Mageborn was a very tame book, and so it had a very tame cover.  It was whimsical and colorful, beautiful for sure, but since the story doesn’t highlight a lot of action, we didn’t want to focus a lot of it in the cover.  Son of the Storm, the second book in the Tales of Tellest series, has a much grittier theme, and culminates in a lot of darker, colder tones.  On top of that, it focuses more on the alien races of Tellest rather than the magical veil that surrounds the world.

We knew that we wanted to focus on the human protagonist, Bolt Thunderfury.  It’s a tale that is ultimately about him, even though its told from the perspective of his adoptive father.  But we also couldn’t set the dwarven people by the wayside.  So, too, we wanted to focus on their ancient foes, the harpies.

As with Mageborn, we had a terrific amount of options and wiggle room.  Here is a selection of sketches that we loved but set aside.

As you can see, they were all pretty fantastic.  There were a lot of choices to be made, but we finally came to a decision.

There was something about that selection that spoke to me more than anything else.  It had a brilliant focus, and we could bring more of the novella into the cover.  After some further sketches, we knew we were onto something great.

It’s always so cool to see where Leo starts to where he ends. Practically magical in its own right.

Finally, we arrived with our finished product, which is just breathtaking.  Check out the final piece below.

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Entymology

Cracius is named after an explorer, Hector Cracule from Erenea who sailed and mapped the majority of Tellest.  He was also responsible for the naming of Craceon, in the continent of Saveon, which was discovered first.

Geography and Environment

Cracius is bordered by mountains on its northwest and southeast, and by the countries of Raleigh on its west, and Warus on its south.  The ocean also borders it on its northeast, though several islands that are possessed by the different Draconian countries sit in that area.

Parts of the country are significantly colder than many of the other places in Draconis, due to the high elevation.  The capital of Cracius, Vessa, sits high up at the top of the plateaus of the country, exposed to wind and snow.

The majority of the civilized part of the country is moderate, and contains many forests and plains, as well as large lakes and rivers.

Races

Because of the cold weather within much of Cracius, not many races actively live there.  The country was originally inhabited by humans, dwarves, elves, avarians, nagas and harpies.  The humans, elves and avarians all live at different altitudes, but the nagas and harpies only live at the plateau level or higher, leaving the elves relatively safe.  Most of the dwarves left Cracius several centuries earlier.

History

Early History

Cracius was the turning point for race diplomacy upon the continent of Draconis, especially among the three prime races.  The elves of Cracius were among some of the friendliest toward the humans, and the dwarves and humans fulfilled a symbiotic relationship of trades.  The avarians also expressed friendliness toward the other races.

The naga and harpies helped to solidify the companionship between the four goodly races of the country.  Being common enemies, it united humans, dwarves, elves and avarians, who fought diligently against the naga and harpies for centuries.

The Dark Prophecy

On Flamedays, 23, 917, an avarian named Braccada fell from the sky, landing within the fire of a dwarven camp that was on its way to a new mine which had been built in northeastern Cracius.  The dwarves thought that they were under attack by some unseen force, which only left Braccada in the fire longer, causing him grievous wounds.

Eventually, the dwarves rescued the avarian from the campfire, opting to bring him to the nearby elven city of Quen’allur for healing.  On the way there, Braccada was irrefutably weak, whispering in an unknown language to the dwarves.  When he was given to the care of the elves, they discovered that Braccada was speaking the language of the highborne harpies, known for their precognitive abilities.

A group of dwarves and elves transcribed, as best they could, the words Braccada was speaking, and began their travels to find the highborne harpies, passing through human settlements as they went.  When ascending Cracius, the group stayed at Prassa, the human capital.  Reginald Fagan, a leader of the humans, joined their ranks.  Eventually they passed through avarian territory as well, and two of the bird-people joined with them as well while they made their way to see the highborne.

The group reached the highborne harpies on the 14^th of Obsil, 917, and finally told their tale.  Several of the companions had fallen to vicious enemies upon their journey, and the harpies, unbelievably, were gracious hosts to the fellowship.  When the dwarves and elves shared their transcribed message from Braccada, however, the harpies quickly changed their stance.

Braccada’s message alluded to a great evil falling upon Cracius, which would pit all the races against each other.  It all hinged on one human, who the harpies believed to be the son of Reginald Fagan.  However, when he confirmed that he had no son, his companions aided him against the highborne.  The message translated, the group fled for safety, leaving the harpies to their madness.

Over the next several months, all of the surviving members of the fellowship returned home.  Upon returning home, Reginald was named a successor to the human throne of Cracius.  However, when his wife was summoned to Prassa, Reginald discovered his wife pregnant, and near to her delivery date.

Aversion

To try and avoid the prophecy of the highborne, Reginald Fagan had his unborn child killed while in the womb through the art of magic.  His wife became mad and eventually committed suicide.

Still, Braccada’s words were being uttered, despite Reginald’s sacrifice.  After several years, Reginald was driven to solitude, and disappeared, never to be seen again.

The Exodus of the Dwarves

The dwarves of Cracius had grown fearful of the prophetic words of their avarian guest, and prepared to leave the country.  A statue of Braccada was erected at the entrance of the dwarven tunnels, blocking access to it.

The race left Cracius within the year, bringing Braccada with them.  The dwarves traveled southwest toward Daltain, where many of them made their home.  In the absence of the dwarves and their avarian seer, fear was quelled, and silence once again fell upon the country.

The Bastard Son

Years later, a woman came forward with a kingdom shattering revelation.  She had bore the son of Reginald Fagan out of wedlock, confirming that she was his mistress.  Her son, Warrick, was the rightful heir to Reginald, and the true successor to the throne.

To help alleviate any fears that Braccada’s prophecy would come true, the council at Prassa decided to allow Warrick to rule under their guidance.  Since the disappearance of Reginald, the council had looked after Cracius without a figurehead leader, but would guide Warrick’s hand, in an effort to avoid the dark omens of the past.

The Journey of Enlightenment

As Warrick grew, he was told of the terrible prophecy surrounding the origins of his birth.  He trained to be a strong, benevolent, and levelheaded ruler, who the humans, and even the elves and avarians could come to depend on.

But still, the prophecy ate away at him.

Warrick wanted to prove Braccada wrong.  He wanted to let history see him as the do-gooder he was, and not as the potential cause of Cracius’ internal strife.  He wanted to be seen as a hero, and began his search for his own path, leaving Cracius under the care of the council that had worked hard at molding him into the gracious king he had become.

Around that time, Roark, the fallen king of Blacklehn, was raised by his curse, once again bringing his blight about Draconis.  Warrick joined forces with several other heroes, and worked to drive Roark back into the depths from whence he came.  Accounts even claim that it was Warrick who delivered the death blow to the undead ruler.

The Return of the King

When Warrick returned to Cracius, his deeds united the country more than anyone could have dreamed.  Through his personal quest, he had helped to solidify diplomatic relations that had proved the prophecy of Braccada to be false.

With his mind at ease, Warrick let life take him down other paths.  He became a husband, and a father.  He began extending his reach to the ocean east of the country, assembling the most powerful navy in Draconis’ history.  He then set to train the world’s greatest army, seeking to avoid any incident like the rise of Roark ever again.

The Curse of the Fallen King

All was not at peace within Cracius.  Day after day, Warrick was changing.  Some say that it was because of the stress of the fight with Roark, the nightmares that came from that encounter.  His family was the first to notice it, his personal behavior changing well before that stature of his ruling.  His wife, the queen, was often on diplomatic errands to other countries, and his son, Artemis, was training with the navy and military, honing his skills as a warrior and tactician.

Finally, Warrick Fagan snapped.  He ordered the capture of all of the other races within Cracius, not just the naga and the harpies, but the avarians and the elves as well.  He had many reasons for his decisions, but all were disjointed and chaotic.  Members of his military mutinied, disappearing within the wilderness of the country, and they too, became sought for capture.

Warrick’s wife reached out for aid, realizing that Braccada, the avarian seer, had predicted the future correctly.  Her husband, her king, had become the tyrant the prophecy had foretold.

Warrick found himself standing against the same heroes that he had fought beside against Roark.  After personal struggles, as well as a great war that pitted Warrick’s loyal military against that of Raleigh, and the liberated elves and avarians, as well as dwarves from Daltain and kobolds from Warus, the king of Cracius was slain.

Rebuilding

Warrick’s son Artemis took the throne of Cracius, aware that the stigma of his family line sat against him.  But he took the first steps to alleviate some of the pains of his ancestors’ terrible decisions.  He released all the surviving prisoners of his father’s tyrannical schemes, including the naga and the harpies, hoping that it would give them some common ground in the future.  He redistributed the land for the other races as well, withdrawing his forces from their territories.

Cracius also disbanded most of its military, as well as its naval fleets.  Many of the ships still commissioned became escorts for merchant ships.  Artemis wanted to show Draconis that it did not intend to begin another war.

Present Day

Artemis Fagan is still the ruler of Cracius.  Though he is a young ruler, he is greatly respected and admired for his decisions.

Unfortunately, race relations within Cracius are strained.  None of the races are especially trusting of each other, although the humans are trying the hardest to restore the country to the state of peace and coexistence that was established toward the beginning of Warrick’s rule.

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Physical Appearance

There are very few races on Tellest that can take to the air.  Among them are the harpies, a people who appear to be women with bird-like features.  They have feathers that sprout from their arms, typically from just beneath their shoulders to the wrist, where human hands are.  Many of them have tail feathers as well.  Their shapely legs will turn into talons at just beneath the knees.  Most harpies have very angular features.  Regardless, their torso’s and faces are very similar to that of a human’s.  There are some subtle nuances, however.  Irises are wider; ears can be slightly longer and pointed, sometimes feathered.

Though most encounters with harpies seem to imply that there are only females, there are, in fact, males of the race.  They just appear in smaller numbers.

Clothing and Adornment

Because of their anatomy, most harpies prefer to wear very little clothing.  This makes them a very perplexing social entity, because they appear to have no shame.  Even in battle, harpies will typically wear the bare minimum.  Oftentimes this appears as miniscule smallclothes or a think draping.  Most harpies need to be sewn or laced into their garments.

On the other hand, harpies tend to wear jewelry, or pierce their bodies in many ways.  Colder climate harpies typically tend to paint their bodies or attach jewelry with special adhesive, while others will pierce anything from their ears, to their navels to their nipples.

Conversely, there is a subgroup of harpies that identify themselves as the Kyrie that finds it almost sacrilegious to defile their flesh.  Yet, these harpies take great strides to enter battle with full suits of armor.  Due to their heavier, wider wingspan, they can accommodate the extra weight.  They also conform slightly to human norms, attempting to fit their clawed, bird-like feet into greaves and boots.

Relations to Other Races

The harpies did not appear to Tellest until after the return of humans.  Thus, it is widely assumed that the two are somehow connected.  Because their features are so strikingly similar, many scholars believe that the strain somehow led to the facilitation of a bird-winged woman, who went on to spawn many more like her.

General Personality

Personal

Harpies are extremely territorial.  While they often encounter members of the other races during their travels, they rarely pursue any kind of confrontation.  Many times, the landlocked journeyers below won’t even know they’re in the sights of the winged women above.  When someone is deemed to be intruding on their roost or even anywhere near it, harpies can become violent beyond all reason.

Despite their furious appearance in those moments of aggression, they are quite devoted within their communities.  Helpful to one another and nurturing, harpies are very tightly knit.  This of course leads to more propensity for violence, for their thirst for vengeance also happens to run high.

Relationship

Due to the high volume of females within harpy culture, the winged women are typically in control.  Males are not to pick their mates, and often are given as gifts.  Even with that in mind, harpies typically retain a monogamous relationship with their mates.

Because male harpies are so rare, however, it is said that females will often kidnap humans to become their consorts.  The human traits are more recessive, leading to an ongoing line of harpies.

Family

Among the races of Tellest, harpies are one of the few that lay eggs to birth their young.  Despite a very human-like anatomy, their biology still has some strange traits.  Harpies lay eggs about every six months.  A male will have to fertilize it while it is still in the female’s reproductive system, however.  It cannot be fertilized after it has been expelled.

Harpy young mature at an alarming rate.  Though the egg that a harpy mother will produce is typically about half the size of a human baby, it is surprisingly sturdy.  After birth, the harpy young will only take about twelve years to reach adolescence.

For unknown reasons, more females are born than males, which have helped to shape their society in a matriarchal pattern.  While females typically rule over their groups, males will stay at home to protect the roost and their young.

Society

Despite their fury and their propensity for violence, wisdom is a widely respected trait among the winged women.  Typically, the oldest harpies become the most influential.  There are some that are known to commune with nature in some ways, and are declared matrons, regardless of their age.  These harpies typically choose their own flock and are usually awarded with one or more of the rare males as part of a ritual.

Harpies are also known to mourn for their dead.  It is said that the haunting winds that people hear are the cries of harpies in the skies.

Behavior toward Other Races

The harpies are not on good terms with several clans of dwarves that they’ve encountered that lived within mountain ranges.  It has also been said that due to a shared home in Minoa, they do not get along very well with minotaurs.

There is a complicated relationship that the harpies have with avarians.  Because both races fly, they are bound to encounter each other from time to time.  Because avarians police the skies, sometimes some of the questionable actions the harpies endorse, like stealing food and livestock, they’ve come to blows with the other bird-like race.

Despite many of the conflicts with the goodly races of Tellest, there is one variant of the race that will oft protect them.  Kyrie watch after their human neighbors, and will often fight alongside them in order to keep them safe.  They often travel alongside raven familiars, and are one of very few groups of harpies that do not roost in high up places.  Instead, they typically dwell in the trees around lakes and rivers.  Often, they are seen living beside swans.

Language

Speech

Harpies are well-spoken and intelligent.  They speak common fluently, but are keen enough to pick up on neighboring races’ languages as well.

Penmanship

Harpies tend to pass down their tales aurally.  Beyond crude drawings near their roosts, almost nothing is written down.

Religion

Personal Beliefs

The harpies are one of the races of Tellest that, curiously, do not believe in any of the common gods.  Rather, they believe in various spirits that they invoke in their rituals, including spirits of the storm, rain and wind.

History

Myths and Legends

Known to many of the races of Tellest is the tale of Babayan.  She was apparently a monster of a harpy that hid in the shadows, or high in a thundercloud and would snatch those foolish children who didn’t give reverence to the skies.  She preyed on the foolish.  Even the harpies were frightened of her, and told the stories to their fearful young.

Technology

General Technology

Thanks to the ability of flight, many harpies do not need technological advancements.  Their weapons and tools are very rudimentary, mostly because they can utilize their talons to great effect.

Magic

The harpies typically don’t express much interest in magic.  Rather, a select few are “chosen” by the air spirits, and are bestowed uncanny powers.  These chosen harpies are then called Matrons.  It is not unheard of to have several matrons within the same flock.  An example would be both a Matron of the Storm and a Matron of the Wind.

The Kyrie, thanks to their exposure to humans, are a little more exposed to the arcane arts.  They primarily rely upon clerical magic, but some are known to dabble in offensive spell casting.

Military/Combat

Military Structure

Harpies will very rarely meet enemies head on because of their flight capabilities.  Still, when they need to meet a foe in battle, they tend to swarm and surround.  In the air, harpies are excellent warriors and hunters.

Wars and Enemies

Over time, the avarians and the harpies have become intense rivals.  Avarians are the watchers of the skies, and they work tirelessly to protect their groundborne friends.  Because of the actions of the harpies, wars have broken out multiple times, where the avarians have tried to cull the other flying race in an effort to curb their crimes.

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