Rogue's Creed: Priorities of Parkour

About halfway through Book 2, Yamini begins her studies of parkour. It is then that we get a glimpse at the priority system Narran has chosen to use in order to help Yamini master such a high level skill. What I'm running with in this first draft is my best guess at a traceur's philosophy. While I personally do not practice parkour, the order of priorities Narran suggests seems logical enough to be believed, just as Yamini's instructions to Avatar on the subject of polefighting in Book 1 seemed logical. I have every intention of finding and interviewing a real life traceur to evaluate my take on parkour philosophy. Hopefully I am not far off!

Narran's basic principles are as follows:

Awareness: The ability to actively perceive one's surroundings for the purpose of quickly plotting an effective and efficient course from point A to B. This includes rendering several usable planes for running and climbing, locating stationary and anticipating moving obstacles, and neutralizing, evading or dispatching foes along the course. Limited experience can be gained, to a point, from standstill evaluation of an arena. Further experience can be achieved only by physically navigating a course. Awareness is the top priority and must be mastered first.

Balance: The ability to maintain a heightened kinesthetic disposition despite course difficulty, distraction or duration. This includes compensating for uneven, shifting, narrow, multiple and vertical surfaces at varying velocities. Advanced levels require performing tumbles, flips, various aerial feats, and distributing weight to more quickly and easily traverse an obstacle or lessen impact from a fall. Balance is a high priority, second only to awareness.

Speed: The ability to move rapidly. More than simple sprinting, a rogue must be able to quickly maneuver his or her arms as well as legs in order to grab onto, push or pull various obstacles. Without proper speed, distance between jumps cannot be closed, momentum cannot be built on vertical surfaces, and the chance of being caught increases. "An idle rogue is a dead one." Speed is of moderate priority and should be perfected after awareness and balance are mastered.

Strength: The ability to repeatedly lift, push and pull weight. A rogue's main concern while running, jumping and climbing is body weight. In order to be properly prepared for a flee circuit, one must be able to lift and hold his or her body weight several times, or over a lengthy duration. Uncomfortable positions, such as that of an extended crouch or clinging to the side of a wall, aid both in hiding and escaping. Occasionally the rogue must carry excess weight, depending on the mission. It is thus advisable to train well beyond the practical threshold. Strength is a moderately low priority.

Endurance: The ability to sustain awareness, balance, speed and stength over long periods of time. What appears at first to be one of the more valuable attributes, endurance is actually the lowest priority. Considering that a rogue who properly utilizes the previous four attributes should be able to navigate a course and escape with relative quickness and ease, endurance lessens in importance. "If a rogue finds that she is out of breath and can no longer perform the feats necessary to escape, that rogue has made a mistake somewhere and thus deserves to be caught." Endurance should be perfected to a degree, but should not be given priority over the other four attributes.

What we have here is a chain of priorities: Awareness > Balance > Speed > Strength > Endurance. The further down the chain, the more an attribute's efficiency relies on the ones above it. Awareness is of utmost importance. Balance is essential, but worth nothing if the rogue cannot plot an adequate course in his or her mind. ". . . balance without awareness leads to faltering feet." Speed is essential to physically move from point A to B and to evade capture, but speed is useless if the rogue stumbles and falls. Strength is necessary to overcome many common obstacles, but worthless if the rogue is too sluggish or imbalanced to reach them. Lastly, endurance should be used mostly as a training component to improve the other four attributes. Accomplishing extraordinary feats in a short amount of time is more advantageous to a rogue than maintaining par performance over long durations.

On Love in Fiction

I realize that most popular works of fiction these days are imbued with romantic themes to accompany whatever story the author chooses to tell. And rightfully so! Love (or the desire for it, at any rate) is a relatively universal quality. Following a heartless character is difficult, but following one during his or her reckless pursuit of another human being? We can often relate to that. And in doing so, we come to care for these characters even more. Under the proper circumstances.

One could argue that any great story worth telling involves some elements of love. If this is indeed the case, why not implement a love arc in every story written? As an author, would it not help place your story that much closer to being one of the greats? Would it not instantly gain that much more of an audience and thus produce more sales? Probably. So then why is love, a crucial hook and determining factor for a novel's success, something I downplay in my own writing? The answer, much like love itself, is simple . . . and it is not.

I have thought long and hard on love in fiction, its uses, advantages and drawbacks. One of my best friends, perhaps the most die-hard fan of love and hopeless romantic to a fault, often laments my methods. While I can understand his disappointment by taking a look at my own life, I also have to consider a broader perspective of the world itself. There are many great stories to tell right here, in present day, on our own planet--none of which involve romance. Heroic deeds are committed daily by perfectly average people for reasons other than love, reasons like altruism, stupidity, misguided pride, or simply because it is their job. When we read about these heroes in the paper or see them interviewed on the evening news, rarely will he or she say, "I went through this incredibly courageous act in the name of love!" It just does not happen, and that probably plays a part in why fiction is ridden with romantic heroes.

Taking a slightly less realistic perspective, consider all the fictitious heroes who are driven by love. Perhaps more often than it grants determination or motivation, love in many ways hinders their abilities. Desire for their object of affection serves as a distraction, spawns faulty and reckless logic, and gives the antagonist an obscene amount of emotional leverage. These sorts of elements pave the way to overly generic conflicts. And conclusions. Plots and endings become predictable to the point that our capacity to care about the hero's fate becomes stifled because we have already guessed it! Simply put, in my opinion, a character so intensely driven by love in any genre other than romance is a character equipped with more weaknesses than strengths.

This is not to say that I admonish love in literature completely, for it is nevertheless a vital part of our humanity. Failing to incorporate it at all would be akin to committing an ultimate literary blasphemy and do most works a grave injustice! I embrace love and the humanity it bestows upon fictitious characters, but I choose to remain subtle in doing so:

• Xearo's love for Aeria is strong enough to redeem his soul from eternal darkness and grant humanity a final chance to right itself, yet he never breathes a word of it to her. He pushes his emotions aside, for love takes a back seat to defending his homeworld, allowing himself to focus without distraction.
• Yamini comes to care a great deal for Henrik, the one guildmate who shows her compassion, but in being so young and inexperienced she constantly dismisses her feelings. Her love for a mere boy is easily overshadowed by her dedication to her work and her cause, and its positive aura is negated by a lifetime of dissonance.
• Jadera slowly falls for Tristan, her benefactor and Soulcrafter. But due to circumstances, the two must work together to dethrone the master of dreams before plans of a worldwide spiritual domination can take hold. By the time their mutual affections become realized, irreparable tragedy has already befallen the star-crossed couple.

These are three of my biggest characters, and in all cases life wins out over love. One might say that I take an unfortunate, cynical and subdued approach to love in fiction. But in that regard, have I not also taken a small step toward realism? My characters feel as we feel, and are thus similarly denied or else forced to relegate their feelings to a degree of lesser importance in order to tackle whatever adversity their respective universes throw at them. We often find ourselves at a crossroads of sorts where we must decide between emotional pursuits and dire circumstances; why should they get off easy?

As authors, we govern the choices of our characters in order to tell a story. And share a piece of ourselves. Many authors take a very whimsical approach to romance, commonly making it both the conflict and the resolution in a "love conquers all" motif. My hardly revolutionary philosophy is to show that love, while an interesting dynamic between characters, does not always cut it, and that when the consequences of life push hard enough, it must sometimes be disregarded altogether for the greater good. Fate chooses who is worthy, and she chooses who is not. Like a delicate flower, love is not meant to bloom eternal in all places. Or within all people, for that matter.

My characters and myself . . . we are no exception.

Character Sketch: Azsherade Altairus

After adopting her at the age of ten, Azsherade trains Yamini in the arts of reading and writing so that she may become a righteous scribe and guide Rhevise into revolution. But just after her first year of apprenticeship, Councilman Shahid declares any and all handwritten communication to be a direct act of treason against the Rhevisean Empire. Scribes across the territories are ordered to cease and desist their practices. With his profession destroyed and his own daughter presumed dead, Azsherade shifts his focus to political affairs.

Using his knowledge of the territories to his advantage, Azsherade's reputation spreads quickly as he ascends the political ladder. After three years he achieves the rank of Alderman and gains significant influence within Rhevise. Though his public statements and decrees appear fair (almost too fair) for the majority of the population, his true motives remain unknown. While largely operating behind the scenes in recent months, leaving his associates to do most of his public work, several of Azsherade's decisions are questioned by the Council. Some believe that the former scribe went mad with the loss of his daughter, and now intends to assume control of the territory by circumventing or eliminating the Council altogether in order to employ his own philosophies of order.

When his name finally appears on the ballot for councilman, Azsherade earns more attention than he bargained for. Fearing what he could do with such power, the Aikon Brothers commission an infamous rogue, Soliessen, to assassinate the former scribe. Sensing that some would be out to claim his life, Azsherade holes himself up in his estate, biding time until the election. The ploy might have worked, if not for Soliessen's unsuspecting protege...

Character Sketch: Narran

When Yamini assassinates Councilman Shahid, she unknowingly gains the attention of not one but two dark souls. While Soliessen, bound by the limitations of a physical body, acts with haste to influence the young girl, Narran takes a more subtle approach. Watching silently from the plane of shadow, Narran follows Yamini and interjects subconscious hints and direction when necessary. But when Yamini falters due to her guilt complex, Narran takes over her body temporarily in order to complete the mission at the Ka'Dence Estate and return to the guild hall. She then reveals herself to Yamini, appearing as a dark doppelganger of the young rogue, and attempts to explain the plane of shadows and the spirits who dwell there.

Narran volunteers to take influence during killing blows, but Yamini refuses. Instead, she shadow spirit opts to teach Yamini the dark arts and helps her to develop her shadow abilities, melee fighting prowess, and eventually parkour. Over the course of months, Yamini struggles with a messy execution and turns over the role of killer to Narran to spare her conscience. With more influence and time spent in the physical plane, Narran begins to notice Soliessen coveting Yamini's body and suspects that the guildmaster is up to something. Yamini, confused by Pandora's whisperings at night, rejects the notion and chooses not to trust either completely, for shadow spirits are known for their deceptive nature...

Character Sketch: Soliessen

After Yamini assassinates Councilman Shahid and activates the shadow dormant in her soul, Guildmaster Soliessen locks onto the youth's dark trace and seeks out the girl. She finds Yamini on the street and gives the girl cryptic instructions on how to locate her institution. Once Yamini finds her way to the guild hall and passes her initiation trials, Soliessen aims to build the youth's renown by molding her into a protege. When Yamini awakens her shadow spirit, Narran, Soliessen instructs the young rogue to beware the spirit's influence and to consider banishment. In truth, Soliessen's intentions are dishonest.

As a former shadow spirit herself, Soliessen grows tired of her steadily weakening, aging stolen body. Fully aware of Yamini's divine lineage, a direct descendant of Lady Fate Herself, Soliessen recognizes that a shadow spirit's power channeled through the genes of a demigoddess would be immeasurable. She strives to keep Narran from gaining permanent influence, for once a spirit usurps a host they become bound. Instead, Soliessen bides her time training Yamini and conditioning her mind and body so that it is prepared for the spirit swap. The more Yamini is respected and feared as an apprentice, the less work Soliessen will have rebuilding her own notoriety after assuming influence of the girl's body once and for all...

Unofficial Soundtrack Completed!

Ever since the inception of my character, Avatar, and the trials he would endure, I have had a running soundtrack in my mind...if ever the book (if it should make it that far!) became a movie. Ten years ago I began with an opening sequence and track in my head. As the years progressed, the story evolved, and my musical tastes expanded, the soundtrack has grown and grown. Now, more than a year after Of Avatars and Elementals has been completed, I have finally put the finishing touches on what I consider to be the first draft of the novel's soundtrack.

For those of you who care to give a listen I will say this: the soundtrack is not meant to be listened to along with the reading. Individual pace of reading would make this very difficult. Instead, it is meant to be listened to after having enjoyed the novel, or perhaps for a second read through. Bear in mind, also, that these tracks are more for a general ambience, a guideline of sound. If ever the book is made into a movie, I'm sure other music will be used. It is only my vain desire that the tracks sound somewhat like this. =) For those of you who are interested, some of the scenes (the fight scenes, in particular) have been extensively choreographed in my head to fit their respective tracks minute by minute. I have a list of each track's timing notations and it is available upon request. You can find links to the music below. Enjoy!

1. Prologue: Leaving the Cabin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqs_MfTafSM
2. Avatar Ventures Forth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBTThmI99Vo&feature=related
3. Memories of Battle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuXDxKruhN0
4. Lair of the Beasts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn_2sOmdSdM
5. Laser Tag http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wAAAm-iNvA
6. Secrets of the Great Tree http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DAhYSJkvlM
7. To Fight in Vain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jaMwLmJXyE
8. Keep Your Eyes Downcast http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF8x0v8RiLQ&feature=related
9. Escape from Infinity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzDkdqdqhrY
10. Testing the Hermit's Worth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NijJnEDx1YI
11. Defending the A.S. Merello http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wXwcg6MuHU
12. Last Stand of the Elementals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rALcUvXCRXA
13. Weighing Xearo's Soul http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWBoAMQKRMs
14. Dispelling the Darkness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csYBwZPCleY
15. Monument of Light and Glass http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FYYp10ho38

Character Sketch: Yamini Lithala

Abandoned by her parents as an infant and left on the cathedral's doorstep, Yamini is raised by a high priestess until the age of ten. She is then offered apprenticeship under the respected master scribe, Azsherade, which she hesitantly accepts. For a year she learns to read and write, a rare skill within the empire, and studies the history of Rhevise. Azsherade adopts Yamini and considers her his own daughter. She is fast becoming an adept scribe when an unscrupulous politician, Councilman Shahid, outlaws the use of handwriting and script in response to an insurrection orchestrated by messages written in graffiti. Yamini decides that Shahid is a bad man and should be killed for the greater good of Rhevise. Against Azsherade's warnings, Yamini abandons her home and mentor to follow the corrupt politician into the night. After a brief verbal exchange, Yamini slays Shahid and leaves him on a residential stoop.

This action gains the attention of Soliessen, guildmaster to a group of rogues, thieves and assassins. Having nowhere else to go, Yamini reluctantly joins the guild after a tiresome initiation process resulting in the death of a young girl. Her first real assignment, a mission of theft that sends her into the Ka'Dence Estate to recover the valuable memory cube artifact, awakens a shadow spirit within Yamini. This shadow spirit, Narran, becomes her only real companion and gives Yamini guidance by whispering into her mind. For three years Yamini trains and learns the ways of the rogue through Soliessen's and Narran's instructions. Her missions range from thievery and pickpocketry to infiltration and sabotage to murder and assassination. Due to Yamini's severe guilt complex, she turns over influence to Narran during deadly missions. Yamini eventually comes to be called by her codename, "Narran", by guildmates. This eventually leads to an identity crisis that threatens to banish Yamini's soul to the plane of shadow...