The characters (part 9)

MALA AND THE SNOW GIANTS

(This is the ninth in a series of character descriptions from The Death Wizard Chronicles, my six-book epic fantasy.)

Who is Mala and why is he called a ruined snow giant?

There are beings called snow giants who live in the frozen peaks of Okkanti, a desolate mountain range located above the Salt Sea in northeastern Triken. (See map at www.jim-melvin.com.) At times in Triken’s history, there were as many as twenty snow giants, but at the time-frame of The Death Wizard Chronicles, there fewer than a dozen.

Snow giants were extremely long-lived beings, rivaling the dracools and even the great dragons. Some, including their leader Yama-Deva, were more than 50,000 years old. Male snow giants stood 15 feet tall and weighed more than half a ton. Their physical strength was extraordinary, and they were capable of bashing boulders into dust with their bare hands. Their bodies burst with magic, which could heal or destroy, and they were beautiful creatures, with broad faces, pointed ears and long, white manes that ran down the length of their spines. Despite living in temperatures well below freezing, they wore only crude loin cloths. Cold had little effect on them; in fact, they rarely strayed from the mountaintops—it was heat that made them uncomfortable.

Yama-Deva was one of the few snow giants who ever dared to come down from peaks and explore the lowlands, and it was there that he was captured by one of the evil sorcerer Invictus’ slave-hunting parties. Being a benign and gentle creature. Deva did not resist his capture (though he most certainly could have) because he did not wish to harm those who would enslave him.

Deva was taken from Okkanti and brought before Invictus in the Golden City of Avici, and though the snow giant was the mightiest of his kind, even he was no match for the sorcerer. Even then, it took ten years of torture for Invictus to finally break Deva’s will and turn him into a monster, hence “ruining” the most magnificent snow giant to ever live.

Invictus named him Mala, which in the ancient tongue meant monster, but Mala was also known as the Chain Man, because Invictus—using dreadful sorcery—had encased Mala in a single chain that wrapped around his shoulders, crisscrossed at his waist and lower back, and rode down his hips before looping around his bulky thighs. The chain had six-inch-thick links of gold blended with magical alloys, making it supernaturally strong. It glowed incessantly with a golden fire that appeared as hot as magma, burning Mala’s thick hide and causing a stink that was reminiscent of rotten meat cooked over an open fire. This caused him incessant pain, which led to a cruel and ruthless madness. The only beauty Mala retained from his previous existence was his silky white mane. Everything else was hideous to behold. His eyes were now red and swollen; vile liquid oozed from their sockets. Two blood-stained fangs hung over his lower lip; venom dripped from their pointed tips. His tongue was long and black; it probed and fluttered like a snake’s.

Surpassed only by Invictus and Bhayatupa (the great dragon) in might and magic, Mala became one of the most feared beings on Triken, and he was named the leader of the sorcerer’s army of monsters and golden soldiers. Once one of the most wondrous beings on Triken, he had been transformed into one of the most vile and dangerous creatures to ever exist.

Illustration courtesy of fantasy artist Tracy Pittman.

Up next: the Stone-Eaters.

The characters (part 8)

THE DRUIDS

(This is the eighth in a series of character descriptions from The Death Wizard Chronicles, my six-book epic fantasy.)

Who are the druids and are they evil?

Druids are insect-like monsters that dwell in the dark forest called Dhutanga, which is the largest forest on Triken. Druids stand more than ten feet tall, and though they are thin and angular, they are deceptively strong. Their outer flesh looks more like bark than skin, and they have fiery eyes and large mouths, with black holes where there should be ears.

The druids are indeed evil, because they are the creation of the druid queen, a bulbous and hideous creature that resembles a maggot the size of a great dragon. Though the druid queen is filled with malice and dread, she has a terrifically powerful mind, and she uses her psychic sway to control the druids en masse, forcing them to do her bidding. They are her slaves, but they love her, nonetheless.

At the time of The Death Wizard Chronicles, there were more than 100,000 druids, given birth one at a time over the centuries by their queen. They are the caretakers of Dhutanga, and literally eat wood for their sustenance and magic. In addition to their physical strength, they are able to spew corrosive acids from their mouths that devour flesh and burn through armor.

Photo by Dreamstime.

Up next: Mala and the snow giants

The characters (part 7)

THE DRACOOLS

(This is the seventh in a series of character descriptions from The Death Wizard Chronicles, my six-book epic fantasy.)

What are dracools and why are they called ‘baby dragons’?

The dracools are an ancient race of dragon-like beings that are much smaller than great dragons. A typical dracool stands about 10 feet tall and weighs about 600 pounds. They are called baby dragons because of their similarity in appearance yet great difference in size to their larger cousins, but they are terrifically strong and can fly almost as fast a great dragons.

Dracools are not numerous. During the time-frame of The Death Wizard Chronicles, there were fewer than 300 in the world.

Unlike full-sized dragons, dracools can walk on their hind legs. Their heavy muscles are covered with scales and they have enormous snouts overflowing with fangs.

Dracools claim to be the most learned beings alive, and they classify great dragons as crude bullies. Groups of dracools are sometimes able to kill great dragons in battle.

Some dracools have lived as long as fifty millennia, and these have had witnessed the rise and fall of many kingdoms. Like mercenaries, they tend to ally themselves with whoever appears most powerful at the time. They do not give much credence to the concepts of good and evil.

A gathering of dracools is called a flock, and they are psychically interconnected.

Photo by Dreamstime

The characters (part 6)

THE GREAT DRAGON

(This is the sixth in a series of character descriptions from The Death Wizard Chronicles, my six-book epic fantasy.)

Who is Bhayatupa and what is a great dragon?

Bhayatupa is, by all accounts, the single most powerful and feared dragon to ever exist on Triken. The great dragons differ from the lesser dragons and the dracools because of their immense size and fantastic magical powers.

At the time of The Death Wizard Chronicles, Bhayatupa was more than eighty thousand years old, second in age only to Vedana and a few other demons. He was almost 300 feet long from snout to tail and weighed close to 30,000 pounds. His scales were a bright crimson and impervious to injury, and he breathed fire and spewed liquid flame. His brain alone was the size of a boulder, though his extreme intelligence was dwarfed by his selfishness and deceit.

Until the appearance of Invictus, Bhayatupa had feared no being and was called Mahaasupanna, which meant “mightiest of all” in the ancient tongue—and for millennia beyond count he had ruled vast kingdoms and was revered by everyone, including the other great dragons. Even Vedana, the mother of all demons, feared Bhayatupa the Great, though she boasted that he was her creation, a claim that Bhayatupa treated with disdain.

Despite his immense size, Bhayatupa could fly higher, faster and more gracefully than any other being. This was due partially to his wide, strong wings, but more likely was made possible by magic, for surely no being of such girth could move quickly on the ground, much less fly. Bhayatupa also had very flexible jaws and a thick, red tongue, and he was able to speak in the same way that a human could speak, being fluent in hundreds of languages, many long forgotten. He also was wise in the ways of the demons and knew all their spells. His physical strength alone would have made him deadly, but when combined with his magic, he was powerful beyond ordinary comprehension.

Bhayatupa’s lone weakness was an insufferable fear of death. Because of his unbridled narcissism, Bhayatupa could not bear the thought of his existence ever coming to an end, and he obsessed over it every waking second.

Photo by Shutterstock.

Up next: the dracools.

The characters (part 5)

THE SORCERER

(This is the fifth in a series of character descriptions from The Death Wizard Chronicles, my six-book epic fantasy.)

Who is Invictus and why is he so powerful?

Invictus is the grandson (knowingly) of Vedana, the mother of al demons. As mentioned before, Vedana has spent tens of thousands of years breeding with mortal men in an attempt to perfect the bloodline that would lead to the birth/creation of a Sun God. In Invictus, she finally succeeded.

Invictus derives his magic from the absorption of sunlight, which makes him the most powerful being in the world. He wields a yellow-gold, liquid fire that spurts from his fingers, hands and eyes and that also shields his body from physical harm. The golden fire disintegrates anything it touches, including solid granite. He is so powerful, not even a great dragon can stand against him. He also is a master of the dark arts, and knows things that even the demons do not. He has surpassed all beings on Triken—and perhaps any living being that has ever been.

Photo by Shutterstock

In fact, Invictus’ puissance threatens the universe itself, because he has the power to break the fabric between the three universal realms—Life, Death, and Undeath.

Invictus was taken from his parents (the father of whom was an unknowing offspring of Vedana’s machinations) by Vedana when he was just 2 years old, and she raised him herself, teaching him all kinds of evil spells and incantations. She did this in hopes of controlling him and using him to free her from the Realm of Undeath where she and the other demons reside, but when Invictus became a teenager he realizes the extent of his power, which exceeded even Vedana’s. And so he struck out on his own, determined to create his own kingdom and eventually rule the world.

Because of Vedana’s influence, Invictus has become depraved, perverted, and devilishly immature. He has a severe temper and will destroy anyone or anything that dares to thwart him, taking delight in torture and depravity.

During the time-frame of The Death Wizard Chronicles, Invictus is one hundred years old, but he appears as a boyishly handsome man of about 30. He has long blond hair and is average in height and build. But his stature is the only thing average about him. Otherwise, he is everyone’s worst nightmare and a threat to all beings.

Up next: Bhayatupa the Great

The characters (part 4)

THE WARLISH WITCHES

Photo by Dreamstime

What are Warlish witches and what makes them ‘special’?

Warlish witches are living beings created by the magic of Vedana, the mother of all demons. As mentioned earlier, Vedana conceitedly claims to have created all magical beings—and there is some truth to this and some stretching of the truth—but there is little doubt or debate that it is Vedana who gave birth to Warlish witches.

In the ancient tongue, Warlish means “transform.” And indeed, full-blooded Warlish witches are able to transform at will between being exquisitely beautiful and hideously ugly—in appearance, voice and odor. They are prideful and deceitful, and cannot be trusted. They also wield powerful magic and are able to blast crimson flames from their eyes, mouth and hands, while vomiting poisons that can devour flesh to the bone and bubble through the hardest armor. They are physically strong and can move with great speed and athleticism. One witch alone is formidable, but when they fight in groups, they rank among the most dangerous beings on Triken. They often carry tall wooden staffs that spew fire and ruin.

“Failed” Warlish witches—in other words, ones that cannot transform—are perpetually trapped in only one state, either beautiful or ugly. But neither is preferred over the other, because both beauty and ugliness carry their own brands of fright and power. Failed witches are called hags, and they are faithful servants of true witches and will fight to the death on their behalf.

Warlish witches and their hags are filled with demon blood and are therefore long-lived beings, with the most ancient of them surpassing fifty thousand years in age. At the time of The Death Wizard Chronicles, there were believed to be between two and three hundred witches in existence, though their exact numbers were known by only a few. Even Vedana lacked this knowledge.

Photo by Dreamstime.

The characters (part 2)

 THE SORCERESS

This is the second in a series of character descriptions from The Death Wizard Chronicles, my six-book epic fantasy.

Who is Laylah and what is the source of her magic?

Laylah is the grandchild (unknowingly) of Vedana, the most powerful and ancient of demons. Though the grandmother is selfish and evil, Laylah grows up as an ordinary child—beyond the demon’s influence—and becomes a force of good.

Laylah has one sibling, the evil sorcerer Invictus who is ten years her elder. Invictus derives his power from the absorption of sunlight, which makes him the mightiest of all beings. Laylah derives her power from moonlight, which is a reflection of sunlight, so she is the weaker of the two. But this is not to say that Laylah is not also powerful. It’s just that everyone is weaker than Invictus.

Laylah escapes from her brother’s clutches as a young girl and is raised by a tribe of people in a hidden valley deep within the mountains. But she is eventually recaptured by Invictus and held as his prisoner for many years.

Laylah wields a white magic that flares from her fingers, hands and eyes. Like Torg the Death Wizard, she can both heal and destroy with it. Night is her favorite time, and she often feels queasy and weak during mid-day.

Since Laylah is an offspring of Vedana, her body contains demon magic and therefore she is long-lived. During the time-frame of The Death Wizard Chronicles, Laylah is about ninety years old, but she appears as a woman in her physical prime. She has long, lush blond hair, pale skin and gray-blue eyes and is tall and voluptuous—considered by those who have seen her to be the most beautiful woman in the world.

Laylah eventually escapes from Invictus a second time, and much of the epic tale of The DW Chronicles involves her desperate flight from the insanity and perversion of her brother.

Up next: Vedana, the mother of all demons.

My own personal web site

In addition to my blog, I have created a personal website called www.jim-melvin.com. I built it in WordPress with DirectNic as the host. Before I did this, I had never heard about WordPress and wasn't exactly certain what a host was. :) To say that this was a learning process is a bit of an understatement.

On the tech/geek scale of 1-10, I'm probably about a 6. There certainly are people a whole lot more clueless -- but I'm no wiz, either. It took me about twenty google searches to finally understand how to build the site, and even then I needed tech support from DirectNic several times

This is all in preparation, of course, for the launch of the series in August 2012. There already are a lot of plans in the works between myself and Bell Bridge Books in terms of marketing and exposure. I'm very excited. And I have high hopes that this time The Death Wizard Chronicles will really make an impact.

www.jim-melvin.com will be a place to make announcements and post updates, but it will not replace this blog. I will continue to post blog items here, and with much more frequency over the next several months. In many instances, I'll probably post items in both places.