Scripting, pages 1-3

I've never actually done something like this before. With any luck, this will be easy to understand. If it isn't, we can tweak it. Here goes.

[represents the exact picture. what the audience is looking at]
{represents invoked feelings or senses, for either the characters or the audience}
*something said with emphasis, either itallics or bolded, your choice. ** both itallic and bold
SHOUTED!
((On one "line" of panels. This groups the panels together, though you can decide the size of each one as you see fit.))


((First panel
[a panoramic view of the outskirts of a medium sized desert city. A shadowed figure off the the side, lounging on overturned crates]
{feelings of hot, dry heat, and also of secrecy or deviousness}))

((Second panel
[close up of the shadowed figure - Yul]
{annoyance}

Third panel
[shot of vexa arguing with a fat merchant]
{angry feelings, small in stature}))

((Fourth and fifth panels
[Yul getting up off the crates and stretching]
{annoyance, power - he should come off as a warrior tried and true}
Yul: Vexa...))

______________________

((First panel
[Vexa is still arguing]

Second panel
[Still arguing, threatening the merchant with her staff]
Yul, offscreen: Vexa...

Third panel
[still arguing]))

((Forth panel
[Yul gets between them]
{putting his foot down, no nonsense}
Yul: For the love of the GODS woman, would you stop yapping at the man for two minutes and calm down!

Fifth panel
[Vexa jabs her staff into a tender body part - gut, groin, foot, etc]
Optional Vexa : Harrumph (or other such angry/annoyed noise

Sixth panel
[Vexa angry at everybody]
{Frustration, anger}
Vexa: No! Vexa will not calm down! She is being cheated! It will not be tolerated and Reparations must be made before the caravan will be permitted to leave!

Seventh panel
[Vexa and Yul glowering]
{size difference between the two should be emphasized}))

((Eigth, ninth and tenth panels, possibly more if you like
[Yul annoyed in various postures]
Yul: Urgh... stupid greedy good fer nothing...Listen, I don't know how much you think you're being 'cheated' you coin-squeezing cheapskate. I don't care. If you have to, take the difference out of my stipend. The rest of the caravan is dying in the heat. They aren't built to withstand this kind of weather like you and I are. Just take your money and lets go."))

__________________________________


((First panel
[Vexa striking Yul in the groin]
{annoyance, being insulted}

Second panel
[Yul doubled over in pain]

Third and fourth panels
[Vexa and yul glowering]))

((Fifth panel
[Vexa turns away from yul]

Sixth panel
[Merchant and yull exchange glances]
{confusion}

Seventh panel
[Vexa stalks off]))

((Eighth panel
[Panorama view, Vexa making her way to a caravan encampment]))

A pebbled path

Vexa skittered up the side of the covered wagon, her tiny limbs a blur as she dove into a miniature hammock hanging from the ceiling. Her little head poked out over the side and she regarded Yul with shiny copper eyes.

"Illegal? No no no no no..." Vexa shook her head vehemently. "Vexa would never sell something illegal. No, the things she sells are merely inaccessible to the average peon. One must have money to purchase these things. If one has the funding, nothing is inaccessible, yes?"

Yul growled in exasperation. Stupid kobolds... So greedy, and materialistic. "Money doesn't change the fact that we're carrying around about half a ton of deadly POISONS. And no matter how much you may try to rationalize it, if we get caught, we will go to jail. Or rather, I will go to jail for being an accessory. You, as the leader of this wretched excuse for a caravan, will be stoned to death. Or worse!"

The kobold wiggled herself into a cozy cocoon of blankets, her head still hanging over the side - though now it had a fluffy blanket on the top of it.

"Do not be silly Yul. Vexa has sold these alchemical reagents many times in the past. She has sold them to merchants and kings alike. Clearly if she was going to go to jail for this, it would have happened already."

Hauling himself into the caravan wagon, Yul gathered his wits about him and confronted his traveling companion.

"Vexa, you stupid chit! You can't be trying to haggle with these vendors - the stuff we're trying to sell is ILLEGAL! If we get caught you can kiss your profits goodbye!"

A pebbled path (cont)

Despite the sickening pain radiating from his nether regions, the gnoll stared down his tiny superior. It seemed for a moment that she would stay true to her word and not back down, but eventually Vexa harrumphed once more and spun on her heels to the general direction of the caravan. She swung her staff in front of her, smacking innocent bystanders and muttering curses the entire way back.

She hadn't always been like this. Oh the snark and the haughtiness had always been there, to be sure, but Yul could remember a time when Vexa had been humbled to the point of gentleness. The very first time they'd met she'd been quick to shy away from confrontations, preferring the more traditional kobold tactics of sneaking and back-stabbery.

It was a long time ago, before he was a trader. Before he was a free gnoll. Before he'd ever considered that his life could be more than just what the slavers told him it would be.

That was a dark time, and his body was still littered with scars, despite the costly tonics and creams he'd bought to diminish them. Though having many scars was often the sign of a powerful warrior, and certainly not anything to be ashamed of in normal gnoll culture, the marks on Yul served only to remind him of those bleak days.

Shielding his eyes from the sun, the tall male made his way back towards the caravan. Now was not the time to be reminiscing about the past. Not when they could be arrested and hauled away any minute...

How magic works, and kobold society

I'll be the first to admit... while I have been heavily influenced by  webcomics like Goblins and YAFG, I don't really have the willpower to sit down and pour over source materials to make this a D&D world. The easiest way to get around obscure rules that future readers might point out and scream at me for? Declare ahead of time what things are like in "my world"

In my world, I draw magic from arcane and divine sources. Any spell that is cast draws its power from one of those two sources, and any caster in a particular school may draw from another spell list that uses the same school of magic. (IE, If you are a cleric, you can use ANY divine spell provided that you are high enough level to cast it, and it has been taught to you OR if you have a scroll that would allow you to cast it).

Some items, such as Vexa's trader staff, can be used to store spells. If an individual is compatible with the given spell - meaning that it belongs to the same school of magic that they are versed in, and they would be high enough level to cast it - the item will work without a hitch. If there is an incompatibility though, using the item comes with a price and a risk.

• Using an item that you do not have the level for costs magical energy. In dire straits, one can draw from one's "life energy". This is VERY risky though, and not at all recommended. More typically, magical energy is drawn from precious stones and valuable metals. Generally, the more expensive a good is, the more energy is stored inside it. Quartz has a very small amount of energy - therefore people don't like to use it, and there is plenty to go around. Diamonds have a large amount of energy, and so people use them for magic and deplete the supply. There are exceptions to this rule however. Animal based goods such as pearls and ivory do not have the same amount of magical energy as a stone or metal of the same monetary worth.
• Using an item that draws from a different source of energy than you are used to will cost experience points. This is true for those who are not trained in any magic at all as well, though the cost is far less for them than for one who tries to use an item of an opposing magic source. If there is not enough XP to cover the cost, the spell CAN go through - at the cost of one's life energy.
• Static spells, such as those that grant protections, do not cost anything to use, no matter what source they draw their magic from. These "property" items simply are. The spells are always on, and in time the magic placed on them will slowly leach away. The more magical energy that the base item has in it, the longer the spell will last. Thus, the diamond broach of poison resistance lasts much longer than say, the stone chalice of poison resistance, because diamonds have a high level of innate magical energy than plain stones.

_________________________

Our main protagonist Vexa is a kobold. Though there is significant amount of overlapping in this world, and the world of others, there are some things that I should spell out, as they will be important later.

Kobolds have an unhealthy infatuation with dragons. They pretty much worship dragons in the same way that they worship any other god in the pantheon. Most established clans will have their own "personal" dragon. They provide treasure for the hoard and other perks in exchange for wisdom and protection. How much of the exchange that actually takes place is highly dependent on the individual dragon. Honorable ones will give more than or equal to what they take, while corrupt ones will simply take treasure and ignore the pleas for help when adventurers come knocking at the kobold's door.

Their society is highly segregated, and though while it IS possible to move up in the ranks, it is very difficult. An individual's place in society is found in a window of time starting from before they are hatched to immediately after. Newly laid eggs are brought to the dragon for inspection (if for some reason, a clan does not have a dragon, the leader of the clan can also do this), where they will be evaluated for their potential. Those with the most potential will be placed in the warmest part of the hatchery, while those with less get shunted off to the cooler sands. After hatching, all hatchlings are checked for the color of their scales. The higher ranking ones will have a slightly metallic sheen, while lower ranks will have a solid matte coloring. On occasion, some will be born with dragon wings. No matter how much potential they were rated as having when they were inspected, being born with wings is an automatic upgrade to the upper echelons. Having both metallic scales AND wings is usually enough to warrant grooming for an important position, such as leader or high priest.

Kobolds place a high price on how useful one is. This highest insult is to call one "worthless" or "useless". Certain professions are more valued than others. Mining is the general catch all job for kobolds. It is a respectable job in their society, much like being an office worker in ours. Arcane casters are reserved for those with metallic scales, although if a youth shows extraordinary talent, exceptions can be made for their dull scaled brethren. At the bottom of the heap are those who remove the garbage and waste from the warren, or who handle the mounts. 

A pebbled path

Though they had been traveling together for years, Yul never could quite get over just how much testicular fortitude Vexa seemed to have. The wiry gnoll stood up wearily, his body stiff from the uncomfortable position on a jumble of overturned crates. He stepped out into the blazing heat of the desert sun, the rays producing an almost golden sheen on his coat, grateful that his kind were born and bred for this kind of atmosphere.

“Vexa…” He warned. The tiny female took no notice of him. She was far too busy arguing with a vendor. Of what, Yul didn’t know. He didn’t care. Knowing her, it was likely something stupid and of little consequence. “Vexa! For the love of the gods, woman, could you stop yapping at the man for two minutes and calm down?”

It was a stupid comment, to be sure, and his punishment was swift. The kobold he’d just insulted jabbed the end of her staff into his gut, harrumphing.

“Vexa will NOT calm down!” She screeched angrily. “She is being cheated! It will not be tolerated, and reparations will be made before the caravan is permitted to leave.”

“Urgh… stupid greedy good-fer-nuthin…” Yul muttered, seething at Vexa’s inability to be rational. Of all the times, and of all the places to argue over a few coppers, this had to be one of the worst. "Listen, I don't know how much you think you're being 'cheated' you coin-squeezing cheapskate. I don't care. If you have to, take the difference out of my stipend. The rest of the caravan is dying in the heat. They aren't built to withstand this kind of weather like you and I are. Just take your money and lets go."

Another whack of the staff, and Yul found himself doubled over in pain. She'd struck him squarely in the groin.

An introduction to the Silver Road.

Here is a little bit of background to the story "The Silver Road."

I take the title of this blog from the organization that the main character belongs to - the Traders of the Silver Road. The traders are a bit like stereotypical gypsies combined with pirates, traveling in huge caravans all across the realms, seeking out items of both magic and mundane nature to add to their offerings. Each trader has a staff that depicts a bit of their soul, the very fiber of their being used to craft it. The materials it is made out of varies from trader to trader, but they all have a silver cap on the bottom. Those still learning the ropes, so to speak, have their caps plain, or with something very simple carved into it, such as bands or geometric shapes. Fully vetted traders have more complex designs, and those with the highest honors have magical or valuable items bonded in it.

The story takes place in a RPG mechanics world. Characters freely reference experience points, levels, classes, hit points and other RPG staples. I make the parallel that we know that if you eat foods with alot of calories, you gain weight. They know if you gain a lot of experience points, you go up in level. Though I may make D&D style references, and use some of their races, I do not pretend to know enough about the game and world to use it for my own setting. This is an semi-original universe with heavy borrowings from others writers and story tellers.

I write by the seat of my pants, and though there are a few events that are planned out, most everything is flexible. Hell, right now ( 4PM on Thursday, September 30), I don't even have the names of any of the other characters. I don't even know what SPECIES they are. I have some traits that I want them to have, but I won't know what they're really like until I sit down and write them.