Some Resources For Those Writing Medieval-type Stories:

Some resources for those writing medieval-type stories:

list of medieval jobs

more medieval jobs

lords of the manor

ladies of the manor

medieval ladies

medieval weapons

medieval names

more medieval names

guide to medieval terms

more medieval terms

how to write sword-fight scenes

armor

Dialogue Excerpt:

@lassiesandiego @lyutenw @rickie-the-storyteller @writernopal

The Last Wrath - Enemies to Lovers (Ellinor & Nethen)

“History is rarely written by good people, love” He says, a soft look upon his handsome face as he looked in her eyes. Here in the ledge of this fortress, in this perfect moonlit moment, they could be anyone, there was no one but them and the stars. Understanding flashed in his hazel eyes, a reminder that, tomorrow, they must resume their roles in this game called war, pretending to be on different sides.

Gingerly, she took his hand, and a fiery passion flicked in her eyes. “That’s why were the ones setting the quill to paper.”

He smiled, that dangerous, sharp smile that she’d fallen for so long ago and hadn’t even realized it at that time, when the only things they would have ever dreamed of exchanging were daggers and sharp words.

“Then tomorrow we’re taking down the King, and his crown will be yours in our version of History.”

Happy world building Wednesday! For your region, what are the main imports and exports? And, as a sillier question, what kinds of flowers are the most popular for giving as gifts or romantic gestures?

@lassiesandiego

Thanks for the Ask!

This is a hard question to answer, but let me see what I can make of it.

In the Free Realms, I would say that there are many varieties of both imports and exports, given that there are vastly different regions and climates in each kingdom, but similarities too.

Vellamere is the heart of trade in this part of the continent as it is a portuary kingdom, one that has thrived with the arrival of new merchants from all parts of the realm. Though it sells and buys just about anything, the local especialty are: the hunting of sea monters (for ichor and meat), spices from the Golden Desert (a trade that they share deeply with the kingdom of Adrellios, to whom the desert belongs), mining of sea gemstones and others.

On the other side of the continent, the snow mountain kingdom of Kestrall is renowned for their exports of runic weaponry and jewelry, forged in iron, steel and silver by the best Forgebearer mageborns, as well as some of the stone-like wood that grows on the borders of the forests, next to the Shroud, which has its uses - especially for masonry. They're also an important military location, as the best soldiers are said to be trained there and the only remaining Dragon Riders reside there too.

Adrellios, the Golden City. It imports all the best things that the other cities have to offer, be it the finest clothing, spices, ingredients for extravagant dishes, etc. It also holds the most power over the trade routes of the eastern part of Golden Desert. For their masquerades, they mine and import only the finest jewels, gold and rarities, which are different each year to make the balls unique. Unfortunately, there's quite an addiction problem in the city, meaning that there are under the radar imports of a certain kind of elixir known as the Lynxia, a highly magically potent substance harvested from what was once Fae Lands, and this requires a certain hidden commercial friendship with the Morosyn Empire, to whom the Fae Lands now belong. Otherwise, Adrellios is also known to export spices to Vellamere, and their seamstresses make the finest clothes that exist.

Other Free Realms follow similar patterns, be it in the Storm Isles, Liranthis or Ergyre. The Storm Isles were deeply affected by the Blood Curse plague that swept it a few years back, but it is recovering. Liranthis is known for their Academies, where all knowledge of the world is said to be stored in their magnificent Archives, and mostly export marble, wine, and other things.

Ergyre is known for its exports of metal, and their unfortunate involment in the capture and trade of elves for the "entertainment" (this is the less creepy/disgusting way to put what they mean by this) of the local nobility - due to the elves's magical affinity, beauty and """exotic"""nature. Since the Morosyn empire hunts down elves for sport, they usually flee and end up either here or in the Forests of Midtaren - or even for the Morosyn Empire, to whom the Ergyran are considering an alliance after their borders were invaded. This is where Tanwin was captured by a warlord of the Empire, and the kingdom where Darian was born.

In the Morosyn Empire, trade is usually done between its various kingdoms and is pretty similar to the Free Realms in that sense. They are also conquerors and profit from the art of war and the spoils it collects for them. Currently, two of the Free Realms have fallen under their rule, the destroyed kingdom of Eldon - whose devastated lands are now property of the Morosyn Empire and from where they extract magic and Lynxia (harvested from the ancient grounds below what once was the Fae Lands in the border of Eldon) - and Arkellya (Ellinor's former kingdom, now ruled by her uncle) which is known for its exports of handcrafted goods amongst other things.

About the "silly question" (:

Each kingdom has its own unique flower, but Sky Lilies and Marbled Dagger-Roses are amongst the favorites. Its a common tradition in Vellamere and the Storm Isles to gift your lover with a piece of a colorful sea coral that you have to dive to collect for them from the reefs. Elves have a deep tradition of flower gifting, it is something very serious to them, and every flower means something in their culture. For the record, the flower Tanwin gave Darian in their last afternoon together while they were running around in the meadows (yet unaware of what would happen the next day) years ago meant "Undying Love" in his native language (his native elven language is called Ancient Ildarith and almost no humans speak it) and Darian kept it all those years, even though he didn't know the meaning of it. (Mind you that Darian was oblivious that Tanwin's feelings for him were romantic love and that the elf never got to confess his love to him at the time, as the borders of Ergyre were invaded by the Morosyn Empire and he was captured).

Character Quotes:

Cassander Fynn to Luciya Anynth - (From The Last Wrath WIP)

“Secrets are my trade, and yet you are like a book in a language I could never decipher”

@lassiesandiego @lyutenw @rickie-the-storyteller @writernopal

thinking about my finished book sitting on someones bookshelf...... my book being held in someones hands as they read about the little world i created..... someone excitedly gushing about my book...... fanart...... thats the dream babey

(Long) Excerpt from The Last Wrath:

@lassiesandiego @lyutenw @rickie-the-storyteller @writernopal 

This scene belongs to my current medieval dark fantasy WIP - The Last Wrath. The characters in the scene are brothers, Zephyr & Jamie, one of which has been cursed and now grapples with what it might mean to their lives.

“[...] “What’s happening to me?” Zephyr whispered, a sound trapped between disbelief and a sob, holding one trembling hand in front of his eyes as he watched the bleeding cuts on his fist heal - and pitch black tendrils, glimmering in a dead grey hue, spread from within, pulsing from his arm towards his hand like rotten, dead blood. He could feel the magic in his blood, and it wasn’t his, it wasn’t right. It hurt like searing fire, but only at first, before everything turned numb. 

In front of him the shattered mirror, bloodstained, stood like a condemning monument. Only, Zephyr didn’t remember doing this. He didn’t even remember coming here. He watched, in terror, as even the blood on the shards of clear glass turned from normal red to black as tar. Zephyr couldn’t move, couldn’t scream. Like there was an invisible barrier that kept him in place. Even his thoughts seemed like whispers in a hurricane, they seemed like someone else’s. It felt like he wasn’t here, but even worse, it felt like he wasn’t himself. Not anymore. 

Everything was as if underwater, blurred, distant and suffocating. And he was the one drowning in it. Frozen, he was an spectator to the strange flashes that crossed his mind. He saw a kingdom besieged, a familiar one. The smell of the world burning around him assaulted his nose, and he heard the distant clash of swords that haunted his dreams every night. He saw the day they were betrayed, felt the blood gushing out of his wound like it once had, as a blade ripped through his side. The blade that would have killed his brother otherwise. In the mirror, a familiar face stared at him, accusation and disdain written in his eyes behind a strands of white and black hair, an otherwise handsome face destroyed by hatred. 

Zephyr’s breath caught in his throat. He tried to step back, but his feet were locked in place. The young man in the mirror smiled, and Zephyr swore he could hear his laugh. The same laugh as that day, so many winters ago, when death had been so close to them, as the figure suddenly started to morph … into himself. The darkness in his blood pulsed stronger, colder, as it called to him. Zephyr heard a bloodcurdling, horrifying familiar scream as his doppelganger laughed. The image twisted, and he saw his little brother lying dead on the ground. He couldn’t breath.

Before he could  lose himself any further, a pair of arms wrapped around his chest, holding him as if someone dragging him from the bottom of an icy lake would, and awakening back to reality.  A gentle, familiar voice was calling out to him, but he couldn’t yet hear the words.

He saw himself back in his room, a floor filled with toppled books and the welcoming sounds of the early morning wind. Home, he was still home. Kneeling on the floor, he barely realized his throat was raw from screaming. The black tendrils in his hands dissipated slowly, until only his pale skin remained. In front of him, a figure knelt between him and the shattered mirror, shielding him from its sight. Kind brown eyes, ridden with worry and guilt, met his.

“Jamie” Zephyr wept in a weak, hoarse sound, his arms shaking as he lunged into his brother’s arms, desperately clinging onto his shirt, because he was alive. His brother was still alive and they were safe, they were home. He wasn’t a monster, at least not yet. Jamie didn’t say anything, allowing the older boy to hold on as tightly as he needed to as he gently returned his embrace. Tears fell unbidden from Zephyr’s eyes and into the younger’s tunic, as his hands dug panickedly into his back, as if he might disappear at any moment “Jamie, I’m losing myself. I - I saw you die, I can’t… I couldn’t protect you. I’m becoming a monster.”

The words were desperate, a strained line of thought panickedly strung together. Jamie held him tighter to his chest, before pulling away and getting the older boy to calm down. He placed his hands on Zephyr’s shoulders.

“Listen to me. You’re the best man I’ve ever met, you’re not going to lose yourself like this. We’ will find a cure.” Jamie said, every word spoken with utter sincerity as he willed the other to meet his eyes, like Zephyr had done so many times when the roles were reversed “I will make things right, and everything will be fine like it used to be.”

Zephyr scoffed gently, tired irritation seeping into his voice.

“You don’t know that. I could be dangerous and I wouldn’t even know how to stop before the worst already happened”

Jamie sighed, noticing how Zephyr’s eyes flitted between him and the broken mirror behind them. He hated how that day had made Zephyr hate himself so much and how uncertain it had made him. 

“Yes, I do know. You would never hurt me, not even if that guy or his magic tried to force you to, I know you wouldn’t let that happen. You’re my older brother, I will never be afraid of you. [...] ”