#medieval fantasy

[tabulariumfiles]

[stridingvalkrie]

By Creed & Conquest: Arc One - Behind the Scenes on Stories with Striding_Valkrie part 2

Sharing the amazing progress on the cover art by @liapursues for my latest long-fic By Creed & Conquest, this is part of an ongoing series of posts showcasing the work of commissioned artists by me, and the work that we've been doing together. Early on in the process, I asked my artists if they were alright with sharing their progress with me so I could post it on Tumblr giving credit to their fantastic work, and sharing the inspirations, ideas, and concepts behind both the cover art and my writing!

On my end of things, as the author and writer of By Creed & Conquest, I've had to think long and hard about where to start the story. At first I thought it could just be like my normal fanfiction stories starring the Mandalorian - post-canon fics that expand on a universe that fans of the Mandalorian know well.

Something that occurred to me was that if I was going to do a Medieval Mandalorian series, it had to expand the universe slowly, from the very first chapter of the Mandalorian's story. Slow world-building requires patience from both the reader and the author, to create a world from nothing, weaving along the details and crafting the world takes time.

At the end of the day, I needed to find a way to explain the Mandalorian in a Medieval setting, so I decided in the end to do it in Arcs. With Arc One focusing on Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of The Mandalorian.

Arc One: The Lone Wolf (Chapters 1-6) We meet Din Djarin, a solitary bounty hunter. After a job goes awry, he meets and adopts Grogu, a magic-wielding child of an unknown species. The mission to find his people begins.

Arc One: The Wider World (Chapters 7-16) The world opens up. New allies, new complications, new dangers. Key introductions: Bo-Katan, Koska Reeves, Axe Woves, Carson Teva, Ahsoka Tano, Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, Fennec Shand...

Arc One: The Reclamation (Chapters 17-30)

Bo-Katan's clan reunification efforts intertwined with her deepening relationship with Din. The return to Mandalore. Political friction, military skirmishes, and the question of who has the right to wield the Darksaber.

As I was preparing these chapters, @liapursues let me know that she was interested in preparing the typography and title of the cover art, and well hell, my Canva titles are so... mid. So, I was more than happy for her to try it out, and boy, I was BLOWN AWAY by her work.

Specifically, the title of By Creed and Conquest, if you zoom into where the y of By and the n of Conquest meets, there is a beautifully designed Mythosaur skull that fits there, and it is gorgeous!

Follow to catch more of the cover art creation process on Stories with Striding Valkrie!

[talesfromthenewsroom]

So you like the name... Shauna🪶

Origin: Irish

Pronunciation: SHAW-nuh

Meaning: God is gracious

Gender: feminine

Vibe: retro, laid-back, cool, charming

Popularized by: Yellowjackets

Sound: Joanna (Hebraic), Giovana (Italian), Lana (Slavic), Ilana (Hebraic), Dawna (English), Shonda (American), Tanya (Slavic)

Meaning: Jaliyah (Hebraic), Janie (Hebraic), Siobhan (Irish), Dorothea (Greek), Isabeau (French), Mercedes (Spanish), Joni (English), Mileva (Serbian), Ebele (Igbo), Engracia (Spanish), Fazila (Arabic), Neema (Swahili)

Vibe: Lyndi (German), Hollie (English), Jodie (English), Starla (English), Sonia (Slavic), Marcy (Latin), Janis (Hebraic), Laurie (English), Deanna (Latin), Elly (English), Whitney (English), Cari (Welsh), Amie (French), Vienna (Latin)

Origin: Croía, Niamh, Aisling, Áine, Ciara, Gráinne, Caoimhe, Cliodhna, Fiadh, Éabha, Erin, Maeve, Éala, Laoise, Tara, Íde, Myrna, Talulla, Deirdre, Muriel

Sources: Nameberry, The Bump, Behind the Name, Middle names for Shauna? (Reddit), What to Expect, Baby Center, Names that mean "God is faithful" or similar? (Reddit), NameDaisy, What Baby Name, Pampers, Beautiful Irish girls’ names and their meanings (Reddit), My Irish Jeweler

[estherfaemaiden]

[talesfromthenewsroom]

So you like the name... Deja⏳

Origin: French

Pronunciation: DAY-zhah

Meaning: already seen

Gender: feminine

Vibe: bold, modern, mysterious, confident, contemporary

Popularized by: This Is Us, A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Higher Learning (1995)

Sound: Dana (Hebraic), Asia (Greek), Dasha (Russian), Chasia (Hebraic), Dija (Arabic), Teja (Sanskrit)

Meaning: Daena (Persian), Thấy (Vietnamese), Ira (Hebraic), Grier (Gaelic), Dagny (Scandinavian), Aisling (Irish), Theia (Greek), Vista (Spanish), Clara (Latin), Darsha (Hindi), Lucia (Italian), Naira (Aymara), Najla (Arabic)

Vibe: Desirée (French), Avis (Irish), Skye (Gaelic), Sybil (Greek), Rae (Hebraic), Sumi (Japanese), Anoki (Hindi), Serenity (Latin), Tahani (Arabic), Coley (French), Lilah (Hebraic), Alani (Hawaiian), Miya (Japanese), Saige (Latin)

Sources: Nameberry, The Bump, Behind the Name, Family Education, Baby Center, Magic Baby Names, Peanut, Mom Junction

[mobius-art]

Loveday, the kind

Loveday, the kind. A child of the Talekeep, born amid the tensions and war, she had been unjustly robbed of her sight at birth. Yet little could ever remove the joy and inquisitive mind that inhabited the young one.

Unfortunately for her, the years spent alongside her family would remain few, the lives of both of her parents claimed by the war. The village tried in earnest to fed and care for the young child, each parent’s heart breaking at the sight of her. Yet none of its warmth could reach her, isolating herself deeper with each day.

But fate held a kinder tale for her as the strangest person came upon their little village. The very person that had fell from the sky mere weeks ago, the one called Ambiorix. They spoke of the strangest tale and for the first day since, Loveday had smiled.

She would accompany her new companion on their journey to the Old port. Although the pair would separate soon after, it would mark Loveday for her entire life. When the end of her path grew near, Loveday sought her old friend, sailing beyond the horizon.

Laughter still echo from it upon calm days.

[elkarion-offical]

The Kingdom Of Velmira

"Strong Of Back, Steadfast Of Mind."

Wisdom endures where the mountains stand, Velmiran is a kingdom that carries the years with the hopes that it will one day repay them. They occupy the mossy stone highlands of Elkarion and hold the Yak as their royal animal.

-

Art Credits

Yak and original concept sketches by Ossknight

Final rendering done by Syldel

Background done by Yakiro