Katarina the Dragonslayer is on the trail of whoever stole her horse when she encounters a land dragon wearing a saddle, only to find that the dragon is traveling with the half-elven seer Gladden Darkfell, who has agreed to help her liberate her old home of Moonshadow in this epic fantasy tale with a sci-fi twist.
The Grey Ghost, as Gladden is sometimes known, is feared by many as one of the greatest assassins to have ever lived, and he is also known for being inventive in how he deals with the wicked… The forest of Melloren is home to many creatures, including huge wolves known as the shukhalu, who are known to eat their prey alive…
Gladden, Katarina, and Camber discover that sometimes, the past really does catch up with you…
The ‘fire-hammer’ uses magic to assemble and fire projectiles from a ‘clip’ which can be filled with water, dirt, or pebbles or even sand. More than a mere ‘gun,’ it is both a magical and a mechanical device, powered by a fire gem which absorbs ambient magical energy or can be ‘charged’ as occurs in this page. The gem rests in a small reservoir which is filled with water or a water-based fluid, which then becomes hot from contact with the gem’s magical energy. It is the resulting steam, coupled with an intricate recirculating hydraulic system and a catalytic alchemical reaction, which provides the energy to fire the projectiles. According to legend, with the right projectile material, even dragon hide can be pierced with this weapon.
-Sam
Gladden Darkfell, Katarina the Dragonslayer, and Camber the land dragon aren’t far ahead of their pursuers, but Gladden doesn’t seem to mind…
I’m pretty excited about where this story is headed, because in the next few updates the sci-fi, steampunk side of the story will at least become much more apparent. I was a little leery at first with respect to the idea of backtracking 70 years or so from the Fetters of Wizardry storyline to tell this tale, but I felt like FoW needed the background, and that it would give me a chance to get to know the characters a little better. I probably sound a little weird now, but hey… ever run into a ‘normal’ fantasy writer? 
I’m also pretty stoked about how my art has improved over the last year, and I’m hoping to continue to that trend… I’m swinging for the fences, but I am still entertaining the dream of one day approaching the black and white mastery of Gene Colan or Jeff Smith..
Stay tuned for more action and adventure! Next week’s update gets the action going!
In other news, the tales of Katarina’s origin, Dragonslayer, is just 3 chapters from DONE! A few friends have promised to contribute to the project directly, so we’re about 1/4 to our goal now. Check out our Indiegogo campaign here.
-Sam
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