Setting Outline: The Guardian

guardian-sword-jumping1The following is a brief overview of the history behind the comic book that I will be working with my brother in law, Nick Perkins (his link is here on this blog). I will be posting some more as time goes on…

Setting: The world of Kahonchi, in the great city of Arunhi

Basic Plot:

The world of Kahonchi, eons ago, was fought over by the Ancients, three powerful races. The Harakul, massive, powerful beasts. The Rakyr, swift and deadly fighters. The Elethar, mystical beings with immense magical powers. These three races had battled each other for centuries, and their hatred ran deep. In the wake of their destruction, a meager race known as Humans struggled to survive.

When the war between the Ancients had brought the humans to the brink of destruction, they developed a plan to seal them away, saving them from annihilation. They prepared a trap, which the Ancients fell into, in which they were sealed away into three stone monuments, the Everstones. The Ancients were trapped, and Kahonchi was safe. To ensure, though, that the Ancients would never escape, the humans provided The Guardian.

From the noble Koteki, mightiest of all the human tribes, the Beloved Hero, Adanhi, swore an oath to forever watch over the Everstones. Into a fourth monument, the Sentinelstone, Adanhi’s spirit was cast, and he was endowed with powers from the other great warriors of the other tribes. For eternity, his spirit would remain in the Sentinelstone, maintaining the seal on the Everstones.

Millenia passed. The human civilization flourished. They developed far beyond tribes, but left behind their old knowledge. In time, the magical powers they once held faded and were gone. The Everstones and the Sentinelstone were forgotten, mountains and forests, rivers and hills, were formed over and around them. On that ancient burial ground, a majestic city was built. Arunhi, throne of Kahonchi.

Only the spirit of the Guardian knew of the past.

As time passed on, though, the Sentinelstone grew weak. The Guardian could feel his powers ebbing away, and so he devised a plan to preserve the seal. It was a risky one, but it was all he could do. He would remove his spirit from the Sentinelstone, and cast it into a mortal frame. From there, he would be able to repair the Sentinelstone. The problem was that it would leave the Sentinelstone unnoccupied, and the Everstones unwatched. If the repairs were not made with haste, the Ancients would be able to escape from their prisons. Still, there was no other choice.

The Guardian’s spirit was removed from the Sentinelstone, and cast into a mortal body that he sensed was most suitable for his mighty spirit.

Unfortunately, that mortal body was an infant.

In such a state, the Guardian could not act as he intended. His spirit was trapped in a body that, although it had the spiritual capacity to hold his powers, was frail, and vulnerable. The Guardian realized, too late, that he would have to wait until this body had grown and matured. In the meantime, the Guardian spirit would remain dormant, awaiting the day that he could use his full powers.

Years passed, but as the infant grew into a boy, the dormant Guardian spirit slowly faded into the background, until, by the time the boy was eight years of age, the spirit was completely hidden behind that boy’s natural spirit. He grew up with no knowledge of his powers as the Guardian. He grew up as Mark Abrahms, an ordinary boy, in the great city of Arunhi.

Where the Guardian’s powers were suppressed, the ancient powers that once were began to return.

The Sentinelstone left unoccupied by the Guardian, The rest of the powers within it began to flow back into the world around it. The powers of the ancient tribes began to return, and Arunhi became alive with magical powers. Certain individuals, descendants of the great tribes of old, had powers rekindled in their blood. Old artifacts regained their ancient magics. Long forgotten creatures, began to stalk the jungles around Arunhi once again.

Worst of all, bit by bit, the Ancients began to escape their prisons, and influence the world again…

-Scott Krammer

So, during my Senior year of high school, we studied Vietnam for a couple months in my history class. One day, the teacher was talking about the draft, and he showed us the lottery results for some year in the 70’s (draft lottery, not money lottery). For my friend Parker’s birthday, the lottery number was a 3. When he heard that, he excitedly shouted, “I win! I’m going to ‘Nam!”

That event inspired this picture I drew in my commercial art class. It’s funnier if you know Parker.

PATHROS: Setting Outline: Ruling Houses

Here’s my latest on the PATHROS setting. Enjoy!

Ruling Houses:

Once the true worth of Pathros was realized, there was a sudden influx of colonists seeking to capitalize on this new find. The High Altheon Union, within whose boundaries Pathros is located, had, by virtue of their position, the right to the complete control of Pathros. Regardless, it was in the interest of the High Altheon Union to allow the different colonists to quarrel over the treasures of Pathros in a capitalistic manner. It had long been learned that capitalism was a much better motivator than government enforced labor programs. The colonists would be allowed a portion of the cut, but the Union was able to place strict regulations on them and their Aiex.

Within a decade or two, the colonies evolved into what they are now: Houses. The different Houses, factions controlling any number of cities and harvesting facilities on Pathros, each vie for control over Pathros and its valuable resources. The Union has put into place certain laws and regulations that prevent their competition from being outright warfare, but they still allow for a degree of conflict to arise in secret. The laws prohibit any House to have a standing army, and they also prohibit any House from killing any diplomats from one House to another. The Houses are obedient to those laws. None of them have standing armies, but they all have a substantial garrison of guards in their cities. In addition, the fearsome Dragoons, although as effective as any army, are not considered to be a standing army, as far as the Union is concerned. As for the law prohibiting any house from killing any diplomats: it only specifies diplomats, and no other political figure. When things get heated up between two Houses, the threat of assassination becomes a deadly reality. There are many more laws put in place by the Union, each one with just as many loopholes as the last.

Essentially, gaining control over Pathros involves a lot of cutthroat politicking, as well as a lot of covert operations, taking out the competition while still maintaining an image of relative innocence.

While there are dozens of Houses on Pathros, seven of them control the majority of the lucrative satellite, and most of the lesser Houses are subject to them. Each House controls at least one city on Pathros, and some of the major Houses control up to a dozen. Those seven Ruling Houses are as follows:

House Samarynth, famous for its innovative business techniques, the which are responsible for the House’s prominence.

House KianHaix, whose ancestors are said to have been the last Emperors of Third China back on the Earth-Relic.

House Gaant, the most powerful of the Ruling Houses, famous for having the best Dragoons on Pathros.

House Althaias, who use religion to motivate their subjects more than anything else.

House Myrnara, famous for their unique approaches at harvesting Aiex.

House Valsaea, the weakest of the Ruling Houses.

House Crayn, second only to House Gaant, and the first ones to colonize Pathros.

Those seven Ruling Houses, each with the many lesser Houses which are subject to them, struggle for control over the precious Aiex, and their primary weapon: the Dragoons.

-Scott Krammer

Next PATHROS release: Aiex Harvesting

Hancock and Explosions

Hey, so, y’know, I like video games.

From about midnight until 4 pm today (minus 5 hours for sleeping) two of my friends and I were blowing each other up on the way awesome computer game: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. It was a lot of fun. I felt like a zombie afterwards, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. For whoever is unfamiliar with the game, Dawn of War is an action packed RTS (Real-Time Strategy) that has been out for about three years (I think). It is set in the popular Warhammer 40.000 universe, a gritty, war-torn, sci-fi universe.  It has a lot of things blowing up, robots smashing tanks, or tanks blowing up people, and all sorts of stuff like that. It was just a lot of fun. I thought I’d let you know…

Prior to our LAN party, we went with other friends to see the new movie, Hancock (starring Will Smith as a superhero that is a homeless drunk who doesn’t care). It was very good. I know it got some bad reviews, but, well, those reviews obviously were written by morons. It was an excellent movie. Now, it was probably a lot different than most people expected it to be, and it was not one of Will Smith’s usual roles, but, personally, those were a few of the things I liked about it. The pacing was weird, though. At times it was very funny, but then it would quickly change to sad, or inspirational, or dramatic, or action packed, and then back to funny again. It was still very good, though. I would highly recommend it.

Well, thats all my random rambling for today…

-Scott Krammer

I’ve always been a big fan of the Boy Scouts. Especially the camping part. I regret to say that I didn’t receive my Eagle… I was within about a month’s work of it, then decided I didn’t want it. It was a stupid decision, really.

Anyhow, although this picture may appear as though it is making some commentary on the Boy Scouts, it really isn’t I just felt like drawing a Boy Scout, and I had watched the film “Dr. Strangelove” in another class earlier that week…

PATHROS: Setting Outline: Dragoons

Here’s a little more on the PATHROS setting (which is the one I am considering the most for the story I would like to write). Enjoy!

Dragoons:

Each ruling house, if it has any prestige at all, will have Dragoons. The Dragoons are the elite warriors of Pathros, the special forces. They are feared and reverenced, mysterious and renowned. Legends say that a small force of Dragoons can assault a fortress alone. Facts may not be too far different. Used only for the most critical of tasks, the Dragoons are at the top tier of any military force. What makes a Dragoon so prized? They have tamed the dragons.

Riding on the back of a fearsome species of aiexyreptilia, Dragoons soar through the mists and skies above, doing the will of their House rulers. More than simply having an unparalleled mount, the Dragoon’s are in top physical condition, equipped with the most advanced gear, armor, and weaponry, and enhanced by Pathros’ most valuable asset: aiex.

Aiex, primarily, is used in three different ways. The first is for the extraction of the miracle chemical, which is then used for medical purposes, and so on. The second is as the hardest of hard drugs. Pure aiex, ingested into the body in any way, is usually lethal. When mixed with a few other chemicals, though, it can be injected into the bloodstream to give a sort of super-high, more powerful than any drugs ever created on the Earth-Relic, twenty-fold. The side effects, though, are devastating, if not lethal. Just about the only way one can tolerate the after-effects of injecting aiex as a drug is to inject more, forcing its users to maintain a constant high. The third way aiex is used is in Dragoons. While injecting raw aiex is almost always lethal, there are a very small few individuals whose bodies can tolerate it. Those few, less than 0.5% of the population of Pathros, have just the right genetic code to tolerate raw aiex. They need to take it in very small amounts, gradually building up to doses that will have a noticeable effect. And that effect? It is similar to the effects of aiexyn gases that have been utilized to the many creatures that are indigenous to Pathros. The aiex will enhance the human body; strength, endurance, focus, and speed are just a few of the areas that can be enhanced by aiex injections. In greater doses, the enhancements are immense.

Dragoons possess superhuman traits.

That is not the only way the Dragoons use aiex. Much of their gear and weaponry is enhanced by aiex as well. The technology that utilized the powers found in aiex took almost two centuries to develop, but in the last decade or so, Dragoons have been equipped with aiex powered weaponry.

The third and final use for aiex in Dragoons is the most pivotal. It is in the taming of their dragon. In Pathros, there is a species of dragon classified as magnasauria varanus aves: Great Dragons. Of all the rare spectacles Pathros is home to, these are the rarest. They most fit the traditional view of a dragon held by Earth-Relic legends: massive reptilian form, immense wings, as well as the ability to breath out more than just air (due to the aiexyn mists they ingest). There is more to the great dragons, though, than their physical characteristics. They have an additional tie to aiex that other dragons lack.

When a human has been recently injected with a large dose of aiex, the great dragons sense that, and it triggers something within them: something that tames them.

The great dragons live in packs, scattered about Pathros. When a man who has recently injected aiex approaches them, they will come to greet him. Each member of the pack will line up in a ring, encircling the man. After a moment of silence, the dragons individually examining the man, any number of them may step forward. Doing so, whether it is an act of submission, or simply seeing an opportunity to utilize this person, they make a declaration of their desire to accompany this man.

If more than one dragon has stepped forth, they will then fight over the right to go with the man. The fights are rarely fatal, but more until one dragon is found superior to the others. The victor then approaches the man, and bows before it, indicating that the man should mount. The man mounts the dragon that has been tamed, and from that time forward, the great dragon is infinitely loyal.

It is an enigma, the reasons behind the behaviors of the great dragons. No scientific studies have found an explanation for it. The event is almost ceremonial, as if the dragons had been trained for it. No other species of dragon will do the same. The great dragons stand alone in their ritualistic submission to those who would become their riders. Whatever its origins are, the spectacle remains as the catalyst for the emergence of the Dragoons, the most feared warriors of all the galaxy.

-Scott Krammer

Next release on PATHROS: Ruling Houses

My friend Dave

Okay, so this isn’t really a friend of mine… it is just a picture… I do have a friend named Dave that can suck 30 feet of string up his nose, though.

PATHROS: Setting Outline

Story Idea — Name not yet decided… for now I will refer to it as PATHROS

Setting:

Pathros – 3579 A.D.

Pathros, a moon which has been inhabited by man for just over two hundred years, is a rare spectacle in this vast galaxy. It is fairly large, for a moon, and orbits the gaseous planet: Nephilath. It has a similar atmosphere to the Earth-Relic, and can support life. The only difference in the atmosphere is the addition of aiexyn, a unique chemical compound. Aiexyn is native to Pathros; it can be found nowhere else in the known galaxy. Aiexyn has a very low melting point, -26° C, as well as a low evaporating point, 4° C. Across the entire surface of Pathros, excluding only parts of the oceans, is a thick mist of evaporated aiexyn. The few, scattered human colonies are raised up a minimum of 100 meters in order to rise above the mists. Below, within the mists, is danger.

Pathros is inhabited by an entirely different domain of life than any other planet. While some of them are like animals and others are like plants, fungi, or bacteria, they all have something that no other lifeforms do, and their taxonomic classification is aiexates, or domain aiexia. The name explains most of it: aiexyn is a critical part of their make-up. Aiexates are dependant upon the aiex. Within domain aiexia are all of the common Eukaryotes: animalia, plantae, fungi, and so on, but all with the prefix: aiexy. That said, there are kingdoms aiexyanimalia, aiexyfungi, and so on. In a nutshell, Pathros is inhabited by very similar lifeforms to those found throughout the rest of the galaxy; the only difference is the role that aiex plays with these lifeforms.

Let us take, for example, aiexyanimalia. From that kingdom, we take a creature that might resemble a mammal. The difference is in the blood. Coursing through its veins is a similar compound of blood cells, carrying oxygen throughout the body, but that is not all. The blood not only carries oxygen, but aiexyn as well. Each lifeform has a dependency on aiexyn. If it doesn’t get the aiexyn, it will die. The aiexyn, though, does more than just sustain its life. It gives it various traits, characteristics, and functions.

To best understand this, one must understand the nature of the aiexyn mists. There are numerous types of mists found on Pathros. All of them are derived from aiexyn, but there are about a dozen different forms the mists come in. Visually, the only difference is in the colors. The effects of the mists vary, though. One type of aiexyn mist acts as a cooling agent, and over an extended period of time, a freezing agent. Another, on the other end of the spectrum, generates heat. An unprotected person that comes in contact with the mists will, over time, get burns. In a matter of minutes, they could have 1^st degree burns, and within ten to twenty minutes, 2^nd degree burns. Being exposed for over an hour could prove to be fatal. One type of aiexyn mists effects the nervous system, causing one to be very jumpy, even paranoid. Those are just a few of the various aiexyn mists; the rest of them are just as dangerous. The different types of mists are often separate from each other, but in some cases they mists flow together in one spot, lessening the effects, but producing them all at the same time.

The different species of aiexates are adapted to, and reliant on, one particular type of mist. The lifeform breathes in or in some other way absorbs the aiexyn mists, and then displays the particular qualities of that type of mist. An example: the Hearthoaks are a deciduous tree found on Pathros, particularly in areas where the burning aiexyn mists are found. Unlike any tree known on the Earth-Relic, the hearthoaks are fireproof. They would have to be, as, from time to time, out of various openings along the branches of the tree spurt jets of flame. Among animals, it is even more fascinating.

The various creatures in the aiexyanimalia kingdom are the true wonders, and dangers, of Pathros. While a tree that spurts out flames could be dangerous if you get near it, an animal with fiery breath can get near you. That’s not all, though. Aiexyn mists don’t just cause creatures to breath fire or other such unusual functions, but they enhance many other physical characteristics. In essence, all of the animals on Pathros could pose a threat. Even a tiny rodent could eat through an armored vehicle with its acidic saliva, or an herbivorous bird could scorch someone in self-defense. Those are just the small creatures. The big ones, the bad ones, are an even worse threat.

Two tons of muscle, spines down its hairy back, and a bite that sends an electrical current through its prey, describes the voltbison. The thirty foot pathrosic constrictors that leave a trail of frost or ice wherever they go can easily crush an armored vehicle, and freeze it at the same time. There are countless other creatures that wander Pathros. Their dangerous nature, as well as their unique traits have earned a common name from the creatures of Pathros. From the old legends on the Earth-Relic, they have received the name of dragons.

So, its a dangerous place, Pathros. Why do people bother spending their time there? Why do people risk their lives, living in unpleasant surroundings? The answer, Aiex, the liquid form of aiexyn. A certain chemical in the aiex can be extracted and used for medical purposes. Any medical purposes. It has proven to be the miracle chemical, and is used in cures for hundreds of diseases. It is the most valuable resource in the galaxy, and it is only found on Pathros. For that reason, Pathros is the most valuable world in the galaxy. Because of that, it is also the most fought over, and that is the premise for this book.

-Scott Krammer

Next release on PATHROS: Dragoons

May the (we)blogging begin!

Ahoy there world of people who use the internet to find various tidbits of information or at least mild amusement…

Well, anyhow, I started a blog, as you can obviously tell. To those who don’t know me, I am Scott Krammer, of Centerville, UT. I am starting this blog because I figure I do a lot of blogworthy stuff. Aside from delivering pizza, I spend a lot of time on what I call my “projects”. Those projects generally fit under the categories of writing, games, and cartooning/drawing.

I have always liked drawing and cartooning. Since I was but a lad, all of my school assignments had a bunch little cartoons and sketches in any open spots of the paper… usually, there were more drawings than answers to problems… I just like to draw, y’know. In addition, I enjoy cartoons and comic books. through several years of Junior high and high school, I had a comic book I made (usually when I was supposed to be taking notes in class…) Those comic books were pretty random and usually not really that funny, but to 15 year olds they were… I haven’t done those for a long time, but I still continue to draw and cartoon, and I will be working on a comic book in the nigh future, in collaboration with my much more talented brother in law.

Writing has also been a source of great enjoyment for me. I think I wrote my first novel in the 2nd Grade.  It was 3 pages of crap, and, thankfully, it has been lost for a long time. Since then, my writing has improved a bit, and I actually completed a book that was around 200 pages long when I was fifteen or so.  It could use some improvement as well, though.  Anyhow, where I’m at right now is kinda a slow spot. I’ve got several ideas for books that I want to work on, so I am just making rough outlines of each of them, and then I will review them and choose one to focus on. I’ll keep y’all updated on that.

Lastly, we have the games! I love games. All kinds of games. Video games, board games, role-playing games, War Games (the movie), and card games. I think they are all awesome. A large amount of my time is spent playing games. What I enjoy just as much (if not more) is making games. I’ve never made video games (although, admittedly, that would be delightful), but I make a lot of board, card, and role-playing games. For the past seven years, I’ve spent a lot of my time making games. Many of those are with my associate, Zachary R. Zullo, but I do a number of them on my own. So, expect to hear a lot about those.

So uh, those are my projects. That’s mostly what I will by posting about on this blog. If you don’t like it, go to Russia (I think that line is from the Simpsons). I may post about other things. Y’know, things about my personal life, or about pizza, or any random thoughts that course through my brain.  I may also post things about my family, religion (LDS), or other things of worth. So, yeah, that’s what you’ve got to look forward to. Enjoy!