I'm not going to bore you with the history of the Kindred Lands, much less the history of the entire planet of Tos.  Much of it is shrouded in mystery anyway, although the Bardic tradition of Hollenwain has done much to preserve many legends.  Spool will tell you some of it, in Episode Six, and the rest you will pick up here and there.

 

No, this is not a history, though the past accompanies this tale like a metronome.  It is not a poem, though more than a few poets will have their say before it is done.  It is not a love story, though love can never be kept out of a story if the fiction bears any resemblance to reality.  It is not a morality play...uh...not intentionally. If you really want to know, this is the story of a girl...and a boy...and another girl, and a boy, and...a boy, and a girl, and a boy and several more girls, and -

 

Oh nutters.  See, this is what happened:  I began this as a short episodic tale written to a penpal and starring the same, including as characters some mutual friends on a bulletin board.  It started to develop, grow beyond my intentions, then - well - I took a hiatus of several months.  During that time I continued to think about the story, and when I recommenced writing, the scope of characters and the intricacies of the plot had gone far beyond my original intentions.  I can't say that any resemblance these characters  have to actual individuals is coincidental, because I have made a point to - with permission, sort of - include many that I know and love.  The names I have given many of these characters is made up by me, as a kind of game so my friends can work at figuring out who they are.  Others are obvious. 

 

If you know me, you are probably in it.

 

I'm still writing, trying to add a chapter every week or two, so there is lots of time for your inclusion, if you have any wish to be included.  The plot is complicated and convoluted as it is, but I can always add some new twist (as long as I feel it contributes to the overall plan).

 

So read on, and decide if this is an adventure in which you might like to participate (no promises, though).  Or simply read and hopefully enjoy.  In any case, I promise a surprise or two.

 

Two quick warnings.  One of the characters has a penchant for pseudo-profanity, true to his real-life personality, and this is evident in Episode 5 (one of my favorite to write).  Episode 6 tries to take the edge off the word he frequently uses, but I mention this so that in the event that you are offended by even made-up curse words, you will avoid the story or at least gloss over much of what Foerwuns says.  Also, Episode 7a, Eyes, while important, is a foreshadowing of many of the characters and their roles (you just might be there!), may get tedious around halfway through.  Feel free to skip to 7b (when I write it).  But read at least the first few paragraphs of 7a.

 

That's it.  Oh, might as well give you a map.  Here you go, with thanks to AutoRealm: