Stories in the series "Ol Tamboch Narhin"
# 1: Ol Tamboch Narhin, Thread 1: A Beginning
Bards love to give their stories names, preferably interesting and memorable names. Since by some odd chance there are no bards involved in this one, it falls to me to supply its label. In the language of my birth, I present you with Ol Tamboch Narhin, the Chaos Tapestry. What? You don't need all of the dramatics? Too bad, my friend. I am the only one who can tell this tale, and I will tell it my way. Listen or don't, ... [ Read More ]
# 2: Ol Tamboch Narhin, Thread 2: Another Genesis
Complex stories never have just one beginning. Like a tapestry, threads of actions weave in and out of the background of circumstances, bringing patterns of results to the surface of the finished product. So it is with Ol Tamboch Narhin. No, my friend, I have no intention of trying to detail every beginning that goes into this tapestry. Neither of us have as long as that would take. But you need to know the important inceptive elements. Once ... [ Read More ]
# 3: Ol Tamboch Narhin, Thread 3: Schooling
All magic is the same and springs from one of only two sources: the natural world or the divine. Yes, yes, I'm sure you've been told different. Believe me, and I'm in a position to know, what you've been told is wrong. It is true that every single magic worker, from the conjurer with more than nimble fingers helping her trick the gullible to the most puissant magus with his world-shaping spells, uses magic differently. Everyone approaches magic differently, ... [ Read More ]
# 4: Ol Tamboch Narhin, Thread 4: Shaping Moonglow
Art is the communication of an idea from one to another. Everyone creates art just by giving voice to their own thoughts, though few see simple conversation in that light. Art requires inspiration, and that can come from anywhere: the song of a bird, the sparkle of light reflected from water, the scent of fresh-baked bread, the fruity taste of a well-fermented wine, the silky feel of the fur of a kitten. The forms that inspiration takes can vary greatly: ... [ Read More ]
# 5: Ol Tamboch Narhin, Thread 5: The Rigors of War
A country often has a characteristic for which it is known, such as Lederian wine, or Mandrakan marble. At times, opinions vary on the defining feature: Comarr is best known to some for it tobacco, to others for its cattle. Sometimes, though, the opinion is universal. Such it is with the Beinison Empire. The characteristic for which it is best known is war. Beinison is old, and it has been at war for a very long ... [ Read More ]
# 6: Ol Tamboch Narhin, Thread 6: Building Fear
Fear affects everyone. It's part of being mortal, of being human. That is a basic truth: everyone is afraid of something. Fear can inhibit you, but that's not always a bad thing: you touch a flame, it hurts you, and you don't do it again. Fear can also be a motivator, driving you to learn more, or strive harder, or explore further to decrease those things that make you afraid. Fear is often irrational. Spiders are seldom lethal. Snakes are ... [ Read More ]
# 7: Ol Tamboch Narhin, Thread 7: Far From Home
Baranur and Beinison have long been enemies. Political differences, ideological divergences, territorial imperatives: all have had a part in their continued conflict. Both nations are strong now, and even despite the fact that Baranur does not exist in a constant state of war-readiness, the more northern kingdom was able to defeat the empire in their last clash in 1013 and 1014. Some 120 years ago, though, when the two nations previously came to open war, it was a ... [ Read More ]
# 8: Ol Tamboch Narhin, Thread 8: The Skipping Stone
Circles, loops, spirals, cycles -- all of nature seems to love this shape, from the circle of the seasons to the very cycle of life itself. Curving, bending, swooping all seem more nature-like, more natural, if you will, than the straight, level lines of roads, and the hard barriers of walls. Of course, there isn't anything inherently unnatural about linearity or flatness: mountain cliffs are flat, and tree trunks grow straight up, after all. Perhaps the perception comes, ... [ Read More ]