Just a heads-up (Ed: Later posts contain Chapter 3 Spoilers)

[Fel]

I hope to be done with chapter 3 sometime this weekend or early next week.

Despite it being so long since I released chapter 2, this chapter won't be as long as a normal chapter, because of one of those pesky "logical stopping points" and the fact that it HAS been so long. If not for time, I'd just bundle chapter 3 and 4 together and release them as a single chapter, but I'm not going to do that.

So be on the lookout for me to pop onto IRC sometime in the next few days.

[zedd]

Yeeeeeeesss, yes HIM!  ;D

Great news

[thisandthat]

Wow! This is another good news bad news moment.

Good news we get to read another chapter.
Bad news when the book is over, that is the end of the cat.

Good news - there are several other books in the works.
Bad news the other books are in the works and not done yet.

This brings us back to the first bit of good news we will get to read another chapter .

[Fel]

This one has been fun to write, and it's been very slow going because of schoolwork and me finding the exact balance of what to say, how to say it, and how to balance setting up the plot for the next segment of Tarrin's side of the story without giving everything away.  I think I've edited one part of the chapter about 20 times.

I'm trying to keep a little suspense in it, the way I didn't reveal Tarrin's intentions when he went after Val, and again when he went after the One at Pyros.

But this time, I DO give you an idea of what he's going to do, and where has to go, without giving away the underlying unifying plan that brings those elements together.

I'm shooting for a good balance between squirming anticipation of what's to come and going WOW! at the end.











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For example, in the upcoming chapter, Tarrin comes to understand that he must return to Sennadar before he can face the One.  There's something he has to do there if he wants to succeed in banishing the Demon Lord from Pyrosia.

I don't reveal what he has to do, only that he has to complete a task there.

The squirming anticipation:  as anyone knows, any being who comes through the gate from the Astral must face Spyder.  Tarrin won't be any different, because even though he's a native, the Elder Gods certainly don't want him there.  They will order Spyder to deny him passage, and Tarrin certainly isn't going to let something like that stop him.

Tarrin vs. Spyder, the fight everyone wanted to see, but dreaded would come about.

The WOW! effect:  of course, the tasks he completes there contribute to the overall plan, which some should be able to puzzle out after he completes certain steps.  At some point, Tarrin's plan is going to become apparent after people see what he's doing.  But I do hope to keep a shocker or two in reserve, just so you don't feel as if you know EVERYTHING.

Hell, sometimes, even I don't know everything about this.  I'm just a slave to the muse...you want answers, talk to HER, not to me.

[freethrow]

I know that many others are as excited as I am to get a little more of the story. I check the website a couple times a day to see if it is posted yet.

Thanks again for all of your efforts Fel.  I know it takes a lot of work to end up with something equal in quality to what has came before.

[Plshade]

Hell, sometimes, even I don't know everything about this.  I'm just a slave to the muse...you want answers, talk to HER, not to me.

NO!! Do NOT pester the Muse! Pestering muses usually leads to her hiding behind a large writer's block until she thinks you have suffered enough.  ;)

Seriously though, thanks for the heads up. Even if it is shorter than normal, it sounds to be action packed. I'm definately looking forward to reading it.

plshade

[Lochar]

Hell, sometimes, even I don't know everything about this.  I'm just a slave to the muse...you want answers, talk to HER, not to me.

Does your Muse take bribes for story spoilers?   ;D

[Shadowhawk]

I wonder if/when we get an explanation about all those trinkets Tarrin gave his friends before the battle with The One.

[Fel]

Those trinkets really are out of the story, sorry.  ;)

All of them but one were failsafes to get Dolanna out of Pyrosia if he died and the Weave failed.  The last was a failsafe to pull Tarrin's soul into the Astral in case he failed in his attempt to create the Weave on Pyrosia, to prevent his soul from being destroyed.

Actually, technically, one of them is still working.  If the Weave on Pyrosia failed, then Dolanna would be immediately yanked out of Pyrosia and into the Astral.

Damn, I'd forgotten about that.  I'd better deal with that loophole.  ;)

And by the way, the chapter WILL be released Saturday, probably in the early afternoon, after I get back from an errand I have to run in the morning.

[Lochar]

Those trinkets really are out of the story, sorry.  ;)

All of them but one were failsafes to get Dolanna out of Pyrosia if he died and the Weave failed.  The last was a failsafe to pull Tarrin's soul into the Astral in case he failed in his attempt to create the Weave on Pyrosia, to prevent his soul from being destroyed.

Actually, technically, one of them is still working.  If the Weave on Pyrosia failed, then Dolanna would be immediately yanked out of Pyrosia and into the Astral.

Damn, I'd forgotten about that.  I'd better deal with that loophole.  ;)

And by the way, the chapter WILL be released Saturday, probably in the early afternoon, after I get back from an errand I have to run in the morning.

Will you Deus Ex Machina a fix, or find a way to deactivate it?

[MISER]

Just as ong as Tarrin is NOT making HORCRUXE's  LOL ;D

[Shadowhawk]

Those trinkets really are out of the story, sorry.  ;)

All of them but one were failsafes to get Dolanna out of Pyrosia if he died and the Weave failed.  The last was a failsafe to pull Tarrin's soul into the Astral in case he failed in his attempt to create the Weave on Pyrosia, to prevent his soul from being destroyed.

That many trinkets?

Ah, so all of them were failsafes in the case creation of Weave on Pyrosia failed. I wonder why Tarrin couldn't tell his friends what are they for (hint, hint, while they have contact with Tarrin in Sigil). Well, I think good sorcerer or wizard or Niami (depending on how they were created, i.e. with which order of magic) could decipher/decode what they do.

I wonder if Tarrin could create (maybe not on Crossroads) trinket/amulet to find the parts of Sword of Fire. It would be bad if anyone but Sorcerer or Weavespinner could do that. Perhaps two-stage work: generic finding amulet (like the one used for searching for the Book of Ages) + blessing from Tarrin.

I wonder if there is a way to transfer the Weave-sustaining duty from Dolanna to other Weavespinner. Having sustaining Tarrin existence should be enough (hmmm... maybe it would be better to have additional True Faith(tm) believers in Tarrin, like there are additional Sui'Kun on Sennadar, just in case).

Hmmm... I should have asked that question (about trinkets) in Q&A section... nevermind

[Lochar]

I wonder if there is a way to transfer the Weave-sustaining duty from Dolanna to other Weavespinner. Having sustaining Tarrin existence should be enough (hmmm... maybe it would be better to have additional True Faith(tm) believers in Tarrin, like there are additional Sui'Kun on Sennadar, just in case).

Sure, any Sui'kun can take up Dolanna's position.  But as she's doing alright now, if you remove her from that position and send her home under lock and key, she's going to wonder.  And then maybe have a crisis of faith, something Tarrin does NOT need.

[Shadowhawk]

Sure, any Sui'kun can take up Dolanna's position.  But as she's doing alright now, if you remove her from that position and send her home under lock and key, she's going to wonder.  And then maybe have a crisis of faith, something Tarrin does NOT need.

Damn. Good idea shot down. Still, it would be good to have additional Sui'Kun sustaining the Weave, and additional Tarrin's True Believers. Maybe search parties should be additionally the missionaries of Tarrin, telling stories and hopefuly turning peasants (and perhaps Orcs) from the faith in The One to the faith in Tarrin. Probably not telling Tarrin...

I wonder if Tarrin can make shadow move, creating duplicate in some distance in front of him, transferring himself to the duplicate, etc etc until he runs out of duplicates (or indefinitely if he can vanish unnecessary duplicates, and I think he can - see him moving "thru" the door).

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I wonder if he could do that to enter Sennadar, evading the fight with Spyder in Haven.

[Wildcat]

Hm. Don't think so. I'm pretty sure that room is set up so something like that wouldn't be able to work. Besides, Spyder would just come after him. He'd never get to do his work in peace.