A new character reveals themselves...

So yeah, as stated in the title…

While deep in thought about the peoples of Arillion, I found myself turning towards the Middle Kingdom (A name given by the other ruling kingdoms). A small realm of peaceful folk (farmers for the most part), folk who do not have a ruling royalty of sorts, but they do ordain a Mayor as such to oversee the troubles of their little realm…

Somehow, I stumbled upon a young lad (27 Seasons old) who holds a small farmstead left to him in his Uncle’s will. Though his Uncle was just the holder of his brothers Farmstead until his nephew was deemed old enough to own it rightfully (all documents are within the Halls of Details at Halthorn Town (the central settlement of this kingdom).

As I wandered through his past (all in my head at this point), I found myself naming him, and his father (who died some time ago), and his uncle too… They seemed like really nice people who many of the townsfolk speak highly of…

But, I’m torn… Torn between the past and future of these people…

The names:- Young lad, 27 seasons old (Seasons are Years in this tale) called Aldan. His deceased father:- Culdan. His also deceased Uncle:- Falgorin (which is how he received his farmstead in the reading of the will)…

The past:- Culdan hails from the far East and the Imperial City of Olban, and is renowned by just a few who still live as “One of the greatest swordsmen ever to have lived”. Yet he deserted Olban and took a great and powerful item with him. This happened many thousands of seasons ago (Men in my tale live for many thousands of seasons).

The Futrure:- Geldrid sends men from Acoss (Those who left Olban under penalty of death if they ever return) to seek out the last remaining force of arms from Acoss who now dwell in the middle kingdom, and to ride forth to the aid of Redstone and their diminished army to hold back the advances of Astiol…

The present thoughts of the Author:- How could I get Aldan involved in this war? How do I get Aldan to discover the Powerful Artefact? And what could it be?

I’m not always short of solutions, but right now I’m a little buggered as to how I should interject this person and show the family history also…

Any ideas? All would be helpful indeed.

SD

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This sounds like the setup for the Eragon series…

He’s 27, so he’s not a really young man, to be involved. Remember our youth is artificial, when looking at older histories. So, lies don’t stand up real well to leading him to fight (one of the reason we get 18 year olds to enlist is how malleable they are). He’s past his first flush of youthful lusts. If he’s got no drives for war, then a conscription or tribute would force him.

He’s also not “too old for this crap”, either.

And if he’s really against fighting this war and has the option between the two, rumors about the artifact in his family history could force him to start looking for it.

I’d make it “the great shield” of the nation it came from—the power source for keeping wars at it’s borders and not within it’s walls, something a small kingdom would desperately need.

Now, it SHOULD do more than that, but just this basics could give you room to test ideas.

That could be true, yet he is still considered very young when the race of men live for many thousands of years.

Ah! Yeah… But not to spoil anything, Thr Imperial City of Olban where it came from has fallen. Locked behind it’s vast wall if fell long ago to much I will not speak of here. Just that it no longer could offer anything towards the war than it’s long cold shadows…

But thanks for all the other suggestions kindly!

SD

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Oh, I know its relative, and they may treat him like a baby, which will dampen the rate of maturity unless he’s very independent. I’m talking about the time it takes to get beyond trusting what he’s told by his own government. You either have to be raised mistrusting, or seen enough failures to make you mistrust, which is why military tends to recruit young. You’re going to be given orders that don’t make sense, and if you mistrust the orders, you’re going to cause problems, is all.

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Urgh!, Please no! Soil my works not with such comments…

I just could not get into those books, but the titles did seem likeable… Especially Brisingr…

SD

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Yeah… I see what you mean…

Thanks!
SD

Are you asking me questions on how to reveal new characters?
I don’t even know what to say!

The character is revealed, I need help in formulating a reason for him to go to war, and what kind of Artefact could be or how he could/would have obtained it…

Any ideas would be welcomed, even the insignificant slight could spark something that could help.

If you have any, I;d be thankful indeed.

SD

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Maybe he’s fighting for a significant other?

Or maybe he feels like he has no purpose in life being on this farm although its peaceful. He wants to do something for his nation and make a name for himself.

As for the artefact why does he have to go and find it if his deceased father Culdan brought it back with him? Are you saying that at some point Culdan may have hidden the item away somewhere?

If the artefact is from Olban, and Culdan was known in Olban, maybe Aldan might think to find the artefact he must search for his father’s hidden past? Maybe his father never talked about Olban and only mentioned the artefact as like a child’s tale. So, if Aldan can find out more about his father, he could find the artefact. There might be some relatives in Olban?

That was my first thought… And now I’m thinking more towards what it is, and what it does.

I don’t think the artefact is from Olban (origins of it are vague at this time), and Culdan is indeed a child of Olban, but only spoke of that place with his brother Falgorin. They left after the Great Building of Defence was finished… A vast wall which cuts Olban off from the rest of Arillion. Eight Hundred Feet High, and Two Hundred Feet Thick. But his Uncle did speak of some things that his father had said, and done in his past. Embellished within tales that would make a son proud… The artefact could be one of those things I guess…

Yeah, I’m kinda leaning towards the legacy of his father now… “One of the greatest swordsmen ever to have lived.” And seeing the effects of the peril at hand through the Men of Acoss, and their talk in the streets and taverns of the settlement regarding what is to come… Maybe that could sway him in some way?

Now what could this artefact be be? This I wonder now…

Thanks for your thoughts, though… Very helpful indeed!

SD

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Are there other artefacts in your story/world that are valuable or important?

This could be something Aldan is proud of, but he could also feel the pressure. Maybe many people wonder when Aldan is going to be like his father? That could really affect someone overtime.

Well none that I have a thought to, but there are The Bones of The Great Terror Worms. A tooth, a Rib, and a Claw. This was all that was left of their utter ruin after the Fall of Mundhlor (The Greatest Dwarven Kingdom when Temulkar waged his first war upon them. They were hidden away for a fear of their return through Necromancy… Geldrid has the Tooth, but the others the world fears are in the hands of Temulkar…

I fear that there is already too much of Culdan in him… For he often wanders far into the northern lands of the Middle Kingdom, amidst the woodlands and upper fells which border the foothills of the north mountains just east of the Mountains of Kel (And the Dragon Realm of Undermount). It is there that he wanders alone, and at times he forgets his life… Possibly looking for adventure, or creating his own, I’m not sure of yet as I’m still fleshing out his existence at this time (which is cool when a new character comes into your creative mind).

Could it be there that he finds the artefact? Could something be drawing him there? Some sort of memory of a tale once told, almost like a dreamlike remembrance?..

Looks like I have more to digest…

Any thoughts?

SD

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