Leiland Goldwell

Leiland Goldwell. Author, writer, obsessive creative mind. He/They. Here you'll find posts about me, my work, and occasional ideas/teases for future stories.

[leilandgoldwell]

Hello one and all!

My name is Leiland Goldwell, a fledgling author aiming to bring you creative, inspirational stories straight from my own mind! My work takes a great deal of inspiration from mythology and classical literature, so if that sort of thing grabs your attention, then you might like what I have to offer.

I'll be doing my best to introduce you all to my worlds, works, and characters through this blog, so feel free to check back in now and then for updates on my latest projects!

My Works

About Me

[leilandgoldwell]

June Worldbuilders: Day 10

As it happens, there are a few songs of note mentioned in my upcoming book Throneseeker. Perhaps the most notable is "Defenders of Dhesa," played as a war march when Dhesan soldiers/Branded go into battle.

There's also "Drifting Clouds," a lullaby pretty well-known across Theryl. It's a very simple, sweet melody about the clouds, and how their shape, appearance and contents are ever-changing...

[leilandgoldwell]

June Worldbuilders: Day 9

A lot of stories in Theryl tend to be about either the Divines or Seekers, or otherwise just famous people in general. That said, there are also plenty of stories that could be considered 'realistic or historical fiction' within the world of Theryl itself...

Such tales will feature real places or events, but involve characters who didn't actually exist or hijinks that never occurred. Romance and comedy are especially popular in most nations across Theryl.

[thepromiscuousfinger]

[leilandgoldwell]

Frankly, you may as well just order a box of nothing but pepperonis next time.

[leilandgoldwell]

Happy WBW! What are some fun board games in your world, or ones that your OCs would have played?

As Theryl's cultures take heavy inspiration from various real-life civilizations, you can bet there are a handful of similarities revolving around games developed in the same manner.

For example, I imagine Pou would have a form of shogi, while Elux probably invented chess. (Granted, in the latter case, there might be some pieces/rules that differ slightly from the one that exists in real-life.)

There are a few slightly more original ones as well. For example, I had this idea for a game played by the people of Dalug called "Conquest." It involves moving small wooden soldiers around on a map to try and strategically take control of the entire thing. Every player has a set number of infantry, cavalry and marksmen, and the game operates on a sort of rock-papers-scissors mentality: infantry beat marksmen, marksmen beat cavalry, and cavalry beat infantry. Needless to say, it's a game that embodies the constant warring between Dalug's different factions.

[thecollectibles]

Layered cliffs under clear sky by qing ying

[factbot]

[despazito]

the second radish is 29 feet away

[tranarchist]

[worldheritagepostorganization]

World Heritage Post

[leilandgoldwell]

June Worldbuilders: Day 8

Honestly, a lot of the most famous artworks in Theryl depict famous people or events; rulers, warriors, and of course, Seekers and their deeds. I've never really included any majorly specific examples in my books, you can probably assume that most of my protagonists have paintings or works of art dedicated to them or their deeds that have been passed down after their deaths. Tales like Drey's journey to save the sun bird or Adelle's many adventures across Theryl have been captured by artists either during or after their lifetimes.

[luulapants]

Story time:

In middle school biology, we did an experiment. We were given yams, which we would sprout in cups of water. We then had to make hypotheses about how the yams would grow, based on descriptions of yam plants in our books, and make notes of our observations as they grew.

Here’s what was supposed to happen: we were supposed to see that the actual growth of the plant did not resemble our hypotheses. We were then supposed to figure out that these were, in fact, sweet potatoes.

What actually happened was that every single student in every single class lied in their notes so that their observations perfectly matched their hypotheses. See, everyone assumed the mismatch meant they had done something wrong in the process of growing the plant or that they had misunderstood the dichotomous key or the plant identification terminology. And, thanks to the wonders of a public school education, everyone assumed the wrong results would get us a failing grade. We were trying to pass. We didn’t want to get bitched out by the teacher. Curiosity, learning, science - that had nothing to do with why we were sitting in that classroom. So we all lied.

The teacher was furious. She tried to fail every student, but the administration stepped in and told her she wasn’t allowed to because a 100% fail rate is recognized as a failure of the teacher, not the class. It wasn’t even her fault, really, though her being a notorious hard-ass didn’t help. It was a failure of the entire educational system.

So whenever I see crap like Elizabeth Holmes’s blood test scam or pharmaceutical trials which are unable to be replicated or industry-funded research that reaches wildly unscientific conclusions, I just remember those fucking sweet potatoes. I remember that curiosity dies when people are just trying to give their superiors the “right” answers, so they can get the grade, get the job, get the paycheck. It’s not about truth when it’s about paying rent. There’s no scientific integrity if you can’t control for human desperation.

[leilandgoldwell]

I am currently in the process of formatting Book #6 and I have also started working on Book #7. The Seeker Saga is going strong.

[catchymemes]

[leilandgoldwell]

June Worldbuilders: Day 6

Monsters can be summoned or controlled through invocations. These are typically said in a profane language that humans shouldn't naturally be able to speak, and require deep heretical knowledge to even comprehend. Such knowledge can only be gained through occult texts.

[leilandgoldwell]

June Worldbuilders: Day 5

Monsters in Theryl exist for the sole purpose of bringing death and destruction. They will generally lash out at any living thing insight (save for each other) and can even cause damage to the environment just by existing.

That being said, sorcerers can control monsters to an extent with certain spells. It's impossible to reign them in completely, but a monster's destructive urges can at least be directed toward specific targets if one is versed enough in occult knowledge to command them.

[leilandgoldwell]

June Worldbuilders: Day 4

Monsters are just sort of known and accepted as a reality by the people of Theryl. Many people are fortunate enough to go their entire lives without encountering one, but stories about the beasts of the underworld are known far and wide.

Only Terrorbeasts can arguably be considered part of folklore, as such powerful monsters are so rare that many believe (and hope for) them to be nothing more than a myth.

[leilandgoldwell]

Even as I work on the Seeker Saga I have like a dozen WIP ideas/concepts for whenever I finally finish this series.

[closet-keys]

My friend Fadel (@fadel-dani) has been hospitalized from severe anemia and deteriorating health due to malnutrition and lack of consistent access to medication. What's worse is that Israel continues to launch genocidal attacks across Gaza, and the bombing causes power outages at the hospital. Please donate to Fadel's campaign as soon as you can.

[closet-keys]

Fadel's vetted campaign is hosted by a friend of mine, and I promise you the donations are getting to him! If you cannot donate, please share this so that someone else can donate. First priority is paying hospital bills so he can continue treatment. After that money goes towards his blood medication, supplements, and food so his health can stabilize.

[closet-keys]

If we can raise even more, then it will go towards expenses so @fadel-dani can access surgery to remove shrapnel from his body from Israel bombing his home while he was inside. Please help him survive this cruel genocide.

[leilandgoldwell]

Happy WBW! Let's talk sacred oaths! Does your world have any? What event would require an oath to be said before it can be done- think coronation, coming of age, a trial, etc. Have your OCs ever sworn a sacred oath?

There are quite a few oaths that I could speak of.

The first and most prominent is definitely the oath of the Branded. When one is preparing to receive the flame god's marking, they must swear from that moment to uphold his laws. A Branded warrior must swear allegiance to no nation, faction or individual other than Vashamala. They must fight not for personal glory or desire, but to maintain the rules of warfare. They must never break these rules, lest they endure the heat of the brand...

Knights of Elux likewise swear an oath upon graduating from the rank of Neos. Eluxan knights swear to fight with honor and dignity on behalf of the kingdom, upholding the ideals of knighthood along with protecting their homeland.

In Pou, samurai generally swear an oath to whichever island chief they serve under, though it's not much more than a basic vow of loyalty.

Lastly, hunters who join up with thunder packs swear to uphold Eminess's teachings: that they will respect their prey by using every part of an animal they can. Likewise, hunters must never harm another human (though some exceptions can be made depending on the circumstances.)

There are other oaths I could discuss, like marriage vows or coronations, but I think that's a decent list for now.