Travellers' Rest - James Enge
Novelette
Number of words : 8500
Percent of complex words : 9.1
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 16.5
READABILITY INDICES
Fog : 10.2
Flesch : 68.0
Flesch-Kincaid : 7.9
CHARACTERS
Morlock
A travelling master maker and swordsman. Scary legends of him abound.
Wyrth
Morlock's dwarven maker apprentice.
Sunlar
The Travellers' Rest hostetler who runs the place with his wife.
Gar Vindisc
Old woman who owns the local stream.
Raelio
The hosteller's daughter and waitress.
Kyrkylio
A lifemaker experimenting on the children of the town.
Iagiawôn the Many-Handed
Kyrkylio's swordsman enforcer, a hybrid creation with six arms and insect-like carapace protection.
Ambrosia Viviana
Morlock's sister. The dark eminence behind the imperial throne of Ontil.
Iuinoe
Raelio's sister, taken by Kyrkylio and turned into a spider-ape hybrid monstrosity.
Vikel
Iuinoe lies about him.
PLACES
Boulostreion
A small depopulated run down town south of the Dholich Khund.
Traveller's Rest
The inn at Boulostreion.
WEAPONS
Tyrfing
Morlock's magical sword that comes when he calls.
ANIMALS
Shellbacks
Cattle modified to be more beetle-like.
Crow
A messenger for Morlock, who can talk to them.
CONCEPTS
God Sustainer
Dwarven deity.
Scasp-chewing branticules
People that are likely to dine and dash.
FOOD
Thrinnel
Buttermilk.
Shellback
Cow-beetle meat in various cuts.
PLOT
Morlock and Wyrth are travelling, and find a place to hopefully stay and eat for a while in a small town. They notice strange cow-beetles while entering the town. The innkeeper lets slip he has two daughters, even though only one is present, and the town seems very deserted.
If seems another maker lives nearby, and is taking the children of the town under threat of taking the parents. He is using them in sorcerous experiments at making hybrid-human animal monsters. One of these is his enforcer, tasked with gathering children. Six-armed and beetle-like, Morlock takes a terminal view of such activity. Beating a six-armed and all weaponed competent warrior takes some work, though.
They are really just as scared of Morlock thanks to the stories about him, but he sends a message to Kyrkylio, demanding a meeting so that he can find out what has happened to the other daughter.
On being given a tour by the not wholly human lifemaker, he sees an opportunity for poetic justice, releasing a monstrous creation that soon dispatches the lifemaker.
Morlock and Wyrth then spend some time in making and surgery, returning those who can be altered back enough to make it worth it to their homes, including the severely traumatised and suicidal Iuinoe, Raelio's sister. Then they move on.
3.5 out of 5
http://pyrsamples.blogspot.com/2010/12/travellers-rest-by-james-enge.html
Number of words : 8500
Percent of complex words : 9.1
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 16.5
READABILITY INDICES
Fog : 10.2
Flesch : 68.0
Flesch-Kincaid : 7.9
CHARACTERS
Morlock
A travelling master maker and swordsman. Scary legends of him abound.
Wyrth
Morlock's dwarven maker apprentice.
Sunlar
The Travellers' Rest hostetler who runs the place with his wife.
Gar Vindisc
Old woman who owns the local stream.
Raelio
The hosteller's daughter and waitress.
Kyrkylio
A lifemaker experimenting on the children of the town.
Iagiawôn the Many-Handed
Kyrkylio's swordsman enforcer, a hybrid creation with six arms and insect-like carapace protection.
Ambrosia Viviana
Morlock's sister. The dark eminence behind the imperial throne of Ontil.
Iuinoe
Raelio's sister, taken by Kyrkylio and turned into a spider-ape hybrid monstrosity.
Vikel
Iuinoe lies about him.
PLACES
Boulostreion
A small depopulated run down town south of the Dholich Khund.
Traveller's Rest
The inn at Boulostreion.
WEAPONS
Tyrfing
Morlock's magical sword that comes when he calls.
ANIMALS
Shellbacks
Cattle modified to be more beetle-like.
Crow
A messenger for Morlock, who can talk to them.
CONCEPTS
God Sustainer
Dwarven deity.
Scasp-chewing branticules
People that are likely to dine and dash.
FOOD
Thrinnel
Buttermilk.
Shellback
Cow-beetle meat in various cuts.
PLOT
Morlock and Wyrth are travelling, and find a place to hopefully stay and eat for a while in a small town. They notice strange cow-beetles while entering the town. The innkeeper lets slip he has two daughters, even though only one is present, and the town seems very deserted.
If seems another maker lives nearby, and is taking the children of the town under threat of taking the parents. He is using them in sorcerous experiments at making hybrid-human animal monsters. One of these is his enforcer, tasked with gathering children. Six-armed and beetle-like, Morlock takes a terminal view of such activity. Beating a six-armed and all weaponed competent warrior takes some work, though.
They are really just as scared of Morlock thanks to the stories about him, but he sends a message to Kyrkylio, demanding a meeting so that he can find out what has happened to the other daughter.
On being given a tour by the not wholly human lifemaker, he sees an opportunity for poetic justice, releasing a monstrous creation that soon dispatches the lifemaker.
Morlock and Wyrth then spend some time in making and surgery, returning those who can be altered back enough to make it worth it to their homes, including the severely traumatised and suicidal Iuinoe, Raelio's sister. Then they move on.
3.5 out of 5
http://pyrsamples.blogspot.com/2010/12/travellers-rest-by-james-enge.html