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Philosophy Entry 1 - The Veil of Perception

English philosopher John Locke first brought this notion to the minds of scholars.  He said, "No man's knowledge can go beyond his experience," - meaning that you know only what you are exposed to.

This has been taken two ways.  First, that only what you see or smell or hear or otherwise with your senses are exposed to.  This is a rather materialistic view, but it is nonetheless a valid conclusion.

Second, that which we can piece together from the knowledge in our head.  Just as we can see lines that don't quite connect, but our brains connect those lines and make a shape anyway, so can we do this with knowledge and concepts.

Philosophy

Philosophy, as a subject, should be studied before any and all other subjects (with the exception of language and mathematics).  Philosophy teaches us how to ask the right questions.  It teaches us how to analyze data and think logically.  It teaches us how to debate intelligently.  Philosophy opens the path through which we find real knowledge.

I believe reality is truth and truth is reality.  I believe they are a multi-faceted object.  I believe that each subject - literature, mathematics, art, psychology, architecture, biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, history, sociology, politics, thermodynamics, music... each is a single angle to view this object - reality and truth.

If a person only studies one subject, that person will only see reality from one angle.  To get a full picture, to piece the puzzle together, one needs to study as many subjects as possible.  Or, at the very least, find people you can trust who have studied the other fields for you.

The brain grows and retains knowledge by making (quite literally) connections.  The more information you offer it, the more possibilities it has to connect and make sense of.  The more knowledgeable you become.

Don't, however, forget the power of emotion.  It can blind and debilitate logic.  So it is important to understand emotion, whenever and wherever it comes from - and not to ignore it or pretend it has no influence.  Emotion is an angle to truth that logic cannot fathom.  They are, after all, two separate parts of the brain.

What is Akralon? Part I

When people ask what the Akralon books are about, I find it difficult to give a short answer and do the books justice.  Akralon is about two things, primarily.  First, it's about self-discovery and finding purpose in life.  Second, it's about the power of imagination and creativity.

The reason the characters span the globe is to show many different lifestyles and circumstances, but also to show how most people define themselves by their job or their family or their culture.  We all do it, to some respect.  But who are you without those things?  With no job, no family and no culture, what is left? 

We have all these societal norms that regulate our behavior that we never really stop to think about.  I like to use the old elevator example.  There are unspoken rules about etiquette inside an elevator.  You step in, you turn around, you stare at the doors or watch the changing floor light.  Nobody wrote these rules down, we just sort of adapted into this group behavior.  But imagine how people would react if you stepped inside the elevator and did NOT turn around, and instead stared forward.  What if you just walked to the back of the elevator and stood silently facing the corner?  Technically, you wouldn't be doing anything wrong, but something as simple as which direction you're facing is enough to make people freak out and think you're crazy!

All that, just in an elevator.  A household, town, city and country have a million more of these unspoken rules of how we ought to behave. But what if you took people out of their society, out of their country - out of their world?  What if you put them in a different world where none of those rules applied.  How would they react?  What would they think?  Without culture, family and friends - how would they now define themselves?

Now imagine, after some time, they return home, to all the familiar things.  Would they be any different - changed in any way?  Would they simply revert back to their old habits and ways of thinking?  No doubt, depending on the shortness of the time away, most people would settle back into their old ways.  It's what they've been doing the longest.

But what if they could, periodically, go back and forth?  How would they deal with two separate realities?  The human brain doesn't like not having everything on the same page, so it would try and adjust, somehow bring the realities together.  This means the person would have to develop a stronger, more defined way of viewing the world/s and his or herself. 

Throw in the extra spice of having abilities not available in the real world and you have a formula for making heroes and villains.  Some people will find strength to overcome their circumstances, to learn and grow and be better people.  Others will fall victim to their darker natures and downward spiral into infamy. 

So, in a sense, the world of Akralon is a test for the soul.

Fey - The Ancient Peoples

Firbolgs were the first to inhabit the forests of Fablemyr. While they are fierce and barbaric, they lived in peace and harmony with the surrounding wilderness.

When the Tuatha de Danann arrived, they felt intruded upon the mysterious and haughty elves. A war ensued, and large and strong as the Firbolgs were, they were outmatched by the cleverness and spellcraft of the elves. Upon losing, they were pushed to the outskirts of the forest.

Now the Firbolgs dwell in the surrounding hills and mountains, venturing into the forest only when food runs scarce. Untrusting and quick to anger, some say Firbolgs have giant’s blood in them. They stand over eight feet tall and are usually thick with muscle and coarse hair. Despite their immense size, they are excellent hunters and can move silently through tree and brush when necessary.

The militant and merciless Fomor are a ruined race of deformed mutants, immune to normal weaponry.  Their pale flesh resembles melted wax, oozing over brutish malformed bodies.

The Fomor invaded Fablemyr after the Tuatha de Danann, defeating and enslaving them.  For long years they ruled with an unyielding iron fist. Lugh Lamfada eventually led the Tuatha de Danann in an uprising.  With the aid of the Four Treasures of Ireland, the Tuatha de Danann brought down the mighty Fomorii leader, Balor, and banished all Fomor from the boundaries of their realm.

The Fomor have recently began turning up in various places in Fablemyr, plotting the vengeance that has been festering in their souls for the entirety of their banishment...

The Tuatha de Danann are the magical and mystical race called elves.  After a successful campaign to drive out the Firbolgs, they indulged in music making and celebrations. They first battled and defeated the Firbolgs and later fought the foul and mean-spirited Fomor... and lost.

Despite the beauty and grace of the elven culture, they were no match for the sheer numbers and brute force of the relentless Fomor.  It took the combined strength of four great treasures and an inspirational leader to rally them to overthrow the heavy yoke of their militant slavers.

Flourishing for a thousand years in Fablemyr, in tandem with the Fey kingdoms.  They spread out and forged four great cities.

The first two cities were Murias in the west and Finias in the east.  Murias was a twilight city of water and healing.  These elves became the Lunaire, or moon elves by common tongue.  They practiced the art of moon magic and studied lunar cycles, curative and calming powers.  A soothing city of smooth marble, flowing streams and serene ponds, Murias was the first city to be abandoned.

Finias, nearly the opposite, became a city of light and illumination, of knowledge and research.  They built tall spires to bask in the sunlight and became the Syldaer, or sun elves.  They spent time harnessing the powers of sunlight, filtered through various precious gemstones to offer the powers of revelation, divination and restoration.

In the north, they founded Falias.  Here the elves delved deep into the earth, diving into the darkness where strange molds and fungi grow.  They took a strange fascination with herbalism and toxicology.  Eventually they began experimenting with shadow magic.  This obsession is what led to the title the Dreyth, or shadow elves.  Eventually, their experimenting became too radical and severe and they were cast out by the other factions of elves - banished forever from Fablemyr.

Last, in the south was Gorias.  Here the elves cast off their fine clothes and jewelry as well as their refined customs and mannerisms.  They chose to admire both the beauty and order of nature and the wild chaos of fire.  Hence they became the wild elves, or the Wildryn.  They hunted and foraged much in the way of the Firbolgs before them.  Their tools were of bone and wood, stone and flora.  They did not tame the animals around them, as the other elves did, but befriended them in their wild and savage state.

In the end, all the elves had gone.  Men came and drove them out with cold iron.  Or perhaps they left of their own accord, seeking growth and expansion.  There are many explanations and stories, but the only thing beyond debate is that the four cities are but ancient relics, ruined and overrun by the Fey.

Guardians of the Faerie Queen

Brownies are the bristling, barbaric
guardians of the faerie kingdom. Cantankerous and severely territorial, they are dutiful and vigorous in their desire to soldier the cause of the fey civilization and protect it from the invasive and corrosive effects of outside influence. They tattoo their brownish skin with whatever animalistic designs they favor.

They once served in the households of the Dreyth, but since the shadow elves disappeared, the brownies went wild and savage and have taken over the ruins of Falias. Now they guard the borders with poison darts and spears. They are the glade guardians, the watchers of the sacred rowanoak tree.

Sprites are the energetic and cheerful children of the faerie kingdom. They have a deep fascination and wonder with stories and music and dancing. They flit about on dragonfly wings and pulse with their own inner light.

They protect their faerie rings, circles of mushrooms, and have complete power over any who wander into the circle. If they grow bored, sprites can be dangerous, often forcing the unfortunate trespasser to dance to his death. The love to tease and often rhyme when excited.

Pixies are the playful pranksters of the faerie kingdom. Notorious for their mischief, they are always devising devious devices to deceive and distract, often leading unwary travelers out into the wood and leaving them lost, or spooking the nervous with random bestial noises.

They are fond of flowers and fragrances, of beauty and basking in the chorus of the spring and summer winds that sweep through the trees. Distinguished by their colorful butterfly wings and flower pedal clothing, they are considered the most beautiful of the faerie folk, with exception to the asrai (or nymphs).

Minions of the Goblin King

Goblins are the vicious and voracious scavengers of the underground. They share a similar toad-like skin as their ballybog cousins, but they are more clever and devious. Goblins love gold and shiny treasures.     They burrow in caves and tunnels, usually in an underground network, popping up here or there when they smell travelers or gold. Goblins are filthy, greedy and breed rapidly. They are often used as spies by the Goblin King.
   

     Boggarts are shape-shifting creatures that lurk in the shadows and feed off fear. They are swift and silent and spring upon hapless victims when they need to feed. The nightmarish hallucinations they can project into the minds of those they touch often cause the victims to suffer fatal heart attacks.      Boggarts are survivalist predators and are immune to reason. More uncommon than goblin or ballybog, they are deadlier and feared by both. The Goblin King has been known to use them as assassins.

      The Clurichaun, often called the Red Man, is a faerie of deviant and destructive powers. His avarice for wine and women are unmatched. Some say the red clothing and stocking cap symbolize the lustful desires of his dark heart.
     Hating mankind with a passion, the Clurichaun intoxicates himself until the wine and whiskey fuel his passionate hatred and sadistic pleasure in tormenting and torturing his victims. The devilish desires are unquenchable, and therefore the Clurichaun can never be pleased, never truly be happy.  And so he endlessly drowns himself in poisoned bitterness...