Citiscapes, an Introduction
Citiscapes are simply short stories. Well, actually, "short story" is giving them more credit than they deserve. They are vignettes, not really full-on stories. While there is the shadow of a plot in them, that isn't their function.
They are there to show slices of life in the world. They give the tiny details that make a world come alive. At least, that is the intention. They are supposed to also be a least slightly entertaining, but it's up to others to make that determination.
Saronn's Opportunity shows a little about the thieves' guilds, although to be honest, it's more of a character study and a demonstration of how knowing someone in various positions of society is useful. Were someone to have connections with the underworld, Saronn would likely be one of the contacts.
Mûggrish and the Stun Lizards gives a bit of detail on what the Rural Watch does, and also describe the area around the city of Port Karn.
Daisey In the Sunset District is another character study, this one about a mage. It also goes into the most detail about city life and what living is like in Port Karn, and, by extension, the Tondene Empire and the rest of the world. It also has the closest thing to a plot of all the stories, albeit a small, non-earth-shattering one. Daisey isn't out to save the whole world, just her part of it. It's also not finished, not that any of the vignettes could be considered "finished stories".
The Story of Iceglint Broadwing in the Tondene Empire started out as a character backstory, but then got...expanded upon a bit. It became something of an anthropological document on the Aarakocra. Iceglint is now an NPC, as he used to be my character in a friend's campaign. His short story is one that I consider to be actually finished. After the story, he left the Imperial Army and joined the Rural Watch in and around the Port Karn area. He can be found there in game, should anyone care to look for him.
Cathryn Becomes a Mage started out from a discussion about the differing levels of Magery, how that manifests, and what it takes to gain a level of Magery. It's short, and to the point, and is also "finished".
In the Service of Serendipity is a look at several things: ancient history, the Elves, and "modern" day control of dangerous information. In effect, it's a story about how the Elves try to keep the genie in the bottle, in order to protect the world. It is extremely unfinished, barely more than a first draft, and incomplete in a lot of other ways. It's really not worth reading yet, as there isn't much there.
But I hope that you guys read them. They are meant to be informative. Besides, some feedback on them would be nice. I like to think of myself as a decent writer, but since no one has really ever read my prose, that status is rather ambiguous. Feel free to leave comments, below, or in the comments section of the stories themselves.
They are there to show slices of life in the world. They give the tiny details that make a world come alive. At least, that is the intention. They are supposed to also be a least slightly entertaining, but it's up to others to make that determination.
Saronn's Opportunity shows a little about the thieves' guilds, although to be honest, it's more of a character study and a demonstration of how knowing someone in various positions of society is useful. Were someone to have connections with the underworld, Saronn would likely be one of the contacts.
Mûggrish and the Stun Lizards gives a bit of detail on what the Rural Watch does, and also describe the area around the city of Port Karn.
Daisey In the Sunset District is another character study, this one about a mage. It also goes into the most detail about city life and what living is like in Port Karn, and, by extension, the Tondene Empire and the rest of the world. It also has the closest thing to a plot of all the stories, albeit a small, non-earth-shattering one. Daisey isn't out to save the whole world, just her part of it. It's also not finished, not that any of the vignettes could be considered "finished stories".
The Story of Iceglint Broadwing in the Tondene Empire started out as a character backstory, but then got...expanded upon a bit. It became something of an anthropological document on the Aarakocra. Iceglint is now an NPC, as he used to be my character in a friend's campaign. His short story is one that I consider to be actually finished. After the story, he left the Imperial Army and joined the Rural Watch in and around the Port Karn area. He can be found there in game, should anyone care to look for him.
Cathryn Becomes a Mage started out from a discussion about the differing levels of Magery, how that manifests, and what it takes to gain a level of Magery. It's short, and to the point, and is also "finished".
In the Service of Serendipity is a look at several things: ancient history, the Elves, and "modern" day control of dangerous information. In effect, it's a story about how the Elves try to keep the genie in the bottle, in order to protect the world. It is extremely unfinished, barely more than a first draft, and incomplete in a lot of other ways. It's really not worth reading yet, as there isn't much there.
But I hope that you guys read them. They are meant to be informative. Besides, some feedback on them would be nice. I like to think of myself as a decent writer, but since no one has really ever read my prose, that status is rather ambiguous. Feel free to leave comments, below, or in the comments section of the stories themselves.
Comments