“Edimmu! Edimmu! Edimmu!” shouted the other guard at the warriors gathered below. The listeners exploded into action. Officers shouted orders and men hurried to grab their weapons and armor from the tents arranged on the field.
On top of the largest building in the compound, a figure smiled.
***
Deep in the bowels of Hades, separating it from the accursed plane of Tartarus, sat a massive bronze round mirror half a mile in diameter. Secured by chains of adamantine to the floor of a vast cavern, the artifact’s surface glowed with eldritch sparks amidst a swirling vortex of blue energy. Flickers of power ran up the metal cables, powering the giant magical orb.
Around it stood rows of gleaming humanoid constructs, each a hundred feet tall and armed with giant versions of metal weapons. They all bore the mark of Hephaestus, the sign being a horizontal hammer above an anvil. The Greek deity of forging had learned a valuable lesson from his experiment with Talos, the huge bronze warrior who had protected Crete back in the First World – colossal forms also make for oversized targets.
Suddenly, a huge flaming hand came out of the mirror’s surface roiling with immense power. The mirror and its chains brightly glowed in response to the intrusion, and flashes of massively powerful energies attacked the unwelcome appendage. The hand became an arm, and the arm revealed a gigantic shoulder. A fiery face contorted by agonizing pain emerged and a great cry shook the vast cavern. The metal constructs started to move.
Active Member, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)
A Goodreads Author.
Writer - the ACCIDENTAL ARCHMAGE Series, the ARCANUM ASTRAY Series, the PLANAR WARS Series, and the MANUS DEI Series.
More fantasy and science fiction at:
https://soloflyte.blog/
[email protected]
Fantasy and science fiction have always been my favorites. Especially those from the era of dime novels and genre magazines, the time when both were still deemed fringe. Those stories spark the imagination and bring a reader to worlds and concepts beyond his reality. Though I have to admit, reality is fast catching up with science fiction. Fantasy, on the other hand, is being enriched by today's gaming and movie technology.
My writing preference is fiction anchored on a familiar fact - be it mythology, historical events, or even a physical feature. Something one knows exists in the real world. It makes immersion in the grand adventure easier and more enjoyable. A book may be an author's creation but it doesn't mean that there couldn't be a common point of reference between the writer's story and the reader's experience. Or even between readers.
Writing started as a hobby. On free serialized novel websites. For the pleasure of writing and sharing one's stories. Mostly a stress-relief exercise. I was fortunate that other people found them engaging and enjoyable. To my readers, thanks.
I still write on free websites. But unlike full-length books, readers do have to wait for periodic installments. And I welcome constructive feedback and engage readers in discussions about the stories. But I do try to avoid spoilers.
There are innumerable worlds out there. Explore, let your imagination fly. Unlike the protagonists in the stories, there is no dark Elder god, a tentacled monstrosity, a stabby assassin, or a vengeful deity waiting outside your door. Nor will opening a book suck you into a separate dimension. Maybe.
Enjoy the journey. Have fun.
PUBLISHED STORIES
The ACCIDENTAL ARCHMAGE Series
The ARCANUM ASTRAY Series
The PLANAR WARS Series
The MANUS DEI Series
OTHER BOOKS
UPCOMING STORIES
BOOK IV
LORE, NOTES, AND DEFINITIONS
PROLOGUE
Maggot, legless, pissed – Australian slang for really drunk.
Thingummyjig – Australian slang used when one doesn’t remember what to call something.
Divvy van – Australian slang for the police van.
Chunder – Australian slang meaning “vomit.”
Amelatu – Sumerian. The word means “gatekeeper.”
Anu – Sumerian word for “heavenly one.” In the story, a title used by the Sumerians for William.
Girnita – A variation of the Sumerian military rank “gir.nita,” roughly equivalent to a battalion commander. By Liam’s time, the status already meant one leading a force of three thousand six hundred men. Sumerian military units were based on the sexagesimal system. A battalion would have six hundred men.
Nim and niskum – Sumerian. Nim refers to archers and niskum to royal and therefore elite soldiers.
Skakattim, nugalas, ubanda – Sumerian terms referring to officer ranks. Skakattim is originally pronounced "pa. pa/sha khattim." The story modified the original spelling to make it simpler.
Botch – A gaming term, meaning an unforced error, also known as a fumble.
CHAPTER ONE
Apu - Quechua. A word meaning "lord" or a "mountain spirit."
Rumi – Quechua word meaning “stone.”
Toci – An Aztec goddess. Usually depicted as aged, she is identified with war and known as the “woman of discord.” Together with Tlazolteotl, Toci is identified with the eleventh moon of the Aztec calendar, the month of Ochpaniztli.
Centeotl – An Aztec deity usually portrayed as a young man with a yellow body, Centeotl is the deity of maize. As a god of the plant vital in Aztec life, one of the calendar months was devoted to him.
Xochipilli - is the god of art, games, beauty, dance, flowers, and song in Aztec mythology. A follower of Tlaloc. One of the months of the Aztec calendar is also related to his worship.
CHAPTER THREE
Llakicunim tupasqaymanta – Quechua. Meaning “I’m sorry” or “excuse me.”
Kamayuk – Quechua. Meaning “officer.” (TAA, Book III)
Misayoq – Quechua. A priest or a mage.
Xiangqi - Chinese. Also referred to as the "elephant game," it is the ancient Chinese version of chess and still being played today.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Nike – The winged goddess of victory. In Greek, “Nice.” The daughter of the giant Pallas and the river Styx. Though sometimes identified with the goddess Athena, some sources name her as one of the attendants of Ares, probably due to the connection of the war-god to battles. The winged goddess does not only represent victory in war but also in peaceful competition. Believed to be a mediator between men and gods. (TAA, Book II)
Wa - Japanese. The ancient name of the lands of Japan.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Aptrganga – Old Norse. The terms “aptrganga” and “aptrgangr” are used interchangeably for a class of undead. Use of the term “aptrganga” in this story is as the plural form of the word.
Book III Notes - Norse. Meaning “again-walker.” More commonly known as draugr (plural form “draugar”), it refers to a kind of undead creature in Norse mythology. There are sea and land aptrgangr (plural form). The modern equivalent of the term would be a revenant since they are known to stay in tombs to guard wealth interred with the dead though the creatures are said to have the ability to venture from such places. Some beliefs hold that a bite from an aptrgangr will turn the victim into one of them.
Haugbui – Old Norse. Undead similar to “aptrganga” but these creatures are limited in their movements to the burial mound or area they were tasked or cursed to protect.
CHAPTER NINE
Queen Himiko - A legendary Japanese ruler. Myth mentions her as a shamaness, though numerous other stories abound. She was believed to be unmarried, and an elite corps of female warriors guarded her castle. A prophecy helped her ascendancy that only a female ruler would be able to bring peace to the war-ravaged lands of Wa. Though Japanese accounts appear to have few references to her rule, Chinese annals mention Queen Himiko and grant her the title of the Queen of All the Lands of Wa, her kingdom being the most powerful among those the Chinese encountered.
Yamatai-Koku - The name of the mythi
cal kingdom of Queen Himiko. Scholars still dispute about its location and whether the word "Yamato" originated from the term.
Tatsu - A variety of dragon. Prevalent in Japanese mythology, these are smaller than the Chinese version.
Yokai - A class of legendary Japanese creatures, grouping spirits, creatures, and other beings. They could be of good or evil alignment.
Henge - A Japanese mythical monster, mutants according to legend.
CHAPTER TEN
Skita - Norse, meaning "shit."
Chakram – An ancient Indian weapon. Variations are found in Asia – for example, among the Malays and Tibetans. The Mongols were reported to have used a spiked version. During the time of the British Empire, soldiers who experienced being on the receiving end of these throwing discs called them “quoits.” Today, the weapon is still in use, having its martial art, as well as being a ceremonial and cultural icon.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Macuahuitl - Nahualt. A traditional Aztec weapon. A wooden club with sharp obsidian blades. Records tell of the sharpness of such native swords, enough to cut off a horse’s head with one blow. (TAA, Book III)
Huitzilopochtli - The Aztec deity of human sacrifice and brutal war. Among the Aztec gods, he is considered to be the one representing the Aztec peoples as a whole. There exists scholarly disagreement as to the interpretation of the name. One of the translations offered is “South hummingbird.” This deity is the one tasked in Aztec myth to postpone the end of the world every fifty-two years and his strength is sourced from human blood. He was the deity who founded Tenochtitlan (TAA, Book III). He is also known to be the Blue God among the four major deities of the Aztecs.
Tezcatlipoca – An Aztec deity. One of their major gods. A dark deity associated with night, discord, sorcery, war, strife, and similar concepts. The name is usually translated as “smoking mirror.” His titles include Necoc Yaotl (“Enemy of all sides”) and Titlacauan (“We are his slaves”). (TAA, Book III)
Chakri – Indian. Smaller versions of the chakram, sometimes worn on the wrist or mounted on headgear as utilitarian decorations.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Mimir - Norse. A being believed to have incredible knowledge and wisdom. Some legends say he was beheaded during the war between the Vanir and the Aesir and Odin kept the head as a mobile library of sagacity and lore.
Skita - Old Norse. A noun meaning “shit." But when used in an informal sense, it could also refer to “diarrhea.”
Flyting – Norse. The term refers to insult poetry. The practice is not limited to Nordic culture. Examples could be found in other European societies and indeed existed up to medieval times. Guns might have something to do with it. There’s no sense reciting insults when one gets killed at a distance, well beyond shouting range.
Lokasenna – Norse. A poem found in the Poetic Edda where Loki insults most of the deities of the Nordic pantheon gathered in Odin’s hall. Even Odin didn’t escape his flurry of insults:
"They say that with spells | in Samsey once
Like witches with charms didst thou work;
And in witch's guise | among men didst thou go;
Unmanly thy soul must seem."
And when Freya came to her husband’s defense, she got this from Loki:
"Be silent, Freyja! | for fully I know thee,
Sinless thou art not thyself;
Of the gods and elves | who are gathered here,
Each one as thy lover has lain."
Citations from https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Poetic_Edda/Lokasenna
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Tenma - A Japanese word meaning evil spirit, a monster, or a fiend.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Opa! – Greek. An exclamation of joy. Usually accompanied by plate-smashing. (TAA, Book III)
Macuahuitl – Nahualt. A traditional Aztec weapon. A wooden club with sharp obsidian blades. Records tell of the sharpness of such blades, enough to cut off a horse’s head with one blow. (TAA, Book III)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Móðurlauss – Old Norse. Meaning “motherless.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Swina bqllr - Old Norse exclamation/curse/expression. Meaning "pig's balls."
Rasshøla - Old Norse insult. Meaning "assholes." The singular form is "rasshøl."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Yamu - An ancient Egyptian city during its Old Kingdom period. Egyptians adopted the name on Adar for one of their cities. (SOA, Book I)
Heri-tep a'a - An ancient Egyptian title denominating a nomarch or the ruler of a city, province or region. (SOA, Book I)
The Black Pharaoh - Lovecraft’s stories mention a black Pharaoh. (SOA, Book I)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Nergal – A Mesopotamian deity of death, war, disease, and plague. Principally worshipped in Akkad, Sumeria, and Babylonia. One of the translations of the name is an unflattering reference to the male reproductive organ. (SOA, Book I)
Astarte/Astoreth – An early Semitic goddess worshipped by the Phoenicians, Akkadians, and other ancient peoples. Also known as Ishtar and Asdartu. Hellenized as Astarte, she is known to be a deity of love, sexuality, and surprisingly, war. (SOA, Book I)
Heil/Em hotep/Rimaykullayki/Shlama/Khaire/Sulmu! – “Hello” in Norse, Egyptian, Quechua, Neo-Aramaic, Greek, and Akkadian.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The Oracle at Dephi - An ancient Greek religious closely identified with Apollo, famous for its auguries in legend and myth. In Greek mythology, the power of divination is identified with Zeus but Apollo is also considered to have the power to see the future. In this sense, Apollo is sometimes referred to as the Greek god of fate, or Apollo Moiragetes.
The Oracle at Dodonna - Though less famous than the Oracles at Delphi, the Oracle at Dodonna was an older religious structure and identified with Zeus. the practice of divination appeared to be performed at the site even before the construction of the temple.
Pan - Greek. A minor Greek flute-playing deity of nature and to some degree, sex. His worship was claimed to originate in Arcadia, a mountainous region. He is believed to have been taught divination by Apollo. The well-known myth about Pan and his ability to create "panic" actually arose from his shouts when disturbed during his naps.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The story of one of the adventures of the rogues being made into an epic tale by bards was mentioned in Stories of Adar: Tales from the Abyss (Book I).
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Yari – The Japanese version of one of man’s earliest weapons. Thought to be derived from Chinese spears, the blades (called nihinto) of these weapons in ancient Japan were made of bronze, with variations in the shape of its metal edges, at the end of a typical six-foot pole. Early forms of the weapons were called hoko yari. Many other versions came later, such as the nagae yari of the ashigaru, the foot soldiers of feudal Japan. The art of using a yari is called sojutsu.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Shiela – Australian slang for woman/ladies.
Pom – Australian slang for those of British nationality.
Seppo – Australian slang for Americans. A word with negative connotations when preceded by a cuss word. There is still controversy whether it’s a term of endearment when used as a single word. Additional comment contributed by reader Dave - Usually negative if placed after or before cuss words. Otherwise, it’s just another adjective, but a lot of the meaning can be picked up by the tone of voice.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Strewth – Australian slang for “holy shit!” or something similar.
Mad as a cut snake – Australian slang for being furious.
Shart – Australian slang for a fart followed by something extra.
Go troppo – Australian slang for “go crazy.”
Hang on a tick – Australian slang for “wait for a moment/minute.”
I’m snowed under – Australian slang for “I have a lot to do or I have a lot on my hands.”
Fair suck of the sav – Austra
lian slang expressing disbelief.
A few kangaroos loose in your top paddock – Australian expression meaning “crazy.”
Double envelopment – A military maneuver or tactic, also referred to as a pincer movement. The flanks of the attacking force, usually heavily reinforced, try to encircle the enemy in a U-shaped arc. The Battle of Cannae was the most famous use of the tactic. Hannibal, with a force believed to number only 50,000, was able to utterly destroy a Roman army of roughly 86,000 men while suffering only an estimated 5,000 casualties.
Fair dinkum – Australian expression emphasizing that something is true.
Fuck me dead – An Australian expression of surprise.
Doozy – Australian slang for an exceptional event.
Furphy – Australian slang for a lie.
Job on the nuts – Australian slang meaning “hit somebody on the balls.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Clutterfuck - Australian slang. I rather would let the reader find out what it means.
Biffo - Australian slang for a fight.
Bappir - A Mesopotamian bread. Usually used as rations due to its long-lasting qualities. One could imagine how it tastes.
THE CHRONICLES OF ADAR
(Prequel Stories)
The Great Migration has begun. Magical entities, gods and creatures all escaping from an Earth losing its magical energy.
Without magic and man’s belief, even gods will die.
The Accidental Archmage - Book Five: Loki's Gambit Page 37
