Noblebright novels on hope in dark times

FIC: The half-men's quarters (Tempestuous Tours)

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:52:56 GMT

At one time, the cellar of the current palace was made up of dank, dim chambers where the palace's slave-servants slept and sometimes worked. When the previous Chara made up his mind to free all the palace slaves, there was much discussion over what to do with the former slave-quarters. The somewhat belated consensus by the palace officials was that these rooms were unfit to live in. There was talk of turning the rooms into storage rooms.

To everyone's amazement, the palace's community of eunuchs came forward and asked that the dank, dim chambers be given over to them. They had never before had a place in the palace that belonged solely to them. Many of them, being recently freed slaves, had lived in the slave-quarters; they considered this their home, one that might finally belong to them, rather than to their slave-masters.

The Chara graciously granted them their new quarters and forbade anyone who was not a half-man from entering the quarters, except by invitation of the eunuchs.

I can testify that the eunuch community has done a marvellous job of redecorating the cellar, so that it is bright and cheerful. One room alone has not been touched: the slaves' punishment room, which remains as a stark reminder of this place's bloody past.

If you are invited to visit the eunuchs' quarters, I strongly advise you to visit the punishment room. My advice grows even stronger if you keep slaves yourselves.

[Translator's note: Free-man's Blade includes a visit to the slave quarters, courtesy of a half-man.]

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UPDATE: Blog fiction + backlist

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:11:01 GMT

BLOG FICTION

Tempestuous Tours (Crossing Worlds: A Visitor's Guide to the Three Lands #2). A whirlwind tour of the sites in the Three Lands that are most steeped in history, culture, and the occasional pickpocket.

New installments:

The Chara's quarters.

The Chara To Be's chamber.

From the Chara To Be's chamber to the half-men's quarters.

FROM THE BACKLIST

In honor of Independence Day in the USA, a novel-within-a-novel about revolution.

Checkmate (The Eternal Dungeon: Sweet Blood #4).

The Eternal Dungeon is no longer a prison. It's a battlefield.

Split apart from their closest loves and friends, a small group of prison-workers seek to abolish the use of torture against prisoners in the queendom's royal dungeon. Time is running out, for the deadly High Seeker has already flogged and executed prison-workers who oppose his policies.

Do the reformers have enough time and skill to bring about radical change in the dungeon? Will they be able to overcome their mistrust of one another?

NEWS & UPCOMING FICTION

I hope those of you who have been affected the heat waves have been keeping cool. I and my family are nicely air-conditioned so far, but the past month or so has seen me dealing with a documentation problem, a flooded basement, and three family medical crises leading to trips to the emergency room and, in one case, a stay in the hospital.

All that hanging around for doctors to arrive has left me plenty of time in which to write, but I fell short of time in June in which to edit and lay out my next e-book. So I've rescheduled the release of the now-aptly-titled "Wait" to August.

In the meantime, I've decided to add in a new feature to my monthly updates: "From the Backlist." I know that I have a somewhat formidable backlist, and it may seem challenging to know where to start with it. Here's the secret: Start anywhere. I've written nearly all my stories so that they can be read independently of one another. Of course, if you hate spoilers with a passion, you'll want to start at the beginning of each series cycle. But otherwise, you may enjoy having the chance to dip into various spots of my backlist.

Website news: I've added Edward Eager to my Links page and have updated the links to other authors. Among other things, the site of Sylvia Engdahl (which hasn't been updated since 2024) has gone down, which is a little alarming, since the author was born in 1933. If you're interested in her writings, her quite-reasonably-priced books and ebooks are still available at bookstores - though for how long, I can't say; her more recent novels are self-published. Her Children of the Star trilogy, which I first read as a teen, deeply influenced my own writing. (I unconsciously swiped the ending of The Breaking from one of her novels.)

My fiction announcements are also available by e-mail and feeds.

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FIC: From the Chara To Be's chamber to the half-men's quarters (Tempestuous Tours)

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 18:53:35 GMT

Continuing our journey down the southern corridor of the East Wing, we reach, on our left side, the chambers belonging to the Chara's historian. The royal historian works in close cooperation with the royal clerk; indeed, it is traditional for historians to rise to the rank of clerk. The historian makes use of the documents room in the clerk's quarters, but he also has his own documents room, filled with books and papers only lightly connected with the Chara and his law, but offering important information on the history of Emor. Here you will find some of the earliest annals of Emorian history. I need hardly say that you need an invitation to visit these treasures.

Just beyond are the busy quarters of the court summoners. See the law chapter for more information on the exact work that these important men do. I will only say here that you really, really do not want to attract the attention of the summoners.

We have been looking, until now, at the work chambers on the left side of the corridor; only the Chara and his heir have taken rooms on the right. But now we reach a stretch of corridor that will be familiar to you if you have been invited to stay in the palace overnight: the guest quarters. Each guestroom has its own shape and charm, and some, such as the ambassadorial suites, are permanently assigned to regular guests of the Chara.

Beyond them are new, splendid quarters for the chamber steward. Now relieved of his unpleasant duties as the supervisor of hundreds of slaves, the chamber steward can devote his full attention to his remaining duty, which is assigning rooms to palace residents and guests. You will likely have already met this person and are aware that he is a eunuch. Or she; the chamber steward is happy to respond to either mode of address. That the chamber steward should be a eunuch is traditional, for disagreeable reasons that ought to be obvious to anyone who knows the details of a Slave's Death. Some condemned prisoners have their sentences commuted, after the first stage of a Slave's Death: the gelding. Most of these unfortunate former captives have chosen to live in the community of eunuchs that exists in the palace.

Which brings us to the half-men's quarters.

[Translator's note: In an earlier era, the chamber steward was known as the palace slave-keeper. You may meet them in Breached Boundaries.]

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FIC: The Chara To Be's chamber (Tempestuous Tours)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:50:04 GMT

The semi-attached bedchamber I mentioned before is assigned to the Chara To Be – that is, the heir to the Chara.

For centuries, no women except the Consort and the High Lord's wife have lived in the East Wing of the Chara's palace. Any children of the Chara and the High Lord have been raised elsewhere in the palace. The current High Lord visits his children daily, often spending entire evenings with them.

The one exception to the rule against families dwelling in the East Wing is that, upon reaching the age at which he can read, the Chara To Be is moved to the bedchamber directly next to his father's quarters, so that he can begin to learn the law. He is tended by servants and, in recent decades, by a tutor assigned to him. The tutor lives elsewhere in the East Wing; however, the Chara To Be may enter the Chara's quarters at any time, and he is permitted to spend time playing with the scribe-boys across the hall. He is thus less isolated than were earlier Charas To Be: young boys who were expected to quietly read law books all day.

The previous Chara To Be is now Chara. He is young enough that he has not yet married, but presumably he will do so and will install his own heir in the bedchamber.

The bedchamber is guarded by the same men who guard the Chara. Do not approach that door in the corridor.

[Translator's note: The Ambassador first came to know the Chara To Be's chamber during the period of Re-creation.]

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FIC: The Chara's quarters (Tempestuous Tours)

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:08:09 GMT

The place where you are standing or sitting is the Chara's sitting chamber. You are privileged to see it; most visitors only encounter the Chara in his court or at receptions. The primary purpose of the sitting chamber is to provide the Chara with a place to relax with his friends during his brief moments of leisure.

To your right is the hearth, and over it is carved the royal emblem. This was added during the reign of the previous Chara. Directly opposite is a doorway leading into a semi-separate bedchamber, of which we will speak later.

Directly in front of you is the law. This impressive display of books, in a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, constitutes the Emorian edition of the Chara's law. You must not touch the books, but if you admire them from afar, the Chara may unbend enough to talk of the law with you. By all means, take this opportunity to learn more about the law from Emor's High Judge.

A small window to the left of the bookcase offers a splendid view of the black border mountains.

Other objects and chambers in the quarters are entirely private. Do not touch anything in the Chara's quarters – I emphasize that. Over the centuries, the Chara's dungeon has been filled with many men who accidentally let their hands touch something forbidden that belonged to the Chara.

In a word, visiting the Chara – at least, the current Chara – is an intimidating experience. Let us leave here as quickly as possible.

[Translator's note: Due caution in these quarters is shown by the protagonist of Law of Vengeance.]

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UPDATE: Stream of Dying (The Thousand Nations: The Motley Crew side story)

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 09:37:12 GMT

ONLINE E-BOOK (html, epub, mobi, pdf, and xhtml)

Free at my website.

The Motley Crew (The Thousand Nations). When a young man named Dolan flees from the north, he faces danger on all sides. The Northern Army wants him back. The Empire of Emor wants him dead. His native homeland of Koretia may not want him at all. And his only protection is a man with motives that are mysterious and possibly deadly.

New installment:

Side story | Stream of Dying. All right, so you're captured.

BLOG FICTION

New installments:

From the inner garden to the Chara's quarters.

Meeting the Chara.

UPCOMING FICTION

My next release will be a Law of Vengeance side story: "Wait." You'll encounter a few characters you already know.

My fiction announcements are also available by e-mail and feeds.

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FIC: Meeting the Chara (Tempestuous Tours)

Wed, 27 May 2026 10:08:11 GMT

The Chara's quarters are directly opposite those of his clerk. His quarters appear to be only lightly guarded. Do not be deceived.

Let us begin with protocol. Unless you are an intimate friend of the Chara, you do not go to his quarters uninvited. If you go uninvited and are lucky, you will simply be knocked to the ground by the spears of his guards. If you are armed, it is more likely you will be gutted by the spears.

Do not come armed to the Chara; that is the first suggestion I would make. Koretian ambassadors may arrive armed; so may council lords and other Emorians whom the Chara knows well. Anyone else should arrive naked of arms, looking as peaceful as possible. Even so, you may be searched for hidden weapons. Remember: the palace guards are forever on the lookout for assassins.

Dress formally and act formally. You may have heard that the Chara prefers to drop formality in private. This was so with a couple of the recent Charas, but the current Chara adheres to older tradition.

As you step into the Chara's chambers, do not worry about the door behind you. The guards will close it. Make your bow, obeisance, or other gesture of respect to the Chara. He will have servants present, all of them trained to defend him. Keep your movements as nonthreatening as possible.

If he wishes, he may invite you to sit. Wait until he is seated before seating yourself, and only sit in whatever chair you have been offered. Sitting on the floor is not considered acceptable - at least, not with the current Chara.

Do not ask for food or drink or anything beyond whatever negotiations you have come to discuss with the Chara. If you are an eastern mainlander, keep in mind that Emorians value brevity. Come to the point as quickly as your own sense of decorum will permit.

Do not unnecessarily anger the Chara. The look of the Chara is not entirely under his control; it may surface if he inwardly places you under judgment.

This may all sound exceedingly painful. It is meant to be. Each Chara finds his own way to uphold the dignity of his office; the current Chara does so by making visitors as uncomfortable as possible, to make clear their position under his power. He will seek to impress you with the might of his empire. If you value your nation's future, do not laugh.

If you remain sober and peaceful, all is likely to go well in your negotiations. You may or may not receive what you ask, but you will emerge alive from an encounter with the Empire of Emor, which is a good deal more than many men have done.

But I have strayed from my discussion of the physical surroundings.

[Translator's note: The Ambassador is intimately familiar with the Chara's quarters; see Blood Vow.]

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FIC: From the inner garden to the Chara's quarters (Tempestuous Tours)

Thu, 21 May 2026 09:39:30 GMT

Returning through the door to the previous corridor, we now reach the point where the corridor is met by another corridor running toward the south. This corridor is actually an extension of the corridor to the north that leads to the council chamber; however, it is broken by the court.

Following it south, you will first pass, on your left, the chapel. This is a chamber intended for use by anyone, residents or visitors, who seeks a place of quiet contemplation or prayer. Like the royal chapel in Koretia, it is filled with foreign aids to prayer, but most often it used for public recitations of law passages by devotees of the Chara and his law. At other times, palace residents may be found here during their breaks from work, quietly reading law books.

Further along, on the left, is the treasury. As you might imagine, this chamber is well guarded, though much of the Chara's wealth is spread across the empire, often in the form of land. The royal treasurer plays an important role in the Emorian government, authorizing payments for the Chara's many projects. He does not take well to attempted bribes.

Further down, again on your left, is the chamber of the Chara's clerk. Behind this unassuming door is one of the largest sets of rooms in the palace, where dozens of scribes prepare the documents that track the workings of Emor's vast bureaucracy. Behind the scribal rooms is a corridor to the Chara's documents room, followed by the actual chamber of the Chara's clerk. If you are tempted to break into either room to steal a document, you might wish to keep in mind that nearly all of the scribes are boys. You may be able to creep past dozens of prankish boys without being detected; I have never managed this.

[Translator's note: Just why a chapel exists in the notoriously nontheistic land of Emor is explained in Law-Lover. To visit the chamber of the Chara's clerk, read Breached Boundaries. To visit the documents room, read Empty Dagger Hand.]

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UPDATE: Apprehended Ambassador (The Thousand Nations: The Motley Crew #4)

Thu, 14 May 2026 15:45:26 GMT

ONLINE E-BOOK (html, epub, mobi, pdf, and xhtml)

Free at my website.

New installments:

4 | Apprehension of the Ambassador. A border crossing gone awry turns an escape into a new realm of danger.

Historical Note. [The historical note appears at the end of the omnibus, after the side stories.]

BLOG FICTION

New installments:

Emorian council chamber.

From the council chamber to the courtyard.

Inner garden.

NEWS & UPCOMING FICTION

My apologies for posting my update late this month. Family health matters intervened.

I've updated the Chronology of the Great Peninsula with a whole bunch of my characters' birth years. (Fun fact: I have all of my major characters' birth years on a spreadsheet I consult, while my private chronology for the series cycle is currently thirty-five pages long.)

This month I've released the final part of the Motley Crew novel. The Motley Crew is the first volume in the Thousand Nations series, which I anticipate being six volumes long. I've already written the second and third volumes and am in the midst of writing the fourth volume. The second volume of The Thousand Nations, called Motley Missions, is scheduled for release next year.

My current, tentative publishing plans for the remainder of this year are:

Release a couple more side stories to The Motley Crew.
Release a new Law of Vengeance side story.
Release a couple more omnibuses in Chronicles of the Great Peninsula, as well as a Turn-of-the-Century Toughs omnibus.
Serialize a new Toughs novel (within yet another omnibus).
Release my holiday gift fic.

This schedule is subject to change if my non-writing life gets hectic, as it sometimes does these days. But at least I can promise lots of fic in the upcoming months.

Next month's release will be a Motley Crew side story, "Stream of Dying."

My fiction announcements are also available by e-mail and feeds.

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FIC: Inner garden (Tempestuous Tours)

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 20:33:23 GMT

Further on, as the corridor turns once more, is a locked door. This leads to the so-named inner garden, which is the palace courtyard. The garden may be entered only by invitation of the Chara or one of his council lords. It is intended as private place of restoration from the heavy duties of the Chara and the council lords.

The garden is a green area of grasses and hedges, in the Emorian fashion of gardens of pleasure. Towards the back of the garden is a small grove of trees. The tallest of these trees is father to the rest. Imported as a sapling from Koretia, it was replanted by the very hands of the Chara Peter.

Surrounding the garden are the four wings of the palace; this is the only place where all four wings can be seen at once. The garden is sunken to the original level of the hill, which causes the West Wing to loom above it. Only the remaining wings of the palace, though, are two-storeyed.

A break between the South Wing and the East Wing is gated and heavily guarded. It offers a splendid view of the black border mountains to the south.

[Translator's note: The protagonists of Blood Vow and Law of Vengeance keep bumping into each other in the inner garden, alas.]

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FIC: From the council chamber to the courtyard (Tempestuous Tours)

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:16:22 GMT

As you leave the council chamber, you may observe many people entering and leaving a room to your left. This is the palace headquarters of the Emorian subcommander, who has charge over the Emorian army. During the daytime, the subcommander is generally to be found at the home camp of Emor's army, located on the palace grounds. However, most of the army clerks and scribes work in the subcommander's headquarters. Because the chamber contains valuable documents, it may not be entered except by prior invitation.

Further down the corridor, you will pass another door on the left, where palace guards are entering and exiting. Do not travel through this door. It leads to the guardroom. If you are a noble prisoner, you will be brought here and confined until your trial.

When you reach the end of this corridor, turn right. The corridor you are on wraps around the back of the court. You will see on your left the north doors to the court, which I mentioned before. Directly opposite them is another door, unguarded.

Do not enter. This door leads to the dungeon. Anyone who opens this door, who has no business in the dungeon, is assumed to be a spy and is promptly made a "guest" in the dungeon.

If you receive a formal invitation to visit the dungeon, I suggest that you not eat on the morning of the visit. Strong warriors have been known to regurgitate the contents of their morning meal when they witness what takes place in that dungeon. The Chara's dungeon represents Emor at its worst. You may wish to see Emor at its worst, if you are contemplating attacking Emor.

As you continue your journey around the back of the court, you will encounter a heavily guarded door. This leads to the North Wing of the palace, where many council lords and palace officials live. All of the guards will have their backs to you. Anyone who has been granted entrance to the West Wing may enter the North Wing, but upon your return, you will have to undergo the process of having your credentials checked again. Unless you have business in the remainder of the palace, it is best to remain within the East Wing.

[Translator's note: A little back tour of the East Wing occurs in Empty Dagger Hand, under increasingly unfortunate circumstances.]

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FIC: Emorian council chamber (Tempestuous Tours)

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:29:22 GMT

If you are not visiting the palace in order to attend the Chara's court, then chances are that you are here to visit the council. As you enter the east doors of the palace, turn right, then left, then immediately right. The long corridor before you leads north to the council chamber and council quarters.

Upon reaching the end of the corridor, you will once again find yourself facing high doors, this time plated with copper. Unless you are actually attending a council meeting, the door you want is to either the left or the right of the council chamber. Enquire with the guards as to how to reach your destination. Mainland visitors are likely to be escorted, under guard, to the room they are seeking.

Attendance at meetings of the Great Council are by invitation only. If you are invited, arrive early. If you have been asked to speak with the council, you will be shown to a chair at the bottom of the council table. Do not be insulted. This is where the Chara himself sits, when he is invited to speak with the council.

Remember those high doors? They were designed to keep out the Chara and his guards, back in the days when animosity still simmered between the Chara and the Great Council. These days, the animosity takes less blatant forms, but the Chara is still not permitted to enter the council chamber except with permission of the Great Council's High Lord.

If you are not here to speak with the council but wish to attend a council meeting, you will be shown to a chair at the back of the room. (If you are not accustomed to sitting in chairs, it is best to practice beforehand.) As in the court, your job will be to stay as quiet and motionless as possible. At only two points in the meeting should you move: rise from your chair when the High Lord of the Great Council enters the chamber, and rise again when he leaves. A herald will announce when this is necessary.

After the council meeting, you may wish to visit the council library, just off the head of the chamber. This lovely, light-filled room was added during the reign of the Chara Purvis, at the beginning of this century. It is considered the finest law library in the world, containing hundreds of books of commentary on matters related to the law. Do not to touch the books unless you are here to do research. To Emorians, law books – even books of commentary – are sacred objects.

Northern mainlanders should be aware that stealing a law book can be punished by death. If you must steal something in the palace, confine yourself to objects unrelated to the law.

[Translator's note: In order to visit the Great Council in session, as well as its law library, read Law of Vengeance.]

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UPDATE: Dangerous Games (The Thousand Nations)

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 20:58:00 GMT

ONLINE E-BOOK (html, epub, mobi, pdf, and xhtml)

Free at my website.

New installment:

Side story | Dangerous Games. Dangerous games benefit dangerous men . . . unless those games are played with leaders of dangerous men.

REISSUE

Already available free at my website, this omnibus is now also available at AO3, SqWA, Ream, and online bookstores.

Blood Vow (The Three Lands). He has taken a blood vow to the Jackal God to bring freedom to his land by killing Koretia's greatest enemy. But what will he do when the enemy becomes his friend?

BLOG FICTION

New installments:

History of the Chara's palace.

The Chara's court.

Enthronement of the Chara.

REVIEWS OF MY FICTION

Speculative fiction writer Jennifer R. Povey posted reviews of all six of my Three Lands novels in the space of less than three weeks. Occasional spoilers.

UPCOMING FICTION

Some of you may have noticed that I updated my website early this time. That was because I was uncertain when I would regain the ability to upload web pages, after my transfer to a new webhost. Thankfully, the transfer went smoothly, with no downtime for my website.

Also, I'm posting this update a day early because I'll be watching Artemis II tomorrow afternoon. :)

My next release will be the final part of the novel The Motley Crew: "Apprehended Ambassador."

My fiction announcements are also available by e-mail and feeds.

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FIC: Enthronements of the Chara (Tempestuous Tours)

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:47:14 GMT

Emorian enthronements generally occur every twenty or thirty years, alas. If an enthronement takes place while you are visiting the palace, it is unlikely that you will have been staying at the palace at the time of the previous Chara's death; enthronements take many months to plan and execute. But if you do happen to be in the palace when the Chara dies, be sure to submit a letter of sympathy to the Chara To Be – that is, to the Chara's heir. It is not necessary to personally meet with the Chara To Be; he will be busy with many matters at this time. If your mission requires you to meet with him, be aware that the heir is not actually the Chara until his enthronement. Until that time, the empire is jointly run by the Chara To Be and the Great Council. You may submit your business to either party during that period.

The enthronement of a new Chara is the highest rite in the Empire of Emor. If you are an ambassador or other distinguished guest, you may receive an invitation to the enthronement. Only serious illness or a similar calamity is an acceptable excuse for rejecting the invitation.

As I have mentioned already, it is always wise to dress formally in the Chara's palace, but this is the point at which you should fling forth all your flourishes. If you are a northern mainlander, imagine how you would want to be dressed for your burial. If you are an eastern mainlander, wear all the clothes and adornments you have been hiding because you feared the peninsulareans would find them too formal. Nothing is too formal for an Emorian enthronement.

You may wear a weapon to the enthronement, though that is not required. I recommend tying feathers, ribbons, or green branches around your weapon to make your peaceful intentions clear. All of the Emorian men at the enthronement will be armed, but not because they intend to fight each other; they are armed because they give their oaths to the new Chara upon their swords.

Part of their oath-bound duty is to defend the Chara against his enemies. Do not wave around your weapon.

Enthronements demonstrate Emorian rituals at their most elaborate. If you are an eastern mainlander, you will likely be enthralled by this evidence that Emorians understand the power of rite. If you are a northern mainlander, try not to fall asleep.

After the enthronement, you may be invited to a reception. This will vary in formality, depending on where it is held. If you greet the new Chara, be sure to address him as "Chara," not by his old title. Jokes about the new Chara are traditional, but should not be spoken directly to him. If you've seen the Chara's face transform during the ceremony, you probably won't have the courage to offend him.

[Translator's note: Emorian enthronements take place in Blood Vow, Law of Vengeance, and Breached Boundaries.]

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FIC: The Chara's court (Tempestuous Tours)

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:30:35 GMT

Immediately in front of you, as you enter the palace, is the most important chamber in the palace: the Chara's court.

As you will have gathered by now, peninsularean royal life is centered upon the rulers' status as High Judges over their people. This can be seen most clearly in the Chara's court, which contains an impressive throne where the Chara sits as he hears his court cases.

The main doors to the court are gilded but plain in design, except for the inscription on them of a balance (scale) holding a bird in one pan and a sword in the other pan. This is the Chara's emblem, which appears on Emorian banners, on covers of the Chara's law books, and in many other places. The doors are two storeys tall and are made deliberately heavy. At the time they were built, occasional outbreaks of fighting still occurred between the Chara and his council. The fortress-heavy doors permitted the Chara to endure a siege by his council.

Today, the doors are guarded during council sessions. Assuming you have already gone through the protocol of entrance into the palace, you may simply give your name to the guards there; they will check the list of palace guests and then permit you into the court.

There is no seating in the court, except for the Chara, but you will see that Emorians stand in orderly rows. There is no special section for visitors; simply stand in one of the rows. The rows surround the Chara's throne on four sides. Which side is the best is hotly debated. I recommend the back side for new visitors. This will allow you to watch the Chara's arrival, but it will shield you from watching the face of the Chara transform into "the look of the Chara," which many visitors find as terrifying as a similar transformation in the face of Koretia's ruler.

Light conversation is permitted before the court session begins. The arrival of the Chara is signalled by trumpets. From that point on, you should remain silent and motionless. Even coughs and sneezes are considered so disruptive that you may end up expelled by the vigilant guards.

An exception to this respectful silence is if you bring a translator. Your translator should introduce himself as such when you enter the court. He may whisper a translation to you during the proceedings. Translators who use gestures to convey their information should take care not to bump into other visitors in the compact rows of listeners.

The court follows the same procedure during every case: The prisoner is brought forward under guard, the charges are read, and previously scribed accounts by witnesses are recited by the Chara's clerk. Witnesses are usually present in the court, so that the Chara may ask them questions if needed. The prisoner's own document of witness will be recited. He will be given an opportunity to declare aloud his innocence or guilt, to provide further witness to his actions, and to call upon any additional witnesses present in the court, who may have decided at the last minute to speak on his behalf. At the end of the case, the Chara will offer his judgment, using a time-honored ritual. The prisoner will then be escorted out of the court, either to be freed or to be punished. See the chapter on the Chara's law for more information.

If you are in the court as a witness, you may be asked to come forward. Stand at the foot of the thirty-step platform holding the throne, directly in the Chara's view. You should bow to the Chara, if your gods permit that. Eastern mainlanders may prostrate themselves, but should do so in the briefest manner possible; lengthy obeisances are not valued in the Three Lands. If your beliefs do not permit you to bow or make obeisance, then you should nod your head briefly, as a courteous acknowledgment of the Chara's status as High Judge. Lack of any gesture will be seen as insulting and may harm your nation's relations with Emor.

Wait until the Chara's clerk – the man at the Chara's right hand, who has been reciting the witness documents – signals you to speak. Thereafter, take your cues from the Chara, answering any questions he asks. Do not volunteer any information you have not been asked. Do not greet the Chara by words. Do not – may your gods protect you – compliment the Chara on his outfit or engage in other light chitchat. Emorians are highly formal people; only the eastern mainlanders take protocol more seriously than Emorians do. Whatever you may think of this strict formality, you should conform to it. Believe me when I say that southern peninsulareans find this nearly as much a strain as northern mainlanders do; nonetheless, if you take the trouble to visit Emor, you need to follow their sometimes onerous customs.

If you're tempted to make a public fuss, keep in mind that the small door at the north side of the court, through which the prisoner enters and exits, leads almost directly into the Chara's dungeon.

[Translator's note: The Chara's court is in session in Blood Vow.]

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FIC: History of the Chara's Palace (Tempestuous Tours)

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 20:20:55 GMT

The original palace of the Chara was built nearly seven hundred years ago (around 300 years after the giving of the law, as the Emorians date it), under the supervision of the Chara William. In the earliest years of Emor, the Chara and his council lived in a small hall, similar to the Royal Residence of the Kings of Koretia. After a time, though, the Chara and his council fell into a terrible civil war. By the end of this war, the Chara had gained so many followers that a larger building was clearly needed.

The original palace was a one-storey building set atop a high hill, though the hill was lower then. Around it gradually grew the capital of Koretia. This palace was intended only for the Chara, not for his recent enemy, the Great Council of Emor. As part of the peace settlement, however, it was agreed that one-third of the new palace should be given over to the Great Council. Another third was retained by the Chara. The exact purpose of the remaining third is not known for certain, but it appears to have been for rites that have since died out in Emorian culture.

Within two hundred and fifty years, Emor had grown into an empire. With the arrival of a vast bureaucracy to deal with imperial matters, it was clearly time to build a new palace. This palace was built atop the original palace, the old palace being buried under soil that heightened the hill. So well hidden is the original palace that, within a hundred years, many visitors to the new palace were unaware that an older palace still existed under the new one. That remains the case to this day, though the present Emorian government makes no effort to hide the existence of the underground rooms.

The palace that began to be built in 568, under the supervision of the Chara Rowland, was not the vast, sprawling palace of today. It covered only the area that had been taken up by the old palace. This second palace would later be dubbed the East Wing, as the palace expanded.

Like the original palace, it was single-storeyed, but it was as high as a two-storey building. This lent it a majestic appearance. Emor's finest architects were brought in to build the palace, aided by the fledgling engineers who were beginning to transform life in the new empire. Arpesh and Marcadia, close to the mainland, were at that time only just establishing relations with Emor; Arpesh, in a gesture of friendship that it later came to regret bitterly, sent down some of its artists to help with the building. The result was what is widely acknowledged to be the most beautiful building in the world, as well as the largest and most impressive. Only the Daxion palace, a full six storeys high, comes close to rivalling the Chara's palace.

The Chara's palace has vastly expanded in the four centuries since then, but the character of the East Wing has not changed in any substantial manner. It remains in appearance and use as it did in the centuries of the Middle Charas.

[Translator's note: The expansive nature of the Chara's palace becomes apparent in Law-Lover.]

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UPDATE: Heir (The Three Lands) + Blood Vow omnibus

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:39:58 GMT

ONLINE E-BOOK (html, epub, mobi, pdf, and xhtml)

Free at my website.

Blood Vow (The Three Lands). He has taken a blood vow to the Jackal God to bring freedom to his land by killing Koretia's greatest enemy. But what will he do when the enemy becomes his friend?

New installment:

Side story | Heir. Secrets can destroy. Secrets can also heal.

New omnibus:

Blood Vow: Novel and Side Stories.

BLOG FICTION

New installments:

Stadium.

Entrance to the Emorian palace.

Behavior in the palace.

Entrance protocol.

NEWS & UPCOMING FICTION

About "Heir"

Last summer, when I wrote "Heir," was the thirtieth anniversary of when I wrote Blood Vow, my second novel. It's therefore a delight to me that a scene I wrote all the way back in 1995 has spawned "Heir." As I mentioned last fall, "Heir" also brings back characters from The Fire Before. As usual, you don't need to have read any of my previous stories to understand this story.

Possible downtime at my website this month

I'm going to be switching webhosts this month because my current webhost is going out of business on the 23rd. Depending on how smoothly the switchover goes, there may be a period when my website is offline. Be sure to download any stories there you're currently reading.

Monthly update schedule

My apologies for being a bit late in posting this month. The Blood Vow omnibus turned out to be longer to prepare than I'd anticipated.

In recent weeks, I've been trying issue my monthly update at the beginning of the month, as well as issue blog fiction on Mondays, though I fear I've been rather hit-and-miss with the latter. I'm going to make a slight alteration to that schedule: from now on my monthly update will be on the first Monday of each month (barring unavoidable delays). Dedicating my Mondays to releasing stories works better for my schedule.

Concussion and errors

As I mentioned last month, I've been having a good run with my Muse; evidently, my Muse pays no attention whatsoever to concussions. Unhappily, I'm the one who's in charge of spelling. I'm still having after-effects from November's concussion: namely, my brain keeps mixing up homonyms. (At one point in the draft of a post, I said "righting" rather than "writing.") I feel like I'm back in elementary school. So, while I'm well enough now to continue bringing out new releases, I'd be especially appreciative if any of you folks who read my stories would let me know if you catch typos.

My long-time plea for corrections of continuity errors always applies. (I pause to correct a homonym error in the previous sentence.) For context: My series cycle bible for Chronicles of the Great Peninsula alone is nearly 40,000 words long. I do my best to track the 300+ characters in Chronicles, along with their varying architectures, ecological surroundings, geographies, weather patterns, laws, oaths, religious beliefs, ceremonies, languages, foods, games, rank-colors . . . Well, any of you who have read A Visitor's Guide to the Three Lands will have a sense of what I'm up against. I have a similar problem with my Turn-of-the-Century Toughs series cycle. Even with the help of my eagle-eyed beta readers, I could use all the reader help I can get in catching places in my stories where I contradict what I've said elsewhere in the series cycle.

Upcoming

Dangerous Games, a side story of The Motley Crew, is next up in my release queue. Wondering what happened on the Emorian side when Dolan started his flight? This is your chance to find out.

My fiction announcements are also available by e-mail and feeds.

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FIC: Entrance protocol (Tempestuous Tours)

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 22:19:12 GMT

The protocol for entering the palace changes from time to time, so I can only offer a general outline. If your business is with the court or council, you should present yourself and your credentials to the guards at the southern gate of the outer wall of the palace. It is best to arrange beforehand for your visit. If this not possible, or if you cannot provide an exact time for your arrival, expect to wait as your credentials are sent into the palace to be checked.

Normally, you will be provided with an escort into the palace. If you arrive at a time before the palace begins its day, you will be expected to make your own way to the eastern gate of the inner wall. There your credentials will be inspected again, along with any document that the palace has sent out, permitting your entrance. You will then be allowed to enter the inner wall and make your approach to the palace itself.

The palace being located atop a high hill, you will find yourself faced with the steepest and longest set of stairs in the world. Pace yourself. You may wish to bring refreshments to partake of at the halfway mark.

At the top of the stairs, once you have recovered your breath, you should show your credentials and palace document to the guards at the gate, holding them up for inspection. The guards may not appear to look at you or even notice you. Do not be deceived. Those are real spears they are holding across the doorway.

If the guards grant you entrance, they will lift the spears. If they do not, you must retreat to the palace's inner wall and determine there what the problem is.

Assuming you manage to pass all these barriers, you will find yourself in the entryway to the palace. You will be guided at this point through the remaining stages of reception, which vary according to your rank and status. At some point, however, you will be let loose from Emor's protocol and permitted to take your own path. Let us start with a general introduction to the Chara's palace.

[Translator's note: This breathtakingly long procedure can be cut short if you possess the right credentials, as can be seen in Breached Boundaries.]

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FIC: Behavior in the palace (Tempestuous Tours)

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 20:21:10 GMT

Before I lead you into the palace (figuratively speaking), I need to emphasize the importance of good behavior.

Bad behavior can get you killed anywhere in the Three Lands, but in the Chara's palace it is also likely to get you tortured for days. This is because the highest penalty for crimes committed in the Chara's palace is death by torture - the so-called "Slave's Death." Although the previous Chara ordered the release of the empire's slaves, bringing to an end the torture of every palace slave condemned to death, traitors are still liable to this penalty.

The definition of "traitor" can be quite broad in the Chara's palace. I recommend that you not test its boundaries.

Some specific advice:

Be on your best behavior. Dress well, and learn the rules of courtesy toward Emorian noblemen and palace officials. When in doubt, bow. Address everyone you meet, whatever his age, as "sir" or by his title. You need not address the Chara by his full title, which is quite long; just "Chara" will do.

The wearing of arms is permitted by law in the Chara's palace if it is your custom in your homeland. However, if you choose to wear arms, you will find that every guard in the palace will leap upon you the moment you take the wrong turn in your path. Your life will be easier if you set aside your weapons during your visit. You are in no danger of being attacked yourself; the Chara's palace is the most heavily guarded building in the world, and visitors are free recipients of that guarding.

Also, be aware that the wearing of hidden weapons in the palace is considered a crime of treachery. Even I don't try to do this, unless I have made prior arrangements with the Chara.

[Translator's note: The Slave's Death is a tender topic for the Ambassador. Just why is explained in Blood Vow.]

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FIC: Entrance to the Emporian palace (Tempestuous Tours)

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 23:22:58 GMT

The Emorian Palace

Entrance to the palace

Do not be offended if you are denied entrance to the Emorian palace. The fact that you have come far enough to be denied that entrance shows that the Emorians' trust in you is high indeed.

The strong manner in which Emor protects its ruler, the Chara, is not evidence that the Chara is weak and frightened. Rather, it is a simple fact that being Chara is the most dangerous job in the Three Lands. Fully four-fifths of the Charas have died before their time, many from assassination. Few Charas live beyond the age of thirty.

(I should explain to any mainlanders who are puzzled at this point that noble peninsulareans have been known to live as long as one hundred years. Even commoner peninsularans often live till they are fifty. If you meet a thirty-year-old, he is not an elder; by peninsularean standards, thirty years old is barely out of one's youth)

Under these circumstances, it is only natural that the Emorians should seek to protect their Chara, giving him the opportunity to live at least long enough to father an heir. By Emorian law, the Chara may not leave his palace, except in wartime. The number of visitors who are allowed past the outer wall of the palace grounds is small. The number of visitors who are allowed past the inner wall of the palace grounds is even smaller. The number of visitors who are allowed inside the palace is very small indeed. And the number of visitors who are allowed inside the East Wing of the palace, where the Chara lives, can be counted without losing your breath.

In practice, this means that the only people who see the Chara are his council, officials from the palace and army, boys who are training to be palace officials, royal messengers, the palace guards, and honored guests, such as ambassadors.

And the servants. Everyone forgets the servants. If you want to see the Chara, I suggest entering into training for high service.

[Translator's note: The perils of living as a Chara can be seen in Empty Dagger Hand.]

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FIC: Stadium (Tempestuous Tours)

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 21:28:16 GMT

I wish I could be more complimentary about Emor's stadium.

As a feat of architecture and engineering, it is on par with the Chara's palace. As a place of entertainment, it is appalling.

Out of all the dismal spectacles that take place here, I can only recommend the chariot races. These can be quite as bloody as the other acts that take place here, but at least they do not involve beasts and prisoners. Charioteers are highly esteemed and highly paid for their skillful work, and they care for their horses tenderly. The chariots – works of art unto themselves – achieve speeds that are said to rival that of royal messengers. I'd recommend keeping your small children and sensitive women away; crashing chariots often result in mangled bodies. But a chariot race is certainly worth witnessing, at least once.

[Translator's note: A chariot race will appear in an upcoming novel, Motley Mayhem.]

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UPDATE: Suspicion of the Guards (The Motley Crew #3) + online fic reissues

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 21:42:05 GMT

ONLINE E-BOOK (html, epub, mobi, pdf, and xhtml)

Free at my website.

New installment:

3 | Suspicion of the Guards. Why bother to guard a man who has the ability to torment you?

REISSUES

Already available free at my website, these two omnibuses are now also available at AO3, SqWA, and Ream.

Law Links: Novel and Side Stories (The Three Lands). Few events are more thrilling in a young man's life than a blood feud between two villages. Or so Adrian thought.

Death Mask: Novel and Side Stories (Death Mask). For eighteen years, he has survived in an army unit where few soldiers live more than two or three years. Now he finds himself in circumstances where his life is a living hell. Will the soldier who defied death find that life is too great a challenge?

BLOG FICTION

New installments:

Capital of Emor.

The City Court and Law Academy.

Physicians' Quarters and Medical Academy.

Engineers' Rooms and Engineering Academy.

NEWS & UPCOMING FICTION

As of January 20, Amazon Kindle began allowing customers to download some of its DRM-free ebooks in epub and pdf. I've opted in my e-books to this program.

My apologies to Ream readers for the formatting quirks in the Ream editions of Law Links and Death Mask. I worked with Ream's forever-patient customer service for eight months to try to work out the conversion problems I encountered, before I had to give up. The text isn't affected by the formatting issues, you'll be happy to know.

"Heir" (The Three Lands: Blood Vow side story) – delayed because of my concussion last year – will be my next release.

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FIC: Engineers' Rooms and Engineering Academy (Tempestuous Tours)

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:14:53 GMT

If you want to thank someone in Emor for your inn's lavatory, this is the place to do so. Emor's engineers are the best in the world and are admirably eager to spread their wonderful inventions outside of Emor. If you wish, you may make arrangements here to have your own tribe's housing improved; some engineers are willing to travel as far as the mainland, if the job is interesting enough.

As you may have guessed by now, "Engineering Academy" means that engineering students are trained here. While the Law Academy and Medical Academy train only peninsulareans, the Engineering Academy opens its doors to mainlanders as well. You may apply for entrance into the Academy while you are here.

[Translator's note: The Emorian engineers are so discreet in their work that they aren't often seen. However, their Marcadian colleagues are the ones to blame for the terrifying catapult used in Empty Dagger Hand.]

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FIC: Physicians' Quarters and Medical Academy (Tempestuous Tours)

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 20:37:01 GMT

So famed is the Empire of Emor for its law system that many foreigners do not realize that Emor holds accomplishments in other arts. Foremost among these arts is medicine.

Until the practice of medical training was formalized in Emor, the knowledge of how to heal was informally passed on by peninsularean men and women who received no special training. Despite these drawbacks, some of the healers were quite good; Koretia's healing women deserve special mention. But the creation of the Medical Academy during the period of the Middle Charas caused knowledge of healing to leap forward immensely. These days, many a healing woman, priest, or bard will travel north to spend time in the Medical Academy, learning valuable lessons.

The Physicians' Quarters next door were created after the Medical Academy, as a place to allow students to work under experienced doctors. The Physicians' Quarters cares for city residents and a select number of soldiers who are undergoing lengthy convalescence.

Because of the doctors' important work, visitors may find it difficult to obtain entrance to either the Quarters or the Academy. I've found that dropping a rock on my foot does the trick.

[Translator's note: The protagonist of Death Mask begins his journey at the Physicians' Quarters.]

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FIC: The City Court and Law Academy (Tempestuous Tours)

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 22:22:55 GMT

If you want to see Emor at its best, visit its City Court in session.

Actually, if you are staying with an Emorian acquaintance, it's unlikely you'll be given any choice about this. Emorians assume that everyone in the world is as enthralled with their laws as they are. Thankfully, Emorians are right to be proud of their law system, founded centuries ago by their Chara and council. This law system, known simply as the Chara's law, is one of the bulwarks of civilization in the Three Lands.

The best way to visit a law court is to prepare yourself beforehand by listening to an Emorian explain their law system to you. Any Emorian will do; even Emorian ditch-diggers know a good deal about the law. Indeed, even Emorian women do.

The City Court is not terribly formal, by Emorian standards, and the rules for behavior will be explained to you beforehand by the guards at its door. Wear your best clothes and be on your best behavior; otherwise, you can relax and enjoy the spectacle.

On your way out, be sure to visit the adjoining Law Academy, founded by the City Court in order to give advanced lessons in the law. The Academy does not try to compete with the traditional Emorian methods of learning law: tutoring, apprenticeships, and playing law-based games when one is a boy. Rather, the Academy provides supplemental education for Emorians who plan to apply for high positions in the law, such as at the palace. Most of the Academy students are between the ages of eight and sixteen, though students as young as four are accepted, if they plan to apply for a youth post, such as scribing or paging. On the other end of the scale, a few students are full-grown men who, because of unfortunate circumstances, missed out on the normal training in the law that virtually all Emorian boys receive. In recent years, many of these students have been former slaves. The Academy welcomes them all, even going so far as to pay the fees of any students whose slave service left them penniless.

[Translator's note: Emorians' obsession with the law is on full display in Law Links.]

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