Beladri is a city of magic, mystery, and supernatural forces. Beladri is defended and policed by members of two different houses of the Caducean Order; the House of the Dove (Templar Knights), and the House of the Vulture (Dire Knights).
I originally started developing a story for the now defunct Deep Magic magazine’s halloween issue, and wanted to write something where the antagonist was invisible, a spiritual assassin who masked their identity with physical evidence. It was originally meant for the shared world of Kenatos, but since then has become part of a sprawling work-in-process about the ancient fantasy city of Beladri. The story in question would eventually be known as “The Night of the Jester”. More on that in a moment.
While researching the backstory elements, I came across the following quote:
“National enmities have been always produced and encouraged by kingly and priestly policy. The wolf is the natural enemy of the lamb; the vulture of the dove. By instinct they are so…” Piggot’s Political Dictionary
I was having trouble getting my arms around the environment of the city and the relationship of the two houses. I remembered that Roger Zelazny used to write background segments or stories so he could work out details that he’d use for for-published stories later. With that in mind, I took a step back and wrote a prelude work from the perspective of Lorosz (pronounced Laroshe), a Vulture, a Dire Knight, essentially an assassin-priest. I wrote his story, “The Mark of the Vulture,” to get a feel for his character and to work out the first encounter between two opponents.
“I thought you were trying to kill me,” he muttered.
This earned him my second stare of the conversation.
“It wasn’t your turn tonight. Tomorrow night’s a new day. Go ahead,” I anticipated him, “do correct me”.
Writers.
I had so much fun with that that I wrote the notes for “The Wing of the Dove” about his counterpart, Sir Roddrick (this story incomplete). Lorocsz and Roddrick go together like oil and water (or ice and fire), and it was fun to scat about with that thorny relationship of guys who both felt they were men who served the same god, but in different ways.
I was a little surprised that the place was as neat as it was. If he’d ransacked the place, he’d done it without waking me and without leaving anything amiss.
Clearly, he had some experience with this sort of thing.
Fortunately, so did I.
The two are thrown together again in order to solve the supernatural thriller of “The Night of the Jester“.
The Knight Templar threw back his hood and actually grinned. “Good morning!,” he greeted him. He flipped his thumb behind him in a casual gesture. “I think one of your daggers went off that way,” he said blithely and started to adjust his vambraces.
Lorosz was his face with the point of his most trusted blade pressed up under his jaw before Rodrik even had time to flinch. “Those are knives, “Dove”. In Undertown, we call this a dagger.”
Different characters from the two houses are the focus in another work-in-progress called “The Speculum Convergence” (which, incidentally, features my first bedroom scene, such as it is).
They call themselves “the Rat Street Hunters”. I’ve actually heard of them before.
‘You shouldn’t be here,’ said the leader.
‘One of us shouldn’t be,’ I agreed.
Faery Lights by M. Lawrence Key