Lillene posts
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Chapter 294 - Research Portal Number Two
Enjoy!--------------This is a terrible idea. But even after what I’ve managed to get out of the book, it’s the best one I have.Serenity finished painting the second portal circle onto the dirt. Serenity wasn’t planning to create an actual portal; that would be pointless when the circles were a...
Chapter 293 - Portal Research
Enjoy!---------------Serenity woke up from his dreamwalk and nap to the sound of his phone alarm. It was midnight and the camp was quiet, though he could easily tell he was not the only person awake.Dr. Mattingly’s “office” tent was dark and empty. Serenity considered for a moment, then headed...
Chapter 292 - Messenger Magic
Enjoy!-------------Excerpt from the first draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseStatusI’m sure that, by now, you’ve seen the comparisons of the Voice and its Status to a character sheet. It’s a useful comparison, but the thing to remember is that this isn’t a game.As best I c...
Chapter 291 - It’s a Conspiracy
Enjoy!----------------Getting through the gate to reach the portal was significantly more difficult than Serenity expected.It was guarded, and the guard wanted to see their ID. Serenity actually still had his driver’s license from before everything started; he wouldn’t have used it, but Rissa’...
Chapter 290 - Gathering Threads
Enjoy!------------The world shivered around Serenity again and he felt himself being pulled backwards. When the movement stopped, he found himself back in his treehouse, floating next to a wall that no longer had a Lord’s Door. Apparently he’d have to find it again to use any of the other featur...
Chapter 289 - Earth
Enjoy!---------------Excerpt from the twenty-third draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseAffinity Classification: Other Systems: Freeform Casting (Wilders)There are people who don’t believe in Affinities, either because they were untrained or because they believe that the entire id...
Chapter 288 - A Better Chance
Enjoy!-------------Excerpt from the twenty-third draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseAffinity Classification: Other Systems: Messenger’s GuildThe Messenger’s Guild is a delivery service - much like the mail, they make sure your package or letter gets to where you hired them to ...
Chapter 287 - Void Spark
Enjoy!--------------Excerpt from the fifteenth draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseAffinity Classification: Other Systems: Healers (Continued)Alteration healingAlteration healing can be thought of as being related to surgery; it is major body modification that cannot be done simply...
Chapter 286 - Recommended Upgrade
Enjoy!---------------Excerpt from the fifteenth draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseMost of the local affinity classification systems that I have been able to locate are for specialized mages; for example, there is an entire set of known “Healing Magic” Affinities, with known u...
Chapter 285 - Settlement Dungeon
Enjoy!------------Excerpt from the third draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseAffinity Classification: Advanced AffinitiesThe common definition of Advanced Affinities is that they are Affinities which require a Basic Affinity and at least one other Affinity combined together. This i...
Chapter 284 - Scan Results
Enjoy!------------Excerpt from the third draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseAffinity Classification: Specialized AffinitiesSpecialized affinities are one of the places where magic can get very strange very quickly. There is no list of specialized Affinities, because it would have ...
Chapter 283 - Portal Magic
Enjoy!----------Excerpt from the third draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseAffinity Classification: Basic Affinities“Basic” affinities are the ones that are the most common for a new mage. For most worlds, these are: Fire, Water, Air, Earth (sometimes Stone or Sand), Metal, Woo...
Chapter 282 - Electronic Interface
Enjoy!----------------Excerpt from the third draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseAffinitiesThere are several models used for Affinities. None of them capture the full range that is possible, but they give a useful framework for discussion. If you get two wizards together that use d...
Chapter 281 - Janice
Apologies for the late release; my computer decided to freeze and I had to reboot it when I went to upload this. Twice.Enjoy!-----------As he stepped out of the pavilion tent, Serenity blinked in disbelief. The area had transformed in the small amount of time he’d spent talking. The original six t...
Chapter 280 - Portals for Dummies
Enjoy!-------------It was strange to watch a screen that didn’t exist. No matter where Serenity looked, he could see it, yet it didn’t block anything else he could see. It wasn’t the same as looking at the Voice’s words in text or watching a spellform; in both cases, concentrating on those m...
Chapter 279 - Starts and Stops
Enjoy!------------“There’s a hole in the ceiling of the cave; I can see light. I’m sure there’s also a route through the caves, but I can’t tell where it is. I’ll send you the GPS coordinates when I get up above, but I’ll have to get off the phone to get up there.” Serenity stared at...
Chapter 278 - Rockfin
Enjoy!-------------Serenity stared at the rockfin that had suddenly appeared in front of him. It didn’t look like any fish Serenity had ever seen, but the resemblance was far too close to call it anything else. It had a set of ribbon-like fins on its underside, supporting it. Its body was about tw...
Chapter 277 - Location, Location, Location
Enjoy!----------------Modify the spell’s chant using the location coordinates, the table below, and the calculations in the last chapter, then …Not helpful.A ring must surround both locations when the portal is to be established; the ring is the purest shape, so it forms the connection and the b...
Chapter 276 - Underground Tracking
Enjoy!-------------Rockfin shed scales when they were distressed. Material to track the rockfin was not hard to get; all Serenity had to do was visit the treehouse they’d locked him in and there was plenty. The scales ranged in size from large, hard armor plating to small, delicate-looking ovals. ...
Chapter 275 - Portal Hunt
Enjoy!--------------Portals are not mystical. If you approach a portal as if it is unknowable, you set yourself up for failure. Portals are also never a matter of ‘feel’. They require rigorous calculation to determine the exact location and speed of both points being linked. This is why creating...
Chapter 274 - Serenity Settlement
Enjoy!-------------Excerpt from the eighth draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseInvasion Portals (Continued)For now, let’s ignore the case where the Voice has decided the situation is stable and the invaders are now locals. That’s what we’re trying to prevent after all. We’l...
Chapter 273 - Serenity Settlement Genesis
Enjoy!--------------Excerpt from the eighth draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseSettlements, Towns, and CitiesThe Voice generally groups permanent habitations into settlements, towns, and cities. Technically, they are all settlements, but achieving “town” or “city” status o...
Chapter 272 - The Lost
Enjoy!-------------Excerpt from the eighth draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseGeneral NotesThere are many in the universe that are more powerful than you are; there probably always will be, even if you’re the most powerful being on the planet. Don’t let that discourage you; in...
Chapter 271 - Useless
Enjoy!---------------Rissa hurried towards the purple dragon. Serenity was growling in the back of her mind, not making any sense. She was much farther from the dragon than the knights, so she watched their attacks as she closed in. Perhaps she’d see something that would help her plan her strategy...
Chapter 270 - Quoth the Raven
No, the raven's name isn't Quoth.It should be, though.Enjoy!------------Politics.Rissa hated dealing with it, but as the uncrowned High King, she had to. They weren’t even real politics! At least, they weren’t the politics of the outside world. Rissa complained to Serenity a few times, t...
Chapter 269 - The Sword and the High King
Enjoy!------------The morning after they got to London was the day before Kay’s birthday. They spent the morning at the house, with Ector and Kay practicing in the yard while Rissa explored the house. Ector told Kay he was allowed to go out for the afternoon to show Ari around; he even provided so...
Chapter 268 - Emrys
Enjoy!--------------The birds didn’t distract the old woman for long, but it was long enough for Rissa to grab the chair. Now all she needed to do was get under the window.Her first step towards the window was fine, but she couldn’t take a second. When Rissa looked at the old woman, she was star...
Chapter 267 - Ari
Yes, the fifth edition of the Guide exists now.Enjoy!-------------Excerpt from the fifth draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseA story dungeon sounds similar to a scenario dungeon, but where a scenario dungeon places the group into a scenario and requires that they resolve it, a stor...
Chapter 266 - Story Dungeon
Enjoy!----------Excerpt from the fifth draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseDungeon TypesThe classic - and most common - dungeon is simple in concept: a hole in the ground (or mine or plain or tower or floating sky island - the setting doesn’t matter) where you kill monsters, defe...
Chapter 265 - Tek’s Toy
Enjoy!-------------Excerpt from the fifth draft of An Earthling’s Guide to the Larger UniverseSubsequently revised in the following edition (revisions not shown)DeitiesGods are a difficult topic, especially in areas with monotheistic religions, but it’s still the best word I have for “very pow...
