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The second of The Gilfane Tales I've written. It was published in Sanguine Publication's fourth issue of Bitemarks emagazine.
In this tale, I reveal a little bit more about Rafferty, as well as finally deciding on giving him his own magical weapon (not that it's of any use in any fight not involving black magic). While he specializes in monsters, he is capable of going up against a witch hunter's normal fare: necromancers and other black mages. When a monster gets into the mix, that's when things get interesting in the Zhongguese sense. Also included are Author's Notes which should be helpful for those unfamiliar with the Ironclaw setting.
Black dogs are real life legendary creatures common throughout the British Isles, parts of nearby mainland Europe, and places in North and South America. Considering that Calabria, the island Ironclaw is set on, is equivalent to parts of the British Isles and Western Europe, adding black dogs seemed only logical.
Those who decide to read the Bitemarks issue I mentioned above will notice a different ending to the one I have here. I didn't like the ending of one I submitted to Bitemarks so rewrote it. The Author's Notes will tell you what I changed.
Story and characters © 2010 Marvin E. Fuller
Ironclaw © 2010 Sanguine Productions
In this tale, I reveal a little bit more about Rafferty, as well as finally deciding on giving him his own magical weapon (not that it's of any use in any fight not involving black magic). While he specializes in monsters, he is capable of going up against a witch hunter's normal fare: necromancers and other black mages. When a monster gets into the mix, that's when things get interesting in the Zhongguese sense. Also included are Author's Notes which should be helpful for those unfamiliar with the Ironclaw setting.
Black dogs are real life legendary creatures common throughout the British Isles, parts of nearby mainland Europe, and places in North and South America. Considering that Calabria, the island Ironclaw is set on, is equivalent to parts of the British Isles and Western Europe, adding black dogs seemed only logical.
Those who decide to read the Bitemarks issue I mentioned above will notice a different ending to the one I have here. I didn't like the ending of one I submitted to Bitemarks so rewrote it. The Author's Notes will tell you what I changed.
Story and characters © 2010 Marvin E. Fuller
Ironclaw © 2010 Sanguine Productions
Category Story / Fantasy
Species Wolf
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 171.1 kB
Listed in Folders
I liked the fight between Rafferty and d'Lissemanteau (sp?), the amount of mythology/cultural references in this one, and the amount of detail put into this world despite the small frame, much like 'The Giant Rat of Sumatra'. This one seemed to add a little more of the horror element (to me, because of the malevolent Black Dogs) and progressed a little slower, though was nonetheless entertaining.
Thanks. I tried to fit enough into the story to bring the world alive and explore what Black Dogs might be like in a world of anthropomorphic animals without burdening the story with unnecessary clutter. I'm glad I succeeded. Still, there are some points about Black Dogs that I think could be explored some more, such as what the majority of Calabrian Black Dogs are like.
I'm also glad I managed to get some horror into the story. Rafferty has to regularly deal with some very dangerous characters, so there needs to be some horror for him to deal with. However, I don't want to get into some sort of gloomy noir atmosphere or Scooby-Doo-ish comedy either. I want there to be uncertainty and some horror, but also a sense of hope at the end. How well I pull that off depends on the story, I guess.
This and "Giant Rat" are the only completed Gilfane Tales I have finished so far. I do have a number of ideas for others, but none are completed so far. I have starts for more stories, but I couldn't get enough information on Scandinavian cultures to work out how to make a reindeer fly in time for Bitemarks #5 and some family issues I've only partly recovered from pretty much killed my ambition in November.
I'm also glad I managed to get some horror into the story. Rafferty has to regularly deal with some very dangerous characters, so there needs to be some horror for him to deal with. However, I don't want to get into some sort of gloomy noir atmosphere or Scooby-Doo-ish comedy either. I want there to be uncertainty and some horror, but also a sense of hope at the end. How well I pull that off depends on the story, I guess.
This and "Giant Rat" are the only completed Gilfane Tales I have finished so far. I do have a number of ideas for others, but none are completed so far. I have starts for more stories, but I couldn't get enough information on Scandinavian cultures to work out how to make a reindeer fly in time for Bitemarks #5 and some family issues I've only partly recovered from pretty much killed my ambition in November.
It did have some of the noir aspects, but didn't dwell for too long on them; it was more the gothic-style horror that I saw here, and there did seem to be a sense of hope when looking at Gurty and the brighter side of the Black Dogs. I'd say you accomplished what you set out to do here.
And (it's probably not my business to pry, but) sorry about the... 'delays'. You just gotta keep forging ahead and see what comes at you, then find a way to get around or go through it without the lack of hope that you will. Besides, no work of art is truly completed in a night; it takes time and patience.
And (it's probably not my business to pry, but) sorry about the... 'delays'. You just gotta keep forging ahead and see what comes at you, then find a way to get around or go through it without the lack of hope that you will. Besides, no work of art is truly completed in a night; it takes time and patience.
Thanks.
About the delays, let's say I was down one parent a couple days before Christmas last year. So far, I've just been waiting it out, all the while fiddling and dabbling where my whims take me, as usual. But my ambition, often not too strong at the best of times, has been weak more so than usual.
About the delays, let's say I was down one parent a couple days before Christmas last year. So far, I've just been waiting it out, all the while fiddling and dabbling where my whims take me, as usual. But my ambition, often not too strong at the best of times, has been weak more so than usual.
I'm sure that it will pass and your ambition will return. It takes time for these things to happen and pass, so don't think that you'll never get your ambition back or you never will. From what I've seen, you're a great writer, and I am honestly looking forward to seeing and more about Baksrit, Rafferty, and whatever other characters and places that they might encounter.
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