acts a fourth installment for Circle of Magie, a series of stories centered on various sorcerers who live in the fantastical land of Oliviani, itself based on the nation of Belgium at the turn of the 19th century. The Still Parade takes place several weeks since the events of The Barren Fields, with Marcel Recker having spent several weeks away from most of the cast from the previous stories, Tanneke Daamen having vanished, and Felicity Pavona and Agnés Robben remaining in Stavelot. Walking back to his apartment within the bustling city of Leuven, however, Marcel ends up reuniting with some of his old friends, while also finding himself in the midst of both a conspiracy in his city, and a complicated familial conflict.

The Still Parade can be downloaded as a PDF in the following formats:

Complete
    Part 1
    Part 2
    Part 3

The above photograph is that of the real-life Leuven, a capital city within West Flanders, where Flemish / Dutch is the primary language (in French, it's called Louvain instead). As a capital city hosting some of Europe's oldest and largest universities and libraries, alongside the world's largest beer brewer, it made sense to name my own large fictional city after it. Leuven itself also has a sadly chequered history, having been occupied and attacked by innumerable armies over the years, including during both World Wars, which felt rather fitting given what happens in this story. Hamont, where Tanneke's family lives, is another actual city within Belgium as well, located in the far north of Flanders, right against the border with Netherlands. Hamont itself is known for being a major fruit-growing area in Belgium, with its denizens speaking the Limburgish language and speaking Flemish with a marked accent, making it a fitting place for Tanneke's farmer background.

Machines On Titan

 

Machines On Titan is a short story I wrote in May to August of 2024, in the midst of other larger writing projects. Acting as a companion piece to the previous Photos From Europa, Machines On Titan looks at the Saturnian Bureau of Interplanetary Affairs, located on Titan, and its tech division. For the day shift, Cale and Ram, the tech division's most effective, but most unruly employees, have punched in, ready for the typical day of fixing up devices and technology from around the galaxy. While their superior does eventually come in with news of refugees that may need some tech repaired, a more pertinent task for the day involves a later middle-aged man from the nearby moon Dione, bringing in a particularly unusual bit of tech for the two to inspect.

Machines On Titan can be read here.

The above image was drawn by Bukimi Isan, whose online portfolio can be found here. While it's not quite evocative of what Melissa's appearance should be, I felt the basic concept of the image was fitting for this story's tone.

Through The Castle Garden

 

Through The Castle Garden is an installment for A Call to Arms, a series of stories inspired by Dungeons & Dragons. Taking place late in the canon of the series, a middle-aged Anry Muse chooses to fulfill an old promise by visiting Huaisheng Temple within Minwa Dynasty. Upon his arrival, however, he discovers that his old friend Taizong Muhtar has been deceased for some time, though his spirits are lifted upon learning that his younger sister, Zetian Muhtar, is still alive, albeit out in town at the time. After exploring the temple grounds and meeting both one of the Muhtars' mutual friends, Laleh Gulyar, and their impersonal and distant father, Shimin Muhtar, Anry ends up meeting a ranger like himself from the northern forests of Mwalakore, named Migizi; almost instantly, however, the two discover that their personalities are completely incompatible despite their shared goal of ridding the world of otherworldly beings and threats to their plane. Outside of Huaisheng's grounds, however, the two are given a joint task that forces them to cooperate for at least a few moments.

Through The Castle Garden can be read here.

The above photograph is that of an entryway to the real-life Huaisheng Mosque in Guangzhou, China. As mentioned before, Huaisheng Mosque is China's single oldest mosque and one of the world's oldest mosques, estimated to have been built in about 627 CE. A unique blend of Chinese and Muslim architecture, it acts as a perfect stand-in for the fictitious Huaisheng Temple.

Strange Pursuit

Strange Pursuit is yet another side story to the series of works inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, as part of A Call to Arms. Taking place many years prior to Land of Confusion (and indeed, Strange Pursuit is the earliest title in the canon, preceding Holidays In The Sun), a younger Anry Muse is in the midst of his own path to glory within the borders of Minwa Dynasty. Having already attained some notoriety from a bar fight, Anry finds himself pressured by a youth named Taizong Muhtar and his studious and firm mother, Cixi Song, to help find Taizong's younger sister in the city. Upon locating her in a hidden underground arena, however, Taizong finds himself thrown into a fight his studies only barely prepared him for. 

Strange Pursuit can be read here.

The above image was drawn by Uminonew, whose online portfolio can be found here.

Land of Confusion

Land of Confusion is another small companion piece for A Better Place, akin to Bones before it, as part of a new series of side stories now entitled A Call To Arms. Taking place only a few weeks after the events of No Regrets, an experienced, but aging explorer of the land, Anry Muse, arrives to the small city of Dalry with three goals in mind: examining reported occult activity in the area, honing his craft as a swordsman, and enjoying the local spirits and hospitality available to him. Easily able to accomplish the latter two goals in one ill-fated bar encounter, Anry finds himself hounded by a new traveling bard who wishes to thank him for his services; almost immediately thereafter, however, Anry finally gets to pursue his first goal in Dalry.

Land of Confusion can be read here.

The above image was drawn by Anry, whose online portfolio can be found here. He also served as the inspiration for Anry's name.