#Laeder Dalion

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Here’s my attempt at the John Mulaney challenge, thanks for tagging me @sophiewritingstuff​ !!

Here are some of my main characters from Children of the Mage Wars, sorry for the terrible picture quality on some of these lol...

Jerod:

Also Jerod:

Laeder:

Mikial: 

Tanja: 

Bonus - Jamos:

Tagging: @songsofaleria​  @ryns-ramblings  @writerfae​   if you guys want to do it for your WIPs 

Thanks!

#cotmw #children of the mage wars #Jerod Dalion #Laeder Dalion #Tanja Adjennar #Mikial of Astegan #My WIP #Fantasy Writing #fantasy novel #Jamos Dalion #My writing #MY OCs #tag game #sotsk oc tag

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CotMW very first excerpt!!

From Children of the Mage Wars. I’m finally brave enough to post something.

Laeder’s eyes went to the new sword. “Can I take a look at that?”

Jerod nodded, and handed it over. His brother weighed it in his hands, looking it over with a critical eye.

 “This is a man’s sword, not a child’s,” he said. “Do you think you’re ready to be a man, then?”

 Jerod hesitated, then spoke determinedly. “Yes.”

 For a moment Laeder kept his serious face on, then a smile broke through. “You don’t have to be. Don’t worry about that. You’re still only a child.”

Jerod frowned. “I’m thirteen. Father says that means I have to start thinking about adult responsibilities, now.”

“You’re only a little boy. When you get to be my age, you will look back to today and wonder why you worried over such a thing. Did Father say what you’d need this for?”

“He… he said it was for battle. When I would have to be in one.”

Laeder’s eyes were following him. “You are worried, aren’t you? About what that might mean?”

Jerod knew what he was talking about. Would it be safe, to explain to Laeder of all people?

“I’m not sure I’m ready for it,” he said quietly, “Father says I’ll need it if I am to go to battle, but I’m not sure I want to go to battle at all, is that wrong? I know it would be expected of me if there was one, but I don’t know that I’m…right for it.”

His brother looked thoughtful but, to Jerod’s relief, not angry or concerned. “You are only young,” he said, “you’re still a boy. You have time to think, many years to think, and to decide what kind of man you will be. If you are not ready to be a fighter now, there is little hurry.” He paused, and swallowed. “Perhaps when you are my age you will feel differently. And…perhaps you will not.”

“And what if that’s it? What if I don’t feel any differently? Does that make me a coward?”

Jerod wasn’t sure, but he thought his brother’s face tightened a little. There was something hidden there, he thought, lurking behind the blue of his eyes. He was sure whatever he was about to say would be some kind of grown-up lecture.

“Do you want to know something about me?” said Laeder, surprising him. He shook his head. His brother continued.

“I fought in battle beside our father for the first time when I was sixteen. You know that.”

Jerod nodded. The Battle of Shale it had been called, where the Idraic island people sought to take back a sliver of mainland that had belonged to them, but long had been held by the northern Gostals. The Gamelorics rarely liked to take sides in the conflicts between these two rival regions, but this time their father had, deciding that the Idraic people had more of a reasonable cause, and were more in need of help from the Gameloric army. It had been a risk, however; while he had become close friends with the lord of the Idraic region in doing this, their region’s relations with the Gostal people had been damaged.

Laeder sighed and went on. “I had no great want to go to that battle. It terrified me, more than you can imagine. But I went because I was needed, because it was my duty. And now, if I were needed again, I would go, just like the last time.”

 And would you be terrified again? Jerod thought, but did not ask.

His brother laid one hand on his arm, a gesture more familial and intimate than anything he usually initiated. “If the time comes that you are called, you will be able. Because it will be your duty, as it was mine. And the pull of honour alone will give you the strength you need. I did not want to go when I was young, but I did go, and I survived, did I not?”

He had…and yet he was changed, as Mother said. Jerod felt that his true question was not being properly answered, that it was being deliberately avoided. And suddenly he no longer wanted to know.

#CotMW #Jerod Dalion #Laeder Dalion #wip excerpt #writeblr excerpt #writing #writeblr #fantasy writing #fantasy novel

[treesandwords]

CotMW and dreams/visions

Each main storyline has an emphasis on repetitive dreams and visions. I try to use it as a way to tie the characters together, even though 3/4 of them are unrelated and live nowhere near one another. I also like to use dreams or visions as means of foreshadowing, for later in the same book or for other books in the series I have planned. Examples include:

Jerod has a similar dream twice in the book, regarding his siblings dying as well as his guilt about the situation with the mage. Also, through his connection to the mage, he gains the ability to see visions of things happening in other parts of the world at that time. Usually they are obscure or hard to interpret, but he ends up writing them down each time he has one to try and make sense of them, while when he first found out he had this power he was afraid of it.

Tanja has had a repeated dream since childhood of a red forest, and sometimes of a flaming tree. These dreams get more and more detailed as the story goes on and she comes closer to the Saldigan Empire, which seems to be the heart of the location she dreams of. Part of her story in future books (?) involves her going on a journey to discover the meaning behind these dreams.

Laeder often has nightmares about his experience in the war, and later about (spoiler) the death of his daughter. Even before she dies he dreams of it happening, and afterwards can’t remember the details of the dream but it leaves him feeling unsettled for many days. He only remembers fully once it comes true in real life. 

Mikial has dreams of his home and family, though the images grow less and less distinct the longer he is away. Once they had grown almost completely indistinct, they start to evolve into something else which he can’t make out at first, but he sees what he thinks represents his future rather than his past. 

Anyway. Dreams, y’all. 

#cotmw #TSS #Jerod Dalion #Laeder Dalion #Tanja Adjennar #Mikial of Astegan #writeblr #wip #my wips #Fantasy Writing #fantasy novel #fantasy writer

[treesandwords]

CHARACTER INTRO: Laeder Dalion*

Who he is: One of the POV characters from Children of the Mage Wars

Family: Parents, 8 (!!!) younger siblings, wife (Jessylle Hallored), young daughter (Brenna Dalion)

Positive traits: Intelligent, family-oriented, tactical, forgiving, dutiful, logical, humble, loyal, wise, protective

Neutral traits: Private, calm, sensitive 

Negative traits: Pessimistic, insecure, dishonest, easily swayed, indecisive 

Age: 23/24 - 38/39 ish, I’m having time issues

Birthday: June 24, year 446

Appearance: 5′11, curly brown hair, blue eyes, dark eyebrows. Has a scar on the left side of his face and another one on his right arm.

Backstory: As the Dalions’ oldest son and heir, Laeder has always been close by his father’s side learning how he would eventually govern Daegon Province in his stead. At just sixteen he joined his father in battle; an event that traumatized him far more than he admits. His parents arranged his marriage to Jessylle, something both of them were unsure about at the time, but they ultimately fell in love and had one daughter together. He begins to worry about the state of their land when he hears about the neighbouring Saldigan Empire’s desire to expand and take over. He wants nothing more than for his family and country to stay away from any conflict, but soon sees it may become inevitable especially when it turns out his father may have reasons of his own for going to war with their enemies...

Other facts: Laeder has quite a lot of internal worries and concerns. He is constantly juggling his love for his younger siblings and his love for his wife and daughter, whom he is determined to be a good father to. He tends to be a bit distant and removed from his siblings, and is not very close to the younger ones because he is so much older than them; to them he is more like a third parent. He respects family traditions, and has an artistic view of the world. 

*I have no h*cking clue where this stupid ass name came from

#writeblr #my ocs #my characters #oc intro #character intro #fantasy novel #fantasy novel oc #CotMW #children of the mage wars #Laeder Dalion

[treesandwords]

Children of the Mage Wars/Sons of the Summer King Masterpost

Hello! Here is everything important so far that I've said about my main WIP, Sons of the Summer King (previously called The Seventh Son and Children of the Mage wars)

Intro

New, Fancy, UPDATED/more accurate Intro

Character intros: Jerod, Laeder

Excerpts: 1, 2, 3, 4

Places: The Gamilaric Region, The Saldigan Empire

Folklore/culture: The Whistling Man

Intro to the Dalion siblings

Significance of dreams + visions

Incorrect quotes: 1, 2, 3

John Mulaney quotes + my OCs

More John Mulaney quotes

Spoilers without context

#Cotmw #children of the mage wars #sons of the summer king #sotsk #writeblr #writing #fantasy writing #my writing #wip #my wips #fantasy novel #writer #masterpost #masterlist

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WIP INTRO

WIP: Children of the Mage Wars, Book 1

Genre: Adult high fantasy

Status: 2nd draft in progress (but new plot threads come into my mind every day so who knows how long it’ll take...)

Narration style: Third person limited (sometimes going a little omniscient?), multiple POV.  

Themes: Growing up, dysfunctional families, magic, oppression, trauma, the effects of war, choice, secrets, historical misinformation

Setting: ~Fantasy Land~

Summary: Jerod Dalion’s early life is filled with the adventures of childhood; climbing hidden trees with his brothers, playing on the windy moors, and exploring the nooks and crannies of the castle he calls home. But he and his many siblings live in constant wariness of Magic, a fear instilled in them by their Mage-hating father, a survivor of the war his people once fought against them. For Jerod, Magic is a both dangerous and wonderful, a mystery he never dreams to understand. And then one day he and his brother trespass on territory they know to be inhabited by a Mage, and pay the ultimate price: a curse laid upon them and their family. 

The two brothers must find a way to break the curse, but in doing so they must also learn about the ways of magic, something forbidden and nearly impossible to do. Already burdened with shame and a confusing, dangerous road ahead of him, Jerod must also face war, love, loss, and above all, choices that will determine the kind of man he will become. 

But this world is large, and its people have a long memory. Different places, people, and times are all hovering on the brink of something that has been approaching for centuries, and Jerod Dalion’s decisions may affect not only his own family’s future, but the world at large - magical and not. 

POV Characters: 

     Jerod Dalion: The sixth living child to Lord Jamos Dalion. Sweet and gentle, with a constantly optimistic outlook that borders on naivety. Somehow both      observant and oblivious at the same time.

     Laeder Dalion: Jamos’ eldest son. The “golden child”, revered by his younger siblings and in their minds carbon copy of their father. He, however, has demons and secrets of his own.

     Tanja Adjennar: The princess of a far off kingdom with a shaky alliance to a vast and greedy empire. Feisty, superstitious, and fairly spoiled, she is also much closer to magic than you would think.

     Mikial: A boy both feared and respected by his people for his ability: the power to call fire to his fingertips at will. He was taken from his family to fight for a cause he cares nothing about; his only wish is to survive long enough to return home. His true name is unknown, for he has given it to no one and it remains a secret, kept close to himself. 

This is still a work in progress, despite being on its second draft, and a LOT might change from now until whenever it’ll be done. I still have a lot to learn and research before it gets there.

Thanks for reading <3

#writeblr #wip intro #book intro #fantasy novel #fantasy writing #children of the mage wars #CotMW #my writing

[treesandwords]

Just realized the four POV characters for TSS correspond to the four elements

Jerod=earth; his character spends a lot of time in the woods or around nature, there are several trees important to his storyline (and the main Dalion storyline in general), a lot of tree and nature representation with him

Laeder=water; the battle he was a part of when he was young that left him traumatized happened on a beach, which is part of the reason he fears water (another element that comes up repeatedly in the book), he ends up living by a river where (SPOILER) someone very close to him drowns, and there’s generally a lot of water imagery associated with his character

Mikial=fire; an obvious one as he has fire powers, he also comes from a desert climate, which is hot and dry during the day but at night it gets very cold and the people rely on fire for survival, later becomes a blacksmith 

Tanja=air; she comes from an upland country with a cold and windy climate, many of her major scenes are set outdoors in empty areas, she has a lot of bird/flight imagery associated with her, spends a lot of scenes in high up locations

I’ll keep working with this

#cotmw #TSS #fantasy novel #Fantasy Writing #fantasy writer #writeblr #Jerod Dalion #Laeder Dalion #Mikial of Astegan #Tanja Adjennar

[treesandwords]

The Dalion Siblings

I’ve talked about Jerod and Laeder, who are our major players in this family, but it’s high time I mentioned the rest of their siblings because there’s a whole bunch of them. I won’t go into quite as much detail because they’re more minor characters but you can always message me if you’d like to know more. (On ages - these are the characters’ starting ages but they do grow a lot throughout the book, it covers many years)

Quinnton

-18 at the start of book 1 -Second oldest -The practical joker -One of those people who can mess around but also act mature when he’s around adults and needs to look Grown Up -Good older brother -Would be a good dad -Probably genuinely likes dad jokes -Won’t let anyone cut his hair

Bronwyn

-16 -The older twin and she never lets him forget it -Doesn’t like people -A Mess  -Loves her family to death but also kind of wishes they’d shut up -Good at math -The logical one

Gevin

-Also 16 -The taller twin and he never lets her forget it -Seriously, tall AF -Knows how to throw knives. Why? How and when did he learn? No one knows -The angsty one -A lot smarter than he comes across -Surprisingly good with kids

Ciaran

-13 -Nerd -If you thought Jerod was a nerd...Ciaran’s even nerdier -The one closest in age to Jerod so they hang out a lot...though from his point of view it’s mainly just out of convenience  -Big animal lover -Fights with Cassian A Lot -Likes to be left alone -Major procrastinator 

Cassian

-10 -Big youngest child syndrome even though he’s not the youngest -Loud -Wants constant attention -Will talk to anybody -Pretends he’s not afraid of ghosts but is definitely afraid of ghosts

Nurei

-7 -Girly girl -Everyone loves her, they can’t help it -Absolutely hates it when someone tells her to do something she’s already in the middle of doing/about to do. She will no longer do it under any circumstance. -Loves babies of any and every kind. Baby humans, baby cats, baby crickets, you name it.  -Literally anything is cute to her. Creepy insects? Cute. Literal goblins? Adorable.

Esme

-5 -Chaotic -Puts everything in her mouth  -Even when she gets older she chews her fingernails, her sleeves, anything. It’s a nervous habit. -Absolutely does not care what anybody thinks -Will fight you with all her tiny ferocity 

#CotMW #children of the mage wars #Dalion siblings #Quinnton Dalion #Bronwyn Dalion #Gevin Dalion #Ciaran Dalion #Cassian Dalion #Nurei Dalion #Esme Dalion #fantasy #fantasy writing #my ocs #my characters