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Mountain Barber

Mountain Barber

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Mountain Barber posts

Galvachren's Guide to Larvanin (Galvachren’s Guide to Larvanin (Annotated by [Redacted])

Despite a thousand reasons why it should be better known, the world of Larvanin is unquestionably a backwater of the Known Multiverse. Its magic should logically make it a prime destination for aspiring Named and Ascendants, not to mention the sheer value of its magic to multiversal organizations...

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October 2024 Poll

Just two options this month, I've got a ridiculous amount of work to catch up on after the (good) craziness of the past six weeks or so.

Also, Patreon changed the interface? It... looks fine. Actually should make it harder for me to screw up tiers for voting posts, like I usually do, which ...

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The Last Man

This story is set five years after The Wrack. As an important note, the avalanche responses shown by the characters in this story are NOT best practice in our own world.

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It was three days after the avalanche that the gem merchants realized ...

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September 2023 Short Story Poll

For the umpty-bajillionth time, I messed up the poll again, set it for the wrong tiers. Fixed version!

Just two choices this month- I am overwhelmed by life stuff right now. (We're moving halfway across Vietnam, planning a trip back to visit family in the States, planning a belated wedding ...

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Galvachren's Guide to Ithonian Funeral Practices

I don't actually remember much about writing this one- a reader suggested it on Reddit, but this was the first bit of writing I did after my grandfather passed away in late May, and I wrote it in a bit of a fugue. It holds up reasonably well, I think? (I've heard a surprising amount of similar st...

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August 2023 Short Story Poll

Sorry for the late poll again this month, I've been super busy with admin work, More Gods than Stars research, short story anthology editing, [Redacted], and Baldur's Gate 3. Oh, and just a reminder, the Last Echo audiobook is out on the 29th! 

It's looking like the first Mage Errant s...

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The Legendary Swordsman

This story is set on the world of Larvanin, the same as Maskmaker, Maskkeeper, Maskmatcher.

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Many detective stories have a singular moment of brilliance, a place where the clues all congeal in an instant, where the truth is reveale...

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July 2023 Short Story Poll

Sorry for yet another (very) late poll- I was determined to offer y'all three finished choices again this month. Took me longer than I'd hoped- I'm still just getting back into the groove of writing, after my grandfather's death this spring, but I'm finally putting words consistently on ...

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Theomachies Plural

This story was inspired by reading some of China Mieville’s work- I’m not sure I’ve ever read his stuff without being inspired to write something. Fair warning, lots of cursing, drug-use, and discussions of sex, though no explicit depictions.

For those of you who aren't p...

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June 2023 short story poll

Sorry for the late poll, everyone! It's late for the same reason as the book 7 paperback- my grandfather passed away recently, and I've had an almost complete lack of spoons for anything but videogames and arguing on the internet lately. (I wish I'd lacked the spoons for arguing on the internet, ...

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Last Echo of the Lord of Bells Deleted Scenes

The higher tier patrons have made their choice for the month, so I've got three deleted scenes from Mage Errant 7 for y'all! Each was removed for different reasons, and two of them- the first and last- are non-canon now. (The middle one remains canon, but more detail on that later.) Full warn...

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May 2023 Short Story Poll

So, I originally didn't think I had enough options for a proper poll this month, but I just realized I do! All the options are complete, and will go up as soon as voting resolves. (Messed up the original poll, this is a repost. I'm so bad at this, lol.)

  • Theomachies Plural (Non-Aetheri...

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Last Echo preview chapter 4: The Streets of Oldfort


Hugh and the others didn’t try to disguise or conceal themselves when they arrived at Oldfort— much the opposite.

Rather than wait for the gangplank to be lowered, Hugh built a ward bridge to the pier with the Crown, and the four of them crossed above the crowds, Mackerel fly...

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The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells Preview Chapter 3: Riverboat Gamblers

Their riverboat came under attack just a few hours into the voyage. 

Well, less a riverboat than a floating gambling den. 

Talia had always wanted to ride one of Highvale’s great riverboats when she was young, but sadly, it had never worked out— so when they were choosin...

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The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells Preview Chapter 2

Hey, it's time for the second preview chapter! Woo! Less than two weeks until release day! 


Chapter 2: Canyon Kingdom

Hugh Stormward and his friends descended into Highvale easily, even in complete darkness. Hugh expanded the Stormward’s Cro...

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The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells Preview Chapter 1

So, no story voting this month- way too overwhelmed with work for release day on the 14th! But, in exchange, you're getting both a short story and Mage Errant previews! Fair warning, I might still make changes to preview chapters up to the literal last minute. And, if you see any typos or err...

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Mage Errant 7 Release Date Announcement and Cover Reveal!

Mage Errant Book 7, the Last Echo of the Lord of Bells, will be coming out May 14th in ebook format, and is available for pre-order now! Paperback should hopefully follow shortly after (though paperbacks are my n...

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First and Last

This story was inspired by Dianna Wynne Jones’ work- specifically, reading Howl’s Moving Castle for the first time. No idea why I waited until my thirties to read it.

Oh, and if you didn't hear already, The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells is sitting with my beta readers right now! ...

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April 2023 Short Story Poll

Only two choices this month- my brain is FRIED from finishing The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells. Which, btw, is sitting in the hands of my beta readers as we speak, and initial responses have been positive!

The options this time are two non-Aetheriad works. Both are the kind of short stori...

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Replacements

This story is set on the world of Iopis, in the Fractured Duchies in Teringia's west, five years before the events of The Wrack.


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Orman Odberse had only just sat down for luncheon when a pani...

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March 2023 Short Story Poll

So this month we've got one Aetheriad short story (Replacements, set on the world of The Wrack- which some people have been eagerly awaiting for a few months now) and two non-Aetheriad works. Both of the latter were the kind of short stories inspired directly by another author's book I was readin...

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Blood in the Green Depths

This story is set on the world of Kemetrias, ten years before Mage Errant Book 6. This one's a little more violent than usual, fair warning.


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Apchek’s teachers had warned him, a thousand times, never to get complacent while ...

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February 2023 Poll Redux

Had to repost the poll, accidentally made it available to all tiers again, whoops. I am bad at this.

(And just had to edit it to change 2022 to 2023, I'm really bad at this, lol.)

Only two options this month, sorry folks- can't afford to take more time off from working on book 7 if ...

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Sand's Not Real

Sand's Not Real is set on Anastis, five years before Mage Errant.

And of course y'all picked the shortest, weirdest story this month. Though maybe you just missed Anastis?
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“What do you mean, there’s no such thi...

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January 2023 Short Story Poll

First short story of the year!

  • Replacements (Iopis): A blacksmith starts insisting everyone they love have been replaced with malicious dopplegangers, and a healer must figure out what’s happened before it’s too late. (Finished)
  • Blood in the G...

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Maskmaker, Maskkeeper, Maskmatcher

This story is set on, and introduces, the world of Larvanin to the Aetheriad.

(
Content warning: contains discussion of self-harm and body dysphoria, though nothing too severe or descriptive.)

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December 2022 Short Story Poll

I've got three short story options for you this month, and, good news, they're all written already, so you'll get this story after just a few days for voting!

I'm doing three new things this month- first, labeling the short stories with their genres. They're obviously all fantasy, but that'...

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A Higher Sky

This story is set on the world of Limnus, a century before Mage Errant.


Ikhail didn’t remember the first time she dreamed about the stars.

It was likely she’d been told of them before she could even speak herself— the tales of the violent old worlds and the s...

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November 2022 Short Story Poll

Messed up the last poll, here we go again:

- (Kemetrias) Blood in the Green Depths: Apchek is a newly minted knight, just given his suit of paper battle armor, when he’s sent on a patrol of the Grass Sea. It’s supposed to be quiet and routine, but when Bezan rebels bri...

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The Migration

This story is set on Apoptis, within the same geological era as Mage Errant.

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The sun was mid-flare when dawn broke, bathing the land in burning rays as it rose. 

As always with a dawn flare, a few more plants than usual faile...

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