Young Aeryn grows up on the island of Trivent in the archipelago called the Dragon's Snout Islands. She is the thirteenth child, and seventh daughter, of a sheep farmer in the Lowlands on the island. A big-boned girl, she is teased and tormented by some of her siblings for her size and strength. Not long … Continue reading Introducing: Aeryn Mateyus
Creative Writing
Character Creation
My stories almost always start with character creation. When I create an avatar as I start a game, a persona for that character comes to mind. Sometimes that character is cheeky, sometimes quiet, always interesting—to me at least. When I first started writing my DDO fan fiction story a handful of years ago, I envisioned … Continue reading Character Creation
Worldbuilding, Part II
It took me a while to find a focus for this post. I started out trying to make it about the spiritual and religious life on the continent but realized that the entire ecosphere of a world is intertwined. Economics is tied into politics is tied to religion, is tied to daily life. The economy … Continue reading Worldbuilding, Part II
Building My World
As you have probably guessed, Aeryn doesn't occupy the same fantasy setting as Katra. The gods and goddesses are different, and the landscape is dissimilar. Aeryn is native to a campaign world of my creation. So, how did this world come into being? About fifteen or twenty years ago, I drew a map of the … Continue reading Building My World
J.J. Shaun 