Anyone ever dared to write a book?

[Meeshka]

Once, trying to intrigue one person with Avernum, I started to depict the almost undescribable beauties of this world and its inhabitants. That time I wrote a sort of a short novel, skipping details, following only the main storylines of A1-A3.

I searched through this forum (and some other), trying to find any sort of a story, based on Avernum adventures. All in vain.

That's why I wonder if there is somebody, interested in writing a trilogy (quadrology), based on A1-A3(4). Or writing a full and logically bound novel, depicting a continuation of Avernum story, revealing throng of interesting story facts of that planet. *Like a fact, that people and Vahnatai are not the native born creatures of Avernum and surface; or that Slitzerikai were outcasted to Avernum before first people landed on surface, but after last Vahnatai went deeper to hide*

[Aran]

Oddly enough, if you'd searched the BoA forum you would have found a rather mediocre attempt I finished back in November last year. It is at least related to the game world (the main characters are Vahnatai and Nephilim), but it takes place in a remote, pre-human past.

 

As far as fan extensions to the world go, the scenario designers of Blades of Exile had some kind of consensus (that turned out to be a lot less consistent once one started asking deeper questions though...). At some point, there was an ongoing BoE-based roleplay called "The Arena" which became the origin for a lot of Ermarian lore (including the name Ermarian).

 

Also, Drakefyre has a theory of all sentient life having been created by the Vahnatai.

 

Finally, there's an attempt going on to combine these extensions (along with regular game canon) in a kind of Encyclopedia .

 

Oh, and welcome.

[rantalot]

i think there should be something like that on this website so u can catch up with events if you just started playing i didnt find out what happend in A1 till i finished A3 and i still have no clue what happened in A2 (i am assuming that both the war and the theft of crystal souls happened in A1) i think it would of helped out a bit 2 know ahead of time then again maybe not

[Dikiyoba]

I think there is a condensed version of history in the full help manual.

 

Dikiyoba.

[Meeshka]

Thanks everyone for an answer on a question. But not mine! I read through Encyclopedia, Drakefyre's theory and Vahnatai vision. But what I was asking about is neither a history of Ermarian, nor a new point of view on historical facts. But a novel.

2 We are the music-makers Sorry, may be I used wrong keywords while searching. I tried to see your post in November last year, but search shows only starting from Nov 13. There I couldn't find your attempt. May be you can give mó a link?

[Redstart]

Aran\'s novel . You'll have to scroll past a lot of commentary and whatnot, though.

[Meeshka]

THNX 2 Early Bird. Reading.

Introduction reminded me Silmarillion by J.R.R.T. As I'm not a fan, I couldn't read it through that time (I mean Silm). But in this case I can see, that the "holy" style is only in prologue.

Till later, when I finish reading then.

[Alorael at Large]

Quote:

Originally written by rantalot:
i think there should be something like that on this website so u can catch up with events if you just started playing i didnt find out what happend in A1 till i finished A3 and i still have no clue what happened in A2 (i am assuming that both the war and the theft of crystal souls happened in A1) i think it would of helped out a bit 2 know ahead of time then again maybe not

.

Spoilers, obviously

.

A1 is about the defeat of the nephil and slith threats to Avernum, the re-defeat of the demon Grah-Hoth, and the assassination of Emperor Hawthorne. A2 concerns the Empire's invasion of Avernum and the appearance vahnatai. The theft of the Crystal Souls happens just prior to A2's beginning. A3 is about the return of Avernites to the surface and the mess of monsters running amok.

.

No more spoilers

.

—Alorael, who is quite sure that every Avernum explains the important events in preceding Avernums. Most of A1 gets glossed over because it's a series of minor events with only a few major ones. A2 and A3 get plenty of attention.

[Meeshka]

Quote:

Originally written by The Question I Ask of Me:

Most of A1 gets glossed over because it's a series of minor events with only a few major ones.

I have about 10 facts to argue with the statement. A1 is full of interesting facts, considering major historical events. More to say, some major ideas of the true history of Ermarian are based exactly on A1. The further we go (A2, A3) the more complicated is the storyline. Therefore much more difficult to reveal the truth of ancient history. I should add that almost as valuable as A1 is A2 with reappearance of Vahnatai on the stage.

[Alorael at Large]

But that's what makes A1 uneventful. You meet the sliths and nephils, fight a lot of them, explore the caves, discover this and that, find the way to the surface, and so on. It establishes the setting of Avernum and the characters in it, but most of it isn't something that can be easily restated.

 

"When we were first down here, a huge demon tried to kill everybody. It was imprisoned, but it broke free and some adventurers banished it again. They were also the ones who led Avernum to victory over the hostile nephils and sliths, and they went on to assassinate Emperor Hawthorne with Erika's help. Then they vanished, and rumor has it that they did it by escaping to the surface." That's all you need to know about A1.

 

—Alorael, who supposes that blurb is no shorter than A2's blurb and probably significantly longer than A3's one sentence: "Avernites returned to the surface, where they ended plagues of monsters and then defeated Rentar-Ihrno, the plagues' creator, in order to forge peace between the Empire and Avernum."

[The Loquacious Lord Grimm]

Well, to answer the thing about novels, I'm writing something based on Exile (Avernum) 2 in my spare time.

I'm doing the second installment , because it's the only one that is really plot-based; though I've considered using the same characters in a version of third installment.

 

I haven't posted what I have written anywhere yet because I want to kinda post it in order, and in installments, and, well, the prologue isn't done.

[Meeshka]

Quote:

Originally written by Importance of Being Alorael:
But that's what makes A1 uneventful. You meet the sliths and nephils, fight a lot of them, explore the caves, discover this and that, find the way to the surface, and so on. It establishes the setting of Avernum and the characters in it, but most of it isn't something that can be easily restated.

Seems like we are talking about different things. You tell me that the most plotfilled part is A2, if I'm not mistaken. And I'm trying to show the other way of importance of every part.
That's how I'll try to explain (BTW a good reason to argue).
Imagine, that one have studied everything, that is mentioned ONLY in A1 OR A2 OR A3. Let's take three people for example. And they all get the same task. To write a novel, which takes place in ANY period AFTER the Avernum they know, but in that novel every one ofe them should use the links to historcal facts and to reveal a couple of mysteryes of the past, may be showing the original point of view on the ancient history of Ermarian.
So here's my bet: the A1 specialist will be much closer to the truth in his novel, than A2 & A3.
I guess that if I knew the plot of ONLY A3, I would have such a mess in my head, having only common knowledge of any origin of this or that fact. The A2 learner has a little advantage with A1, knowing about Vahnatai. But still his knowledge of the origins will come from couple of dialogs and several short books.
Anyway, to lay the end to this argue, which I didn't want to start, what I mean is to use all the parts from first to the last but not the least in this trilogy.
Still, thanks to everybody, who has answered me. I didn't find any centralized group of writers, like I've seen on some other TV/PC games projects.
2 Lenar Labs : I'm eager to read your novel!!! As now I'm a bit busy with mu work and reading Crystal Song by We Are the Music-Makers, I have enough time to wait for your novel to be completed.
2 All May be it is not a bad idea to establish a resource of book creation?

[&]

I think it's really nice that there's quite a few people here willing to wrote books over the games they love.

Keep up the good work all of you, espicialy with the Nephimim language that some people managed to make!

[Drakefyre]

Encyclopedia Ermariana is designed as a resource for scenario designers, but it also fits as a resource for book writers.

[Meeshka]

Quote:

Originally written by Drakefyre:
Encyclopedia Ermariana is designed as a resource for scenario designers, but it also fits as a resource for book writers.

If that points at my suggestion of a book resource, then that's not what I meant. I mean a sort of a storage of novel creations, holding all the creativity, based on Ermarian, if there will be such.
And if you mean - "Here is a help from me, the information you need for your creativity! Use it and write something terrifically interesting and breathcatching like a gasp of hot air!" - then THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!

[Aran]

That is what he meant, I guess, since that it what it is intended to be.

 

As for your other suggestion - there has never been a need for a centralized place for Ermarian fiction, since there isn't a whole lot of it. Scenario and graphics archives have sprung up like mushrooms around Spiderweb, but stories aren't very prevalent here.

 

For easy web publishing without requiring too much technical skill, I suggest http://www.blogger.com .

[Meeshka]

Quote:

Originally written by We are the music-makers:
...
As for your other suggestion - there has never been a need for a centralized place for Ermarian fiction, since there isn't a whole lot of it.
...

Never late to start!

Quote:

For easy web publishing without requiring too much technical skill, ...

Don't think that n00b way of me Still, thanks for the advice. I guess, if Ermarian fiction finds some sort of support in army of Avernum fans, I'll think over a creation of a web resource.

[Meeshka]

Oh, and... Ermarian fiction? Sounds nice

[Lilith]

I don't suppose anyone still has Tharma's Exile fan fiction?

[Lilith]

Grr. The forums are playing up. Ignore the double post, please.

[Meeshka]

Quote:

Originally written by Thuryl:
Grr. The forums are playing up. Ignore the double post, please.

OFF: I'm REALLY sorry. I wrote it and immediately tried to delete, but there is no "Delete" button on this forum, is it? I know it's prohibited, so please, take my apologies.

[Lilith]

Actually, I was talking about my own, unintentional double post.

 

You can't delete your own posts, or I'd have done so.

 

But yeah, just so you know, next time edit instead of double posting. Unless the forums screw up and send a post of yours through twice, in which case, well, you're just unlucky. >_<

[Aran]

Quote:

Originally written by Meeshka:
Don't think that n00b way of me Still, thanks for the advice. I guess, if Ermarian fiction finds some sort of support in army of Avernum fans, I'll think over a creation of a web resource.

Sorry. It wasn't meant to sound disparaging. It's just that I've learnt by now not to take technical skill for granted.

Thuryl: Would this be the Tharma you meant? If so, then I can almost guarantee that if the fiction was ever posted on Spiderweb, it's not in the archives - nothing by
#352 in there.

Edit:

Before I forget: I've been offering to host several members who were looking for an ad-free webspace for their Spiderweb sites (only Thralni has taken me up on that so far though). If you do set up that web resource and need a host (would be a subdomain of ermarian.net), just ask.

[Alorael at Large]

No, Tharma never posted here works on the UBB. Maybe back in the days of Ikonboard, but I think they were all elsewhere.

 

Quote:

According to DrakeySpeaking of Tharma, I have printouts of most of her Exile poems/fanfics. I should type those up ...

—Alorael, who could locate only Pyrohydra, and only via a dead link.

[Drakefyre]

I scanned in the story about Resurrection Balm a while ago. I still have all of the printouts. Paper copies are more useful than some people would have you believe. They're sitting right next to my ANN's from seasons III to VI.

 

http://ryan-thompson.home.comcast.net/balm1.png

http://ryan-thompson.home.comcast.net/balm2.png

http://ryan-thompson.home.comcast.net/balm3.png

 

Quote:

And if you mean - "Here is a help from me, the information you need for your creativity! Use it and write something terrifically interesting and breathcatching like a gasp of hot air!" - then THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!

This is exactly what I mean, and you're welcome.

[Tyranicus]

Quote:

Originally written by We are the music-makers:
Before I forget: I've been offering to host several members who were looking for an ad-free webspace for their Spiderweb sites (only Thralni has taken me up on that so far though). If you do set up that web resource and need a host (would be a subdomain of ermarian.net), just ask.

That's not quite true, Aran. I used your site for a while to host the chat database, but decided to create my own domain for several reasons, one of them being the uncensored nature of the chats.

Edit: That said, if anyone would like a site that is a subdomain of shadowvale.net rather than ermarian.net (perhaps I should be advertising this on the Nethergate board), send me a PM, and I'll set it up for you. The only real advantage I can see for my host over Aran's is that my host does not have content restrictions, although that probably doesn't matter for Spiderweb-related materials. I've probably got the only site that needs a host without content restrictions, with the profanity and worse things that happen in the chats.

[Aran]

Tyran, you did host it on the public webspace for a time, but that's not what I meant.

 

Also, regarding content restrictions I'm afraid to say I see no significant difference...

 

Compare:

 

Quote:

SPhosting.com (yours)

 

Member's Web pages cannot contain or provide links to:

· Nudity, pornography, and sexual material of a lewd,

· Lecherous or obscene nature and intent or that violate

· Local, state and national laws.

 

Websites must contain NO POP-UPS, POP/GO-BEHINDS or EXIT POP-UPS. Members can however have advertising banners on their websites.

 

All websites must be written in ENGLISH, any website found to have non-English content will be removed.

 

...

 

Any material that violates or infringes in any way upon the rights of others, including, without limitation, copyright or trademark rights; this includes "WAREZ" (copyrighted software that is distributed illegally), "mp3" files of copyrighted music, copyrighted photographs, text, video or artwork. If you don't own the copyright or have documented permission to use it, don't put it on your site at Sphosting.com.

 

Any material that is threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, vulgar, obscene, profane, indecent, or otherwise objectionable; this includes posting other peoples' private information.

 

Content that promotes, encourages, or provides instructional information about illegal activities---specifically hacking, cracking, or phreaking.

 

Any software, information, or other material that contains a virus, "Trojan Horse", corrupted data, or any other harmful or damaging component;

 

Hate propaganda or hate mongering, swearing, or fraudulent material or activity;

Quote:

Websitesource.com:

 

All services provided by Website Source Hosting may be used for lawful purposes only. Transmission, storage, or presentation of any information, data or material in violation of any United States Federal, State or City law, or in violation of the laws of any country, is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: copyrighted material, trademark, intellectual property, material we judge to be threatening or obscene, material that advocates or calls for the commission of crimes or civil harms to any person, group of people, corporation, country, or any entity, or material protected by trade secret and other statute without proper authorization. The subscriber agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Website Source Hosting from any claims resulting from the use of the service which damages the subscriber or any other party.

 

Pornography is prohibited on all Website Source Hosting servers. This includes sites that may infer sexual content, or links to adult content elsewhere. Website Source Hosting will be the sole arbiter in determining violations of this provision.

 

Also prohibited are sites that promote any illegal activity or present content that may be damaging to Website Source Hosting servers or any other server on the Internet. Links to such materials are also prohibited.

 

Examples of unacceptable content or links:

 

* Pirated software

* Hacker programs or archives

* Warez sites

 

Any illegal activity, including adult content, links to adult content web sites, spamming or hacking will result in your site being shut down and all your files deleted without warning.

 

Website Source Hosting will be the sole arbiter as to what constitutes a violation of this provision.

(the funny thing is that I am in Germany and host my website in Texas, whereas Tyran is in Pennsylvania and hosts his in Australia. Truly, we live in a global age...)

[Meeshka]

Ok, so here I've got a couple of minutes to post something in internet. So, first of all, I'd like to thank everybody, who somehow took part in the discussion.

From my side, I want to make a sort of a work plan for the next week (or two, who knows if there happens some revolution over here in Russia amongst beer fans). I'll try to read everything, related to Ermarian fanfiction or scifi as well: the Resurection balm outline is more psychological research than a fantasy novel. The nex step will be a working-out of a structure of resource from design to filling. The way I see it is a sort of a place, where will rest novels, verses, outlines, etc. More to say, I think that I'll develop a line of contest writing on a given topic.

But all that will be only available when more than my unpretentious person finds his/her interest in such art.

[Tyranicus]

Huh. I could have sworn that you had said something about written content before. Oh well, I guess they are the same. Well, anyone who likes the domain shadowvale.net better than ermarian.net is welcome to contact me, and I'll set something up for you.

 

Edit: They recently changed the language restrictions on sphosting, by the way. They now allow sites in anyt language. (Not that it matters to me since the only language I'm fluent in is English )

[Meeshka]

Quote:

Originally written by Tyranicus:
Huh...

Huh. Seems like one topic has split in two.

[Tyranicus]

Quote:

Originally written by Meeshka:

Quote:

Originally written by Tyranicus:
Huh...

Huh. Seems like one topic has split in two.

It happens quite frequently on these boards, believe me. I just didn't feel like quoting Aran's huge post, that's all.

[Aran]

The first thing Spiderweb teaches new members is how to have 3-4 conversations at the same time, in the same thread.

 

On that note, I'm very eager to see how your website plans will turn out, Meeshka.

[Meeshka]

Well, I'm greately sorry for keeping silence for so long. Still, if anybody interested, I continue my planning - oh, I'm so lazy to start making the plans come to reality - and I'm still reading "Crystal Song" by Arancaytar. Also my work (the money making one) takes too much time. All I can do is to create a structure of a website till the end of March. I hate to state the terms, cause I have no idea, how much time I'll have to spare for my needs. Still I'm sort of obliged to state them to have at least a teeny weeny inducement.

 

2LenarLabs aka Lord Grimm: I'm still looking forward to read your novel!

 

2All: Please, everybody, who wants to take part in writing novels, verses, short stories, etc. based on Ermarian content, be sure to notice that to me in PM, or in this topic, (ICQ, e-mail, phone ). It is needed to be sure the resource is worth creating for.

[The Loquacious Lord Grimm]

Well... I finally gave in and posted the first chapter. Call it a teaser.

Maybe having an active audience will force me to finish the stupid thing.

Of course, in the scheme of things, my Blades scenario takes precedence.

 

My not-so-original story can be found here , waiting to be read and criticized (not that there is much there right now to be criticized).

I quake in fear.

 

--------------------

The Silent Assassin is pleased to note that you have accepted his challenge to duel with bananna peels.

The contest begins right now. Watch your feet.

[Dikiyoba]

Very little is there, obviously. What is there is extremely well-written and intriguing. So, I guess I'm part of the active audience. You don't need to fear rotten tomatoes.

 

Great. Now Dikiyoba has to figure out what to do with all the rotten tomatoes.

[Ephesos]

Pretty good stuff, Lenar.

 

I assume no Ur-noobs will be appearing in this story?

[Zeviz]

The [first page of] your story is well-written, although a bit more action and a bit less philosophy would be much better for capturing reader's attention. Even Tolstoy starts War and Peace with a conversation at a social gathering and saves his pages of philosophical musings for middle of the book, when readers are sufficiently hooked not to mind it too much. If you replaced half of Erika's musings with interspersed scenes of adventurers fighting Emperor's guards, you'd catch attention of a lot more readers. Especially if you start with action, cut to Erika's tower, back to action, back to tower, etc.

[Aran]

Haven't read the story yet, but I would like to add that combat is a very poor substitute for a real story. The less you use of it, the better.

 

Of course, philosophical musings are not much better.

 

Scenic description ranks a bit higher, and dialogue is probably the most important of them all.

[Meeshka]

I've read the story, too. Lenar, thank you very much for your creation! Erika is one of my favourite characters.

Still, I guess, every beginning writer should know about the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest . The beginning of the book is VERY important part, at which a reader shall understand whether he can skip couple of first chapters to reach the enthralling part of the story. Or should he turn off the buzzer cause he won't sleep this night at all buried in the novel

 

Edit: I just wantedto say, that I should partly(!) agree with Zeviz

[Zeviz]

Quote:

Originally written by Whan Aprill with his shoures sote:
Haven't read the story yet, but I would like to add that combat is a very poor substitute for a real story. The less you use of it, the better.

Of course, philosophical musings are not much better.

Scenic description ranks a bit higher, and dialogue is probably the most important of them all.

You are right that action scenes can't substitute for a real story either. I guess I was seeing this as a BoE scenario script, rather than a novel.

However, I disagree that the less action the better. Most "classic" novels from War and Peace to LotR to Odysseus have plenty of action scenes. (Although I agree that they tend to open with dialogue, rather than action.)

[Dikiyoba]

No one has mentioned anything about how important characters are. Obviously, this story is about the characters, since we all know the plot. I want to be introduced to the main characters over the course of the next few chapters. Who are they? Where are they from? Why are they together? How do they interact? That sort of stuff.

 

Quite frankly, little bit of philosophical musings in the prologue doesn't hurt in this case. It's not overly complex or absurd and it tells you a lot about Erika Redmark.

 

Dikiyoba.

[The Loquacious Lord Grimm]

For those who care:

I posted the next section.

Perhaps it will ease your concerns. Perhaps it will heighten them.

 

I post it now, because it has been written. I cannot guaruntee that the next part in sequence will come as quickly, as it is not yet written.

 

--------------------

The Silent Assassin has been rather quiet lately.

Then again...

[Zeviz]

Quote:

Originally written by Lenar Labs:
For those who care:
I posted the next section.
Perhaps it will ease your concerns. Perhaps it will heighten them.
...

Very nice. I always wondered what it felt like for commanders of those fortresses my adventurers bravely stormed. And it's also good to see personalities of various officials who will be "bosses" in A2.

[Dikiyoba]

Dikiyoba likes it too. Perhaps Dikiyoba will see the adventurers in the next section?

[Old Scratch]

Quote:

Originally written by Dikiyoba:
Dikiyoba likes it too. Perhaps Dikiyoba will see the adventurers in the next section?

I find it amusing and intriguing that Dikiyoba chooses to refer to him or her self in the third person; a nice touch would be to also throw in an imperial "we" from time to time for variety. It's a practice which reminds me of a fairly recent ex-U.S. Presidential candidate. You'll have to guess his name, but I'll give you a hint: He's old, and his last name is identical to that of a popular brand of market produce.

In answer to the question posed by this topic, I have written several books. None were bestsellers by any stretch of the imagination, but they did get the bills paid.

I might go into more detail later, but I'm currently addicted to Avernum 3 and wish to return to it with all due haste.

[Meeshka]

Quote:

Originally written by Old Scratch:
He's old, and his last name is identical to that of a popular brand of market produce.

I never knew McDonalds was going to be a president...

Quote:

In answer to the question posed by this topic, I have written several books.

That's great. I'm now working on to create a place, where such literature can be arranged and stored. If you'll still be interested when it opens, I shall contact you, ok?

Quote:

I might go into more detail later, but I'm currently addicted to Avernum 3 and wish to return to it with all due haste.

Good old times of A3. I am still thinking of expediency of playing A4.

Quote:

--------------------
The Silent Assassin has been rather quiet lately.
Then again...

I wonder if Silent Assasin is going to starve to death if he gets lost in the forest? Cause none shall hear from him as he is silent.

[Tyranicus]

I'm curious as too how fast Limoncelli is when he's drunk.

 

Good stuff. I am anxious to read more.

[Meeshka]

Lenar, the beginning of a chapter - it is something. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of anxiousness and hurry. But to the end in started to look like it is a fairy tale, where all the main heroes gather in one place at midnight. Too much for such a small essay and such a short period of time, I think.

I prefer to think that Limoncelli is going to survive that time, cause he was fighting (can't imagine anything else for such a hero), but was too drunk to find himself somewhere under the table and sideway of the main fight... But not because he was escorted arm in arm from the castle like in kindergarten

P.S. May be this chapter should be a bit longer?

 

Edit: I had to, cause there was no answer except mine here. Lenar, what about to continue the story?

 

And the main. I'm now collecting my thoughts about the stuffing of Ermarian Fiction site, and I need a sort of statistics. Firstly, I'd like to know if there are people, interestedto take art in contest writing. Please, send me notification by e-mail (u_ma (at) mail (dot) ru), or just leave them here Secondly, in your post please tell me, what kind of literary style you want to see in a contest: novel, essay (short story), verses, poems (aka very long verses), etc.