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Will Wight, New York Times Best-Selling Author of 'Cradle'
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In which we ramble on.
And by we, I mean me.

OSAS Guild Guide (02/10) - The Blackwatch

8/9/2014

10 Comments

 
Reminder: This is preliminary information about one of the Ten Imperial Guilds from my upcoming novel, Of Sea and Shadow. It is all subject to change.

The Blackwatch:

Thanks to generations of legends and misinformation perpetuated by the Luminians, many of you have certain preconceived notions about the Blackwatch. They’re hated by many, feared by all, and I urge you not to heed the rumors. Every Watchman I’ve ever met has been professional, focused, and inquisitive--very few of them actually worship the Elders.

Let me put a few of your unfounded fears to rest: no, they do not eat human flesh for power. No, they do not conduct dark rituals involving blood sacrifice. No, they do not kidnap babies from their cradles.

Yes, they do use certain powers and techniques of the Elders. That’s no reason to treat them like cultists.

The Blackwatch was originally founded by the Emperor for two purposes: watching over the graves of the Great Elders, and studying the Elder Races to twist their great powers for the good of the Empire. It is thanks to the Blackwatch that Urg’Naut or the Dead Mother have not risen and devoured our living world.

Members of this Guild are known as Watchmen. They respond to calls for help and reports of Elder activity. Each Watchman carries seven long, black nails invested with the power to bind Lesser Elders for vivisection and study.

The goals of the Blackwatch often bring them into conflict with Knights and Pilgrims of the Luminian Order, who hunt down Lesser Elders with the goal of destroying them completely.

If the two would only work together, it’s possible that Aurelian lands would never be troubled by Elder attacks again.

Guild Head: The current head of the Blackwatch is a young-seeming woman known only as Bliss. Her origins are shrouded in mystery, though tenuous evidence suggests that she was born in a Kanatalia research facility.

Like every Blackwatch Head before her, she carries the Spear of Tharlos, a weapon supposedly carved from the bone of a Great Elder. I have never interviewed anyone who witnessed the Spear in battle and survived with their sanity intact.

Symbol: the Elder’s Eyes (six eyes on a mass of tentacles)

10 Comments
Mesmerizing Suggestion
8/9/2014 07:34:33 am

Do I sense lovecraftian influence on this book?
If so, awesome.

Reply
Will Wight link
8/14/2014 11:24:57 pm

Absolutely yes.

Reply
Mesmerizing Suggestion
8/9/2014 12:08:32 pm

Also is that a new website logo on the tab or near the URL for those using computers and not tablets?

Reply
Will Wight link
8/14/2014 11:30:23 pm

I'm actually on my iPad right now, so I'm not sure, but I'm preparing to revamp the website pretty soon.

Reply
Nikk
8/12/2014 02:55:35 am

This is torture, I really love this passage and I want to read more. Much more, the entire novel. I need a time machine to travel to the future when Of Sea and Shadow is published.

Reply
Will Wight link
8/14/2014 11:26:00 pm

Fortunately, we're all on a time machine headed straight into the future!

Reply
Mesmerizing Suggestion
8/14/2014 12:21:24 pm

Breaking radio silence to inform everyone that I am going to read the entire travelers gate series. Again. For the sixth time.

Reply
Will Wight link
8/14/2014 11:29:29 pm

That's impressive, Mesmer! I haven't even read the books that much.*

If I may ask, what makes you enjoy the books to such a degree? What keeps you re-reading?

*not true

Reply
Mesmerizing Suggestion
8/15/2014 02:55:31 am

The reason I keep reading the books boils down to this- I like to find connections between things. As a result, if I come across a truly brilliant book, like the travellers gate trilogy, or the koban series ( the least generic space opera ever!), I just try and figure out where the inspiration comes from, what things are Chekhov's Guns, and what things could be Chekhov's Guns in the future, what are hidden bits of information in the text to piece together and learn more about the universe as a whole. Also I like books that aren't just generic prophesized hero shenanigans. In summary this is the excact book to make me go *click* that bit makes sense now. Add the fact that it is effectively a deconstruction of the entire fantasy genre, ( not sure if that was a conscious decision or not, equally impressive either way.) and you have a book capable of fascinating an army of book aficionados and even the more casual readers. To summarize again, its the best series i've ever read, and likely will be forever. Also ditzy Gloria, sarcastic Otoku, violence prone Rebekkah, logical Ceala, and fifty other talking dolls with personalities more fleshed out than the main character of other books and you have a recipe for the best series ever.

Reply
Will Wight link
8/16/2014 08:32:16 am

Stop it, I'm tearing up.

For real, thanks for your kind words! It's encouraging to hear. And I also like to get feedback like this, because it helps me pinpoint what readers want in their stories.

The closer I can get to that, the better off we'll all be.

Reply



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  • Home
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