.
Welcome to the fantasy world of The Windmaster Novels. We’ll be journeying on the high seas, and from mountain heights to cavern depths on an epic quest to save the future of magic.
To start our tour, look at the firmament above our heads. From ancient times, sailors have used objects in the sky to determine their location and the passage of time. Among the most prominent ones are the moons, Shartle & Neba, and the pair of stars in the northern sky named Iol and Pelra. From time to time the orbits of the moons align in such a way they appear as one huge orb. It is during these confluences that magical powers, for good or bad, are amplified.
Iol and Pelra serve more than just as a navigational aid. The stars are symbols of a sailor’s loyalty to his ship and crew and their connection to the sea. In fact, during the fierce winter storms that have sent more than one ship into the icy deep, even grizzled seamen have been known to invoke the stars’ blessings.
As to who were Iol and Pelra? They were ship captains, but from competing guild houses. Due to a conflict between their guilds, Iol and Pelra’s petition to marry was denied unless they fulfilled the challenge to make the trip to the Southern Sea in less than two sevenday, a journey that usually took at least twice as long. The pair set off in their respective ships with all masts carrying as much canvas as the rigging could handle.
As the legend goes, Iol and Pelra prayed, and in recognition of their devotion the water god favored them with fair skies. Brisk winds pushed them faster than any vessel had ever sailed and the ships returned in the final hour allowed by the bet. Despite meeting the challenge, the guilds declared that Iol and Pelra had lost the bet. They not only refused to allow the marriage, but ordered Iol and Pelra to distant posts, far from their ships and each other. Defying the decree, the pair sneaked to the twin rocks that guarded the harbor entrance. When the families sent soldiers to enforce their orders, the water god brought up a storm to protect the lovers and transformed them into the great-finned creatures that are ship mascots. The pair swam together to the end of the world where one powerful leap carried them into the night sky.
For those who are intrigued by the legend, the actual tale of Iol and Pelra is recounted in Windmaster Legend.
Time precludes visiting Botunn Loghes on this tour. However, it is unusual enough to rate a mention. Although an inland lake, its waves have an almost tide like action due to an unusual placement of mountains. The winds reverse daily so that the ships have fair winds in both directions, eastward in the morning then westward in the evening. For those of you joining us on the autumn season tour next year, and I hope many of you will return, the Lantern Rising Festival is a once-in-a-lifetime event and not to be missed.
Our next destination is the beautiful land Tarekus in the southern part of the world. Along the shoreline, fine white sands form a glittering ring between scrub-covered rolling hills and warm turquoise waters. Hills steepen into forested mountains and valleys. The interior is a wide swath of veldt called the hinterland by sailors and the bush by natives. Ancient tales handed down through the local tribes oral traditions stated that the continent wasn’t always flat. That, in time before telling there used to be rolling hills and great forests. Until the ground shook for season after season, great cracks in the earth formed valleys hundreds of feet below the main ground level and swallowed up a great city. In fact the fair-skinned members of the Nadhan tribe are said to be descendants of the lost civilization.
A suggestion. Before you board ship for the sail to Tarekus, pick up Windmaster Legacy. It will serve as a grounding into the land and the natives and an introduction to one of their ancient temples. The tour will not only provide the opportunity to see the exquisite art of a now extinct religion, but to climb to the forest canopy using the booyong tree as your ladder. The booyoung are created when a seed from an invading tree lands in a crack in the bark. Tendrils from the seed burrow beneath the bark, eventually thickening from finger-thin vines to the size of a man’s arm. Eventually the interior rots away until you can climb the entire height of the original tree using the invader’s branches as your ladder.
No tour of the land of The Windmaster Novels would be complete without a stop at the School of Magic and the ancient library in the tower of the Wizard’s Council. Windmaster Golem describes them. Unfortunately, the only ship with access to the Isle’s protected harbor is at sea on a training cruise, and Brodie who usually guides us through the forest trails to the landside approach is also journeying. To make up for it, to give everyone a break on the sail, we’ll be spending a few days on one of the islands in the Southern Sea. Special dispensation has been granted by the Archmage, Lord Dal, to visit the kapuna tree. A tree of life, it bears a leaf for every mage that has ever lived and represents the heritage of magic back to the first emergence of powers. An entry in Windmaster describes the marked leaves.
If everyone will now follow the glowing ball, tables have been set up on the dock to watch the sunset. The repast of braga wine and roast hen will be topped off with a local delicacy of chilled whip cream flavored with marca syrup. This concludes the land tour. I hope you will pick up the guides I mentioned.
Thank you for visiting the world of The Windmaster Novels.
Find on Amazon:
Windmaster – Amazon
Windmaster Legacy – Amazon
Windmaster Golem – Amazon
Windmaster Legend – Amazon
Henderson’s first love is fiction. Her work in the museum and history fields enables a special insight into the creation of fantasy worlds. Her writing reflects the contrasts of her heritage as well as that of her Gemini sign and crosses genres from historical westerns to science fiction and fantasy.
In the world of fantasy romance, she is the author of the Dragshi Chronicles and The Windmaster Novels. She loves to hear from readers and can be emailed at helenhenderson.author (at) gmail (dot) com. Just be sure to put one of the book titles in the subject line so she knows it isn’t spam.
Find her on the web at:
.
Im so delighted to share Helen’s stories with you and hope you’ll discover more about her through her social media. Thank you so much Helen, for sharing your time and talent with us 🙂
.
~Morgan~
Word Mongery and Musings 
Join the Discussion