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.

The Barren Fields

The Barren Fields is a short story that acts a third installment for Circle of Magie, a series of stories centered on various sorcerers who live in the fantastical land of Oliviani. I started writing it in late 2021, but I ended up putting the project on hold for A Better Place and its numerous installments. The Barren Fields takes place only one day after the events of The Bleak Oasis, with Marcel and Tanneke showing up at Agnés and Felicity's flat in Stavelot's early morning after an unfortunate encounter with bedbugs. Following some brief talk about their respective paths, the group choose to visit Stavelot's magic library for typical studies befitting sorcerers in Oliviani, but some talk with the library's master, Piret, reveals unusual occurrences in Stavelot's countryside; these occurrences, however, prove surprisingly personal to Tanneke, who ventures out on her own to try and tackle the issue herself, only for further problems to result from her act of defiance.

The Barren Fields 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 Mont-sur-Marchienne, a small town found in southern Wallonia, where French is the primary language. I felt the image meshed well with the small city feeling that I was aiming for with Stavelot, with its smaller buildings, fewer pedestrians, children playing in the nearby river, and large clearings of nature's beauty, something that went well with the group choosing to venture to the countryside. The composition of the photograph also helped, with a standard eye-level point of view instead of a high, birds-eye view to get us closer to the subjects. Stavelot itself is an actual city in Belgium as well, again located within French-speaking Wallonia.

Photos From Europa

 

Photos From Europa is a short story I wrote in March 2023, as a standalone story that takes place in the far future. Nolan Gates is a young translator working for the Martian Bureau of Interplanetary Affairs, as the sole employee in its translation division. Talented and knowledgeable about his own work, but also rarely ever given any assignments, he spends most of his days idly reading and studying in his office, only infrequently being given the chance to use his skills. One day, however, he finally gets an assignment to translate some information brought in by one refugee from the distant moon of Europa, about something neither he nor his client can fully understand.

Photos From Europa can be read here.

The above image was drawn by Torigoe Takumi, whose online portfolio can be found here, though some of its contents may not be safe for work.

Bones

Bones is an extra story created for A Better Place, as part of a suggestion by a friend. Canonically, it takes place towards the middle of series, many years after we last heard from the cast in Many Moons. Bones centers on Nico Cekala, an intelligent, but reclusive gentleman who puts on the airs of being an esteemed artificer, even with his perhaps surprisingly ramshackle living quarters. Returning to his house after a day's work of selling and trading artifacts, Nico plans to spend the rest of the day tinkering with his newest wares take an unexpected turn when a halfling named Maribelle Helder comes by asking for some alms; his meagre donation, however, ends up causing him to reveal more about his life and his goals than he ever intended.

Bones can be read here.

The above image was drawn by WANKE, whose work I've previously used to represent Katalia Rhoeas in Late Night People, alongside being considered for use for Serra Anhera in In Love This Way.

Many Moons

Many Moons is the twelfth and final installment for A Better Place, taking place long before the events of the previous story, Lost For Words. Canonically, it is also the second-earliest story in this series, its events taking place some time after Holidays In The Sun. Having only recently started journeying after breaking free from her reclusive and oppressive society, Txori Orzola finds herself in the unforgiving streets of the war-torn Sirota, her wallet stolen by a street urchin and herself having to hide from the night patrol. Initially willing to consider returning home in frustration, Txori instead finds herself in an ill-fated encounter with a halfling named Maribelle Helder, herself returning to the area to check on her family's orphanage, but unwilling to say much more. At Helder Orphanage, however, two make a discovery that changes not only their own lives, but also that of a young waif in the middle of the night.

Many Moons can be read here.

The above image was drawn by pepparmint310, whose online portfolio can be found here.

Lost For Words

 

Lost For Words is the eleventh and penultimate story for A Better Place, taking place quite some time prior to the events of In Love This Way. Lost For Words focuses on the far travels of Txori Orzola, a forest gnome from a distant, reclusive corner of the land, and while she has spent several years of traveling the land, her travels have yet to lead her to anywhere or anyplace interesting, instead finding herself frequently the subject of curious glances and questions from those she passes by. One night in the sleepy town of Luton, life seems to go on as usual for Txori; a chance encounter with a long-suffering merchant and her odd friendship with a noblewoman, however, cause her to enjoy a unique night on her travels for once.

Lost For Words can be read here.

The above image was found among some folders in one of my older flash drives, and I unfortunately do not know who drew it, nor have I been able to locate its creator. Hopefully that'll change someday soon.

In Love This Way

In Love This Way is the tenth installment of A Better Place, taking place quite some time after the previous story, The Great Curve, and canonically, it is also the last story to take place in the series. After being mentioned in passing for several stories now, Baroness Serra Celestia Anhera finally makes an appearance, returning to her high-end lifestyle in the upper echelons of high society in the grand Anhera Estate after a successful raid. With both of her parents out on other duties, Serra tries her best to enjoy her rare moment of solitude before being called to her city's grand botanical gardens; while there, she meets a close friend who holds a secret that can destroy not only Serra's life, but all of her family's reputation, only to find herself eventually fighting to keep both of their lives safe.

In Love This Way can be read here.

The above image was drawn by controlline3, whose online portfolio can be found here.