Announcement: Book 2 and Book 3

Book 2, Rise of the Dragon Elves, is in the final editing stage.  Once the final editor reviews the manuscript, I will be working on getting the manuscript published.

I have begun work on the first draft of book 3, but it is still untitled.  As soon as book 2 finishes editing I will begin a percentage status bar for book 3 on the blog.

Check back for further updates.

Journal Entry: Dorlas

            Dorlas is a Frost Elf, and he is Borlas’ older brother.  Dorlas never sought out attention or the lead, but his advice and opinions have always been sound and proven valuable when listened to.  Dorlas is a skilled warrior, but he also has the ability to read people from the shadows.

I have watched Dorlas, silently from the shadows just as he does, reading his fellow Frost Elves.  Dorlas could have used this knowledge for gain, but he chose to stay in the shadows and let his younger brother take the lead.  While this may seem odd, it is also fitting.  Often our heroes are those who are older or dead, that have performed great deeds.  In Dorlas’ case, his hero was his younger brother.  Borlas was the champion that Dorlas wanted to be, but never envied.  Few have been a truer brother than Dorlas.

Although he has hidden in the shadows, Dorlas has the potential to either be great or be the advisor to someone who is truly great.  I may not be there to see it, but someone as good hearted and loyal as Dorlas will find greatness one way or another.

Journal Entry: Borlas

            Borlas is a Frost Elf.  He is captain of the guard for the Tsar of the Frost Elves, Lanthas.  His life was based on good morals and good principles.  Borlas was not only captain of the guard but he became close friends with Lanthas and Drin, as well as Lan’Drin when he was a boy.  Borlas became a second father to Lan’Drin and tried to teach him the values that he and Lanthas treasured and abided by.  Borlas was a skilled warrior and was adept at training.  He trained the guard for the Tsar, as well as training Lan’Drin when he was old enough to learn how to fight. 

Borlas was one of the few in the world of Mirr that respected dragons and understood their great power and majesty.  Even though this view of the hated dragons was uncommon, Borlas took every opportunity to correct those who spoke ill of the magnificent beasts. 

I did not know Borlas personally before he died, but I spent a great deal of time watching him.  Although he may have been seen as all muscle, there was an intelligence to Borlas that was rarely seen.  Few people in this world can say they have a friend as loyal as Borlas.

Journal Entry: Melthalas

            Melthalas is a Frost Elf, but when it comes to ambition he is just as greedy as a Chaos Elf.  Melthalas’ life revolves around the power he has, and how much control he has over his life and the lives of others.  He may not be the most intelligent being, but he is not stupid.  Melthalas has planned and plotted for a great many years, which in my mind makes him worthy of being watched.

            One of Melthalas’ faults is that he does not pay attention to details.  When he is given charge of any task, he focuses on whether or not he is being obeyed rather than on what is actually being accomplished.  This has lead to failures, which he readily blames on others not following his commands with exactness.

Melthalas is also easily swayed or distracted.  He easily falls for most forms of flattery.  Melthalas views himself as strong and born to rule.  While he may not be a particularly strong leader, anyone who believes it is their destiny to rule should be watched and considered a viable threat to those who have authority over them.

Announcement: Second Draft Finished

I have finished the second draft of Rise of the Dragon Elves.  It is now in the hands of my review team.  I plan to have the book self published by Spring 2012 at the latest.

Journal Entry: Malkius

            Malkius is a Chaos Elf, but this once you must not believe that he fits the Chaos Elf mold.  If Malkius got anything from his elven family it would be his brooding.  Beyond that, Malkius is nothing like his people.  Some may think he is a normal Chaos Elf, but that is in part due to the fact that he is the Master of Weapons.  As the Head of the Fighters Klan Malkius has felt that he must be two different people.  Those who truly know him understand him and know his kindness, goodness, hate of his elven family and all they stand for, and his drive to improve the world.  Those who only know him as the Master of Weapons see a hard, well disciplined, goal oriented machine.  That may not sound like a Chaos Elf, but when you have preconceived notions it is easy to fit those characteristics into the ruthless mold of a Chaos Elf if you don’t know any better.

            Malkius has always struggled to keep his personal life away from his position as Master of Weapons.  Because of this he spends as much time as he can away from Klan Gorod.  His time away is restricted by his requirement to be in his Klan Home for certain periods of time, or he would lose his title. 

It may appear that I do not give much information about Malkius, but that is because I am not one of those whom he calls friend.  Malkius is very adept at hiding information from those he does not wish to find it.  I believe that I am one of the few who knows where he goes and what he does, despite the fact that I do not know him well personally.  If I were to leave my seclusion and secrecy and reveal myself to the world, I believe my strongest ally would be Malkius because he and I fight for the same cause.  What better compliment could I pay him than to say we hold the same ideals and goals?

Journal Entry: Kaelus

            Kaelus is a Chaos Elf and he is Magius’ twin brother.  As I stated when I wrote about Magius, Kaelus is a member of the Fighter’s Klan.  While his family and elven family do not have much respect for any type of warrior, I must say that Kaelus is very good at what he does.  Perhaps a driving factor in his physical excellence and skill with almost any weapon are the distaste and lack of respect he was always shown by his own people.  Whatever the case may be, I only know of one person more skilled with weapons and more physically disciplined than Kaelus, and that is Malkius.  Malkius is the Master of Weapons, the Head of the Fighter’s Klan.

            Chaos Elves as a general rule are greedy and selfish.  Kaelus is somewhat of an oddity among his own kind.  These traits are present in him, but not to the normal extent.  Kaelus has many of the attributes of a good leader.  Among any other people this would be a good thing.  His mother and brother seem to latch on to some of these characteristics to use against him.  Mallaga and Magius dispose of anyone who is no longer useful to them and have even been known to kill on a whim.  While Mallaga and Magius use this knowledge to rule by fear, Kaelus does not.  He has been known to kill some of his fellow Chaos Elves, but not without reason.  This ability to stay his hand when killing is not necessary has earned him a sort of respect among his people. 

Kaelus truly is an oddity among his people.  A Chaos Elf would never be called just or fair, but I would be tempted at times to call Kaelus both.  Sometimes I wonder what he must think of his own people, but at other times he seems to fit in perfectly with the blackened souls that call themselves Chaos Elves.

Journal Entry: Magius

                Magius is one of Mallaga’s twin sons and is a Chaos Elf.  Magius is a Mage and has learned how to manipulate the Fire Element.  Since his father’s demise Magius has become the High Mage of Fire.  Chaos Elves, in general, do not have loving relationships, but Magius could be called the favored son.  After all, according to the Empress, Magius’ twin is a mere warrior and can’t manipulate any of the elements.  Magius is deceitful and a schemer of grand designs.  He appears to despise his brother and does everything he can to discredit him, and those loyal to him.  Magius himself has loyal followers who would do anything he asks of them, but I would be willing to bet that he would leave them to their deaths if it suited his needs.

                From my observations Magius is a power monger like his mother and father.  He covets the power his mother has and views his fellow High Mage’s with contempt because he shares power with them.  It would not be a stretch of the imagination to assume that Magius has plans to dethrone his mother and take her power.  The desire is clearly visible in his eyes and how he references his mother when he is away from Fire Mount.  Mallaga is a dangerous woman, and she has caused much hardship for the people of Tselestial, but I fear what Magius would unleash on the land if he ever became the Emperor of the Chaos Elves.  May it never be so is my fervent hope.

Even though I have labeled Magius as a liar, a cheat, and a power monger, I would offer a word of caution.  He may be a fool, but he is powerful.  One does not become a High Mage of any Element without being very skilled and powerful.  A powerful fool is still a dangerous man.