Broken Lands

Into the Maze End Notes

Author’s Commentary on Broken Lands: Into the Maze

Well, we went into the Maze … and back out again. 

This book had the same pacing and breakpoint issue as Lost Ruins, only worse. It’s at least two books in length and I managed to overrun the maximum length of a gdoc. Again.

With that said, this time I chose to run the book to the planned endpoint, when they’ve made it to the Tower and the Gateways (well, more or less). I just wasn’t expecting it to take so long. It didn’t seem like that much when I sketched it out - get in with the Arena, go into the Maze, investigate the deaths (mostly unsuccessfully), have a member of the Arena staff take an interest in Sophia, get attacked by the bandits while inside the Maze (this didn’t happen at all because the Blade got interested in her), deal with all that, then have the interested Arena staff member give them the clue they needed to find the Tower (or what was left of it), then finally deal with the Broken Lord and the Broken Blade. Apparently that’s too much for me to fit in a single arc.

Oh, a funny side note: the member of the Arena that was supposed to get interested in Sophia was never actually introduced. It was supposed to be one of the members of the Artifacts division … but Arak got there first and his backstory was far too interesting to not use. 

Arak didn’t exist in the original sketch of the plot. He popped up when it was time for the first expedition because the original expedition leader (who was supposed to be terrible) took one look at the situation and decided that he was being set up and skipped town. This was unexpected, but made complete sense from his perspective. It did mean I needed to find someone else and Arak stepped up and took charge.

He effectively had two votes for the next leader of the Arena: both the healers and the expedition wing got a vote, and those were locked in for him the moment he became a candidate. The healers’ vote took on outsized importance, even greater than the normal influence of the bookies and schedulers, because of the way the investigation into the Blade was handled. The Arena staff (cleaning & maintenance) was happy with him as well, and the guards and monster handlers / summoners didn’t dare vote against him with the healers backing him … he was selected by acclamation, which was completely deliberate.

I’m definitely doing less art than I was earlier. It feels less necessary. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it or not, but one of the reasons I started doing the art was to push myself to describe things more (and hopefully more clearly). What does the room look like? What does the person look like? What do they see?

It was useful for the series and certainly made a difference for the way I handled Dav, but it was also a writing exercise, as odd as that sounds. I knew I needed to become more descriptive about spaces; I don’t really SEE them that way most of the time but I don’t want people to see a blank world with cardboard cutouts moving around; I want you to see a rich, vibrant place with distinct people. 

I know I did some of that in Serenity, but I think I’ve done more of it in Broken Lands, even as I cut back on how many images I include. I’m planning to continue using art for the rest of this series, but it will probably be far more limited in future series. I think it’s served its purpose.

Moving on to the future, I think there are one or two more books in Broken Lands, even though they’re about to leave the Broken Lands proper (I don’t think that’s much of a spoiler). The next book is, appropriately, tentatively titled Beyond the Broken Lands.

See you there!

Oh, one more comment before I go: No, Sophia paid absolutely no attention to the Threads she gained on her most recent trip into the Maze. There can’t be that many … right?

She also hasn’t paid much attention to the fact that two people are missing from her Status…

~Lillene

Latest Status 

Sophia

Arcane Demense Abilities:

Attunements

Hallowed by the Wanderer

(Hoard of Plumes, Anchor)

Contraceptive Amulet, 1

 (Arcane Signifier)

 Suras Arcane Hybrid

(Plumed Knowledge)

Unbroken Link Bracelet, 1

(Feather Image)

(Plume of Perception)

Enchantment: Shared Shield

Body: 30, Buoyant

(Translucent Aura)

Enchantment: Send Mana

Core: 50, Luxuriant

(Plume Shift)

  (Prismatic Plume Strike)

Coatl-Scale Reinforced Armor, 1

Shield: 450 (300)

(Aural Plumes)

Enchantment: Major Repair

 Stunning, Soothing, Focused, Piercing, Binding, Reinforced, Disruptive, Warming, Rending, Corruptive, True Death, Translucent, Prismatic

Enchantment: Major Resilience

Thread: 1,568

 Enchantment: Sweetfire Purge

 Arcane Coatl Hybrid Abilities:

Enchantment: Temperature Control

Spheres

(Arcane Scales)

Enchantment: Cohesive Defense

Level: 12 - Third Upgrade

(Prismatic Wings)

 Anchor: Aura

(Latent Lifeweb Link)

Icicle Wand, Third Upgrade, 1

Signature: Plume

(Child of Death)

 Grand Talent: Demense of the Arcane Coatl

(Fleeting Foresight)

Force Splash Wand, Third Upgrade, 1

 (Arcane Absorption)

  (Scion of the Towers)

Recall Ally Wand, Third Upgrade, 1

     Sweetfire Claw Gloves, 1

  Enchantment: Sweetfire Armory Manifestation

     Sweetfire’s Sweets Ring

  Enchantment: Sweetfire Aural Induction

Ability Descriptions

Anchor: Aura

You are no longer limited to the body that was once your prison or your home. 

An Anchor is required for the first Upgrade. This may be modified by your Signature once it is discovered.

Signature: Plume

Plumes of both feathers and magic form the outward manifestations of your style.

A Signature is required for the second Upgrade. This may be modified by your Grand Talent once it is discovered.

Grand Talent: Demense of the Arcane Coatl

An Arcane Coatl creates her lair not in space but in magic. You claim all of the magic that lies within your Aura as your Demense. 

A Grand Talent is required for the third Upgrade. This may be modified by your Cardinal Facet once it is discovered.

Arcane Demense Abilities:

Hoard of Plumes, Anchor Ability

Take control of plumes’ mana to collect them. Release some or all to establish and extend your Demense. Plumes form the points you can use to exert your will on your Demense.

Arcane Signifier

Place your arcane signifier of a plume on something or someone to affect them as if they were one of your plumes. 

Plumed Knowledge 

As your Plumes gather knowledge for your partner from all within your Demense, you may relay your partner’s information to those marked with your Arcane Signifier so long as they are within your Demense.

Plume of Perception

See, hear, and know all that lies within your Demense as your Plumes reach out to test it.

Translucent Aura

Your plumes deflect and diffuse the magic imbued in attacks within your aura. You can concentrate plumes together to enhance their effect. Attacks initiated by people and objects marked with your Arcane Signifier are ignored unless you direct your plumes to stop them. Other attacks may be permitted by commanding your plumes.

Plume Shift

You are your plumes and your plumes are you. Turn yourself into a cloud of Plumes that you can spread across your Domain. So long as any Plume is intact, you may return to your normal physical form without injury at the location of that Plume. While using Plume Shift, your Shield is disabled. 

Prismatic Plume Strike

Strike your opponents with the magic contained in your Plumes. Plumes can be combined to form a single prismatic strike or split into their constituent parts and targeted separately. 

Aural Plumes

Enhance Plumes within your Aura using all of the different modifiers you have learned. Available Modifiers:

Stunning - Send a shock through the spirit 

Soothing - Relax the spirit

Focused - Grants increased control of a particular Plume in exchange for less control of other Plumes

Piercing - Strike the Shield

Binding - Slow mana movement

Reinforced - Adds cohesion and resistance to dispersion to the Plume

Disruptive - Break spell structures

Warming - Locally increase the physical temperature. Requires a compatible Plume.

Rending - Attack the body. Cannot penetrate Shield.

Corruption - Erode the core element

True Death - Lay that which is not living to rest

Translucent - Move through unaffiliated mana with lower loss

Prismatic - Split affiliated magic into its components

Arcane Coatl Hybrid Abilities:

Arcane Scales

Call upon your Coatl heritage to thicken your skin into scales. Your scales provide unparalleled defense against magical damage but are weaker than those of other coatls when there is no magic present. Arcane Scales can be reinforced with additional mana.

Prismatic Wings

Lift yourself into the sky upon wings made of all types of magic splitting and blending to obey your will.

Latent Lifeweb Link

To be Suras is to be linked to the life around you, especially to those of your kind. You have never woken the link, but it aids you in what connections you find. 

Child of Death

The child of a world of death and a man who is Death Itself, your touch carries both the finality of death and the hope for a new beginning … that will still end in Death.

Fleeting Foresight

The future reaches out to you yet you cannot see its full breadth. Only a hint comes through, questionable and lost, shaping your actions to reach the future you desire.

Arcane Absorption

You are mana and mana is you. You can absorb unaffiliated mana.

Scion of the Towers

You are linked to all Towers as though each was your home Tower.

Attunements:

Contraceptive Amulet

Prevents conception of a child.

Unbroken Link Bracelet

Shared Shield - Creates a common Shield pool.

Send Mana - Mana may be sent along the link.

Coatl-Scale Reinforced Armor

Major Repair - Spend mana to allow the item to return to its undamaged state.

Major Resilience - Boosts the durability of the enchanted item.

Sweetfire Purge - Creates a small reservoir of sweetfire that may be used to purge negative effects. Purge is more effective on effects targeting the armor than effects targeting the user. The reservoir may be refilled with either sweetfire or unattuned mana.

Temperature Control - Adjusts the temperature of the armor to increase comfort and safety. Provides limited protection against temperature-based attacks.

Cohesive Defense - The armor defends its user as a single surface.

Icicle Wand

Throw small spears of ice.

Force Splash Wand

Push away your enemies.

Recall Ally

Teleport your ally to your side.

Sweetfire Claw Gloves

Create any weapon from sweetfire. Default: Fire Claws.

Sweetfire’s Sweets Ring

Aids in the control of sweetfire. Tinges all effects with the tang of sweetfire.