The Origin of Trolls and Barbarians

Swords of Fire: Traitor makes mention of Trolls and Barbarians. They become important again in Book IV, which currently has no working title. I thought I would give a short background where Trolls and Barbarians came from.

After The Great War, which nearly destroyed The Great Sea, the Children of Fire were bound to repair as much damage as they could. Part of this restoration process involved close interaction with the Free Peoples, of which there were five: Figgits, Dwarfs, Men, Pennans, and Nomads. The Pennan and Nomad numbers were few, but the other races still existed in huge numbers. This was especially so with the race of Men.

In order to facilitate interaction between the Free People and the Children of Fire, certain members of the Children of Fire took on mortal form, meaning they would share the fate of whichever race they chose to emulate. They were granted long lifespans, but ultimately they would die. Lacking anything creative, the Free People called these Mortals.

Unfortunately, Zenophone encouraged a good number of his followers to also take on mortal form. These did not act in accordance with the rules set forth by the High King. Instead, they used their superior strength to overcome those they were to help and set up kingdoms. Hence they were called Overlords.

The Overlords went further than just seek dominion. They forced members of the races to become to become concubines and sexual slaves. The children born to these unions were deformed in varying degrees. They were known as The Accursed Races.

Accursed Races:

• Goblins: from Figgits
• Gnomes: from Dwarfs
• Barbarians: from Men
• Gargoyles: from Pennans
• Renegades: from Nomads

The Free People shunned these offspring, creating a population of outcasts who learned to hate those who blamed them without cause. Many were hunted and killed. All were tormented to one degree or another. And when the Overlords began dying (or being killed), the surviving mothers took their children to the mountains to hide. And there, in the mountains, in order to fulfill the maturing desires of their sons, mothers committed unthinkable acts. The children from these unions became even more deformed than their fathers, and were shunned even by the outcasts. In time they became known as Trolls.

Trolls from Renegades were the largest. Next in size were Trolls from Barbarians. These are the Trolls of Swords of Fire: Traitor.

Sick? Yeah. It is. That's the point. People - any people - are capable of incredible acts when put in certain circumstances. The harder we deny this, the more likely we would be victims.

Angelic Beings

That the Children of Fire are "angelic beings" is clear from any description I give them. But how close they are to real angels I cannot say. I doubt very. But there are similarities.

The Children of Fire have the power to assume any physical form they desire. These forms can be of real things, familiar to the mortal Free People who populate The Great Sea. Or they can be something entirely new and confusing. There is no limit.

I expect that is true of real angels, too. As spirit beings they are not bound by the physical. They can look like people, animals, or anything else. In the Book of Ezekiel we read how the prophet saw a vision of angels who's descriptions seem to indicate they appeared as machines. Possibly spaceships. More than a few people have suggested that those U.F.O. sightings which cannot be explained by means of human creations, or natural earth events, could possibly be angels/demons flying through the air. Don't know. Could be, I suppose.

The Children of Fire have divided themselves into two groups: those who support the High King's decision that Madatar be given control of The Great Sea, and those who oppose it.

That's kind of true for angels, too. Most of them have remained true to God and serve him with all their heart. But some have turned away. For whatever reason, they now oppose God. In Revelation, Chapter 12, we read how the dragon's tail, "swept down a third of the stars of heaven".

The thing is, though, Swords of Fire is not about our world, our redemption, or even the angels which come here. Swords of Fire is about a different place, with different people, who follow a different code. So don't get too hung up when even my "good" angels don't behave according to scripture. They're following a different book.

Draem

Poor Draem. Nearly everything I've written about her is lost in the Archives. She started out equal with Kensington and Zenophone, but quickly became a minor figure as the battle lines were drawn. As soon as I made her a supporter of Kensington she seems to have lost her equal status.

Even I can only think of two things when I think of Draem: she supports Kensington; she made the Golden Sheep. Not exactly noteworthy accomplishments.

There are several major components of The Great Sea: Regulator of Time, Isle of Wonder, Isle of Nether Gloom. These are all under Kensington's jurisdiction. But then he is the Regent. So what does Draem do?

Well, from what I remember regarding her personality, the logical conclusion is Draem is mostly involved with the maintenance of flora and fauna. Draem was particularly interested in these things, especially if they were gentle, like sheep. It is said she was very involved in the creation of the Giant Cats. Her influence is certainly there, but the Giant Cats are far from gentle.

No, Draem is one of those characters who original purpose has faded. Once, she had a larger purpose and role. Now, the only reason she still exists is because it's more work to get rid of her than to keep her around as a background character.

She took the opposite road as Tavaar.

Poor Draem.

How Much is Too Much

If only Swords of Fire were published and available for everone to read. That would make posting about Madatar and Ardora easier. As it is, unpublished with only a bleak hope on the horizon of that ever changing, it is difficult for me to say much about them. You see, I don't want to say too much. I don't want to spill the beans, as it were. Knowledge about Madatar in particular is supposed to be progressive. But how can that be if I blab it all here? (Well, since nobody reads this, perhaps it doesn't matter.)

Last week I confessed that Madatar is revealed in Book II. What about Book I? Is Madatar there? Yes. Only we do not see him, hear him, or know what he is doing. Madatar is working from behind the scenes. Like every other character in Book I, Madatar is attempting to manipulate events to suit his purposes. It is not clear whether he is aware of Shatahar's plans to trap him at Khirsha's home village, but he does seem to possess a sense of urgency.

What I need, and have not had for years, is a regular confidant. I need someone to bounce ideas off to learn if they are any good. After I lost my original confidant I went for years alone. Then I thought I had found a new one. But she didn't want to learn about what was going to happen through discussing it with me. She wanted me to write it, so she could read and be surprised. She failed to understand my need to discuss both the future and the past in order to write the present. They are not separate stories. They are all part of the same flow and, as such, have to blend seemlessly into each other, the joining of hand to wrist to forearm to elbow to upper arm to shoulder. Each is a distinct part of the body, but there are no definitive lines separating them.

For now, take it that Madatar is very active in Book I, but hidden. Ardora is there, too. But she's even more hidden.

What Exactly Do the Children of Fire Do

The Children of Fire (COF) did a good portion of the work during The Great Sea's creation. The Great Sea does not belong to them, however. Is this fair? No less fair than the fact that the men and women who did the actual construction of my house do not get to live here. At least the COF get to live on The Great Sea.

The COF are the most powerful beings on The Great Sea, excepting Madatar, Ardora and the High King, of course. As such, they have the power to do pretty much as they please. What they do not have is the authority. There is a limit on what the High King allows them to do. Up to that limit, it's mostly what they want. However, that being said, the High King has tasked them with certain duties. What the COF decide, individually and collectively, is whether to act in accordance with their duty. So what are the duties?

Mostly, the COF keep The Great Sea operating. They see to it that day and night remain on all inhabited worlds. They keep worlds on their course. They affect seasons. They have also been assigned the task of repairing The Great Sea. (After all, they were the ones who nearly destroyed it.) Basically, they are the custodial staff - masters of a variety of trades.

Hierarchically, there were four (4) levels: Lords (only Kensington, Draem and Zenophone); Wizards (the strongest); Teachers (less strong, but still formidable); Mortals (COF who chose to not only take physical form, but to accept mortality).

Not all the COF chose to comply with their duty. Some continued to seek domination, and they were given new names. Zenophone was still called a Lord, but the Wizards who abandoned their call were renamed Warlords. Teachers were called Titans and Mortals became Overlords. The Overlords extended their disobedience by taking Free People slaves and mating with them. From these unions came the Accursed Races: Gnomes, Barbarians, Renegades, Gargoyles - and Trolls.

Kensington, and his followers, maintained control of all The Great Sea's key elements, including Time. In fact, Kensington personally controlled the Regulator of Time. This was important, as history could not be changed once the Regulator of Time passed. (No world was 'in sync' with the Regulator of Time. In fact, they were all ahead of it.) Well, it was too difficult for most anyway.

Time is an important element in Swords of Fire. It is neither constant nor permanent. History can be changed - providing one has the power and means to go backward in Time. It is possible - on The Great Sea - to 'step out of Time'. Doing so presents all possibilities based on all possible choices. It is a dangerous venture, for one could find themself trapped 'outside of Time'. For this reason, the Free People were not granted this power naturally (like the COF). But using the power of Madatar they could do it, although only a couple did.

One final task the COF had was to support Madatar and Ardora. This Kensington, Draem and their followers did - one with particular zeal. Zenophone and his followers sought Madatar and Ardora's demise. They could not be 'killed' as we understand dying. But they could be so weakened they would be trapped on one of two isles made for COF who had become too weak to continue: the Isle of Wonder and the Isle of Nether Gloom.

Kensington and his followers continued to send messages to various members of the Free People, warning them of critical events in their path, such as storms, earthquakes, famine and such. Not everyone could hear them (the COF used the winds to speak), and those who could generally could not hear just anyone. It was a long and arduous task to match a member of the COF with an individual who could hear and understand them. Those of the Free People who could became known as Prophets, and their ability was sometimes called The Gift. There were a few communities in which large percentages of the populous had this ability. This is hinted at in Books I and II, and reveals itself more fully in Book III.

So What is the 'Religious' Message

There isn't one. Not officially. However, I remember giving the book to a co-worker a few years back. She liked to read fantasy, and she was very intelligent, so when she expressed an interest in reading what I had written I told her I would be pleased to hear what she had to say about it.

She only came back with two comments. The first was I had a tendency to shift the Point of View (POV). I thought I had corrected that, but I even got called on it from the Minions when I submitted my first 300 words to Evil Editor (http://evileditor.blogspot.com). The second was that it was "too religious" for her to get into. I argued that it wasn't relgious at all, but she wouldn't accept it.

I felt bad because she wasn't going to read it again or give me any more help, but I wasn't going to change the story just because she thought it was religious. For one thing, I still didn't think it was. I certainly had no conscious intent, anyway.

Afterward, I tried to figure out why she thought the book was religous. (She didn't want to talk about it.) My only conclusions - right or wrong, I'll never know - were my references to the High King, and that The Great Sea as a created place (suggesting God). Oh, and I supposed she thought Zenophone was Satan. I don't know who she thought was Jesus Christ. There is no Christ figure in the book. None of my characters are without fault, much less sinless. Characters may sacrifice themselves for other characters, but that is true on both sides of the fight. The Barbarians are as likely to sacrifice themselves for their comrades as anyone in Khirsha's family. The point of the book is not about getting to heaven, or being reconciled with the High King. It is about the struggle for control of a place, called The Great Sea. To me, it's not religous.

I think the problem was that Jenni didn't like it that 'religion' was against some things which were part of her lifestyle, and so she was ever alert to defend herself against charges of sin. I didn't put any of that in the book. The book isn't about telling people what's right and what's wrong, or what they should think or believe. When I was young I tried to write like that, but all of that writing was contrived crap. As I have aged I have come to realize nobody has charged me with the task of making anyone believe anything. Those are not the gifts I was given at birth. What I am good at, and what I enjoy doing, is telling stories. That's what Swords of Fire is: a story. And I want the characters to seem real, so every character has both admirable - and not so admirable - traits.

Swords of Fire is not some kind of cheap instruction manual on morality. (You won't get through Book I before you realize my main characters are far from being Champions of Morality.) It is history. It is what happened at a place called, The Great Sea. No brow beating intended. I promise. But I couldn't make Jenni understand that.

All the same, I now believe I was wrong to argue with Jenni about what she got from my book. It is my feeling that when a reader reads a story, it becomes theirs, and they are a free to take from it whatever they wish. I denied Jenni that right, and maybe that's more why she was finished with the book. We were still friends. We talked and laughed about other things, confiding what co-workers confide. But we couldn't talk about the book anymore.

That I have 'religious' (I hate that word) convictions is no surprise. Most people have them. Even believing there is no God is a religious conviction, I think. And I guess it is only a matter of course that what I believe works its way into what I write - particularly as regards fiction. My concepts of good and bad show in some of the family laws/edicts. Most of what I believe to be 'good' and most of what I believe to be 'bad' is shared by most of the people who share my culture. In Swords of Fire, even the so-called 'good' cultures adhere to rules and behavior I do not consider good in my own culture. The same is true for bad. So either I'm a hyprocrite, or I'm not so solid in my convictions as I believe, or it doesn't matter at all because Swords of Fire is just a story. It's a safe exploration of other ways of thinking. I don't know. I think that's too deep for me.

So here's the short answer: Swords of Fire is a story. Take from it what you will. I do hope you enjoy it. That, I did intend.

The Golden Sheep

The Golden Sheep were a creation of Draem's. She made them alone.

My historical writing on the Golden Sheep is lost somewhere in the archives. I should have organized everything, but it never occurred to me I would wind up with so much. A lot of the old texts were handwritten, and with my handwriting that is like trying to read Egyptian Hieroglyphics. Anyway, I never did have much on the Golden Sheep, so I should be able to put most of it here from memory.

They lived on mountain slopes, high enough to dissuade the common curious, but not so high as to be completely exposed. They were large creatures. Most of the things made by the Children of Fire tended that way. On average, they were probably the size of a hefty pony. They foraged, but it is not clear whether that was just something they did, or whether they actually had to eat to survive.

They were extremely shy creatures, making the Phoenix appear gregarious in comparisson. It is not known if that was Draem's intent.

The amazing feature Draem gave them was that they changed color. In the winter they were white, blending in with the snow perfectly. Through Amaris (spring) and into Nelshius (summer) their wool would darken until it was black. Then, in Luvellish (fall), their wool would turn to gold strands. It wasn't just that their color was gold, although it was, but their wool actually became gold. The season for gold was short, though. Around Mid-Harvest (halfway through fall) a new coat of white wool would begin to grow, pushing out the gold strands, which would break off and lay along the mountainsides. The white wool grew quickly, so by the time Fargius (winter) arrived, they were well protected from the cold. This property of camoflage suggests to some that Draem did intend them to be shy.

As to the gold strands, certain bird species, such as eagles, would collect them for nests. The gold was soft and pliable. It also contained Fire, provided by the sheep themselves. The Dwarfs learned of the Golden Sheep and sent expeditions out to harvest the bounty.

Being sheep, the Golden Sheep were virtually defenseless when The Great War erupted. During the breakup of the Original World, the Golden Sheep were mostly destroyed. What few that remained moved higher into the mountains, and became more reclusive than ever. At the time of Book I, no one had seen a Golden Sheep since The Great War.

Point of Interest: In Book I, there is a reference to the golden wool in Sovereign Odelmaar's description. Odelmaar was a proud man and it showed in his manner and dress. His robe was black with gold accents on the sleeves, collar and fringe. He wore a golden belt made of some material that looked like hair but was in fact gold. It had been found on Fire Mountain.

Shatahar

Shatahar is Zenophone's main agent for finding and destroying Madatar, and ultimately Ardora.

He is the most powerful of the Warlords, the strongest of Zenophone's servants. He is so powerful, in fact, that he has designs on usurping his master's position and becoming the Ruling Power over The Great Sea himself. Yet powerful as he is, he is terrified at the prospect of Madatar finding him first. This is his greatest weakness, and the reason he delays his own victory. Fear may be a powerful weapon, but it can also be a two-edged sword.

According to some archival writings, it was Shatahar who first discovered Elva's Children (Elves) and brought a host of Barbarians against them. But the Elves escaped, with the help of the Figgits and their sailing craft. For this reason Shatahar bears an especial hatred for Figgits.

In Pawns (a.k.a. Flames of Hatred), Shatahar makes a cryptic comment regarding Lord Kensington: Time moved forward. Time was his enemy. He was trapped in time, but to be anywhere else was to risk assault. In Time he would crush his enemy. He would crush all who opposed him. Meanwhile, what was he to do? He lacked advantage. It had been taken from him. Curse Kensington! This passage is very likely to disappear from the final version, but it seems to indicate that Kensington is the reason for Shatahar losing whatever advantage he had. It also hints at something Swords of Fire does not make clear until Book III: Time is a place. And, as a place, one can either be in time, or out of it. There were advantages and limitations to both. Regarding what Kensington did, this is what happened:

When the Children of Fire first walked upon the waters they generated a great cloud of condensation. This Cloud remained for the duration of The Great Sea's lifespan. It was held back from all but a few lifeless worlds at the command of Lord Kensington. When the Figgits took the Elves onto the ocean, Kensington released the Cloud and it blanketed all of The Great Sea. Even the Children of Fire had trouble seeing through the Cloud, and Kensington used this to scatter the Elves and hide them from Zenophone, Shatahar and the other Warlords.

Shatahar - and the others who sought Madatar's destruction - now had to begin from scratch, searching the worlds one by one to find their enemy. Since they were all terrified of their foe, this process was slow. Moving from world to world took time. It also took energy, and Shatahar soon learned it was seldom possible for him to enter a world unannounced. The power and anger he projected just could not be contained. The Warlords were hindered by something else: mistrust of their allies. They just did not share information with each other. Neither did Zenophone share with his Warlords. Although allied against a common enemy, the Warlords tended to act independently. This was another of their weaknesses.

Eventually, Shatahar would employ lesser beings than himself, called Titans, to make the world-to-world search. The Titans would travel at Shatahar's bidding, and since Shatahar was gifted more so than the other Warlords in understanding the minds of Kensington and Grenville, the leaders in the effort to help Madatar, Shatahar was able to stumble upon key places in Madatar's rise to power. Fortunately for Madatar, Shatahar didn't understand just how key his information was.

The High King - Good or Evil

I suppose the definition of the High King's involvement in The Great Sea depends on one's view of someone who has the power to do anything. Most views of such beings - real or imagined - tend to be prejudiced one way or the other.

Some would hold that, since the High King has the power to stop all evil but doesn't, the High King is himself evil. They maintain that a good being of such power would suppress all evil and keep The Great Sea at peace. But there is a problem with that which the Evil Viewers (those who see the High King as evil, not viewers who are evil) refuse to acknowledge. In order to suppress all evil, the High King (or whoever) would have to suppress all freedom, because the simple truth is - everyone tends to evil. The Evil Viewers deny this, but it is true. All beings, creatures and what have you are inclined to act out of selfish motive. Not only that, but what one being, creature or what have you considers evil, another might consider their 'right', and to be denied that right is evil. You see, it comes down to how one defines evil. Let us look at The Great Sea.

The High King created The Great Sea. It was his to give to whomever he chose. He gave it to the Children of Fire, but with the understanding it was eventually to go to Madatar and Ardora. Until Madatar and Ardora claimed their gift, Kensington was to rule and Draem and Zenophone were to support him. Fair enough.

But in Zenophone's mind, he was far better suited to rule the Sea than Kensington. Furthermore, why should the Sea be given to Madatar and Ardora when they had no part in fashioning it? After all, was it not the Children who did most of the actual work? In Zenophone's mind, it was evil for him to do all of that work and get nothing in reward. It wasn't fair that Madatar and Ardora should be given something for which they had not labored. Evil.

From Kensington's point of view it did not matter that Madatar had not been present. The Sea belonged to the High King and the High King was free to give it to whomever he wished. It could be argued that being given the regency may have influenced Kensington's thinking. Would he have thought the same had Zenophone been chosen as regent? In any case, from Kensington's point of view, refusal to abide by the High King's decision was evil.

But it goes even further than that. The concept of what is evil and what is good filters down into the very basic elements which make up life on the Sea. The mortal beings who have been given free thought - and thus named Free People - have dominion over the creatures which live out their existence by instinct. Horses, sheep, cattle and other creatures are forced to serve Men, Dwarfs and Figgits. Is that fair? What is more, some creatures live by feeding upon others. Is that fair? Some say yes and some say no.

The High King set the rules by allowing certain things to be and not others. Individual concepts of his goodness - or lack of it - derive from a selfish perspective. The free thinking beings considered actions which supported their wants and desires to be good, and those which interfered with them bad. Beasts and other creatures didn't care one way or another. They just lived until they died, and perhaps that is the pivitol point on which good and evil truly separate. There is life, and then there is death. What happens after death? Nothing? Transition? Eternity? What happens?

If, as some claimed, death was the end of whatever/whoever died, then life on The Great Sea was all important, and whatever happened on The Great Sea was all important. So to be denied a good life for no apparent reason was evil.

But what if there was more? What if life on The Great Sea was akin to living in a nursery? What if dying simply meant graduation? That changes things a bit, although there are those who would say not by much. But suddenly, life on The Great Sea becomes a school. Troubles and blessings, whether one's own or another's, are simply lessons to help prepare for what comes next. If so, then why not just say what comes next? Maybe because what comes next is entirely determined by what takes place? It changes things drastically, at least in the minds of some.

Was the High King good or bad? Each reader will make up his/her own mind regarding that, and that is as it should be. Some will express their opinion to others, and that is well and good. Others may even seek to persuade others to believe as they do, which is fine. Some will get angry when others disagree with them. That is unfortunate.

In any case, what is the Author's intent? Well, that would be me. With regard to Swords of Fire, I am the one who has the power to put a stop to anything I choose. Even the High King cannot act apart from my will. As a writer, I make the determination over what is good, what is bad - and what is simply a matter of perspective. When someone reads what I have written, the story becomes their's, and they will make these determinations.

For the record, I believe the High King is good - because he conforms to my idea of goodness. However, even I must concede that he cannot be wholly good, because my idea of goodness tends to be somewhat fluid, changing as I grow in knowledge and experience. It isn't runny, like pure water. It is more like a thick lava crawling across the ground. It will harden in time, but that is not to say a great upheaval cannot change it.

So it is with me. Many of my beliefs regarding good and bad have hardened. Not all. New experience still affects my views on many things, and in some things I have completely reversed my thinking over the years. This is especially so in areas involving punishment and forgiveness. I don't see far, but I see further ahead than I did before. My physical eyes continue to weaken, but my inner eyes, my comprehension, increase, albeit slowly. As I understand better, I can see further ahead - to a point. This is affecting how I view good and bad and punishment and forgiveness. I see myself differently, and so I see others differently. I don't always like what I see in me, but I'm realizing I am so much like everyone else - even if I am so different.

Is the High King good? Of course he is, silly. He is me. How can I see him any other way?

The Worlds and Their Origins

When the High King created The Great Sea he did not do all of the work himself. He could have, but that is not the way he does things. Instead, he provided the direction and means and allowed the Children of Fire to build it. The King did make the original foundation, and the Fire which sustained the Sea was his. But the actual fashioning was done by the Children of Fire. Think of it as a Master Craftsman handing his students a basic form, such as a ball of clay, and telling them to reshape it into a bird, or a tree, or anything. That is what the High King did.

Some place in the archives (I can't find it now) I have an account of how the first world was created. It was Kensington who made it. He, Draem and Zenophone had just arrived. The Fire in the midst of the ring had already melted much of the ice, and the High King had blown upon the waters to start the rotation. Kensington stepped upon the Sea, and when he lifted his foot, land from beneath the surface, broke free and rose. The three Lords walked the Sea, breaking up more and more pieces of land, and generating a thick steamy cloud in the process. Soon, they were joined by others, and the footprints of their frolicking became the worlds.

The Children watched the worlds (lifeless pieces of earth) race across the waters, crashing, merging and sinking. Eventually, they began pushing the worlds together, creating a massive piece of land which became a vortex to everything else. It was upon this Original World that the High King introduced Life. It was an explosion of life. The waters had life. The land had life. There was life in the air. And the Children were allowed to tend and direct this life, as gardeners and herdsmen.

The Children governed their new world from its center. For time uncounted this continued. Then, at last, Zenophone believed he was ready and made his move to take sole control. And so began The Great War. But Zenophone had miscalculated. His followers did not number so highly as he had deceived himself into believing. Neither did all of the creatures he had made come to him. Only a few dragons took his side, and none of the most powerful. Unwilling to relent, Zenophone chose to see the Great Sea destroyed rather than allow another to have it.

The World was rent apart, killing great numbers of the Sea's life. But before all was lost the High King intervened. Like a parent putting a stop to a fight between siblings which has escalated to a point of danger, the High King ended the War and imposed restrictions on what the Children could, and could not, do henceforth. All who had participated were confined to the Sea, even those who's strength had been exhausted. For them, two isles were made: The Isle of Wonder, for those who had fought beside Kensington and Draem; and The Isle of Nether Gloom, for those who had fought with Zenophone.

The King gave them their decree. "The isles shall beckon to you according to your deeds. When your strength gives way you shall be pulled directly to the isle which holds your heart. From the Isle of Nether Gloom there is no escape. Those who go there will remain in their confinement until I at last put an end to the Sea. On the Isle of Wonder you will rest and regain your strength. When you are able, you will be free to rejoin in the work of repair."

The Children were then tasked with repairing the Sea, in as much as it could be repaired. They were forbidden to rejoin the pieces of their world because the upheaval required would kill the life which remained. So the worlds were left separate. They were hidden from each other by the cloud of mist which still hung over the waters. Each moved over the waters at its own pace, and each had it's own time. The Children built portals, windows from one world to another to allow quick passage. In time, there was a new routine.

But Zenophone was not content. The Sea had been promised to Madatar. What, he thought, if Madatar was not able to claim his prize? What if he were to be so decimated that he was trapped on one of the isles? And so Zenophone, and all who were too proud to return to Kensington, set about to find Madatar and destroy him. It was a dangerous game they played. Madatar was stronger than any one of them, including Zenophone. And should he join with Ardora, there would be no chance of victory. They were limited in what they could do. If they pushed too hard, the High King might intervene again. But for whatever his reasons, the High King was not interfering at the moment. The race was on. Madatar was somewhere on The Great Sea. But on which world?

The Phoenix and The Dark Birds

There is very little in the archives regarding Phoenix. They were created especially by Lord Kensington as a means to heal the hurts and ills which resulted from the natural course of being alive on the Great Sea. For nesting places, Kensington created the Pillars, of which Fire Mountain was significant in Pawns (how's that for a rename of Flames of Hatred?). After that, I haven't written much about them.

It seems strange that I have so little information about the Phoenix. After all, they are creatures of Fire, and Fire is all-important in Swords of Fire. Fire is the means by which life continues. It is representative of a life form's power. It is who they are.

The Phoenix lived in peace during the Early Time, the time before the Great War. They were shy creatures, but everyone knew of them, and should special healing be needed, petitions would go forth for Lord Kensington to send one of his precious Phoenix. What was not known was that Lord Zenophone had created his own version, which he named Dark Bird.

Whereas Phoenix gave of themselves in order to heal others and lived in light, Dark Birds devoured and lived in shadow. This made them a particular danger to Phoenix, and in the Great War the Dark Birds made a close end to them. After the war, the Phoenix were not to be found. Fortunately, not only had Zenophone made few Dark Birds, but without the Phoenix to feed upon, the Dark Birds also dwindled.

The Elves

The Elves were not listed in my posting "The Free People" because at the beginning there were no Elves. The Elves were the result of the union between Massimo, last of the Nomads, and Elva, last of the Pennans.

There is an unfinished story of how Massimo was captured by Barbarians. His tribe was wiped out. He was taken as a gladiator, to fight for the amusement of others in a circus environment. While at his prison he met Elva, who had also been taken prisoner. Her task was to provide musical entertainment. With them was Hondu, last of the Mortals, who's task it was to perform 'magic' tricks. (Mortals were Children of Fire who had taken mortal form in order to help the various Races recover from the Great War. Hondu had chosen to be a Figgit.) Hondu had the power to free himself whenever he wanted, but he was waiting. When Massimo arrived, he knew what he was waiting for and arranged for Elva and Massimo to escape with him. Pursued by Barbarians, Hondu led Elva and Massimo into the mountains where, at long last, Hondu's mortality came to an end. Before he died he gave the power he had accumulated evenly to Elva and Massimo, thereby binding them as wife and husband. He also was able to arrange their escape from the world.

When Elva and Massimo reached their new world they remained in hiding. Hondu had warned them they were not only at risk from Barbarians. Should the Warlords learn the significance of their union, they would seek their deaths. (Warlords were Children of Fire. They were powerful beings who sought to take control of the Sea.) So they lived on the slopes of a mountain range, and there they had their children, and their children had their children. The children called themselves, Elva's Children. Over time this became shortened to Elva's, and eventually Elves.

What made Elva and Massimo's union so special was Hondu's giving them his Power. The Mortals were granted the knowledge of when they would die. Shortly before death they would 'pass on' their Power to another Mortal. This resulted in a consolidation of Power until, finally, Hondu had all of the Power of all of the Mortals. Hondu gave this to Elva and Massimo, knowing that by doing so, he had made the decision on where Madatar would come from.

Eventually, as the Elves' population increased, the Warlords did come to notice them, and they did understand the significance of their origins. And so began the Warlords' persecution of the Elves. Their fear of Madatar hindered their efforts, and because of that the Elves survived. Eventually, they would become scattered across the Sea, awaiting the coming of Madatar. For some, the years had been few when Madatar finally came. For others, it had been so long they had forgotten about him.

Madatar and Ardora

Madatar was part of the original creation - both mine, and the High King's. Who and what he was grew as I continued to write until he became the one for whom the Great Sea was created.

Ardora is a more recent, but logical, creation - mine, NOT the High King's. Ardora began when Madatar began. She is the compliment to Madatar - the Yin to his Yang.

Madatar and Ardora are also beings of Fire. Spirits, if you will, but of a different order than the other Children of Fire. Individually, they became more powerful than any other on the Great Sea, save the High King himself. Collectively, they became more powerful than everyone, and everything, combined on the Great Sea, save the High King. But they are not together.

Shortly after the Great Sea's creation, Zenophone and his followers attempted to take the Great Sea for their own. Ultimately this resulted in the Great War, in which the Sea itself was nearly destroyed. It was at this time Madatar and Ardora were separated and hid from each other. For while they were destined to become the reigning power over the Great Sea, they had yet to achieve that stature. In the early days of the Sea's history they were vulnerable. So the High King hid them, and not even Kensington knew where.

Why would the High King separate them? It is not always easy to know the thoughts of the High King. But this we know: Even at the Beginning, Madatar nor Ardora did not have the power to defeat Zenophone and his followers. However, together their growth would cause ripples across the Sea which would only draw their enemies to them. Separated, the ripples became confused with all else that was taking place.

That is the story of Swords of Fire. It is the saga of Madatar and Ardora's search for each other and their ultimate battle with Zenophone and his followers. It is presented from the perspective of one Khirsha, son of Klarissa and Shello, of the Line of Swords, in the House of Jora. Khirsha became the eye of the storm, so to speak.

Lord Kensington

Kensington was the "chief" of all the Children of Fire who came to the Great Sea. My original thought was that Kensington was to rule the Sea but, as I stated in the previous post, that quickly changed.

In Flames of Hatred, Shatahar's servant, Vitchkl, makes a reference to Kensington's Pillar. The meaning of this odd statement is not given in Flames of Hatred, although I suspect attentive readers are able to figure it out through context. I will spell it out plainly: Kensington's Pillar is Fire Mountain, the place where the family gets the ore to create flameswords. In fact, the ore's power is Kensington's power. There is more to it, but that is essentially it.

Kensington created the pillars as nesting pods for the Phoenix, which he also created. The Phoenix had the power of healing, but they were weakened in doling it out. The pillars allowed them to renew their strength quickly, although that was not the Phoenix's sole source of renewal. All creatures took renewal from the Fire which was at the Sea's midst. They called it the sun, but it was much more than that.

Not all worlds had a pillar, and at the time of Flames of Hatred the Phoenix are considered mythological because few, if any, survived the Great War which nearly destroyed the Sea.

Kensington was in command of The Cloud, the mystical place between worlds in which Time had little or no power. He also was in charge of monitoring and moving the Regulator of Time, which was the real age of the Sea. He was in charge of it, but he only moved it at the High King's command.

Neither the Cloud nor the Regulator of Time come into play in Flames of Hatred. The Cloud is seen for the first time in Book II, The Prophecies of Madatar, and the Regulator of Time is referenced in Book III, Bonds of Love. I believe it is Book III in which we get to meet Lord Kensington.

Lords #1

The role of the Children of Fire changed over time. Originally, control of the Sea was to be given to one of the Three Lords. That plan ended when the Lords initiated the War which nearly destroyed the Sea. Then the Children of Fire became regents for the Free People, who would be granted final dominion.

That was the original concept. Subsequent exploration shows it to be inaccurate. The Great Sea was always meant for Madatar and Ardora.

There is not a lot written about the Three Lords at this time. Most of what is known about them is still in my head. I did come across some archival records, written nearly thirty years ago, which sheds some light on who the Lords were, and what their role was. The following is the result of combining several documents into one record. Please forgive the overly dramatic prose.

There were three (3): Kensington, Draem and Zenophone. They were the first of the Children of Fire to come to the Great Sea. They were also the most powerful of those who came. That there were more powerful members of their order seems to be implied by means of their limited abilities. However, on the Great Sea there were only two (2) powers mightier: Madatar - when joined with Ardora; the High King himself.

"Kensington, Draem and Zenophone were ever known by the Free Peoples as The Lords. These were chosen for the powers which they represented.

Kensington cherished wisdom and understanding above all else. His delight was in the search for knowledge and truth.

Draem loved beauty and order. She believed in the good of existence and purpose. To Draem, nothing was ugly and nothing was meaningless.

Zenophone believed in strength. Without strength, mortal beings could not survive. Their wisdom would fade, their beauty abandon them, and their purpose be short-lived."

Kensington is credited with bringing the first land to the surface.

"And the Three came to the Great Sea together. They saw it and marveled at its wonder and beauty. Then Kensington stepped upon the still melting ice, and his step caused the ice to flee, and land, freed from its prison, rose in its place. This would be where they would begin."

Each of the Three Lords is credited with the creation of certain mythological creatures, although they all had a part in the creation of all. The following list is NOT all-inclusive.

Kensington's creatures: Phoenix, Winged Horses, Gryphons

Draem's creatures: Golden Sheep, Giant Cats, Unicorns

Zenophone's creatures: Dragons, Centaurs

The Children of Fire

The Children of Fire are described in the prologue to Flames of Hatred (FOH) as the "offspring of the High King's thought". While poetic, this is not wholly descriptive.

The Children of Fire are beings of Fire, Fire being more than a simple chemical reaction. Fire in this sense means "living power". They are not physical beings, bound by physical laws, although they can take physical form, in which case they then become subject to some of the physical laws (they can be killed, for instance). When in their natural state they appear as bright light, although not 'white' light. Each has their own color, and the stronger they are the more brightly they shine. It is in this state they are at their peak of power.

When dealing with the mortal beings and creatures of the Great Sea the Children of Fire generally take on physical form. This can be literally anything they choose. They can remove these forms like garments. However, doing so requires a great amount of energy, and they become vulnerable immediately after doing so. Thus, form changing is generally not done in the presence of enemies.

The Children of Fire were the laborers in the Great Sea's 'detailing'. The Sea itself was made solely by the High King. However, there was little to it at that time. Much of the fashioning which took place afterward was done by the Children of Fire - at the direction of the High King. (Frank Lloyd Wright is said to have built all of his magnificent structures, but I doubt very much that he cut every timber and stone and fitted them together. He may have done some of the physical labor, but mostly he maintained the design and kept the workmen focused on his goal. So it was with the High King and the Great Sea.)

Part of the Children's work was the creation of certain creatures. These creatures were independent of thought and will, able to converse with intelligence, but they were not able to reproduce. Only the dragons, and that with limitations. The creatures were mortal in the sense they would die if they did not eat, or caught a severe sickness, or were given a mortal blow. But age did not diminish their strength. They were highly resistant to illness, so only a few died in that manner. Some did starve during hard times, but most which died did so because of war.

The Children of Fire were given the Great Sea as a playground, and such they did during the years of construction. One was made head over all. This was Kensington, who was the first to come. Draem supported him wholly, but Zenophone was jealous and coveted control. These were the first three to come to the Great Sea, and they led the construction.