Hey, everyone! Today’s post is kind of exciting (at least I’m stoked). Firstly, the first draft of Falconsbane is finally finished! It took 5 1/2 months and over 200,000 words, but it’s done. The next step is beginning to wrangle that mess into something resembling an organized story. And then doing it again, tuning it finer and finer. But this firs milestone is huge, people, so thanks for all your support!
Secondly, a few weeks ago I shared a bit about the region of Nyan (and if you missed it, check it out here). In a later post I promised that I would be back with more about the other regions, and today’s that day!
Excited yet?
Today we’re talking about Kedash (cue the awesome colors . . .)
Kedash is the second-smallest region and Nyan’s neighbor to the west, on the other side of the Adrian Sea and River Geron. Its borders are with the nation of Bordag, divided by a fairly large range of mountains that spans Phen’s entire western border and beyond (admittedly, I’m still trying to figure out an official name for those mountains). The western nations are not particularly hostile toward Phen, and so there are several trade routes that pass through and provide commerce. The landscape is pretty rocky along this stretch of the mountains, and it’s within these cliffs and ravines that the Kedashian branch of the Phennish Army trains. They like to call themselves the Warriors of the Sable Moon, and here’s their crest and motto:
This one seems a little more abstract than Nyan’s, doesn’t it? The motto speaks to the idea of being the ‘shadow’ or ‘left hand’, meaning that they are basically a corps of assassins. Although they don’t always work in the dark, their most prized skills are those surrounding stealth and sneakery, and often their personalities tend toward mischief and pranking ─ after all, if no one catches you, you must be pretty good. In that regard, life on base can get hazardous.
Because of their motto, their crest depicts a sable moon and shadow, along with a set of throwing stars, which are just one of the many differing weapons used by them. Of all the branches, theirs makes use of the widest range of weapons, and are rather indiscriminate so long as it isn’t heavy or cumbersome. If it can be carried lightly on the body, it’s fair game, because while their Nyan brothers rely much on their horses in battle on open terrain, Kedashians work best on foot and in crowded places like towns and cities. Have you ever heard of parkour? Add flash bombs and martial arts and you’ve got yourself a Kedashian warrior.
Did I say flash bombs? Yes. Yes I did. Small explosives are a fairly recent development, and adding these little darlings to the arsenal of short blades, blowguns, and weighted ropes gives you a recipe for disaster.
Another (and perhaps the more utilized) purpose of these warriors is espionage, which lets them use their sneaking abilities to their hearts content, and during wartime they often spend the greater portion of the conflict behind enemy lines. With a Kedashian around nothing you say is a secret, but the scary part is that you never can tell if you’re being watched or not. If you’re protected by one, you can hardly be safer. If you’re the enemy of one, well . . . I’m sorry. The best you can hope for is mud in your cupboards and bees in your closet.
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