So i am over 7,000 words now and the housekeeping continues apace. It’s a fairly standard three act story and the draft of act one is nearly done. So far I am still liking telling the story in the past with journal entries carrying the details you need in the present. From act two things move fast so I need to be ready. It’s time to start making sure my trail is being lightly marked so people aren’t utterly confused. So, the people Loradonna works for were tricky to name. I jokingly called them The Consortium after A Town Called Eureka but that didn’t work for this story. We looked up similar words in other languages and camarilla came up. The origins of it relate to Small Room. I. Like. It. So that’s my lead in. The leader is The Door. There is one way in, one way out and it’s through them. They are very similar to the Upright Man in Krondor and I am so very comfortable with that. Now, these might not be in English when I write them properly. I will likely be creating words for these but now you know my inspiration. I am thrilled to introduce them. Lora meets them after her botched assassination of Tal. The box of heads laced with toxic talc and enchanted little animal toys with acid that got loose in the chaos of the talc explosion created havoc and serious injury which catches their attention. In her panic to cover it up she makes a deal.
I have also, theoretically, come up with the introduction of the island mages for young Tala. She’s going to the tea shop for the first time since her Mum died and the old dudes gambling, drinking tea and making dodgy deals upstairs have a story for the sad little girl. I almost want her and Loebos to be a thing but he’s known her since she was a young child and I can’t. They’d make an amazing couple but they already do make an amazing team and every grey path girl needs a connected uncle who can help her get in to trouble. The island mages aren’t a shady organisation like the small room. They generally operate indirectly and just want to exist and medal in affairs with no need for more power. They are nameless. The island needs a name though. I have no idea.
The Sorta Plan for the end of act one and start of act two straight from my notes:
Tal’s recovery – look for notes from scene on the roof, convo between Artem and Tal about revenge/vengeance.
First trip to tea house (needs name, possibly of a plant) and her meeting Loebos since her mum’s funeral
Fit in reaction of Loradonna to box of heads. She wasn’t there but hears about it. Not sure yet how i want her to respond. Prudence probably and fear of her summons.
Back to the ruin, break down and getting back in (find notes)
Books, experiments and clues, oh my
First hears about disappearing island (she ultimately becomes adept at displacement magic following this thread later
Journal entries following trail to her dad.
Ends with her finishing new disguise as she thinks about her first long term one for the college of magical sciences.
Act two begins with trip the tepui.
Should probably describe Tal. Dark hair, green/hazel eyes from dad, think Caucasian (chechnya, armenia, abazin, lezgin), full lips. Tal is around 1.8 m or 5’10/11″ i think. Haughty and a little brittle.
Tepui elves are not very tall. The tallest are around Tal’s height. Flatlands elves are taller. Her dad is around the same height. So they share eyes (maybe shape too) and height. Complexion, hair, facial features themselves from mom.
All her disguises have dark eyes like her mom. She’s not sure about her light ones because she correctly assumes they are like her dad’s.
Camarilla – little room, the door
