Author Topic: The Balaria Thread  (Read 67929 times)

LilWolf

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The Balaria Thread
« Topic Start: September 18, 2011, 08:07:46 PM »
For many years I have had the idea of an fantasy world rumbling around my head. During the years I've written stuff down and even started writing a book of sorts for it. I feel now is about the time to let more people know of it since I think the writing has evolved to a level that hopefully won't have people grinding their teeth together all the way through. It is written in English even though it is not my native language, but who knows, maybe you'll like it. It's licensed under a Creative Commons license so feel free to share it, the world itself is also CC licensed under a slightly more permissive one.

So..lets put some stuff forward. I will keep this first post updated as new stuff gets done.

The world is called Balaria.

Maps

Probably what will interest you the most are the maps that you can find here:

Maps Page

Guardian Spirit

I have plans for several stories in the world, some shorter than others, but for now all there is is the Guardian Spirit story. It is about a young elf who finds herself amidst a conflict that threatens her entire race. You can find the story so far here:

Guardian Spirit - The Complete Novel

Guardian Spirit - Part One (complete)
Guardian Spirit - Part Two (complete)
Guardian Spirit - Part Three (complete)

Creation

Every world needs a story on how it came to be. It might not reflect what the beings in the world believe the story to be, but elements of it can certainly be found in all of the stories trying to explain such an event. Here is the story of how the world of Balaria came to be.

The Creation Story

The Practicioner

This is a short story about a glass makers son who returns home and finds that he's responsible for looking after his fathers shop -- among other things. The story takes place in a part of the world that isn't on the existing map(it's on the expanded map that I have under work).

The Practicioner

The Encounter

This is a short story with an underground theme. If you've read the Drizzt books by R.A. Salvatore you can probably find a few similarities in the theme.

The Encounter

Calendar

You can find some basic information about the calendar used in the world over here.

The Voyage of Elwar Soran

The second long term story to take place in the world of Balaria. Elwar is a young wizard who has a wild idea that just might change the world. Will he succeed in securing funding for it and take on the voyage?

The Voyage of Elwar Soran - The Entire Novel (complete)
The Voyage of Elwar Soran - Part One (complete)
The Voyage of Elwar Soran - Part Two (complete)
The Voyage of Elwar Soran - Part Three (complete)

The Midsummer Festival

Take a glimpse at the life of the Norther Barbarians who roam the plains of Balaria. The story focuses on a young man called Diew who is taking part in the traditional Midsummer festival of his clan.

Midsummer Festival

Horizon

The world has changed and most of all for the elves. The air has become toxic, forcing them to wear masks in order to venture outside. Their forests have been diminished to a pale shadow of what they once were. In an daring attempt to ensure the survival of their race, the Elven High Council has put their hopes in a plan that would see their kind survive. Will Horizon live up to the hopes the elves have put in to it?

Horizon (complete)

I try to post a new chapter every Sunday for this so check back regularly if you're interested :)

The Pale Rose

Eleria Thraomdan, the imperial princess of Ramyn, is sent to safety after an assassination attempt on her fails. The truth is hidden from her and she is left thinking it is only a routine visit to a place she considers her second home.

Cheid Strihin, the heir of the Strihin family, a family that is tasked with the protection of the imperial princess. To him the princess is a friend, someone he has grown up with. Her arrival at the family estate is nothing unusual for him.

Neither knows what is waiting for them. Neither one knows the pains growing up will bring.

The Pale Rose - Part One (complete, PDF)

The Pale Rose - Part Two (complete, PDF)

The Pale Rose - Part Three (complete, PDF)

The Pale Rose - Part Four (complete, PDF)

The Pale Rose - Complete Novel (complete, PDF)

The Pale Rose - Complete Novel (complete, EPUB)


If you really want to stay up to date I'd suggest subscribing to the RSS feed of new posts for my website. Don't worry, it's pretty much all about my writings so you won't be spammed by messages about other things.

I'll appreciate any comments you might have, be they positive or negative.
« Last Edit: February 16, 2014, 03:54:34 PM by LilWolf »
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egamma

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #1: September 19, 2011, 06:21:23 PM »
Why don't you enter the map contest?

LilWolf

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #2: September 19, 2011, 07:30:00 PM »
Why don't you enter the map contest?

As I understand the map contest it's supposed to be about making prettier maps. Mine is pretty simplistic and probably a step down in many peoples minds from what we currently have :)
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egamma

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #3: September 20, 2011, 12:22:41 AM »
If you could create the rough draft of a map, then someone with the tools can make it pretty. I like your map, I think it would be fun to play.

Perth

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #4: September 20, 2011, 03:57:51 AM »
As I understand the map contest it's supposed to be about making prettier maps. Mine is pretty simplistic and probably a step down in many peoples minds from what we currently have :)

Yeah. Perhaps one day we would see a new BM continent called Balaria  ;)
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Nosferatus

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #5: September 20, 2011, 12:24:02 PM »
funny thing about the map contest is that you see that people who have great (complex) creative ideas for maps but can't make them in the format that we look for.
This is also the other way around so perhaps you should post atleast a link of your map on the map contest, atleast i really like it.
once perth and fury get the hang of things and finish there maps, they could perhaps ue yours to make it become more creative and natural.
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LilWolf

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #6: September 20, 2011, 03:20:25 PM »
Isn't the map contest for War Islands only?

The map would be a bit huge for that I think.
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Adriddae

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #7: September 21, 2011, 03:59:22 AM »
Nice. Brings back memories of when I used to make maps of fantasy worlds with my friends (I still do!). They weren't as elaborate as this though...

Zakilevo

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #8: September 21, 2011, 04:04:11 AM »
Well with some major adjustments, you can shrink you map. Yeah regarding the map contest, I just couldn't finish my map once my school started. I tried to make it 3d and got stuck with the program. I just ran out of the patience to sit and watch 3 hours of tutorials.

LilWolf

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #9: September 21, 2011, 05:43:16 PM »
Well with some major adjustments, you can shrink you map.

Wouldn't be the same map in that case :)

Anyway, I'm more interested in spending my time expanding the map/world than shrinking it down.
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LilWolf

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #10: October 07, 2011, 02:43:41 PM »
Well, I just finished writing a creation story for the world. Might be a bit rough around the edges, but the story is there. Should be a pretty quick read and give a fairly decent indication of how I write. So, if you haven't dived into Guardian Spirit, this might be a decent way to see if I write in a way you might enjoy.

The Creation Story (PDF-file)
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Nathan

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #11: October 07, 2011, 03:17:24 PM »
Well, I just finished writing a creation story for the world. Might be a bit rough around the edges, but the story is there. Should be a pretty quick read and give a fairly decent indication of how I write. So, if you haven't dived into Guardian Spirit, this might be a decent way to see if I write in a way you might enjoy.

The Creation Story (PDF-file)

That was a nice little read and it definitely makes me want to sit down and try again at reading your story. The only problem I have is that it hurts my eyes reading large PDF documents, I much prefer to have a book in my hands.

LilWolf

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #12: October 07, 2011, 03:55:19 PM »
That was a nice little read and it definitely makes me want to sit down and try again at reading your story. The only problem I have is that it hurts my eyes reading large PDF documents, I much prefer to have a book in my hands.

I hear you. Nothing beats having a real book in your hands. All I can suggest is printing out the text, but I can understand not wanting to do that since it takes quite a few pages already.
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LilWolf

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #13: October 21, 2011, 07:05:17 PM »
So, chapter 7 of Guardian Spirit is done. I have also added a prologue to the story that hopefully adds a bit of something in the back of your mind when you read through the chapters.

So a quick list of changes:

    * Added a prologue
    * Added calendar years to when the prologue and chapter 1 happen to give a sense of time
    * Added chapter 7. Some issues might remain due to lesser amount of polish than earlier chapters
    * Small grammar fixes etc. to chapters 1-6

As always, you can find the updated PDF here.

I’ve also added a bit of info on the calendar commonly used in Balaria. You can find the information here.
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Vellos

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Re: Something you might enjoy
« Reply #14: October 29, 2011, 10:38:01 PM »
Just noticed this; looked over the map, calendar, races, history, etc. Started reading the longer narrative. Being an avid fantasy world maker myself, I very much enjoy this sort of thing.

You asked for comments, so I'll give you a few of my thoughts:
1. Why do you call months moons? Are they actual lunar cycles, but the lunar cycles vary in length. The idea of a lunar calendar is neat, I'm just curious why you decided to use a lunar word for what does not immediately appear to be a lunar calendar.

2. Regarding "Common Date," that's a reasonable enough convention for your use, and, in Balaria, for "scholars." But could you flesh out the race-specific calendars? I'd be very interested to see those as well; and fleshing them out could allow some interesting setting material for characters, if they consistently refer to their own calendars. You introduce "Common Date" as being originated by scholars; would folk calendars really have vanished?

3. Why so many two-syllable names? Your city names are remarkably conventional, across cultural and national lines. This might be intentional, I don't know; it just seemed worth commenting on.

4. Did anything happen between 0 and 2426 CD? I was curious about that time period; it seems like it is probably significant, but it's a gap in the timeline.

----

Those were my primary thoughts/questions as I looked over it. Hope they're useful to you!
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