“You can’t fool me, you know,” said the half-elf, dagger pressed against the halfling’s throat as she crouched in the brush. “I can see you plain as day.” Damn him and his dark vision, thought Skrie. She had just picked the ring out of the dirt and stuffed it in her belt pouch when Illeryl … Continue reading Narrow Escape
The companions crept toward the clearing. Wood smoke scented the air as Skrie peeked out from the bushes. Karl was perched in the rocks above the camp, bow in hand. The halfling knew the man was up to no good when he nocked an arrow and pulled the bowstring. Whispering an arcane phrase, the ground … Continue reading The Ring
Skrie and Malusk sat at their usual table the following day, enjoying Filice’s excellent cooking. They discussed what they should do for the day when Geordo came rushing into the common room, making a beeline for their table. “Did you find her?” he demanded, eyes darting around the room. A young elf wearing a stained … Continue reading Tracking the Trackers
In June of 2021, my long-distance gamer buddies and I teamed up for an online Dungeons & Dragons game. The adventure started with three of us. Two of us created our characters, and one made the world we are playing in. I decided to take a little side-step with my creation and play a healer … Continue reading Exploring Everine
One of the last stories I wrote about Lyryk found her camped on the outskirts of the city of Irewick. Biscuit, her companion through the mountains, had left her side some days before, and she was pining for company. This was one of those flash stories that turned out extra short only because that moment … Continue reading Spring Luck
I wrote this piece during the winter when I could call on the weather experience of the day. Writing about the bone-numbing cold is challenging when it’s pushing triple-digit temps outside. I found editing this piece in the heat interesting because it took me back to those much cooler days, making me feel the ambient … Continue reading Braving the Blizzard
I wrote this snippet of Lyryk’s story before I knew about Lyryk meeting the weather witch, so I had to make a minor adjustment to this bit. Once more, I wrote this in response to a writing prompt. Lost “I think we’re lost, buddy,” Lyryk said, looking down at the dog by her side. Biscuit’s … Continue reading Lost In A Storm
Most of the characters I write start off young and (mostly) innocent. They have experience in some areas of debauchery, but not much. Like most young adults, they think they know it all until they learn that their knowledge is incomplete at best and harmful at worst. In this excerpt of Lyryk’s story, she is … Continue reading The Cost of Naivete
Last week, I introduced Lyryk Starsong, a bard I played. She helped one of our weekly players catch up to the rest of the party (he was half-level behind, and we were only 3rd level). When Lyryk introduced herself, I had a vague idea that she could be a backup character if Skrie got exceedingly … Continue reading Lyryk Starsong
At the beginning of the year, I started a spreadsheet to track my word count. Seven months into the year, I’ve noticed that my word count is slowing down for the summer. While I managed to write almost 4500 words for this blog in June, I realized that I hadn’t written a new story since … Continue reading Writing Season
Dream ✨Imagine ✨ Believe
Books, games, music, and life — filtered through the mind of a writer, drummer, and philosopher who thinks too deeply about all of it. If it moves something in your chest, I'm interested.
Tavern Tales
Poetry BLOG By Edge of Humanity Magazine
J.J. Shaun 