Annals: Year 23
A Dustsong story fragment and codex entry—and recommended reading
From the Annals of the Vaporous Realms
In this year, the Mother of Serpents sent her spawn into the wandering wastes to stir up the desert-folk against the valley-folk to the west. Among the Sand Folk, the chaos-minions' lies infested the senior chief's circle of mighty hunters. Alarmed at the violent fervor of their clan-folk, the second chief and his favorites made a pact to uphold the peace at any cost. They called themselves Sons of the Prowler and lay snares in secret to destroy the mighty men of the first chief. Their successes blunted the spirit of belligence among the Sand Folk, but in the end, the deeds of the Sons of the Prowler came to light. They and their nearest kin were forced into exile.
Codex: Sons of the Prowler
The Sons of the Prowler (or Prowler Kin) were a desert-folk clan of the wandering wastes. They originated as a clandestine faction among the Sand Folk. After their discovery, all of the Prowler Kin, including one of the two remaining chiefs of the Sand Folk, faced exile.
The Sons of the Prowler were fourth of the thirteen clans that followed Len Ghremson out of the wastes early in the first epoch. Residing at first in the southern quarter of Danoh-town, they were neighbors to the Sand Folk and Wind Hunters. Subsequent generations of Prowler Kin migrated, like the Wind Hunters, to the mountain lake at the far western end of the valley below the Fangs.
Author Note
I’ve got a fair few reading recommendations (listed below) from the last four weeks, encompassing flash fiction, serials, not-so-short standalone stories, in-depth essays, and brief reflections.
Also, my recent article on fifteen writing habits that undermine readability is my most-read, most-liked post of the past two-and-a-half years, thanks to Kathrine Elaine and others who reshared it.
If you’re interested in the tabletop side of things, I’ve made a correction in my second edition (2E) rules for Vaporous Realms at War and updated a couple more character profiles (Kræwk and Sceg) for 2E. Check out all of those April updates here.
And now, my twentyish favorite reads of the past month, loosely ranked:
Michael John Petty’s reflection on a Soviet-era anecdote in “Blessed Are Those…”
Eric Falden’s “In Defense of Soft Magic Systems” and “Magic Says More Than You Think”
maryh10000’s Iliad insights in “Deities Fight Each Other” and “The Wrong Man Died”
Redd Oscar’s “The Usurper”
Harold Ember’s “Disappointment”
BamBoncher’s “May Day!”
G. K. Sá Earp’s “Why The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Is Still a Classic”
The Bros Krynn’s “The Most Important Bond in TMNT”
A. K. Preston’s ongoing The Helm of Seven (now at its twentieth snippet)
Kathrine Elaine’s ongoing The Lightbreakers of Orpheus
Patrick Lawrence’s installments nine and ten of his Fellowship of the Ring read-through
Man Behind the Screen’s “The Worth and Value of Adventure (Particularly for Young Men)”
Jean Marie Bauhaus’s “Asceticism and Self-Denial”
Redd Oscar’s ongoing “The Atlanteans of Proxima B”
Stephanie Loomis’s “The Goodness of God’s Faithful Love”
Kathrine Elaine’s ongoing “One Hundred Refusals”
GMaia’s thought-provoking reflections and rules for tabletop gaming (especially, of late, the discussion of rules for companions, or “retainers”)
The Bros Krynn’s “Gandalf’s Lesson on Forgiveness and the Prayer That Changed History”
Redd Oscar’s “Mother”
Matt Gerrity’s “A Fixer-Upper”
And I want to give a nod to A. C. Cargill’s “Welcome to the AI Free Zone” and other lists of Substack authors avoiding generative AI use.
Happy reading, y’all!
Thank you for reading my stories!🩶