One of my favorite parts about creating Mythnium is the creation and development of different locations across the planet.
On January 26th, in the new Short Stories of Mythnium: Anthology II, I take Mythnium fans to many incredible new locations with some pretty interesting new characters.
Not willing to spoil any of the stories, I can tell you about some of my favorite locations within those eight shorts. Granted, some of this is behind-the-scenes, as in these descriptions and background may, or may not, be in the short stories themselves. ::wink::
One place I really enjoyed creating is the underwater city of Cresia. Cresia is the capital city for one of the four sects of mer, the Im-mer. The city of Cresia sits on the edge of a deep underwater trench near the eastern edges of the Cresia ocean, where it meets the Donovan Sea. The city itself, unlike many other mer cities, which are constructed of coral, is built into the rocky protrusions of the trench wall. The highest spires jut upward toward the suns shining high above the waters. In those highest spires, the Im-mer royal family makes their home. Cresia, despite not having the brilliant colors of the coral reefs, is brilliant none-the-less. Using gems and precious metals found in the trench’s rock, the Im-mer people learned to craft and shape as well as the dwarves and elves of the surface realms. Using those gems and metals within their building, the entire city collects and reflects the sparse light that filters that deeply, giving the city a magical-looking luminescence not seen anywhere else in the vast ocean world on Mythnium.
Another place I truly enjoyed developing is the lost city of Gorlinta, encased within Si’Cri Mountain, the mountain of the Creator Gods. Once, Gorlinta sat on top of the holy mountain in the center of the Walker Mountain spine. With concentric circles of streets, and one major lane that led to the pinnacle, the city paid homage to the Creators and their god-children. Every circle had a temple dedicated to another god. The outer rings were dedicated to the creators of the species. The inner rings gave homage to the creators of of life and its cycles. The pinnacle itself was a temple to Siki and Cria, the Creator Gods themselves. With smaller temples at every level, Gorlinta was a place of worship and righteous learning. However, in the events of the Cataclysm, the city disappeared from the top of the mountain, leaving the face of Si’Cri Mountain bald and sparse. Only the God-Keepers, the holy Willow Elves, know the truth of Gorlinta, and its continued, though much changed, existence with the very mountain.
Finally, within the short stories, one thing I really enjoyed doing was creating the lesser-known towns and villages. Those places where heroes may be born from circumstance, but are then forgotten when the hero moves on to the places where the real action happens. Places like Irontown, a town on the western coast of Mythos, where unassuming characters do small things that have a big impact on the future of Mythos. Or places like Lonvor, where the spread of evil is felt, but the community is too far removed from cities with the means to help. These smaller places, like the isolated community of Mroden in the north, snuggled up against the western slopes of the Walker Mountains, help me add more layers to the world of Mythnium. I may not go into great depth about them within the stories themselves, but they are launching points for future development. I hope they capture your imagination as you learn more about this world.
Now, one thing that makes creation so fun for me is when I send my characters to these places, I get to see the place from their point of view. And often, as the character interacts within a place, unplanned events occur, unexpected meetings take place, and incredible challenges or opportunities arise.
You can read more about these locations, and more, in Short Stories From Mythnium: Anthology II coming to paperback and e-book on January 26th!
As ever, once you are finished reading the anthology, I’d be so grateful and honored to get your honest review on Amazon or Goodreads!