Afterword - Book 5 - Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Chapter 2: A World Beyond Remus

(Original Chapter Title: A Professional Caravan Guard)

Okay, in my defense: in the OG draft I was rushing toward the specific event that ended the book. Was that a valid reason to completely gloss over Ranthia's first exposure to the wider world of Pallos? Gods no, but it's what past-me did. Because past-me was a jerk, unlike present-me. Present-me is a delight.

What was I talking about again?

I know some people will be disappointed that there isn't a full book of Ranthia's journey across Pallos, but this... isn't really the place for it. As this chapter shows, she's working—she's subject to the whims of the caravan. There's no opportunities to explore, there's little opportunity for her to socialize. It's just not the time; her journey has a purpose and the destination is too important for her to be reckless with her path.

That said, I tried to sneak in what fun moments I could.

My favorite part of the chapter is pretty similar to what was in the OG draft—the marshland section of the trip. This is around the same space as the future nation of Exterreri (non-surprising spoiler: the landmass of Pallos gets altered as time marches forward and immortals clash), and the region is settled by treants and the giants that care for them. Treants are (surprisingly) elvenoid and are cursed to require absolute certainty before they can act, which is why the giants help out—they can be a bit more proactive. It also helps that they're similarly sized entities, for the most part.

My inspiration here was "high fantasy subway system," though I'm still unconvinced that I managed to nail the visualization as well as I hoped to in the prose. Ah well, I like what I wrote, and I still love the concept. Maybe if and when Ranthia revisits the area, my writing chops will be strong enough to do it justice. (Ignore that half the time I feel like I'm regressing as an author.)

But for now, Ranthia's learned a new lesson. And they're just a (proverbial) stone's throw away from the Tympestshard Council.