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Character Art – Keota of the Avarians

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Hey there folks. It’s a lot of fun to show off all our characters, but in a world as diverse as Tellest, I feel like we’ve leaned on our human characters a bit more than I’d like to admit!  We’ve got a few elves that we’ve seen, and the dwarves have shown up in a few larger pictures (though not by themselves).  And of course we’ve seen a bit of Dirk and Kaiyonani.  But it’s time to give some other characters a chance to shine!

Today’s character is Keota, the avarian who is aided by Bolt Thunderfury against a giant and an army of naga.

As with all of our collaborations with Hozure, we began with a few poses that we were able to choose from.  For such an interesting character, we wanted something that showed off a lot of him.

We opted to go with something that showed Keota’s broad, bronze wings.  He’s no stranger to armor and weaponry either.

Once we added some more luster to the character, Keota nearly popped of the screen.  He made for a great ally to Bolt, and it was awesome to see him realized like this.

Tacking on a background makes this incredible avarian look even more impressive.

What do you think?  Would you like to see more of Keota’s roost captured in art like this?  There’s plenty more on the horizon!

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Art: Kaos and Steel Tip – Alliance

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Hey there folks.  Today’s post is going to be short, but sweet.  It’s my birthday today, and it’s my best friend Kev’s birthday tomorrow.

When I first conceptualized Tellest, a lot of my friends were stand-ins for the characters in my mind.  That happens, I suppose, when you’re seventeen and you’re using videogames where you can make your own characters as your starting point!

With that said, Kaos and Steel Tip were fairly obvious references to me and Kev.  While a lot has changed in the series since then, and things are changing even more in the next few years, taking us further from these characters as we knew them, I’ll always remember the time where these two heroes were the two of us.

Thank you to Leo for taking these characters, and putting a spin on them so that they looked like the two of us.  Happy early birthday to Kev!

book promos, otherworld

Fantasy Promo – Sirenhawk Book 1 : Misborn of the Snowy Reaches

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Hello there all you fans of fantasy.  We have been on a roll these past few weeks, bringing you non-stop action across a lot of different sub-genres.  July is a huge month for us, and we’re so excited to have some other fantastic authors along for the ride with us.

L.E.Parr is arguably the most prolific author that we ever have on our site, and it seems she’s not content to just raise the bar.  As it turns out, she wants to send it into orbit.

While you might be familiar with Parr’s Fariidinus series—we’ve shown it off a lot here on Tellest, and we’re always excited for more—there’s a new urban fantasy in town, and it’s already well underway.  The Sirenhawk series does for shapeshifters what Fariidinus did for fairies.  The lead character, Ice, takes shelter from the world of man in a hidden place in Sierra Nevada, but she also can’t ignore the pull of the big city.  Whereas Parr’s fairy series was brutal beyond the veil of the beautiful creatures, Sirenhawk leans more on whimsy.  The author definitely flexes her humor muscles here, to great effect.

Iceria, Ice, is a hawk-human shapeshiifter. It’s Ice’s job to protect the Northern Corridor from the hereditary enemy of the sirenhawks, the deadly she’ravens. Iceria’s sisters consider her a little odd. She is a literal thinker, she loves shiny baubles and jewelry and her favorite book is an old English dictionary. In human form, Ice and all her kind are sirens of myth and legend. As the battle against the deadly she’ravens escalates, Ice discovers two things about herself. The first, she has a warrior’s heart and the second, she’s capable of falling in love in a very human way.

Parr has already established herself with one stellar series.  With Sirenhawk, though, the author proves that she can let two storylines breathe and grow independent of each other.  Ice is an adorable new lead, and she is the perfect way to be introduced to the sirenhawks. Best of all, Sirenhawk‘s second book will be out in September!

While I eagerly wait for the follow-up, I submit to you this stellar debut in the series.  Sirenhawk is fun fantasy at its very best, and you’re sure to love it.  Check it out on Amazon to join Ice on her first big adventure!

book promos, otherworld

Fantasy Promo – Sapphire Ambition

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Howdy folks!  We are on a roll here at Tellest, and it’s great to say that we’ve got old friends who are doing just as well!  It’s always nice to revisit someone’s world, and even better when they have a new book out!

We promoted Jeff Kish’s Diamond Bonds a ways back, but he’s back to show off his talents with the sequel, Sapphire Ambition. Everything that made the first book entertaining is cranked up a notch here, and the stakes are ever higher.  The world he’s built continues to grow, and new characters are introduced while the established ones get a chance to shine even brighter.

Following the failed barracks raid that cost him his arm, Era once more finds himself running from the military who imprisoned and enslaved the friend he swore to protect. Though intent on saving Di, he knows he can do nothing to save her until he unravels the mystery behind her bondage and the truth of his own identity, especially as his falsified memories and steadily-growing earth shaping capabilities only serve to instill doubt that the creeds Era once held dear are truly part of who he is.

I am so happy to get another book in the Runics Series.  I was always a firm believer that Diamond Bonds should have been picked up by Kindle Scout, and it was a crime that it was overlooked.  In the meantime though, Kish took everything in stride, and delivered his book to everyone, and put together a substantial sequel.  It is everything you like to see in a follow-up, and it’s sure to leave you eager for the third book!  Check out Sapphire Ambition on Amazon today!

We have some great news for you to coincide with Sapphire Ambition‘s release.  For the next three days, Diamond Bonds is free on Amazon.  There’s never a better time to get started with this series than right now!

book promos, otherworld

Fantasy Promo – Timecrack

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Hey folks!  We’re using some of the momentum from our latest venture into the Otherworld to turn right back around and visit more works of great fiction.  And there’s no better tale than today’s to go with the theme.

One of my favorite Michael Crichton properties was Timeline.  And yes, I even loved the movie with Paul Walker and Gerard Butler.  If you’re a fan of the concept of finding ways through time and space, today’s promo is going to be right up your alley.

William Long’s Timecrack is one of those entertaining books that pulls you out of the monotony of day to day life, and thrusts you upon a whole new world.  In this first book in his series, we join the Kinross family in a beautiful, humorous, thrilling adventure when a portal opens and pulls them through to a fantastic, new world.

Timecracks act as portals to other dimensions. They have existed since the creation of time, and when one arrives during a storm at the newly discovered pyramid site in the Yucatan jungle, it’s the beginning of a nightmare journey into another world for archaeologist, Malcolm Kinross and his wife, Lucy.

And when another timecrack strikes the secretive energy facility in New Mexico, their sons, Archie and Richard, along with their tutor, Marjorie, and their uncle, Professor John Strawbridge, all find themselves thrust into the same world of New Arrivals, ancient warring tribes and deadly enemies.

Richard is endowed with the ability to ‘see’ beyond his own world. Can he help Archie to find their parents, and help the scientists at Mount Tengi to find a way for all of them to return home, and can he escape the clutches of the mad high priest, Prince Lotane?

Timecrack is a lovely endeavor by Long, and one that you’ll be happy to know already has a sequel, with a third coming along soon.  It has characters that are endearing and easy to relate to, and a world that is fully realized with secrets left to be discovered.  If you’re interested in this fun fantasy romp, check out Timecrack on Amazon today!

As a bonus, the author gives away free chapters of the book on his website for people who subscribe.  Check it out:

https://williamlongbooks.co.uk/

book promos, otherworld

Fantasy Promo – Fariidinus Book 5: Wings of the Sea

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Hey there folks.  We’re happy to be back with a new promo for an old friend today.  It feels like we’ve been gone from the Heartland for way too long, and I for one have need to see some beautiful, lethal fairies again.

L.E.Parr is back once again to show us the work she excels at. Fariidinus Book 5: Wings of the Sea is another bout of worldbuilding at its finest, and this time she brings us to a whole new realm.  The Heartland seas become an intriguing place to visit, thanks to newcomer Melody, who holds sway over that domain.  The story fits in with the previous book as well, as some focus is left on Kirin, who became this second set’s big hero.  It’s Melody who gets to shine here, though, and you’ll quickly fall in love with her.

MELODY, Dee, was the youngest child to fall under Letal’s knife. It was her culling that finally goaded Kirin into the war. Even though her xylin node was left intact, Dee’s wings never recovered and she cannot fly. But, Dee, has an extraordinary gift, never seen before in the species. She can control the sea and communicate with the little mermaids, the merikin. When one of the Houses conspires to destroy Kirin with poison, they experiment on the merikin with great loss of life. In a desperate attempt to save the merikin and the Heartland seas, Dee races against time and miles to lead her friends to safety.

We’ve had the awesome privilege of working with Parr several times before, and her books are always great fun.  The first trilogy was tremendous entertainment, and these newer books are set to keep up to that same pace while also carving out the world she’s built even further.  Melody is an awesome character to add to her already impressive roster.  If you want to read her story, check out Fariidinus Book 5: Wings of the Sea on Amazon today.

Games, Quantum Quest

Quantum Quest – First Chambers Set

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Howdy folks.  As we move forward into new adventures for Tellest, we’ve been showing off some pretty cool things for our upcoming card game, Quantum Quest.  You’ve already seen all of the characters our game has to offer (minus some exclusives that we’re keeping under wraps for now), but it’s time to see what else we have in store for you gamers out there.

 

Healing Fountain

First up, we have one of the more beneficial rooms in our dungeon. If your adventurers happen upon a healing fountain, they’re in for some rest.  It’ll refresh their vigor, and give them a new chance at tackling the dangers of the dungeon.

You’ll also see that we have two different variations of the chamber. Since we have so many different races, we thought some might like the more sinister looking symbol.

Our artist gave us a slightly different version of this fountain as well, and we chose the one that looked a little cleaner.

 

Magic Portal

Part of the dangers of going through the living dungeon in Quantum Quest is that you run out of people you can depend on. Unfortunately, when you’re trying to take over a dungeon in order to survive, you need all the help you can get.  That’s where the magic portal comes into play.  If heroes manage to find this chamber, they can call on allies from distant lands across time and space.

 

Mana Pool

Mana is the primary resource in Quantum Quest.  When you’re running low, all kinds of bad things can happen.  Meanwhile, if you’ve an overabundance of the stuff, you can sway the dungeon to your favor, and even cast incredible spells.

 

Mana Storm

If a mana pool is beneficial, then a mana storm has got to be the opposite.  It’s what happens when you lean too heavily on magic all at once.  Not only do you lose hold over the arcane, but you also feel your mind overcome.  Not a pretty picture.

We chose to go with a slightly more askew version of the art for the final piece.  Plus it’s got some added rocks to add to the feel that things are really chaotic!

 

Pit Trap

One of the quintessential traps in every dungeon, the pit trap damages you and rubs some salt in the wound by making you have to climb your way out.  This could be a valuable waste of time, however, as even being stuck in a pit could be seen as a brief respite from the dungeons many other dangers.

 

Rat’s Den

Another popular fantasy game archetype, rats make up a good portion of opening enemies, letting you learn the ropes while you lay the smack down on enemies that can’t really hurt you all too badly.

 

 

 

That’s it for our first set of chambers, but be on the lookout in the weeks to come when we show off more of what makes our dungeon tick!

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Character Art – Lyla

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Hey there folks!  It’s been two-and-a-half months since we’ve had the opportunity to show you some of the gorgeous artwork that RedPear does for us.  We’re going to make up for that today with some character art of one of our fan favorites.

Lyla Brenna is an interesting warrior.  Her home was overrun by another country, and she was drafted into their army.  In time, she demonstrated her value to them as both a competent fighter, and as a capable spy.  When she meets Kaos Kreegan, though, she’s unprepared for her heart to win over her sensibilities.

This is one of the sketches we passed on.  I feel like we could have pushed for this one though, and it would have made for an awesome book cover down the line.

We also passed on this one.  It looks great, but the winner that RedPear served up for us was spectacular.

This one just seemed so much more evocative for some reason. Whether it was because of the sword, the armor or her seductive gaze, we knew we had our winner.

Lyla is one of those characters who you just can’t help but enjoy reading about.  She’s capable in a world filled with powered individuals, and she’s not hindered by love, but bolstered by it.  It’s an interesting thing that you don’t see too much in fiction.

And here you go, our final look at RedPear’s Lyla.  I love the pattern of her armor, and again, she captures so much emotion in that gaze. We look forward to bringing you another RedPear art piece at the end of next month.  Stay tuned!

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Character Art – Yvensar

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Hey there folks!  In keeping up with our secondary character series from the Tellest Legends books, we’re got one of the oldest characters in the series to show off today.  You no doubt remember Icarus from The Fall, but his brother Yvensar was a big part of things as well, especially considering how they left things off in a kind of tumultuous way.

Hozure began bringing this character to life in his distinctive art style so that we had a better understanding of his look going into the second Icarus book, The Maelstrom.

Here you can see the four poses we were given to work with.  I always feel so regretful that we don’t have multiple final versions done.  Maybe someday if I win the lottery!

Next up, you can see the character starting to take more shape. Yvensar is a proud elven druid, but without his magic, what does that mean for him?

Yvensar has to practice with his weapon of choice, the staff, in order to be effective in the dark new world that was left behind.  But there may be greater dangers than supporters of the late Rezarius, and the dwarves who hold elves to blame for the destruction of their beautiful planet.

And here you have it.  Our final look at the brother of Icarus. Yvensar lost just about everything at the end of The Fall, so it’s going to be interesting to write about what comes next for him.  Good luck to this proud elf as he deals with the cataclysm that follows the loss of magic from the world of Tellest!

artwork, Games, Quantum Quest

Sprite Arts – Trolls

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Well folks, we’re coming up to the end of an era.  We started working on these sprite art sets early last year, and now we’re officially done showing them off today.  We’ve gone through thirteen other races, and we’re officially at the end, with the trolls of Tellest.

gaul-vash pash-ert quirl-rockfist

That’s as diverse a line-up as any of the other ones I think you’ve seen in the Tellest sprites we’ve shown off so far.  We’ve got skinny sickly ones, somewhat attractive ones, and monstrous, “gonna-eat-you-up” ones.  But what makes ’em all tick?

gaul-vash-4x

Gaul Vash is a sickly, sniveling creature, who would be considered ugly by any race.  But with all that said, he still adds value to those around him.  As a mage from Kyramas, he’s prepared himself for sacrifice for years, and he’s just looking for the perfect reason.  Perhaps the mysterious dungeon is the one he’s been searching for.

pash-ert-4x

Pash Ert, meanwhile, is on the opposite end of the spectrum, as far as trolls are concerned.  With pseudo-elven features, she’s a very attractive person.  Unfortunately, just as Gaul gives his life to others, Pash takes what she needs.  There is a natural law that she alters to meet her needs: when Pash is near others, she will heal faster, but others won’t heal at all.  She is a survivor from Skar’dell, after all.

quirl-rockfist-4x

Our third and final troll champion hails from Grim’s Hold.  Quirl Rockfist fulfills the stereotype of what a troll would look like. Long tusks and green, scaly skin might make her look unattractive to the fairer races of Tellest, but to her own race, she’s a tremendous beauty.  She’s tough as nails to boot, and would make a good ally to anyone she could prove her loyalty to.

trolls-4x

Well, there you have it folks.  That’s the final race group shot that we have for our upcoming card game.  Now, don’t despair.  We still have a lot of stuff left to show off.  Serge did an amazing job with dungeon chambers and backgrounds as well.  We can’t wait to show them off!

The World is in Your Hands