My continuing look at Conquest of the Sphere through the questions from the folks at A Deadman’s Guide to Dragongrin.

 

Day 13

Who dominates the political spheres of your world?

This depends on the location. Many city states are ruled by monarchies, some by councils of one sort or another, some are theocracies. There are definitely groups and powers who have their minds set on dominating larger parts of the world, but to this point, nobody has been successful in doing so for very long.

 

Day 14

How safe is it to travel in your world?

Not very. The world is filled with danger, be it tough environments, nasty flora, vicious fauna, or the worst, other people. Most travel between major cities is done via caravans, where traveling in larger numbers helps keep everyone safe. Even ‘milk runs’ tend to have some hired muscle, just in case. There is a system of giant, elevated roads (called Great Roads) that form a web across the land. They’re ancient, and nobody knows how, why, or by whom they were built. Travel on them can be safer, because they generally carry a traveler above some dangers. But other dangers are always ready to step in, from marauding gangs to flying critters to sudden, violent weather. Conquest of the Sphere is a big, uncaring world, and a lot of people stay huddled behind walls in fear.

 

Day 15

What mystical material is valued in your world?

Well, there are no ‘mystical’ materials. However, there is a certain weird mineral that is valued by a mysterious cult. What it can do will be revealed more in the novel I’m working on. I don’t know that I’ll get into its history, there. So I’ll say now that it was created in the distant past when a massive accident released a type of energy that effected certain elements within the crust of the world.

 

Day 16

Are constructs common in your world? What is their role?

This one is easy. No. Not really.

This answer could get very convoluted and esoteric.  There is a species, which does take an occulted part in the development of the world that, while not specifically a ‘construct,’ are the evolved, distant (millions & millions of years) descendants of a disastrously failed attempt at creating A.I.

 

Day 17

What rare and interesting races populate your world?

Well, ‘race’ is a cultural concept, not based on any proper science. There are two species that are generally in control of the world, the Una (human-like) and the Yaro (hyena/canine-like humanoids). For rare and interesting, I guess I’d go with Baal’s people. They live only on some islands in the West, and they aren’t like any other group of Una. But for more on that, you can read my ebook, or wait for future writings.  I sure hope the Yaro will be interesting when I look deeper into their biology and culture. As it stands, they’re somewhat rare in the part of the world I’ve been writing about, but not at all in the part that they hold more dominance in, where they have cities and nations and religions of their own.

 

Day 18

What relics of the past shape the present?

This is one of the core themes of Conquest of the Sphere. Relics of the past, ruins and leavings of those who lived before are the building blocks of the world. The Una and Yaro themselves are relics of the so called First Folk. The Great Roads are leftovers from a previous species (actually pre-dating the First Folk) and they are a key to travel and trade for current civilizations. There’s a lot.

 

I hope these questions are making readers at least a little interested in what I’m working on, and what else might be in store for the Conquest of the Sphere.  I hope that maybe you’ve got some questions of your own. I’d sure like to hear them.

 

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