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Medieval Musings:

Your Newsletter from Paul J Bennett

"Non-stop action from page 1! I couldn't put the book down and read it in one sitting" - Kathy

In this week's Medieval Musings:
  • Magic in Merceria
  • Who won the free Digital Audiobook
  • Who are the Therengians?
  • Coming Soon - Ashes
  • Work in Progress Update
  • Author Spotlight & Book Giveaways

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Magic in Merceria: The Origin of the Spell of Healing

The Heir to the Crown series was based on a Role Playing Game that I created. Over the years it grew to include more than 250 spells. The current list at this point in time is 282, and the number is still increasing, as I am creating new spells for both the game and the books. The first spell my readers experienced was that of 'Healing'.

Originally called ‘Heal Flesh’, it repairs physical damage to a person or creature (Physical damage is separate from poison or disease). When cast, the Life Mage rolls against his skill in Life Magic, the greater they make it by, the more damage can be healed. In Servant of the Crown, Revi attempts his first heal only to fail, and have to cast again, which is something that happened in the game as well. We still laugh about it even now.

In game terms, we use a concept called Success Points (SPs). One SP is generated for every 10 points of skill you make the roll by, so if you have a skill of 80, and you roll 25 (percentile - two ten-sided dice), you make the roll by 55 points. We always round up, so you would generate 6 Success Points. Each SP represents 1d6(one six-sided die) of healing damage. In this case, you would roll 6d6 and subtract the total from the damage the target had.

There is also a distinction between a touch spell and a ranged spell. Ranged Magic, because the target cannot be touched, requires an additional skill called, strangely enough, Ranged Magic. When targeting someone/thing that is not within touch range, the caster must make a roll vs their Ranged Magic skill. As long as the roll is less than or equal to the skill, the spell hits its target, though there can, of course, be modifiers for things like cover, dodging, extreme range etc. In Ashes, from the new series The Frozen Flame, the young mages are learning how to target their spells. It is not as easy as it looks!

And that’s it, one of the first magic spells I created for the game. As a side note, the original name of the role-playing game was Peninsula War, based on the Napoleonic period. Of course, there was no magic at that time, so when I adapted it for Fantasy, it became known as Fantasy Wars

Newsletter survey results are in!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my newsletter survey! Fear not if you missed it, as there will be future opportunities to win Digital ebooks/Audiobooks.

Congratulations to Linda H, winner of a Digital Audiobook of Servant of the Crown!

Results:

For some questions, the results were a surprise, while others confirmed what I already thought.

  • Saturday wins as the best day to receive the newsletter.
  • Once a week, or as often as I want to, wins for frequency
  • Best time of day was a surprise - Evening beat out all other choices
  • 86% thought the length of the newsletter is great!
  • Your favourite articles are: Book Giveaways, Information & Inspiration Articles, random facts & cover releases/pre-orders. The Dawgs and Gamers Corner were the least liked. Daisy and Tilly are now sad, but insist they win you back to their side!
  • And the favourite Fantasy Genres are: Epic, Sword & Sorcery, Action-Adventure, Historical and Military.
Who are the Therengians?

For my new series, The Frozen Flame, I have introduced Athgar. He is a Therengian, an important point that helps drive the series forward. So what is a Therengian? Therengia was a kingdom, a rather large one, that ruled over a large portion of the continent for several hundred years. They had a vibrant culture and rose to prominence in a time where the bulk of those in the land were constantly fighting.

Genetically, they are Human but possess a dominant gene that manifests itself as grey eyes, a rather distinctive feature. At the height of their power, they often hired out as mercenaries and guards, gaining a reputation as formidable warriors. All that changed a few centuries later when an internal power struggle broke the kingdom apart. I can’t tell you more about how that happened, that will eventually be revealed in the new series, but I can tell you there was some outside influence.

As a military force, they were primarily footsoldiers, lacking any sizeable cavalry. They also used archers to significant effect, and are often credited with creating the longbow (or great bow as they called it.) At the time of the new series, they are mostly a scattered people, often living in small communities and attempting to maintain their old way of life. They are often shunned by other Humans, at least those who hold power as they are considered a conquered people, though the average person cares little about such things.

Of course, there was much more to the Therengians than warfare, for they had a rich history with a robust culture and trade. The kingdom was landlocked, but their traders travelled far and wide, extending their influence. Many things that exist today are often credited with being first developed by those ancient people. They were also one of the last kingdoms to worship the old Gods, as far as the continent was concerned. Of the mercenaries that fled to the west, in what is now called Merceria, more than a few were of Therengian descent, a fact reflected in some of their names.

There are some other hints of Therengian ancestry mentioned in the Heir to the Crown series, but I’ll let you, the reader, discover those for yourself.

Coming soon - The Frozen Flame Series
Ashes: Book One

She is on the run from her family... while he desperately hunts for his!

This new series by Paul J Bennett features Natalia and Athgar. two new mages in a land steeped with sorcery, intrigue and dangerous rivalries.

Stay tuned for more details, prequel stories, and never before newsletter only pre-order specials!

Work in Progress Update

As I sit here writing this, I have just finished the first draft of Burden of the Crown. It’s been an interesting experience for me, dealing far more with the inner politics of Merceria. All the main characters are accounted for, and while some are merely mentioned in passing, though I won’t give details, I will say that they will return in the next book, Defender of the Crown.

This book really deals with the past coming back to haunt a couple of people. Those who read Servant of the Crown and Sword of the Crown might want to re-read them in preparation, but it’s not strictly necessary.

Now, I shall give Burden a rest and resume work on Ashes. I have some edits to see to, and some scenes to add in order to make it a more compelling read. The BETA readers have been fantastic with their feedback, always an important thing to have, especially when launching a new series. I have high hopes for this series, which differs significantly from Heir to the Crown, even though it takes place in the same world (but different location.)

Will these characters ever meet the denizens of Merceria? That’s a question I’m not going to answer. I will admit, though, that I have four different series that will be taking place at roughly the same time, so there may be references to events from other books. After all, it’s epic fantasy, and a character's choices can have far-reaching consequences.

Until next time,
Happy Reading!

Author Spotlight!

Check out these featured books that are free, discounted, or new releases. The authors are returning the favour by sharing my books with their readers.

Riwenne & the Mechanical Beasts: A clumsy school girl with the magic of a goddess. Mechanical beasts attacking her friends. Can she become a divine warrior and save the floating city? Fifteen-year-old Riwenne is bad at school, chronically late, and lost in a daydream, but she has help from her best friend...

Mother of Rebellion: The breaking was only the beginning... 
Rebellion brews as nations struggle for power. Survival is pitted against compassion, duty against faith, and loyalties against love. The Schism, a war that raged a thousand years ago, left the continent of Leyumin broken...

The Fire Thief: She fights to survive. But only white-hot rage will reveal her true power… Remembering the hope of the past helps Stasha endure her bleak present. Blaming herself for her best friend's injury, she brawls and steals to provide in a world run by fae. But with an arranged marriage approaching...

Children of the Shaman: When their aunt is taken ill, thirteen-year old Annat and her brother are sent from their small coastal town to live with their unknown father. Like Annat, Yuda is a Shaman; a Wanderer with magical powers, able to enter other worlds. As Annat learns more about her powers, the children join...

Book Giveaways!

Check out these featured books that are free, discounted, or new releases. The authors are returning the favour by sharing my books with their readers.

- The Frozen Flame Cover reveal
- Hanson's Voice
- Who are the Saints?
- New prequels for The Frozen Flame

-Orc's of the Continent 
-What is the Volstrum?
-What are some of my favourite movies?
-More Contests

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Happy reading from Paul J Bennett,
Author of Epic Fantasy in the Land of Merceria and beyond!

Medieval Musings: A Paul J Bennett Newsletter
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