I periodically have book sales (usually half price) and also free ebook offers. The sales are available in the USA and UK only, but the free ebooks are available in all countries.

FREE EBOOK / December 10th to 14th 2022

 

Dark Shadows in the Moonlight

 

The Bogatyr knight has been hired by a Habbel village to track down a forest demon that murdered three children and kill it, but can he defeat the huge beast? And why did the demonic Leshy attack the Habbel village in the first place?

"The Adventures of the Bogatyr" is a series of short stories, novelettes and novellas, telling the tales of a wandering Bogatyr knight who encounters strange magical phenomenon, unusual creatures (both living and undead), and the sometimes mean spirited humans, elves and other humanoids who live in the kingdom of Korovia.

FREE EBOOK / December 10th to 14th 2022

The Unbreakable Arrow

The stranger arrived in the village leading a dying injured horse.

The village was nameless, a collection of huts and stone buildings surrounded by the dense trees of an endless forest. The bedraggled people stared out of their hovels at the strange man with his injured horse, many a greedy eye on both of them. The look of desperation in their eyes was also one of hopelessness. These people had seen dark times and had taken to living in the woods to avoid the darkness enveloping much of the world.

The stallion was a dark grey roan and its flanks were speckled with injuries from arrows, presumably from bandits that plagued the road to the west. Most people would have simply slain the horse and put it out of its misery, partially because the meat alone was valuable, but this man did not. He led the horse to the nearest water trough and allowed the steed to drink for a long time before gently pulling the horse away.

The wanderer was tall and broad of shoulder, with a bushy black beard covering a handsome yet roadweary face, with a mane of unkept black hair with hints of grey around the temples. He was dressed simply in blood spattered clothes and carried a similarly blood spattered arming sword on his hip. The bandits would be burying their dead tonight. He had no armour or other weapons to speak of. Just the sword and the clothes on his back.

Further up the road was the stables at the top of the hill, surrounded by immense pine trees. The stranger walked up the rocky hill dense with tall cedar trees, past the blacksmiths pounding away on their forge next to a gully littered with the old bones of deer, elk and woolly rhinos. They were making swords with handles made from antler and ivory.

The stranger had seen such swords before, in the hands of the bandits who had attacked him on the road. The stranger led his horse further up the hill, slowly, almost gingerly. His horse was breathing heavily. When they arrived after much time he paid the stable boy with copper coins out of a hidden pocket.

"I dunno iffen dis horse will be livin' through da night melord," drawled the stableboy, a skinny uneducated lad of perhaps fifteen winters with a face of pimples and pock marks from surviving the pox. "He be lookin' ta drop dead as a doorknob any moment now."

The stranger produced a gold coin from an unknown location. He held it up for the boy to see. "This is the finest and bravest horse I have ever seen. I want you to wrap his wounds with clean linen and make certain he is well fed, groomed and kept warm during the night. If he lives until morning when I return, this coin will be yours. If any horse deserves to live, this horse does." The stranger gave him a small knowing smile, belying an untold story that made the lad curious to learn more. "Now where can I find a place to sleep?"

The stable boy pointed north. "Ye be gonna walk thatta way. When ye see da forest glade wid all da purdy flowers then da inn will be da tall-like building on da right."

The stranger walked north, following a trail through the tall trees and past wooden huts with quiet villagers who were busy worshipping their dark god. This village was not unlike others he had visited recently. These were dark times and whole villages now worshipped foul gods in an effort to stay alive, falsely believing that if they worshipped a dark god that the dark god would spare them from destruction. Dragons and demons roamed the land, and these villagers had made their homes in a thick forest, hiding from the sight of any that might fly over, and praying they did not attract the attention of any wandering demons.

...

Want to keep reading? The ebook version is currently free until December 14th 2022. Or you can purchase the paperback version.

 

COME BACK EVERY WEEK TO SEE MORE FREE EBOOKS AND BOOK SALES.

Free Fantasy Ebooks, December 3rd to 7th

I periodically have book sales (usually half price) and also free ebook offers. The sales are available in the USA and UK only, but the free ebooks are available in all countries.

FREE EBOOK / December 3rd to 7th 2022

 

The Rusalka's Lament

 

The Bogatyr knight hears the haunting singing of a Rusalka before arriving in the Habbel city of Shorin, where he later learns that there is a wanted poster for the Rusalka. Short on coin, he hatches a scheme for how to defeat her, but killing her and actually getting paid for his hard often requires a little extra effort.

"The Adventures of the Bogatyr" is a series of short stories, novelettes and novellas, telling the tales of a wandering Bogatyr knight who encounters strange magical phenomenon, unusual creatures (both living and undead), and the sometimes mean spirited humans, elves and other humanoids who live in the kingdom of Korovia.

 

HALF PRICE EBOOK / December 3rd to 7th 2022

 

The Exorcist's Dagger

 

The elderly thief Piotr has been accused of murdering a local exorcist in the mining town of Kazark, but he needs help to prove his innocence. With few options, he tells his apprentice Grigori to contact Wrathgar, a wandering barbarian from the Snowfell Mountains and convince him to help Piotr. Fortunately, the barbarian remembers Piotr

from the time they stayed in the same inn during the winter. Together with the young thief Grigori, Wrathgar needs to find the real murderer: A Xarsian priest who is looking for the exorcist's dagger.

But Wrathgar isn't the only one looking for the Xarsian priest. Svetlana, the exorcist's apprentice, is also looking for him, and she wants to kill the priest and avenge her master's murder. She doesn't care if this means letting Piotr hang from a noose for murder, so long as she gets her vengeance. Can Wrathgar find the evil priest and keep him alive long enough to prove Piotr's innocence? And why does the priest want the exorcist's dagger in the first place? What is so special about it?

The priest isn't the only one looking for the dagger either. Corrupt town guards, the captain of the town guard, and a criminal underground of Xarsians who love their gladiator fights and crucifying people are also looking for the dagger. They will stop at nothing to get it. Trapped in the middle is the prizefighting boxer Boris, the traumatized smith's apprentice Burian, and the gnome Bizbald, who always seems to show up when trouble or gold is involved.

COME BACK EVERY WEEK TO SEE MORE FREE EBOOKS AND BOOK SALES.

The Breeding of Wargs

I feel I should start by talking about the etymological origins of the words warg and worg.

Warg or worg etymology can be found in the Old English word "wearg" and the Old High German word "warg", which translates to strangler or choker. It is also connected to the Old Norse word "vargr", which means wolf (the plural for wolves is "vargar"). Similar words are also found in other Germanic and Scandinavian languages.

It therefore comes as no surprise that J. R. R. Tolkien, who was very fond of languages and making his own languages, adopted the word warg for his books set in Middle-Earth. The word warg was used to describe the large horse-sized canines ridden by orcs within the stories.

Now that that is out of the way I wish to discuss the topic at hand: The Breeding of Wargs, at least from a fantasy writers' perspective. Or possibly a science fiction writers' perspective. Which is to say, a theoretical sense, and not necessarily meant to be taken seriously.

Part One: Conventional Breeding

Start with the biggest wolves and dogs you can find. Feed them. Train them to fight. Choose from amongst them the biggest and meanest to breed.

Ideally it would be good to start with dire wolves (canis dirus), which were about 25% bigger than modern grey wolves (canis lupus), but unless you have access to some prehistoric wolves that weigh about 150 pounds well then beggars cannot be choosers.

Note - Some dog breeds (Eg. English Mastiffs, Bully Kuttas, etc) can grow to 200 to 300 lbs, making them good examples of dogs that could be used for such breeding. The largest dog ever recorded was a 340 lb English Mastiff. Bully Kuttas is an example of a breed of dog that was specifically bred for war, but also used as guard dogs and hunting dogs. The fundamental difference is that Bully Kuttas were bred over a short period, whereas wargs would need to be bred over a much longer time period.

Next what you need is time. Wolves take two years to reach maturity, but often don't breed until they are three years old or older. With each successive generation you want to be breeding bigger and bigger wolves, while prioritizing their viciousness and any traits desirable for breeding them specifically for war.

However there are downsides to this gradual increase in size and constant breeding.

#1. Inbreeding can result in the resulting 'proto dire wolves' being more vulnerable to disease. Possibly including venereal diseases which could kill off entire generations of the canines.

#2. The bigger mammals get the longer it will take them to reach sexual maturity.

#3. It will take millennia to breed canines that are as big as horses, at which point they won't reach sexual maturity until they are 6 or 8 years old, which lengthens the amount of time between successive generations.

#4. Larger mammal size also leads to generally longer gestation periods. A common wolf's gestation period is 62 to 75 days, but something the size of a warg would have a gestation period of 11 to 12 months. Thus by the time wargs have reached their ideal size, roughly equivalent in size to a horse, it would take approximately 7 to 9 years for them to reach sexual maturity and produce offspring.

For reference the gestation period of African Elephants is 21 to 22 months, while a mouse has a gestation period of 20 days.

Now you might think that wolves or dogs cannot possibly be selectively bred into wargs, otherwise they would already exist. Well, dire wolves did historically exist, but either died off or bred with smaller wolves, resulting in their breed disappearing.

Or perhaps you think that a few millennias is too short a time to breed a much larger type of canine. But you might be forgetting that horses were only domesticated 6000 years ago, and were certainly a lot smaller than modern horse breeds like Percherons, Shires, Clydesdales and Belgian Drafts. Early horses about 6000 years ago only weighed about 800 pounds (about the size of an Arabian horse), but some of those larger breeds I just mentioned can be about 2200 pounds. So yes, if you breed for size you can significantly increase the size of a subspecies in the space of thousands of years.

But therein lies the problem of why this has never been done. It would take thousands of years to breed wolves into something the size of wargs. You would need a culture of people obsessed with warfare in order to breed such canines. As per Tolkien's Middle-Earth, this makes a bit of sense when it comes to orcs.

Side Topic: The word orc is related to the following words: Orc, meaning a type of ogre, a variant of which is found in the Old English epic of Beowulf. Orcneas, an Old English word that means monsters. The Latin word orcus which means hell. The Italian word orcus which means demonic monster. Lastly, orca, which is another word for a killer whale.

Part Two: Magical Breeding

Depending upon the magic system within the individual fantasy world it should be possible to use magic to speed up the process of breeding a larger species.

The matter of How is interesting however because the wizard, mystic or whatever kind of magic user (mage?) could be using many different methods.

#1. Time Travel (Variant 1)

Go back in time to find samples of large canines and bring them forward in time to conduct breeding, and then return them to the past so that the timeline is not disrupted.

#2. Time Travel (Variant 2)

Travel forward in time to when wargs already exist and borrow (or steal) a few wargs for breeding purposes. This effectively assumes a time loop in which wargs would only have ever existed thanks to a time paradox, or an alternate timeline in which wargs were conventionally bred.

#3. Transmutation / Alteration Magic

If you polymorph a mouse into a warg, can the warg breed with other canines to produce offspring? Or what if you transformed a smaller canine into a larger canine? Does the magic alter the creature on the genetic level? If yes, then it should be possible to use various methods to create giant wolves that could be used for breeding wargs.

#4. Illusion

Okay, so this is a bit complicated. Depending upon the magic system, it is generally accepted that if the person seeing and interacting with the illusion believes that it is real then it effectively is real, hence why someone could still be killed by an illusionary guillotine. If the magic system dictates that illusions are completely fake, and that it doesn't matter whether someone believes in them or not, then this isn't going to work. If it is the former and the female canine believes the male is real, then she should still get pregnant as a result of breeding with an illusionary warg.

#5. Shadow or Demi-Shadow Magic

As above, but using Shadow Magic, which in some magic systems is considered to be partially real and partially illusion, and likewise follows the principle that belief influences reality. Thus the shadow magic warg can still breed, and was always considered to be at least partially real even at the beginning regardless of whether the female canine believes or not. Furthermore, this could lead to a breed of wargs ("Shadow Wargs") that might possess abilities pertaining to shadow magic, possibly useful for stalking their enemies and prey.

#6. Evolution Magic or Genetic Magic

The breeding pairs effectively remain unchanged, but the magic user alters the genetics or speeds up the evolutionary process using magic to affect the unborn fetuses. Having such magic allows the wizard/etc to "Play God" and create many new species. If such magic exists in the fantasy world then there should be lots of weird species as a result. Eg. Gryphons and unicorns certainly, but also "shark-bears", giant monkeys, and miniature elephants that people keep as pets. Thus such magic could be interpreted as belonging in a High Magic setting.

#7. Magical Modification

Skip the breeding process entirely and just magically modify canines to suit your purpose by transforming and improving them. This could result in many different variations of wargs that are the result of experimentation.

Part Three: Genetic Experimentation

In the Genetìc Experimentation scenario we ignore magic and instead go "Full Jurassic Park" using CRISPR or similar technology to modify, mutate or speed up the evolutionary process.

How someone could theoretically do this can be done in many different ways, especially since the author doesn't technically need to adhere to scientific means in a realistic sense.

Ever seen the 2003 film "Hulk" which stars Nick Nolte as the villain? In the film Nolte's character experiments with a serum on his dogs, which are originally a Mastiff, a Pitbull and a Poodle. The Hulk serum transforms them and makes them bigger, tougher and meaner, turning them into "Gamma Dogs" or "Hulk Dogs", but for our purposes they're effectively the supervillain equivalent of wargs.

Not much of a scientific explanation is given for why the gamma radiation infused serum can create Hulk Dogs. It is just there as a plot device to give the dogs and the main villain their powers.

In theory a writer can just sort of bodge together a method that doesn't necessarily have to make scientific sense, but I recommend doing the opposite. Come up with a scientific means, as detailed and as realistic as you can make it. It doesn't have to be perfect, but try to make it interesting.

Part Four: Mutation or Natural Evolution

Just because some versions of wargs were selectively bred and designed for warfare doesn't mean that the wargs in your story have to be that way too. You could simply rely upon wargs existing naturally, as the result of evolution. Or perhaps the first warg was simply a mutation and the subspecies is the result of that one warg parenting a lot of children who went on to propogate the breed.

Part Five: Variants and Crossbreeding

As previously mentioned above there should also be variants too. Eg. Shadow Wargs.

Various types of wargs could be bred for:

• Speed
• Tracking or Hunting
• Riding
• Massive Size
• Thicker Hides
• Woolly Fur
• Toughness
• Swimming
• Colour (for camouflage purposes)
  

There could also be wargs that are magically/genetically enhanced or modified so that they have wings capable of gliding or flying, breathing fire, or other abilities.

One of the fastest ways to give wargs unusual abilities would be to crossbreed them with unusual canines, such as fire-breathing hell hounds in order to create hellish wargs. Or to crossbreed the wargs with a magical species capable of breeding with many types of creatures, such as dragons. Eg. Half-Dragon Wargs.

Or it could be the result of alien crossbreeding, similar to the Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise.

Of course, this may depend upon how silly you want to get with your wargs. You might decide your fantasy world doesn't need any hellish wargs with dragon wings. Because that's just too silly!

Meanwhile other writers might decide they're writing a comedy and embrace such silliness.

Speaking for Myself

So how are wargs bred in Korovia/Aoerth? Well, they were bred using dire wolves as the starting point over thousands of years, with various magicks used as well to enhance their strength and viciousness, and in the case of yarnawolves to enhance their abilities to create a large intelligent wolf which with icy breath. So a combination of factors went into making wargs as big as horses in my world, as well as making a variety of other breeds.

As a writer I have embraced a wide spectrum of canines within my storytelling, including:

• Dire Wolves
• Half Dire Wolves / Mixed Breeds
• Yarnawolves / Winter Wolves
• Wargs
• Half-Wargs
• Xarsian Wolves (intelligent, having a hive mind)
• Korovian Wolfhounds (effectively just a breed of white dog, similar in size to a German Shepherd, but resembling a Korean chindokkae dog.)

For me I have a great affection for dogs and wolves of all kinds, which is why I find this topic to be of particular interest. But I can also recall a time when I was 5 years old when I was really scared of dogs and wouldn't go near them. Thus I can appreciate what Tolkien and other writers have done by tapping into both mankind's fear of dogs/wolves, but also our love of dogs. I am especially fond of dog stories such as Lassie, various stories by Terhune, The Call of the Wild, Balto, White Fang, etc.

As such various types of canines, both wolves and dogs, have appeared in my fantasy stories. However if you just want a taste of such stories I recommend checking out my short story: "A Hound Named Hunter", which is available in both ebook and paperback.

 

 

Where is Wakanda on the Map?

So...

Where is Wakanda?

On a map? In theory?

Well, it depends upon who you ask, and when.

According to this 2008 map from Marvel, Wakanda is north-east of Nigeria.

A different version from 2010 shows Wakanda as busy between Ethiopia and Kenya.

Another version claims that Wakanda is between the DRC and Tanzania, with Uganda to the north.

Or is that supposed to be Uganda and Kenya to the south???

Indeed, when you do the research there are about 7 to 8 different possible locations of Wakanda. With different dates attached to the maps.

It is almost as if the people at Marvel cannot decide WHERE to put Wakanda...

Maybe the country keeps moving due to magic or time paradoxes?

Meanwhile... The hidden island city of Kase, from the Charles Moffat books The Dragontree of Kase and The Dragonslayers of Kase, is very easy to find. It is a specified number of nautical miles off the coast from Snake Island in Nigeria. The only trick is that it is hidden from satellites and prying eyes thanks to magic.

Free Fantasy eBooks for October 2022

I periodically have book sales (usually half price) and also free ebook offers. During October 2022 there will be a number of ebooks that will be either free or on sale (sales available in the USA and UK only).

And because Halloween is coming the big theme during October is "Dark Fantasy", and thus my Lilith Bloodstone series is on full display.

The following books will be free on the corresponding dates:

October 1st to 5th

• "Lilith Bloodstone: The Black Rose" - A young necromancer fights undead, murderers and demons in this series of three Dark Fantasy short stories. (Stories 1, 2 & 3.)

October 8th to 12th

• "Lilith Bloodstone: On Death's Door" - A young necromancer fights undead, murderers and demons in this series of three Dark Fantasy short stories. (Stories 4, 5 & 6.)
• "Hunting Hitler" - A historical spy thriller about a NATO Intelligence agent sent to Argentina in 1955.

October 15th to 19th

• "Lilith Bloodstone: The Astral Plane" - A young necromancer fights undead, murderers and demons in this series of three Dark Fantasy short stories. (Stories 7, 8 & 9.)
  

October 22nd to 26th

• "Shifting Shadows in Iztark" - Wulfric the Wanderer steals into a dark wizard's palace in an effort to assassinate him.
  

1/2 Price eBook Sales, October 1st to 7th

• "The Blizzard's Daughter" - Hunter and tracker Wrathgar is tasked with tracking down a missing daughter and bringing her back safely in this pulp fiction length Heroic Fantasy.
• Regularly $5.99 for the ebook, on sale for $2.99.
  

 

• "The Girl in the Red Hoodie" - Teenager Yasmeena confronts white supremacist terrorists hellbent on destroying the city of Toronto in this boxing themed Action-Adventure set in an Alternative History version of 2020.
• Regularly $9.99 for the ebook, on sale for $4.99.
  

 

Free Fantasy eBooks, September 17th to 21st

I periodically have book sales (usually half price) and also free ebook offers. Currently the following fantasy ebooks are available from September 17th until September 21st:

 

Dark Shadows in the Moonlight

The Bogatyr knight has been hired by a Habbel village to track down a forest demon that murdered three children and kill it, but can he defeat the huge beast? And why did the demonic Leshy attack the Habbel village in the first place?

"The Adventures of the Bogatyr" is a series of short stories, novelettes and novellas, telling the tales of a wandering Bogatyr knight who encounters strange magical phenomenon, unusual creatures (both living and undead), and the sometimes mean spirited humans, elves and other humanoids who live in the kingdom of Korovia.

Learn more about the kingdom of Korovia by visiting fiction.charlesmoffat.com/korovia/

The Cult of the She-Bear

Wulfric the Wanderer has traveled back in time to Korovia's Stone Age, when it is on the cusp of the Bronze Age. He has earned the trust and respect of the chieftain Ko Margus, and Wulfric has accepted that he is somehow destined to be trapped in this time period for the time being. But trouble is afoot. The priest of the tribe doesn't trust him and is growing suspicious. Worse, the tribe is being splintered between those who worship the tribe's horse god and a cult within their ranks of those who worship a she-bear goddess.

When the tribe finds megalithic carvings of bears in the side of a mountain the two sides begin to bicker about whether to destroy the carvings. Wulfric decides to investigate the nearby caves and the cave art within, finding more caverns that delve deeper into the mountain. What he doesn't know is that the bear carvings outside are magical wards that prevent a demonic entity inside the mountain from escaping. If the carvings are destroyed the entity will be freed and it will be able to feed once more...

 

The Quorum of Kaŝe

Books I and II of The Quorum of Kaŝe duology by Charles Moffat.

The Dragontree of Kaŝe

Adaoma is working in her crystal ball and magical orb shop in the mystical hidden city of Kaŝe off the coast from Lagos, Nigeria when she receives a strange phone call from her twin sister Adaora. Her twin tells her that terrorists have escaped from Rura Penthe, the extra-dimensional prison for housing criminal wizards and witches. But to escape the clutches of the law the terrorists need a portal to another world and only one such portal exists: The Dragontree of Kaŝe.

Join Adaoma and Adaora on their adventures as they travel from Nigeria and Greenland to London to Nigeria and back to the hidden city of Kaŝe as they struggle to stop the terrorists from escaping. But the terrorists didn't escape by accident. They had help from the biggest dragon anyone has ever seen. They might be skilled witches, but they are no match for a gigantic dragon that is immune to magic.

The Dragonslayers of Kaŝe

Adaora wants revenge on the huge ancient dragon who destroyed the mystical hidden city of Kaŝe that lies off the coast of Lagos Nigeria. Her home is in ruins and while the survivors are rebuilding the city it will never be the same. The scars run too deep. She isn't alone either. Others like her want to kill the dragon, but killing the dragon is no easy matter. It is almost completely immune to magic. Witches, war wizards, archmages... It doesn't matter. Their magic is useless against the dragon.

"Like trying to kill a fish by splashing it with water." So says her twin sister Adaoma. Her twin is resistant to getting revenge on the dragon, but together Orry and Oma must find a way. They know how to get to the dragon's home world via the Dragontree of Kaŝe, and they know how to find the dragon using a new Dragonorb that Oma is making. Once they are there however they need to use some mundane means to kill the dragon - and without getting killed themselves.

 

WANT MORE FREE EBOOKS OR SALES?

Check amazon.com/author/moffat once per week to see what is available for free or on sale.

Many of the stories are also available in paperback format if you prefer paper over digital.

WANT TO ADVERTISE YOUR FANTASY BOOKS ON NERDOVORE.COM?

Only $20 USD per post. Contact lilithgallery@gmail.com for more details.

Weird Westerns by Charles Moffat

A Dark Road in Louisiana

By Charles Moffat

Release Date: October 1st 2022

The Atchafalaya Basin is a home to giants.

Alligators, boars and other strange things that an unwary traveler may fall prey to when traversing the swamp alone. Such foul creatures stalk the waterways and pockets of dry land, shrouded by ancient trees that survive amongst the muck, that only a fool would travel through such a place on foot. Let alone late at night.

The sucking sound of mud on boots added to the deluge of noises in the twilight of the swamp. A narrow path made its way through the swamp, but the man from Salem, Massachusetts, was unbothered by the noises or the fading light of the sun in the west. What nocturnal creatures fed here, or during the day, didn't seem to bother him. Even the mosquitoes stayed out of his way.

The most dangerous creatures in this swamp were likely men after all. Thieves. Bank robbers. Murderers. From both west and east of Louisiana, it mattered not where they came from. There was a long list of outlaws who would seek refuge in such a place, braving the alligators rather than face the long arm of the law.

But the man from Salem was no law man. He was tall and well built, handsome even, despite the black beard and wavy black hair, with a lean waist and scars on his well muscled arms and hands. His piercing grey-blue eyes stared into the darkness, shrouded by the brim of his black stetson. How old he was was anyone's guess. Thirty? Forty? Fifty? There were touches of grey in his beard and hair, but his face seemed to be grizzled more by the mileage he had traveled rather than by the years he had lived.

One might have mistaken him for a law man, perhaps, but just as likely they might think he was an outlaw too. An outlaw down on his luck as he had no horse, but carried over his left shoulder a dark brown saddle speckled with dried blood. He could be a Confederate soldier too, or a deserter, judging by the twin LeMat revolvers snug in their holsters of his well worn gun belt, but he bore no other markings of such a man.

...

Want to keep reading this historical dark fantasy / weird west short story by Charles Moffat? Order the ebook from Amazon: A Dark Road in Louisiana.

+

Folly of the Forlorn

By Charles Moffat

Release Date: December 1st 2022

"The Man from Salem" is visiting Niagara Falls, on the American side of the border, and settles down for an evening of playing poker. His opponent? A tall, thin and handsomely dressed stranger that has somehow enthralled all of the staff at an inn that overlooks the falls...

...

A Weird Western / historical dark fantasy short story by Charles Moffat. Order the ebook from Amazon: Folly of the Forlorn.

Free Fantasy eBooks, September 10th to 14th

 I periodically have book sales (usually half price) and also free ebook offers. Currently the following fantasy ebooks are available from September 10th until September 14th:

 

Portal of Destiny

Wulfric has grown weary of hunting in the Snowfell Mountains of Korovia and decides to head south, looking for danger and adventure. What he finds however is a portal that takes him back in time to when legendary warriors walked the land, and when great dragons ate warriors like himself as a snack.

The legendary origin story of Sword and Sorcery hero Wulfric the Wanderer.

 Visit fiction.charlesmoffat.com/korovia/ to learn more about the land of Korovia and other books by Charles Moffat.

 

The Bogatyr & the Rusalka's Lament

The Bogatyr knight hears the haunting singing of a Rusalka before arriving in the Habbel city of Shorin, where he later learns that there is a wanted poster for the Rusalka. Short on coin, he hatches a scheme for how to defeat her, but killing her and actually getting paid for his hard often requires a little extra effort.

"The Adventures of the Bogatyr" is a series of short stories, novelettes and novellas, telling the tales of a wandering Bogatyr knight who encounters strange magical phenomenon, unusual creatures (both living and undead), and the sometimes mean spirited humans, elves and other humanoids who live in the kingdom of Korovia.

 

The Dragontree of Kaŝe

Adaoma is working in her crystal ball and magical orb shop in the mystical hidden city of Kaŝe off the coast from Lagos, Nigeria when she receives a strange phone call from her twin sister Adaora. Her twin tells her that terrorists have escaped from Rura Penthe, the extra-dimensional prison for housing criminal wizards and witches. But to escape the clutches of the law the terrorists need a portal to another world and only one such portal exists: The Dragontree of Kaŝe.

Join Adaoma and Adaora on their adventures as they travel from Nigeria and Greenland to London and Lagos and back to the hidden city of Kaŝe as they struggle to stop the terrorists from escaping. But the terrorists didn't escape by accident. They had help from the biggest dragon anyone has ever seen. They might be skilled witches, but they are no match for a gigantic dragon that is immune to magic.

Canadian author Charles Moffat explores AfroFantasy, Urban Fantasy and High Fantasy in this fast paced fantasy adventure for all ages. Learn more by visiting fiction.charlesmoffat.com.

The Sunken Castle

Wrathgar and Soljargon are venturing south towards the capital city of Oraknev and are hired by a group of four gnomes to help them navigate through a flooded swamp in order to create a new trade route. The gnomes suspect the region is now populated with snake worshipers who follow the snake god Set, but much worse than snakes now populates this forbidding trek of swampy land. When they arrive at a castle sunken into the swamp they decide to make camp for night... And then things go from bad to worse.

Part of The Adventures of Wrathgar series of novels and short stories. Visit fiction.charlesmoffat.com to see the reading order.

WANT MORE FREE EBOOKS OR SALES?

Check amazon.com/author/moffat once per week to see what is available for free or on sale.

Many of the stories are also available in paperback format if you prefer paper over digital. 

1/2 Price Sales!

The following two ebooks are also currently on sale (half price) from September 10th to 16th. However these particular sales are only good in the USA and the UK.

The Assassin's Trail

$2.99 (regularly $5.99) per ebook.

$9.99 per paperback, $19.99 per hardcover.

Five years after undergoing the Test of Manhood, young Wrathgar has come of age and is tasked with bringing back the head of the murderer Muddenklaw who sought vengeance against his own people and murdered innocents. But Muddenklaw has escaped from the Snowfell Mountains and fled south past the dreaded Ogre Swamp to the more civilized lands to the south, becoming a murderer-for-hire.

Will Wrathgar be able to find the murderer, and bring about justice for those who were killed? Or will Muddenklaw escape into a world of assassins who hide in the shadows waiting to strike? Who will win in the showdown between the barbarian ranger and the assassin?

 

The Coven's Wolves

$4.99 (regularly $9.99) per ebook.

$15.99 per paperback, $29.99 per hardcover.

Wrathgar has decided to wait out the harsh Korovian winter in an inn south of Oraknev, home to legendary hot springs said to have healing properties. But not everything at the hot springs are as they seem. First one of the guests is mysteriously murdered and the bite marks suggest they were mauled by some kind of large wolf. Dark forces are at work at the hot springs and the other people staying at the inn to wait out the winter are in for more danger than they bargained for at a place that is supposed to increase your longevity.

With bow and arrow, Wrathgar and others set out to kill the mysterious wolf that is killing the inn's patrons, but there is more than one wolf - and some of the wolves are possessed by some kind of dark magic. They begin to fear they are but lambs to the slaughter.

A fantastical murder mystery story by Charles Moffat set in the kingdom of Korovia. Learn more by visiting fiction.charlesmoffat.com

Book Review: "Bard" by Keith Taylor

Today I reviewed "Bard", a comedic fantasy/historical fantasy by Keith Taylor. Highly recommended to anyone playing a Bard in Dungeons and Dragons. 

 

Free Fantasy eBooks, September 3rd to 7th

I periodically have book sales (usually half price) and also free ebook offers. Currently the following fantasy ebooks are available from September 3rd until September 7th:

The Dragonslayers of Kaŝe

Adaora wants revenge on the huge ancient dragon who destroyed the mystical hidden city of Kaŝe that lies off the coast of Lagos Nigeria. Her home is in ruins and while the survivors are rebuilding the city it will never be the same. The scars run too deep. She isn't alone either. Others like her want to kill the dragon, but killing the dragon is no easy matter. It is almost completely immune to magic. Witches, war wizards, archmages... It doesn't matter. Their magic is useless against the dragon.

"Like trying to kill a fish by splashing it with water." So says her twin sister Adaoma. Her twin is resistant to getting revenge on the dragon, but together Orry and Oma must find a way. They know how to get to the dragon's home world via the Dragontree of Kaŝe, and they know how to find the dragon using a new Dragonorb that Oma is making. Once they are there however they need to use some mundane means to kill the dragon - and without getting killed themselves.

Book II of the Quorum of Kaŝe Duology. Part of Moffat's "Alt-Earth" series



Black Monoliths of Al-Kazar

Tahira, Wulfric's great love, is dead and the barbarian from Korovia decides to strike out on his own. His journey brings him to a Quinian trading post on the coast of Al-Kazar... But what he encounters there however is black magic and 'Black Monoliths of Al-Kazar'. Forced into slavery Wulfric the Wanderer must unlock his own rage within the dark abyss of his soul.

The She-Wolf of Eraska

The Bogatyr knight, Ilya Bogdanovic, regales the minstrel Valeska with a story of werewolves while waiting for service at the Griffon and Gables. But the story takes a dark turn when he reveals the werewolves are led by a She-Wolf, one of the legendary progenitors of lycanthropy, who have other more devious means for turning men into werewolves...

"The Adventures of the Bogatyr" is a series of short stories, novelettes and novellas, telling the tales of a wandering Bogatyr knight who encounters strange magical phenomenon, unusual creatures (both living and undead), and the sometimes mean spirited humans, elves and other humanoids who live in the kingdom of Korovia.

WANT MORE FREE EBOOKS OR SALES?

Check amazon.com/author/moffat once per week to see what is available for free or on sale.

Helene Half-Elven of Weyvin - 3rd Edition D&D Pregenerated Character

I am currently in the planning stage for running a 3rd Edition (3.0) campaign set in Korovia, which will be a comedic fantasy, in contrast to some of my previous campaigns which focused on:

• The Stone Age-Bronze Age Cusp
• The Dark Ages
• The War of the Usurper (Heroes)
  
• The War of the Usurper (Time Paradox Survivors)
  

In order to facilitate comedic storytelling I have opted to use pregenerated characters during the comedic fantasy campaign, which will also be set during the War of the Usurper. Below are the stats for one of the characters who will be appearing in the comedic fantasy campaign.

 

 

Helene Half-Elven of Weyvin

3rd level Half-Elf Cleric of Metrequia, Neutral Good

• Str 9
  
• Dex 15
  
• Con 13
  
• Int 11
  
• Wis 17
  
• Chr 14
  

Physical Description - Helene is very short and very skinny, which is reflected in her low strength. She is 4'7" tall and 82 lbs. (Her height/weight varies a bit by Edition as it is literally the absolute smallest height/weight allowed by the edition for a female half-elf.) Her armour, weapons, shield and clothes are decorated with symbols of Metrequia, such that they also double as holy symbols.

Personality - Helene is obsessed with fashion / collecting clothes and her devotion to the silver moon goddess Metrequia, arguably in that order. She has a bubbly / talkative personality, but can also be serious and even a good leader when forced to be. (I modeled part of her personality from Quinn Morgendorfer from the TV show "Daria", so feel free to watch a few episodes of that to get a feel for her character.)

Background - Helene was raised by her half-elven parents in Weyvin, a port city where half-elves are relatively common. Both of her parents were scholars and academics, and as such she was expected to go into academia, but instead chose to join the priesthood of Metrequia.

Tactics - Helene sees herself as a dedicated healer and support to other characters, especially any characters who worship Metrequia, Valmaria or Belnark.

Hit Points - 9 per level (27)

Belongings of Note - Banded Mail, Steel Shield, Small Warhammer. She has a tendency to travel light.

Base Attack Bonus +2

Saving Throws

• Fort +4
  
• Ref +3
  
• Will +6
  

Half-Elf Abilities - Immunity to Sleep spells, +2 vs Charm spells, Low Light Vision, Elven Alertness (+1 to spot, search, listen).

Cleric Abilities - Turn Undead, Divine Spellcasting, Domain Spells (Good and Healing).

Feats - Improved Shield Bash, Extra Turning.

Skills - Concentration, Diplomacy, Fashion Knowledge, Heal, Religion Knowledge.

Languages - Common (Korovian), Elvish.

Preferred Spells

0 (4 per day) - Cure Minor Wounds, Detect Magic, Light, Virtue.

1 (3+1) - Cure Light Wounds, Bless, Command, Protection from Evil.

2 (3+1) - Cure Moderate Wounds, Hold Person, Silence.

Notes

• Starting Stats for All Characters - 17, 15, 14, 13, 11, 9.
• All characters (and baddies) have Max Hit Points.
  

Wrathgar Dungeons and Dragons Stats - 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th Editions

Wrathgar Baarstammderstark (aka Wrathgar, Son of Wulfric) is the main character from "The Adventures of Wrathgar" book series by Charles Moffat (yours truly).

So far I have published 5 books about the character and 1 novelette (The Sunken Castle).

The book series includes:

• The Assassin's Trail
• The Blizzard's Daughter
• The Coven's Wolves
• The Demon's Sacrifice
• The Exorcist's Dagger
  

However I have also played Wrathgar in a number of Dungeons and Dragons campaigns during the past two decades, including a number of Adventurer's League games, as well as versions on DDO (Dungeons and Dragons Online) and Skyrim. I have played Wrathgar in every version of D&D except 4th and Basic.

Description of Wrathgar

Wrathgar is 6'2" tall with wide shoulders, bearded, with wavy black hair, and a darker complexion. Sporting a helmet with antlers, fur/hide armour, a longbow, a huge sword (called a Grosseklinge it is considered a sacred weapon amongst his people) and a bearded axe he is a physically imposing warrior, weighing approx. 220 lbs.

Despite his name, Wrathgar almost never loses his temper (no spoilers here). In D&D terms he sounds like he is a barbarian, and indeed was raised amongst a barbarian tribe (the Baarstammderstark) in the Snowfell Mountains of Korovia, but he is actually a ranger.

Wrathgar is friendly to most people, but in the early books he is naive and his personality changes gradually over time. His interests revolve around woodcraft, tracking, hunting and to a lesser extent herbalism and animals (notably dogs, wolves, horses, owls).

Note - Some of you may recall that I gained a Hero Forge Miniature of Wrathgar back in 2015 and painted it. Shown here on the right. I have used it in various D&D campaigns since then as Wrathgar's miniature.

Alignment of Wrathgar

Neutral Good: Wrathgar obeys the law, most of the time. He isn't reckless or untrustworthy, quite the opposite. His tendency is to be cautious and wise about his decisions, despite being naive in his younger years. Likewise Wrathgar is bound by his sense of good and ideals concerning heroism, having been raised by his father (Wulfric the Wanderer) with stories of far off adventures in strange lands, and also being raised by High Shaman Korflex (who was effectively Wrathgar's surrogate father after Wulfric departed in an attempt to find his missing wife/Wrathgar's mother).

Wrathgar has his own personal sense of honour and how people should behave, and as such he actively tries to avoid being rude to other people - unless he feels they deserve it. Likewise Wrathgar is capable of violence, but he doesn't actively seek it out. Rather he is a natural protector and leader, more concerned with safeguarding those around him than going off in search of revenge/etc.

1st Edition Vs 2nd Edition Wrathgar

The rules for 1st Edition and 2nd Edition are almost identical, but with a number of key differences that affect Wrathgar's abilities, hit points and skills. For example in 2nd Edition a system for choosing skills was introduced and Weapon Specialization was introduced for the Fighter class.

Thus below I will be presenting the 2nd Edition version of Wrathgar, but for anyone familiar with both it is very easy to convert 2E Wrathgar into 1E Wrathgar. Just drop the skills, adjust the hit points, and no dual-classed Fighter level so he has Weapon Specialization.

Levels vs Books

Obviously Wrathgar would be a different level depending upon what stage of his life he is in, or in book terms it varies upon what book you are reading. For narrative purposes Wrathgar "levels up" roughly once per book. However I am not going to go into great detail here with respect to hit points, level, magical items gained during his career, etc because that would possibly include spoilers for people reading the books

2nd Edition Version of Wrathgar

Wrathgar, Human Ranger, NG

Str 18/66, which notably includes a +2 to hit and +3 to damage.
Dex 12
Con 15, which notably includes +1 to his hit points per level.
Int 13
Wis 17, which notably includes a +3 vs Charms/mind magic/etc.
Chr 10
Cms 11*

* I decided to include his Comeliness stat for anyone curious about that. Comeliness is an optional stat that was popular in 1st Edition. 

Armour - During book one of the series Wrathgar starts with hide/fur armour, and a wooden shield. This changes gradually overtime. No spoilers!

Weapons - Grosseklinge Two-Handed Sword, Siegmut (Bearded Axe +1), Composite Longbow, Dagger. Again, Wrathgar's choice of weapons changes gradually overtime. After gaining Siegmut he starts using the axe more often and the Grosseklinge less.

Ranger Abilities - Ranger Tracking, Ranger Alertness vs Surprise, Favoured Enemy (Giants and Giant kin).

Skills - Bowyer/Fletcher, Read/Write, Hunting, Survival, Herbalism. (He doesn't necessarily start with all of these, but he definitely gains them all over time, plus others. No spoilers.)

Languages - Korovian (Common), Elvish (he speaks it with a Wood Elf accent), and two other languages learned later (no spoilers).

Notes

If I could make one important change to the above stats, it would be to have Wrathgar start off as a Fighter, take 2 levels of Fighter, have him Specialize in either Battleaxe or Longbow, and then dual class as a Ranger. So Ranger 20/Fighter 2. Since there is no specialization in the core rules for 1st Edition there is no need to do this, but if it was a 2nd Edition game then it would be worth it.

Note also that his Wisdom is also sufficient for him to dual class as a Cleric if he wanted to, which is relevant because I once played a 3rd Edition version of Wrathgar who had levels in Cleric. Likewise as a Ranger he does gain access to various spells at higher levels, but it is my feeling that those spells should feel like they are more extensions of his ranger skills that benefit his combat and stealth abilities.

3rd Edition Version of Wrathgar

The one and only time I played a 3rd Edition version of Wrathgar he ended up being partially a cleric, mostly because the group needed a healer. However if I was to redesign the character for 3rd Edition here's what I feel his stats would be:

Str 18
Dex 13
Con 15
Int 12
Wis 17
Chr 10

So as you can see I have copy/pasted the 1st/2nd Edition stats and swapped the Int and Dex scores because I feel that it makes more sense for his character to meet certain archery related prerequisites... and since 3rd Edition doesn't have Comeliness, that is just plain gone.

Another change I would make would be with respect to his class. In my opinion he should be a Ranger/Fighter. Or possibly even a Ranger/Fighter/Rogue. Or... Ranger/Fighter/Rogue/Barbarian. Or even a few levels of Cleric. Honestly, it is rather difficult to choose which direction to go in. Wrathgar (despite his name) almost never loses his temper. But being able to Rage like a barbarian once in a while would be useful. Likewise a level or two of rogue doesn't sound out of character for him. Thus for anyone recreating Wrathgar you could either go with a more vanilla version, or a more bizarre version with Rogue, Barbarian or Cleric levels mixed in.

But ultimately I think the combo that makes the most sense is Ranger 14/Fighter 6. I feel this is the most accurate to his character because I don't see Wrathgar as being a spellcaster type, although he certainly gains that at higher levels.

The big difference for 3rd Edition is the introduction of Feats, and you will see why I swapped the Int & Dex.

Feats

• 1st level - Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot
• 2nd level *F1* - Weapon Focus Longbow
• 3rd level *F2* - Improved Unarmed Strike, Precise Shot
• 5th level *F4* - Weapon Specialist Longbow
• 6th level *F5* - Mounted Combat
• 7th level *F6* - Mounted Archery
• 9th level - Weapon Focus Axe
• 12th level - Weapon Specialist Axe
• 15th level - Leadership
• 18th level - Far Shot

Skills - Animal Empathy, Craft (Bowyer/Fletcher), Craft (Herbalism Poisons/Poultices), Handle Animal, Hide, Move Silently, Ride, Swim, Use Rope, Wilderness Lore. (At lower levels he might only have a few ranks in certain skills.)

Magic - At higher levels Wrathgar would also gain spells, but as mentioned further above (and below) I see such spells as being merely an extension of his ranger skills in terms of stealth and combat. So try to pick spells that relate to those two things.

5th Edition Version of Wrathgar

When playing in Adventurers League I made a 5E version of Wrathgar, during which he took 2 levels of Rogue so he could be stealthier. This was ultimately a wise decision because in combination with his other abilities, certain magical items and Ranger stealth magic it made it possible for him to hide at will, often in plain sight, and made it almost impossible for other people to notice him without magical aid. (In some respects this ends up being akin to the DDO and Skyrim versions of Wrathgar who was also a stealth archer.)

Like the 3rd Edition version it makes a bit of sense that Wrathgar might also have a few levels of Fighter or Barbarian, but since my AL version had 2 levels of Rogue we will follow that instead.

Obviously that means Wrathgar was restricted to the base starting stats for Adventurers League, but since my goal here is to push the idea of Wrathgar's "official stats" I am instead going to ignore the AL stats and instead use the same stats from the 3rd Edition version of Wrathgar. (Plus it has been over 5 years since I played Wrathgar in AL so I cannot be bothered to find his character sheet. I think it is in the basement somewhere...)

Str 18
Dex 13
Con 15
Int 12
Wis 17
Chr 10

Also it should be noted that Wrathgar won't be getting the stat increases at various levels and will get 5E Feats instead. Likewise we will ignore the Variant Human Traits (5E PHB page 31) bonus to his ability scores. See the list of Wrathgar's Abilities further below.

Background

One of the big changes in 5E D&D is the introduction of different backgrounds. The following backgrounds all make sense for Wrathgar:

• Acolyte (since he was briefly trained to possibly become a shaman);
• Hermit (feels closer to his shamanic training plus comes with a Herbalism kit tool proficiency);
• Outlander (because he grew up amongst barbarians and considers himself to be a barbarian).

Of these 3 Hermit makes the most sense, even though Wrathgar is obviously not a hermit. The skills match what he does. I see Wrathgar as being more of a hunter/woodsman, which is similar to a hermit.

Skills/Languages/Tools - Animal Handling, Athletics, Medicine, Nature, Religion, Stealth, Survival, Thieves Tools, Herbalism Tools, Common (Korovian), Elvish, 1 bonus language (no spoilers).

Abilities

Many of Wrathgar's abilities depend upon what level he is.

1 - Favoured Enemy (Giants), Natural Explorer (Forest), Feat (Sharpshooter).
2 - Fighting Style (Archery), Spellcasting*.

* I see Wrathgar's spellcasting ability as being more like "skills" rather than magic per se. Example: One of his spells is "Pass Without Trace", which allows him to move stealthily without leaving a trail. For story reasons I treat that as essentially being part of his stealth skill as opposed to an actual spell. Similarly the spell "Jump" is effectively just part of his ability to jump further than normal people, and Hunter's Mark representative of his archery skill.

3 - Ranger Archetype (Hunter / Colossus Slayer), Primeval Awareness.
4 - Feat (Heavily Armoured).
5 - Extra Attack.
6 (Rogue 1) - Expertise (Stealth and Athletics), Sneak Attack +1d6, Thieves' Cant.
7 (Rogue 2) - Cunning Action (usually used to Hide or Dash).
8 - Favoured Enemy (Undead), Natural Explorer (Mountain).
9 - Ranger Archetype (Hunter / Escape the Horde).
10 - Feat (Tavern Brawler), Land Stride.
11 - NA.
12 - Natural Explorer (Coast), Hide in Plain Sight.
13 - Ranger Archetype (Hunter / Volley).
14 - Feat (Skulker).
15 - NA.
16 - Favoured Enemy (Fiends), Vanish.
17 - Ranger Archetype (Hunter / Evasion).
18 - Feat (Lucky)
19 - NA.
20 - Feral Senses.
21 - Feat (Mounted Combatant)
22 - Foe Slayer.

Wrathgar's "Spells"

1. Animal Friendship, Hunter's Mark, Jump, Longstrider
2. Find Traps, Locate Animals or Plants, Pass Without Trace
3. Protection from Energy, Speak with Plants, Water Breathing
4. Freedom of Movement, Locate Creature, Stoneskin
5. Swift Quiver

Magical Items + Notes

While playing AL Wrathgar gained a number of magical items, including a Cloak of Elvenkind, a magical axe, a flaming holy two-handed sword (Flametongue), a magical longbow, shield, armour, various potions... and a shrunken pet bear (about the size of a house cat) called "Blooddrinker", and a few other items. (Click the link on Blooddrinker to learn more.)

Since I am opposed to the idea of characters having too many magical items (and possible spoilers) I am not going to go into great detail regarding any magical items Wrathgar might gain eventually.

Things like his magical axe Siegmut and his obsidian snake dagger (which isn't magical) are well established in the books however.

But because the 5E version of Wrathgar is more focused on Stealth, I do feel that anyone remaking him in 5E should still have him gain the Cloak of Elvenkind eventually. So just the axe and cloak are essential.

For spoiler reasons I cannot go into detail regarding any objects he might gain over time. Siegmut isn't really so much a spoiler as he gains that very early in his career.

I remember when I played 3rd Edition Wrathgar had a LOT of magical items. Far too many in my opinion... One of the downsides of 3E in my opinion is that it is super easy to gain magical items... and consequently completely unrealistic. Plus it is very easy to make or buy magical items in 3E. This creates a level of "showering" of magical items. So much so that characters end up selling them, buying them, and developing unrealistic expectations that every large city must have a magic shop where you can buy +5 swords.

This is effectively a matter of storytelling and realism. If every problem can be conveniently solved with magic (as per deus ex machina) then there isn't any point in the character problem solving. It ruins the story if a character can just solve every problem using magic. The character becomes just another boring cog in the story as they're now effectively unnecessary to the story. Magic is now the "hero", while the character now lacks heroicism because every problem is too easily solved.

I did think about organizing everything in a large chart, but I opted not to because his stats are slightly different for the different editions so it would have made the chart more complicated, plus I would have been tempted to give his full stats at different levels... I feel that what I have provided here is more of the bare bones of what a player would need to replicate Wrathgar as a character if they want to play him in their own game.

Friends and Allies

Wrathgar gains many friends during the book series and as such they deserve a mention here. The characters he is surrounded by makes a deep impact upon him as a character. Some of these include:

• High Shaman Korflex
• Vertia (elf archer / giant owl rider)
• Soljargon (necromancer)
• Bizbald (gnome illusionist)
  
• Wren/Arwen (Blizzard/cryomancer)
• Sir Dobrynya (Bogatyr knight)
• Costache (dwarf merchant-warrior)
  
• Gyburn (elf archer)
• Helene (half-elf cleric of Metrequia)
• And others...
  

Some characters I don't want to talk about for spoiler reasons. I am doing my best here to inform possible players, but honestly if you really want all the details you will want to read the books.

Lego Creations - Volume I

 Lately I have been building a variety of things out of Lego with my son Richard. Here's some of the things we have built:

#1 Yellow Dragon

This particular dragon is highly articulated and has a variety of moving parts.

• Articulated tail that moves in three different places.
• Articulated wings and wing bones that move.
• Articulated neck.
• Articulated jaw/teeth that opens and closes.

Really the only thing that doesn't move is the torso and legs. But maybe I can fix that in a future version.

The knight / dragonslayer with the lance goes well with it.

#2. Yellow Construction Vehicle

I built this a few days ago, and because my son likes to have "speed boosters" on everything this particular vehicle comes with a rocket on the rear. The shovel, tracks and the cabin all move.

Note: I am apparently going with a colour theme today: Yellow, Orange and Red!

#3. Orange Monster Truck

Asides from the abundance of flames coming out of this fiery monster truck (again with "speed boosters" on the rear) this particular monster truck benefits from some very large shocks and an elastic band on the bottom so it can go over rough terrain.

#4. Red Racecar / Rocket-Powered Dragster

One part Formula 1 racecar, one part dragster, one part rocket.

Notes

I can tell when my son really likes something. It is when he doesn't immediately break it within the first 5 to 20 minutes of playing with.

Eg. The Yellow Dragon got destroyed within the first 5 minutes. I asked Richard why he broke it and he claimed the Lego guys were hungry and wanted to eat it, and also because he thought the dragon was too scary.

The Orange Monster truck lasted about a week before being broken.

The Yellow Construction Vehicle and the Red Racecar are both still holding together.

I have more Volumes of these Lego Creations to show in the future (more photos of past work), but I decided to only post these for now because I ended up going for an Autumn colours theme of red-orange-yellow.