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Are you prepared to go on a mythical journey? This hidden secondary page for Mystical Alliance will provide you the opportunity to do so! Start off by meeting the incredible cast which this narrative features. Learn of wonderous and inspirational quotes from the book. Be entertained by fun memes and related artwork. Learn of the history of the novel, and the origins behind its creation. No quest would be complete without discovering hidden treasures and wonderful Easter Eggs found within the pages of this sword and sorcery fantasy.
“No, no, no! No, not know. No, no way I would use know as in to know. No gnome would know knowing from Gnowing. Gnomes knowing Gnowing, now that makes sense. Knowing Gnowing will become a tradition. But no, knowing knowing, that’s just ridiculous. Gnomes knowing knowing, no. Gnomes knowing Gnowing, yes.” - Gonomaly
Say Hello - The Cast of Mystical Alliance
“We can change our fate if we desire to.”
Benjamin
Human Merchant
“Humans live short, fast paced lives and are quick to lead themselves to danger and possible death due to these erratic ideas like what has drawn you out of your homeland.”
Fera
Elf Warrior
“I do not want to be a damsel in distress needing to be rescued by someone. This is not a fairy tale. There may not be a happily ever after.”
Gertrude
Human Inventor
“Oh! Stories? I love stories, I have dozens of them. I can’t confirm most of them since I wasn’t there and a lot of them involve things like… And no one survived. Yet, if no one survived, who was around to tell the story afterwards?”
Gregory
Gnome Map Maker
“Fate and destiny may have chosen for us to be there at a given time or be involved in a specific thing, but it was up to us to decide what to do once we got there.”
Vernon
Human Innkeeper
“You yourself have no power. You are little more than words, a manipulator of minds. The only reason you had power is because people allowed you to have such strength.”
Winmir
Minotaur Leader
“A few travelers staying at my inn said that they had heard of a man whose cousin of a wise woman said she knew of someone who did something like that. That much I’m certain of.” - Vernon
Relevant Artwork/Memes
“How wonderful! I was so hoping that you would show up. Now then, where to begin… How exactly does it feel to be the wondering souls of the dead? Don’t be shy…” – Gregory
Origin Story:
It began with a map.
The author began with a crude map with little more than six points representing the various realms. Why six? There are three primary colors and three secondary colors, which is why each of the gems are one of these colorations. He wanted all the elements of what he loved about sword and sorcery fantasy. Wizards, warriors, elves, dwarves, minotaurs, and gnomes. He was greatly inspired by his years as a teenager reading the Dragonlance series concerning minotaurs and gnomes.
Once he had figured out who were the six major civilizations of the ancient past that formed the Mystical Alliance, he was forced to leap ahead in time to present day when the story would begin. The safest and least threatening of the six was Gnowing, a city of gnomes. So, that is where the story began.
Originally Benjamin was written in first person, similar to Joshua in Tapestry of the Second Born. This was because when the author first began writing, it was an opportunity for him to cope with depression in high school. Many of his older works were little more than wish fulfillment and escapism. As his writing evolved, he wanted to grow out of that, move away from those kind of stories. So, he stopped using first person narrative.
In the first draft, the author would write a flashback scene, whichever one came to mind in the past or ancient past. Then. he woudl focus on a chapter set in the present day. The battle of the human castle was the first "past" scene written. After finishing the book, he reorganized the scenes for the final version which included putting together the Minotaur narrative.
Concept Art for Cover
Concept Art For Cover
Origin Story:
Similarities
The author wrote Mystical Alliance before the Lord of the Rings movies first came out. He hadn't read the books and was only aware of elements of it such as watching the cartoon based upon the novel: the Hobbit. Was he aware that there was going to be an army of ghosts in that story? No... Sometimes great minds think alike and it was a coincidence.
Another element the author didn't plan for was the symbolism of Christian faith. Benjamin allows himself to be sacrificed to stop a great evil. He absorbs all this evil in the world and then dies to protect those he loves from this threat. Then he's brought back to life? Does that sound like the Jesus narrative? Yeah... Again, coincidence in that the author didn't realize that there was a parallel there until after he had finished writing the book.
There was a sequel that the author attempted to write shortly after finishing this one. It involved an island with humanoid animals. It involved the core group of heroes from the first book. The first community that they meet are a type of smaller rabbit people that kept their earls folded back in honor of the humans that used to live on the island, providing their ancestor's aid. Beastial Alliance never took off and he eventually gave up on it.
Originally it was going to be Benjamin and Gertrude represented on the front cover but it was changed to Fera since they started the story together. The concept art presented to the cover designer is presented for your viewing pleasure to have a better understanding of what could have been. Yes, the cover artist took that clear crystal, making it a ball of magical flame.
“I shall answer the one question that despite every effort you have made to find the answer to, the answer has always been just beyond your grasp. This is the question filling every gnome’s mind throughout history. The one question that will be the key to unlocking every other curiosity and in time unraveling every mystery ever to be discovered. The answer to this question is… Yes.” – Gonomaly
Easter Eggs and Inspiration
On page 66, Gertrude mentions ways of telling time. One theory was using "clicks, cycles, phases, and rotations" which "would relate to traveling beyond the stars." This is how time is referred to in the Sunfire Chronicles. This is a subtle reference to how these books all interconnect in small ways creating the Mattiverse.
“Changing the path of a single person, by giving them hope when they feel lost and helpless, even that minor change can affect the world. For every light that is kindled within one’s heart, that illumination further pushes back the crushing darkness that lurks on the horizon. With each new hope given life, the darkness that once ruled fades away to nothing.” – William
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