Damn this is really cool! Ardysseos is cool, what I really like about him is that he has a stoic hardness, and yet there's a touch of untapped greatness beneath the surface. The prophecy scene was well done, and I do wonder if maybe now I know there's a reference to King David there, but is there maybe a reference to some Greek Myths such as that of Perseus thrown in? I mean there was talk of Perseus being great and having to go into danger to avoid his mischievous uncle.
Also really love the prophetic poem. I must admit while I love writing songs I could never quite master writing prophecies. Do you outline your stories before hand and then write the prophecy when you do this? Or write it with a plan in mind and then just go wherever the story takes you?
I wrote this part with a general idea in mind of where I wanted it to go. I came up with the prophecy when I knew I was going to need the prophet character.
Ardysseos is the true warrior and hard not to admire. Great post.
Thanks very much for the kind words! My goal is to make him a stoic and noble character, but with a bit of a cynical edge.
Damn straight he is, wish my interpretation of Herakles turned out half as awesome!
Nice! I liked how this is a gathering of the questing warriors kind of an opening :D
Thanks, dude. That means a lot coming from one of Substack’s most high profile fantasy authors!
I wasn't planning on breaking this story up, but it felt appropriate to do it this way once I started writing.
I love this opening. The setting, the character, and premise all established in just about 1,000 words (or so I estimate).
Thanks, man 🙌 I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out.
Agreed
Damn this is really cool! Ardysseos is cool, what I really like about him is that he has a stoic hardness, and yet there's a touch of untapped greatness beneath the surface. The prophecy scene was well done, and I do wonder if maybe now I know there's a reference to King David there, but is there maybe a reference to some Greek Myths such as that of Perseus thrown in? I mean there was talk of Perseus being great and having to go into danger to avoid his mischievous uncle.
Also really love the prophetic poem. I must admit while I love writing songs I could never quite master writing prophecies. Do you outline your stories before hand and then write the prophecy when you do this? Or write it with a plan in mind and then just go wherever the story takes you?
I wrote this part with a general idea in mind of where I wanted it to go. I came up with the prophecy when I knew I was going to need the prophet character.