by Shawn Sodman
My short attention span and daydreaming didn't end there. To this day, I often find myself thinking of places within my imagination. I have even wondered if I spend more time daydreaming than thinking about reality.
The Birth Of Runefell
I have struggled with exactly what to share in this part. Too much information could ruin the experience for some. Then there is the privacy issue of those who many of my characters are based on. I will start at the beginning and share with you the original story that would mark the birth of Runefell.
Over twenty years ago, I was introduced to role-playing. Not the live action type, but the pen and paper type. The very first character I ever created was named Chance. I would participate as a player for a few sessions of “gaming” before I would become the GM (Game Master) I would then be the one in charge of creating the storyline for our gaming sessions.
One of my friends played a bard named Arioch. I asked if he would mind if I created a back story for him that even the character himself wouldn't know. He said he was alright with it, so I soon came up with the idea that he was of royalty and was the proper heir to Sheathelm. The group helped him ascend to the throne. One of them was my character, Chance. Another friend of ours played an ice mage named Kyle Drakesbane. A third friend played as a fast drawing, knife wielding man named Damion. Two of these three are in the book. A fourth friend created a character named Tharidin who only got mentioned.
These were the four main characters who I did the most role-playing with. Later we would play the heroes in the story of the Dragon Wars. As GM, I came up with a foe named Red Beard, and the group faced him more than once. As time went on, the man who played Arioch moved out of the state, and life didn't allow much time for role-playing. All of our stories would be put on hold. To this day we have not seen each other all at the same time.
In the years that followed, I did GM for a different group. The only original member was my nephew who played Damion. We were all playing different characters but I tried to tie it all in with the same original world. We would play for quite a while before that group separated as well.
Then, almost twelve years after the original game, my daughter, who was sixteen at the time, wanted to start up a role-playing game like the ones I used to originally play with my friends when she was little. A couple of her friends were interested as well, and so was the father of one of her friends. He was someone I rode the bus to school with years ago.
I decided to dust off my old books and create characters for them, and soon the game was revived. I adjusted the time-line so that my daughter could play my original character's daughter. That way Chance would have a reason to show up from time to time. Her friends created other characters, including Kianna and Gena. I tied Kianna into the old storyline as well and said that she was the daughter of Arioch. The group decided that their characters had met Gena at the magic school of Dicean. Since I was trying everything together I said that Chance's friend, Kyle Drakesbane, was now the head master of Dicean. I was delighted to tie the old stories in with the new. The father/daughter duo played Garrin and Aria, but soon the girl who played Aria would stop joining us for the gaming sessions, although her father continued to play. That is why Aria is only referred to in the book. She was not part of the story that this book is centered around.
My nephew who played as Damion years before, made a new character named Isen. We decided that he was assigned to be Kianna's personal bodyguard. Kelik and Ambra are based on my other two children. They started to join us for gaming just about the time that I began to write.
The book did not start out as the story of my children's adventurers, however. I would the place story in the same world as my other adventures but I had a different plan at first. By the time I started to write, I had decided to make Red Beard less of a foe and more of a neutral ally. I would give him an adopted daughter, named Ariella.
Ariella is one of the few characters in the book that was not ever role-played by anyone. I drew inspiration for her from a few different sources. Fernando was a character that I had played in other adventures when I was not playing as the GM. He is a bit of a cliché character, but I always had fun role-playing as him. I set out to make a romantic story involving these two. Soon I just couldn't resist putting Chance in the middle.
Everything fell into place quite well, but now I needed to have an overall story going on in the background that was bigger than just Ariella's search for her father's treasure. An obvious solution was already staring me in the face. The time lines matched up to place this story alongside the adventure that my daughter's group was on, and thus the title of “Crossroads” was born. Chance would act as a proverbial crossroad and be the point where multiple story-arcs would come together.
I then tied those stories to one more. I had frequently used the Amazons of the Silver Moon in the adventures that I was the GM, but they were mostly in the background. Once my oldest daughter begin to play with her friends, I moved the Amazons to the forefront of the stories. They were nothing new to Runefell.
The seven sisters in the book, however, were somewhat new. To summarize, they were a part of another gaming group. Each of them had a part in the creation of their own character. Namos and Annalee were also based on real life people. (No, she cannot turn her fist into steel.)
As far as Sven goes, he was another one of my characters from past gaming sessions. A typical, rugged, manly man. During the role-playing session involving the seven sisters, I had put Sven into the story to be a guide over the mountains, while the goblin, Kreeshaw, was there to give them an option to go under the mountains. The group chose to go with Sven.
Most of the main characters in the book are based on real life people. I have received permission from everyone who I have based a character on to write this book. It is my dream that the books do well enough that I can buy them each a new car, but for now, I'll settle for selling enough to carry me over until the next book is released. At the time of my writing this, I am over sixty pages into the first draft of Book two: Castles and Oceans.
It has taken a lot longer than I had anticipated. The editing has taken the longest. I would be remiss if I didn't thank my editor who had the patience to help point me in the right direction. While this book may not appeal to everyone, it would have been far less impressive without her.
Stay Connected with Runefell
The following are links to different Facebook pages that I have set up. The first is for the world of Runefell. I plan to post updates there as to my progress on upcoming books. The next is for another project that I plan to update from time to time with entries from Ariella's journal. It is meant to be a unique reading experience that coincides with the books. Spoiler warnings will be included. After that there is a page for the Amazons of the Silver Moon. I plan to take submissions for character ideas of more Amazons. I will post the rules for submissions there soon, if they are not already up. There is also a page for Fernando. How much fun would it be for a character like Fernando to come out of the pages of the book and interact with the readers? I don't know for sure, but I am curious to try it out. If you are curious too, like his page. There is a page for Chance, but I have no plans at this time for what I would do with it. There is also a page for Captain McMurphy. This too may have something down the road, but for now it is more of a placeholder.
Thank you again for reading this book. I invite you to like the Facebook page. If you do not have Facebook you can still visit the page and learn more about the next book.
https://www.facebook.com/Runefell
https://www.facebook.com/AriellaStormrage
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amazons-of-the-Silver-Moon/402721086487377
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fernando-Greythorn/502473306464950
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Day 1 The Lady of the Red Dawn
Chapter 2: Just to be Clear
Chapter 3 Day 2 Lunch with the Captain
Chapter 4: Visit From the Pa
st
Chapter 5: Letters from the Heart
Chapter 6 Day 3 The Scouting Party
Chapter 7: Storm on the Horizon
Chapter 8: Eye of the Storm
Chapter 9: Lost Innocence
Chapter 10: Years Lost and Gained
Chapter 11 Day 4 The Common Foe
Chapter 12: Backfire
Chapter 13 Day 5 Morning till Dusk
Chapter 14: Watchful Eyes
Chapter 15: The Eighth Sister
Chapter 16: First Blood
Chapter 17: Reviled
Chapter 18: Restless Night
Chapter 19 Day 6 Stirring Passions
Chapter 20: Intermission
Chapter 21: Cold Sunrise
Chapter 22: Treasure Hunt
Chapter 23: To the Mountains and Over
Chapter 24: Frostbite
Chapter 25 Day 7 Good Morning
Chapter 26: Over the Edge
Chapter 27 Day 8 Burning Bridges
Chapter 28: Heart to Heart
Chapter 29: Ithil Pandrel
Chapter 30: Sanctuary
Chapter 31: Off Limits
Chapter 32 Day 9 Eternal Night
Chapter 33: Not a Little Girl
Chapter 34: A Matter of Trust
Chapter 35: Encampment
Chapter 36 Day 10 Downpour
Chapter 37: Warmth of the Light
Chapter 38: The Wait
Chapter 39: Coldrock
Chapter 40: Littlest of Giants
Chapter 41 Day 11 Return to Bastion
Chapter 42: A Little Pick Me Up
Chapter 43: Midnight Run
Chapter 44 Day 12 Reputation
Chapter 45: Who's Following Who
Chapter 46: Crossroads
Chapter 47: Rain of Fire
Chapter 48: The Mysterious One