Importantly the Strangers’ next monarch is selected by the current ruler based on power and potential.
They are then made Heir and go under a type of tutelage beneath the monarch to prepare for their eventual reign.
So they may not be related but the Heirs develop under the monarch’s influence
Day 15 of #AprilWorldbuilders
The most important Stranger: The Queen That Is and Was
As the ruling monarch she is the ultimate authority within the Woods.
She is a many eyed powerful being who is rarely seen outside her throne room.
#AidingInAbomination
Day 15 of #AprilAdventure
There are several.
What happens to the sacrifices who never leave the Woods, and to Una’s friend Siofra in particular?
Why do the Strangers want the sacrifices in the first place?
And, of course, can Una make her way out of the Woods alive?
#AidingInAbomination
Day 15 of #AntagonistApril
My main antagonist has cultists that are very much devoted to the cause.
Whether that is out of self-interest, fear or genuine loyalty varies amongst the cult. Opportunity is a powerful lure, and they’ll do awful things for the chance to get ahead…
#AidingInAbomination
While the Woods are as dangerous as they are ominous, the humans trapped within are not entirely helpless within today’s #WIPSnips
#AidingInAbomination
Day 14 of #AprilAdventure
The Cult of the Withered Flower’s leader tried to coup many years ago.
He doubts the Queen’s rule, wanting to spread the Woods’ power to consume Prysena village whole.
Putting everyone Una loves at the mercy of the Strangers’ cruel magics forever…
#AidingInAbomination
Day 14 of #AntagonistApril
I suppose it depends on what you count as a sacrifice. The desperate are willing to do anything, cross any lines to get what they want.
But can that truly be called a sacrifice when it is others who ultimately pay that cost?
#AidingInAbomination
Back to the shadows and Dark for today’s #WIPSnips
The Spirits are watching and eager as someone human stumbles into their domain, all too tempted by the rare opportunity before them…
#AidingInAbomination #WriteSky
Day 13 of #AprilAdventure
Una’s oldest friend was Siofra.
She was offered up to the Woods six years before the story began, and has not been seen since.
The only place to find answers to Siofra’s fate is in the Dark, but maybe some truths are better left buried…
#AidingInAbomination
Day 12 of #AprilAdventure
Coming in late but here’s a snippet from Una’s start in the Woods…
#AidingInAbomination
Day 13 of #AntagonistApril
The Queen That Is and Was is revered by her people.
She leads with fear and intimidation so many Strangers view her as a competent and deadly ruler.
Those that don’t smartly keep their mouths shut, for fear of no longer having one if they don’t…
#AidingInAbomination
Day 12 of #AntagonistApril
Specifically one of the reasons the cult of the Withered Flower has been so secretive is because their leader went into hiding to avoid this.
The justice of the Queen That Is and Was is very painful, and the cult’s leader was not prepared to risk it…
Until now…
Day 13 of #AprilWorldbuilders
Hmm, this is tricky to say without going into spoilers.
For now I’ll just say that there is a purpose behind the Strangers demanding sacrifices from the nearby village beyond just their own amusement.
Make of that what you will…
#AidingInAbomination
Day 12 of #AprilWorldbuilders
The more powerful Strangers can connect to the Woods and feel what is happening through that. Sometimes it acts as an additional sense, other times as an extension of their own.
For example, the Queen That Is and Was has many eyes, but not all of them are on her body…
Had more than enough entries for today’s #WIPSnips, so I chose one that gives a different perspective.
Memories mix with fear in these glimpses into both Una’s past and her fears about what could be… Her heart is with her family back home and so then lies her guilt.
#WriteSky #AidingInAbomination
Don’t have any “lanterns” for this #WIPSnip so I’m using glowing lights instead.
An unfamiliar room in an unfamiliar place, with a strange glowing crystal in the centre… A Strange thing to find, especially in a place as dark as the Woods…
#WriteSky #AidingInAbomination
Day 11 of #AprilAdventure
I’d say the entirety of the Woods is something of a surprise that Una has to constantly adapt to.
The truth of the Woods is obscured by rumour and hearsay, with even the few survivors too traumatised to talk about what they saw in the Dark.
#AidingInAbomination
Day 11 of #AntagonistApril
The Withered Flower cult is notorious among the Strangers.
They’ve been quiet and working in the shadows while whispers of them remain despite the Queen’s orders of silence.
But as their plans near fruition they won’t stay secretive for long…
#AidingInAbomination
Hey #AprilWorldbuilders
Putting aside the magic of it all, Strangers are FAST.
As in can cover short distances in a blur fast.
This is limited to some extent, they are sprinters not long distance runners, and over any significant distance they have to move at a much more human pace.
Day 10 of #AntagonistApril
For the most parts my villains dwell less on morality and more on plans and self interest. Not on what is right but what is best (for themselves).
Morality isn’t really a concern, at least not one large enough to get in the way of their plots…
#AidingInAbomination
And I’m caught up to today’s #WIPSnips so here you go!
A much needed outfit change for Una after far too long in her ceremonial robes…
#WriteSky #AidingInAbomination
Day 10 of #AprilAdventure
Una’s first big encounter is with the Abomination.
A hulking creature of peculiar inhumanity, even for the Strangers, they are a more than formidable hunter.
And in these Woods, humans are nothing if not prey…
#AidingInAbomination
Using “things” here instead of “stuff” for this #WIPSnisp as apparently I don’t use that word a lot 🤷🏻♀️
Una is learning that sometimes appearing to competent or dangerous can have unexpected consequences from even more unexpected sources…
#WriteSky #AidingInAbomination
Lots of needs to choose from for this #WIPSnips but here’s something from the end of a chapter.
The more Una learns about the Strangers she is trapped in the Woods with the greater her chance for survival, so she is digging into every hint she can find.
#WriteSky #AidingInAbomination
I had one whole entry for this #WIPSnips so not a lot to pick from 😂
Una gets a glimpse of home and safety, but sadly it’s still out of reach with a ways to go before she can make it home again…
#WriteSky #AidingInAbomination
Day 9 of #AprilWorldbuilders
The Strangers look down on physical fighting as they see it as base and beneath them.
When they have to fight they use magics their own magics, although they prefer not to fight at all.
They prefer to use deals, schemes and traps to take care of foes where they can.
Day 8 of #AprilWorldbuilders
The Strangers are an inhuman species that reside deep within the Woods.
There is an eerie sharpness to them that makes them hard to look at and they are impossibly pale from a life spent in the Dark.
They are deeply feared by the villagers and for very good reason…
Day 9 of #AntagonistApril
There are definitely antagonists whose motives Una can empathise with.
The Woods are Dark and the workings within them wicked enough to twist anyone’s mind.
Whether they can be reasoned with is as much a question as if she’ll have a chance to try…
#AidingInAbomination
I have, I’m not interested at this time but thanks so much for offering 😊
Day 8 of #AntagonistApril
Not so much a villain, but the first antagonist Una defeats is trying to survive.
Conall is one of the sacrifices offered to the Woods. Desperate and afraid, he’s turned against his fellows to survive, with dangerous and possibly deadly consequences.
#AidingInAbomination