Questions 3 and Looking Back at 'The Mercenary Prince'

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen The 9th volume was another that appeared after I had already started the series and planned the entire plot.  The Mercenary Prince filled a gap that I didn’t realize I had made.  Well, I felt that I would eventually, but then I realized I was wrong.  Once I outlined the original volume 8, I had to made two more.  This volume was designed to focus primarily on one…

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Revisiting Origins: Timoran Wrath

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen (Let’s keep the champions coming with Timoran Wrath who made his official debut in Family of the Tri-Rune.  He acting made a cameo earlier, but I don’t remember if his name was revealed.  Don’t know if there’s a lot for me to add here because Timoran was the stable rock of the series.  He changed, but he didn’t divert from the story or his original plan like many of…

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Questions 3 and Looking Back at 'Tribe of the Snow Tiger'

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen Back to the temples in Tribe of the Snow Tiger.  This is the 10th volume of Legends of Windemere and started feeling like the homestretch.  At least, as far as the writing side goes.  Probably felt more like Act 4 of the overall story.  So, what can I say about this one? I had hinted at Timoran Wrath having a secret for a while, but the guy was so low key that I don’t…

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Questions 3 and Looking Back at 'Family of the Tri-Rune'

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen This is the fourth volume of Legends of Windemere and one where I felt like I had to do a lot of clean up.  Not in terms of handling sloppy writing, but I had to make a few plot points come together.  Timoran Wrath and Delvin Cunningham were officially introduced to the story.  Luke Callindor and Sari began their relationship, which kicked off the love triangle that I…

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Revisiting Origins: Delvin Cunningham

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen (Delvin Cunningham had a similar path as Timoran Wrath.  After a cameo, he officially debuted in Family of the Tri-Rune.  He showed up rather close to the end of that book, but proved himself going forward.  This would result in him getting a book that focused primarily on him, which would be The Mercenary Prince.  Did this change up his path?  Maybe.  Definitely have…

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Teaser Tuesday: Here to Res . . . Uh Oh!

Teaser Tuesday: Here to Res . . . Uh Oh!

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen Today, we have Timoran Wrath getting a well-deserved spotlight.  I admit that I had to edit a little of the teaser to remove a piece of information.  Want to know what changed?  Then check out Legends of Windemere: Charms of the Feykin for 99 cents! Continue reading

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Teaser Tuesday: Beauty of the Snow Tiger #fantasy #adventure

Teaser Tuesday: Beauty of the Snow Tiger #fantasy #adventure

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Here is a part from Tribe of the Snow Tiger.  I cut it off rather abruptly because it reveals something that I don’t show on the blog.  Yes, there are secrets within the books that can only be found by buying and reading them.  This volume has always been a major challenge because a core part of the story is the hidden past of Timoran Wrath.  Definitely one of my…

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Revisiting Legends: Fizzle the Lovable Drite #fantasy #adventure

Revisiting Legends: Fizzle the Lovable Drite #fantasy #adventure

Art by Jason Pedersen

Fizzle is probably the most popular character of Legends of Windemere.  He isn’t a champion, but he might as well be in the eyes of some readers.  It reached a point where I was getting requests for a Fizzle book.  This is when I tried some ‘Fizzle only’ scenes and I realized that I couldn’t go for very long with him as the central character.  As popular as he is, the little…

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Revisiting Legends: Delvin Cunningham the Subtle Warrior #fantasy #adventure

Revisiting Legends: Delvin Cunningham the Subtle Warrior #fantasy #adventure

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

In the initial planning of Legends of Windemere, I didn’t have anything special for Delvin Cunningham.  He grew into the tactical leader of the champions, the secondary peacemaker, and the kind of romantic interest of Nyx.  This was unfortunate because he had a lot going for him in terms of character.  A lot of world-building stemmed from Delvin, which is why I redid…

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Revisiting Legends: Timoran Wrath the Noble Barbarian #fantasy #adventure

Revisiting Legends: Timoran Wrath the Noble Barbarian #fantasy #adventure

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

This might be a shorter post than the others.  Within the pages of Legends of Windemere, Timoran Wrath stands out at being the most stable character.  He doesn’t change much over the course of the adventure in terms of personality.  There is a major revelation of his past and evolution of his future, but he never suffers from doubt or wanders from his path.  Funny…

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Teaser Tuesday: Someone Is a Wee Bit Angry #fantasy #adventure

Teaser Tuesday: Someone Is a Wee Bit Angry #fantasy #adventure

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

This comes from Legends of Windemere: Charms of the Feykin (Book 11) and it’s part of the beginning of the adventure.  The core of the story is that Delvin Cunningham and Sari have gone missing in the jungle.  Now, their friends are off to see what happened to them.  It’s never a good thing when cultists get involved.

(more…)

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Legends of Windemere: Songs for the Champions

So, a lot of these songs might have gotten in simply because I heard them recently and the evoked certain characters in my mind.  Still, that’s basically how it works.  One I recently used for a Saturday post too, so I apologize for the repeat.  Let’s get things started and I hope people enjoy.

Might not be the best to use an AMV, but this song really made me think of Luke Callindor when it came…

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Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

This is for a post that will be done on November 15th.  All that’s needed is for people to post questions for Timoran in the comments.  With his adventures coming to an end, I’m sure there are plenty of things to talk about.  Please try to avoid breaking the 4th wall, but mostly I don’t want people asking what he thinks of me.  Every question will be answered as if he is being asked it in her own world with no knowledge of Earth.

Timoran is very much what you see.  A noble and wise barbarian who is powerful in combat.  Once he was told his role as a champion, he remained by the side of his new friends without fail.  Unlike the stereotypical barbarian, Timoran is not a mindless berserker.  He loves philosophy and can come up with deep insights, which has helped the group both on missions and with personal problems.  He does love to drink and enjoys a good fight, but won’t cause trouble unless he has to.  Due to the training that a barbarian goes through, he has complete control of his rage and can release it to varying degrees if need be.  Timoran is a lot more level-headed than Luke, Nyx, and Sari, so he has rarely plunged into a situation without thinking.  This doesn’t mean he always plays it safe like when he went with only Fizzle and a monster hunter to investigate the Dark Wind curse or wandered the jungles when he thought something was suspicious in Rhundar.

Some other topics:

Thoughts on other characters

Favorites

Advice to other heroes

Lessons learned

Regrets

Ask away and prepare for a new question request next Monday.  Thanks.

Questions for Timoran Wrath Needed! This is for a post that will be done on November 15th.  All that's needed is for people to post questions for Timoran in the comments.  

First:

Have you picked up your copy yet? LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE: RITUAL OF THE LOST LAMB on Amazon!

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Another fun arrival comes from Kayla Matt.  Below is the main poster and then a slideshow of the individual cards.  Enjoy!

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Ritual of the Lost Lamb & Champions of Windemere Cards First: Have you picked up your copy yet? LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE: RITUAL OF THE LOST LAMB…

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Nyx by Jason Pedersen

There are many ways to fight.  Possibly as many as there are protagonists since everyone is a little different.  Yet, there are three schools that can be focused on.  As long as you don’t include magic and range weapons, which is why Nyx has been sent on vacation for the next three posts.  Although, she does get her picture here since her non-magic fighting style is strength-based.  So, what are some tips to fighting with a focus on strength?

The character needs muscles or a reason why they’re slender with the power of a heavyweight boxer.  Body type is always something to consider to make the style seem believable.  Timoran destroying enemies with his axe doesn’t really work if he’s 5 feet tall and 90 lbs.  Now, I did mention that Nyx uses a style like this because she has been trained by Timoran.  She has a toned physique and uses a different strength style that involves multiple full-power blows instead of one.  So, you can already tell there will be exceptions to these rules if you’re creative with them.

Training and body maintenance should be considered as well.  A muscular character should have something in their background to explain their physique even if it’s a life of hard labor.  They also can’t subsist on a diet of cake and beer unless they have a bizarre metabolism.  Have them work out a bit or watch what they eat.  Constant battles and sparring can help here, which is how Timoran stays in shape.

Always remember that with great strength comes a greater ability to break fragile things.  Sometimes it’s on purpose and other times it’s an accident, but it should be a factor on the battlefield.  Armor dents, weapons nick, and shields can crack when repeatedly struck by a powerful opponent.  This goes for the character’s gear as well since a mundane weapon in the hands of a power fighter needs to be able to handle their force.  These are not always gentle battlers, so equipment (and bones) should show this.

Big muscles do not always mean small brain.  A strong character can still use tactics that fit their abilities.  They could have even studied while working out.  Just put a book on the treadmill or have a friend read to you.  In Timoran’s case, his training included discussing barbarian tactics and philosophy while he worked on his body.

Strong characters that aren’t powered by magic, tech, or inhuman abilities tend to be larger targets.  Going back to the need for muscles, those don’t make a person small when trained for power.  So, you have to factor in that these characters have a higher risk of getting hit or seen.  Not only you realizing this, but they have to be aware of this problem.  Their tactics should include some level of defense because veterans would know that you don’t always get the first strike.

Brute force is a useful tool, but it’s like a lump of steel.  You need to refine it and think about how the character will use this power.  Just like a sword needing to be forged from that steel, a technique should be formed from the brute force.  Perhaps the character focuses on breaking bones or stays on the defense until they can deliver a stunning blow to the head.  Yes, you can have a bashing, smashing, crashing powerhouse running into battle.  It’s just that I said big muscles don’t always mean small brain.  Smart warriors have strategies and techniques.

Just because a character is really strong doesn’t mean he or she has to carry enough gear to stock a Home Depot.  Yes, they can carry more and might do so to help the rest of the group.  This does come with a cost.  If ambushed or drawn into a fight while holding everything, the strength hero will be a lot slower than normal.  Speed might already be limited, so this is a deadly situation.  Adding the big target problem and you better pray the strong hero can drop the extra weight quickly because they’ll be overrun faster than the others.

7 Tips to Fighting with Strength There are many ways to fight.  Possibly as many as there are protagonists since everyone is a little different. 

Music of Legends of Windemere: Tribe of the Snow Tiger

Music of Legends of Windemere: Tribe of the Snow Tiger

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen Last week was Delvin Cunningham’s story and now we have the one that focused on Timoran Wrath.  I’d always had Legends of Windemere: Tribe of the Snow Tiger planned out.  There were a few tweaks in the plot, but it was probably one of the more consistent ideas through all the changes.  I really enjoyed revealing Timoran’s secret and past here.  That didn’t really show…

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