Page 003 by: Martin Brandt

Just as there is sky and those who fly among it, there is also ground and those who struggle to escape it. His name was Harad and his mind was unlike any in his village. Inside his head grand designs would flutter about much like the Nagari Flutters that frequented the flowering plants near his home. That night Harad had fallen asleep at his workshop, having just completed his recent invention.

Harad has spent his entire life trying to surmount problems his people took as impossible. His latest endeavor was flight, a set of wings attached to the user’s back. His family had asked him to keep quiet of such nonsense, saying it was not only impossible, it was forbidden. Harad would not be stopped. He would help his people rise above their fears and superstitions. He knew there was something out there beyond the murky depths of the sky.

This fateful day was not at all what he expected for as he set out to test his invention he was confronted by the village elders.

“Harad, son of Darrak, son of Himmand, Descendant of Garad.” Spoke the ancient elder folk.

“I am.” Harad gulped.

“What is this thing?” The smallest of the elders pointed a finger to the folded wings.

“What are you planning this time Harad? Do you wish to further shame your people?” added the next Elder.

“Further shame your family?” finished the last elder.

“I do no such thing, I will bring honor by conquering irrational fear.” Harad replied.

With that he extended the full span of the wings on his back, the elders cringed and people in their doors gasped and begin whisper.

“I am Harad, Descendant of Garad!” he called out, “I shall prove to you all there is nothing to…”

Several large villagers with spears arrived then cutting his triumph short.

“…fear?” Harad swallowed hard.

“Banishment!” The elders called out in chorus.

Head hung low, wings hanging limp, Harad sulked away as he was escorted by the village guards. Behind him the elders continued to call out, it was clear he would never be accepted here again.

Well, unless he could prove to them all wrong. With that thought a twinkle returned to his eye even as he sighed. 

Page 002 by: Nicholas P. Myers

Here is the second page of the story, contributed by me.  The next portion is going to be contributed another artist or writer and each subsequent section will be passed on to the next.

Page 001 by: Nicholas P. Myers

Here is page one of of the group experiment for The Ballad of Veros and Harad.   Keep an eye on this story as it (hopefully) expands with every artist's and writer's contribution to the tale, with the flavor and melody of this tale forever evolving until it's conclusion, which even I can't see it over the horizon.

(click on the page to get a full size version.)

One Step Closer

Here are the two character profiles I've developed.  I'm trying really hard not to control this too much because that would be unfair to any artists and writers that want to participate.  So here follows a quick profile of Veros and Harad and a few more guidelines.

Veros is the young, hot-headed daughter of the Cheif of a nomadic air tribe.  Very rarely does she listen to her father, or anyone else's advice in regards to actions and plans that need to be followed.  Yet, somehow, she seems to have an instinct for the right choice at the right moment.  She is impulsive, brash and sharp tongued at times, but all these traits are to hide a fear that she is not good enough to follow in her father's footsteps as chief of their tribe.

Harad is a bit of a loner from his tribe.  His constant questioning for a better solution to the status-quo has often gotten him in trouble with the village elders. More and more often, he wanders from the village in order to explore and experiment and find a better way to deal with the world around him.  His Da Vinci type brain often fails much more than it works and his curiousity often get's him into situations that his inginuity needs to get him out of.

Hopefully, I'll have the first page up by September 2nd and and the second page up by September 9th and then it's up to you (other artists and writers) to continue it on.  The format is going to be 7x10.5 300 dpi, I'll reduce it down to 72 dpi for web purposes. Black and white with grey scale, or just straight black and white.  If you're feeling ambitious, throw some color on it.

I'm hoping we can develop a bit of a cycle going on who takes the next page.  So, if you're interested, e-mail floatingislandstudios@gmail.com and put your name if you're interested.  Also, let me know if you'd like to first or last in the cycle. This same e-mail is where the pages can be sent to so they can put up on the blog.

Thanks,

 Nicholas P. Myers 

The Experiment

Here follows the collaboration of artists, writers and those that live between, to tell the story of Veros and Harad.

The premise, the world and main characters were given birth from my own mind and offered up as a sacrifice to those willing to grab the idea and run with it. Every week, another artist/writer will take the idea and coax it further along.

The Setting: The world is separated in two due to The Ether, a cloud of "something" that proves deadly, if not extremely painful and mutative to any living thing that passes through it. The two sections, Air and Earth have evolved seperately. The sentient species, once together, has evolved to survive in their prospective environments. The Illocanti, (Air Nomads) have developed dark skin to protect themselves from the glare of the sun, are slight in build so they can ride their winged transports.  The Galantri, (Ground Trolls) are stout in nature, with pale, thick skin, large eyes and ears for surviving in the twilight underneath The Ether.  This is a world with little technology, akin to the dark ages of our own world.

The Story: Starts with a tribe of Illocanti in battle with another tribe over rights to a watering hole found on a floating land mass.  When suddenly, Veros, a young female warrior is knocked off her steed. Unconcious, she falls through the Ether to her apparent demise.  Amazingly, she survives and lands among vegitation which cushions her fall and survives, though incredibly weakened by her pass through the Ether.  She is found by Harad, who had been banished from his tribe, and the adventure begins from there.

The Rules: You must follow the plot set forth by the previous writers and artists.
- No waking up from a dream in order to hijack the story in another direction.
- No alternative dimensions.
- You can not kill off Veros or Harad, since this is the ballad of Veros and Harad.
- You may have some humor, but it should stay within the confines of the story.
- You must stay true to the appearance of the previous artists interpretations of the characters and the world around them.
- No sudden ending to the story. There must be a consensus among all of the other creators regarding the ending of the story.
- Try and stay true to where the story is headed at that point in time and try not to wrench the story back in the direction you deem it should go. (I want a free flow story and not a tug of war.)

As a writer and not an artist, you may still contribute. You can just use prose to contribute your portion of the storyline.

If you're interested, please e-mail floatingislandstudios@gmail.com and I'll get you added to the list as well as the user ID and password to blog for you to post.

I'll get the first 2 pages to get the story started and then the fun can begin...

The Basis for the Experiment

    Here we begin our journey into the unknown.  I'm about to let other creators touch a creation of mine.  It's a very nerve racking experience.  But, once they've touched it and worked and added their own creativity to it, it will become less my own and become a shared creation rather than that of just myself. 
    It will be fun, and it will be scary.
    The premise: The world has been torn asunder by unknown forces long ago.  There is an Ether cloud that exists in the atmosphere. Nothing living may pass through this layer without extreme pain and possible mutation to it's body or, most likely, death.  The reasons for that are not well know. There are theories, but the technology to test those theories are unknown. For our story takes place in an era much akin to our own medievil times.
    Both areas, those above The Ether, in the air, and below, on the ground are habitated by all sorts of flora and fauna. Both have a sentient race that most likely started out as one race but evolved seperately after the appearance of The Ether.
    The environment above The Ether exists of floating land masses anchored to the ground by massive roots that help pump water up to their surface. Hundreds of different winged species live and thrive, some never needing to land on anything solid.  The sentient species, the Illoqant, never evolved wings themselves, but have learned to harness and ride the other wings creatures.  They are nomadic and proud race and prone to warfare over the small floating land masses and water supply.
    The environment below The Ether exists mainly plant and animal life that is hardy.  The rain that comes from The Ether is contains some the toxin tht makes it so deadly, so plants and animals have developed protection from the rain. The lakes are toxic to drink but do support some hardier and dangerous aquatic life.  Water down there needs to be brought up from underground wells as the toxin in the rainwater is filtered out by the soil. The sentient species, the Galandal, have developed to harness their environment, much like their counterparts above.
    The story involves the adventures of Veros, from the Illoqant, and Harad, from the Galandals, and their epic journey to unite their races and discover the origin, and therefore solve the isolation due to, The Ether.
    Our story begins: