#insciente vinctum

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Decided to do some character concepts for Hiraeth. What do you guys think?

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WIP Introduction

Alright-y! I guess this is a thing to do, so I’m just gonna go for it!

So for another one of my WIPs, the title-in-progress is Insciente Vinctum. It’s a high fantasy world with the main protagonist being none other than my girl, Hiraeth. 

Hiraeth, more than anything is a gentle soul. She’s a farmer, and works with and helps everyone she can in her small little village called Barathrum, located so far northeast on the map in the mountains, most don’t even know it exists. She works hard alongside her little brother Cassius and her uncle Ankim, who is also the town blacksmith, though blacksmith is a bit of a stretch. They barely have the materials and money to afford to fix broken tools, let alone anything more, but it puts a bit more money in their pockets, and broken tools to a farmer is a sort of suicide. 

So ramblings aside, the plot progresses a bit, you know, the usual introduction of the characters with just enough time to get a feel for the world. Until a band of orcs attack from out of nowhere.

They’re not fighters, so most get killed in the initial attack, but Hiraeth manages to gather all the survivors she can and try to make it out of town, surviving by sheer luck and by the skin of their teeth. 

So they make it out alive! Go, team! But unfortunately, their way of life has been dragged out from under their feet, and they have to figure out how to make it out of the mountains on the edge of winter alive and try to make it to a new town, or the city of Cirence. 

So after another bout of close calls and near-misses, they make it out of the mountains and hole up in a town called Gael for the night, where they get as many provisions as possible from the little coin they have in their pockets. Hiraeth even manages to snag a sword! Woohoo!

But in true fantasy story fashion, of course, traveling towards Cirence has its ups and downs. But look at all this character development happening! Cute little characters like Marigold, (who deserve a proper introduction and will be getting one later don’t you worry about that!) Hiraeth even gets to learn how to hunt and gets some action with that sword of hers. Cool right? 

This is getting long so I’ll cut it short for now, but if anyone is interested in hearing more, just let me know! I’d be thrilled to go off on another long-winded tangent in this world I've been neglecting lately. 

Over and out!

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Announcement!

Hey all! To anyone interested in Blackheart and Insciente Vinctum; I’m going to do a “test run” of sorts and upload a few chapters of my wips onto ao3.

Feedback and criticism are so appreciated! You see something that doesn’t feel right, let me know. You like something? Let me know. You think something could be better? Let me know! You think the beginnings crap and have a better idea? Let. Me. Know. I love feedback in any shape it takes so come take a look!

My ao3 is the exact same as my url btw

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Snippet

Hey y’all! It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, and while I wish I could give you a good reason for it, all I’ve got to say is that writing is hard and it’s been godawfully slow lately. This isn’t a scene from Blackheart, because I’ve been neglecting my other baby.

But here I’ve got a little idea for a scene I’ve been playing around with for a while, and I gotta say, I got a little choked up writing it. I hope you all enjoy, and let me know what you think of it!

“No. No! There’s gotta be another way. What if we called Akdenol? Maybe he could find a way around this.” Eoin’s voice was loud, a sharp contrast to the stillness of the cliffside. Hiraeth let out a breath, shoulders drooping.

“There is no other way.” She said, hating how defeated she sounded.

“But what if-”

“There is nothing!” Hiraeth shouted, spinning on her heel. Eoin opened his mouth to argue but she cut him off. “Every path, every route, I’ve seen them, I’ve walked them all and there is nothing we can do!”  She softened, seeing the bags under his eyes, the way his hands shook as he grasped hers.

He scowled fiercely, gripping her hands so tightly his knuckles turned white. “Then let it be me!”

Hiraeth shook her head, “No.” Eoin turned away, “No, listen- Your people need you. They need their king, and I made a promise to return you to them.” She smiled wanly, “Besides, I’m the one with the connection to the bastard. If I’m going down, you can be damn sure I’ll bring him down with me.”

Eoin shook his head wordlessly. Hiraeth smiled, cupping his face between her hands. “Walk with me,” she said and took a step backward, then another, leading them towards the riverbank.

From the side, the keeper watched silently, but Hiraeth could feel a faint sense of approval coming from the entity. 

Eoin grasped her tightly, not letting go. “Darlin’,” He croaked, “I can’t- I can’t-”

“You can.” She took another step back until it was only Eoin’s death grip that kept her from falling. “It’s okay.” Hiraeth grasped his hands, loosening his grip until it was just the two of them holding on to the other. Gasping sobs shook Eoin’s body, and fat tears streamed down his face. Hiraeth looked intently at him, committing each detail to memory. The curls falling into his face, the scruff on his chin, the way the tears made his eyes shine like rivers of gold.

She never wanted to see that look of despair on his face, and she would have given the world to see it wiped away. She could feel the fine tremors running through his fingertips as she began to slip away. 

“I love you,” Hiraeth said, and let go, hearing Eoin shout and lunge after her, only to be met with a golden barrier. 

She hit the water, and the world went dark.

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Excerpt

Seeing as I just posted a long-winded intro to Insciente Vinctum, i figured I’d also post a teeny-tiny little excerpt from it as well. Enjoy!

“What kind of stupid, no good, half-baked plan is that?”

Hiraeth shrugged nonchalantly, “You got a better one?” She kept her sword held out in front of her, not taking her eyes off the beast for a single second as it ravaged the outskirts of the town. No matter what, they couldn’t allow it to make it any further. The consequences would prove fatal for more than just them.

She heard a sigh behind her, then some rummaging, but then Taliesin drew up in front of her, wearing the atrocious pink knitted scarf Miss Hartwell made for her, holding his sword in one hand and a cooking pan in the other. 

Hiraeth smirked, and Taliesin scowled, pointedly turning away from her as he ran forward. “If I die I will haunt you for eternity!” He yelled, slamming the hilt of his sword against the cooking pot as hard as he could. “Hey beasty! Big and tasty over here! In the scarf!”