Tuesday, August 01, 2017

Krieg

In the last couple of years I've come up with what is so far my favorite sword and sorcery character. I call him Krieg, which is the German word for war. I've created quite a few other S & S characters over the years--Thal Kyrin, Jaal Harkest. Jedess of Seth-Loeril, Jys Martel. Most of them can be found in Bitter Steel, which collects the majority of my older S & S stories. But Krieg has become my favorite. If I had to compare him with any other heroic fantasy character out there, I'd say he was closest to Karl Edward Wagner's Kane. But Krieg is not Kane. He's the product of many years of reading heroic fantasy and striving to write it. He's his own man, so to speak.

I hope to write many adventures for Krieg. So far I've completed three. Only one has been published, A Whisper in Ashes, at Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. The other two, "Where All the Souls are Hollow," and "The Rotted Land," have not yet been submitted. I'm looking for the right place to send them. One of the things that I've done to characterize Krieg in these tales is begin each one with a short poem that describes the character from the point of view of an outsider. Below are the three openers that I've got so far. What do you think?

A WHISPER IN ASHES

Down from the death-lands of snow
came a warrior with eyes
like scars.
No one knew his origins.
None could foresee his end.
He had no name.
The barbarians called him Krieg.

WHERE ALL THE SOULS ARE HOLLOW
Out of choking dust and black smoke
came a warrior with eyes
like broken blades.
Wherever he journeyed,
war followed.
None could say why.
The survivors called him Krieg.

THE ROTTED LAND 
He arrived on a fetid wind,
with eyes black as fractured onyx.
Blood flowed the paths where he walked.
Some thought him angel.
Others claimed him demon.
Only the whisperers named him   
Krieg.


16 comments:

Cloudia said...

Kind of a scary name - poem at end, Charles!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I like the second one best.

Angie said...

Very mood-setting. Good openers.

Angie

Erik Donald France said...

Oh, yes. I dig! These would be good as movie teasers, also.

Charles Gramlich said...

Cloudia, I had fun with those poems.

Alex, cool, thanks

Angie, I appreciate that.

Erik, sweet, man. Thank you

Shadow said...

Ah, you aRe a poet at heart. They evoke images and emotions, intrigue and curiosity, magnifique

Charles Gramlich said...

Shadow, thanks. I appreciate the kind words!

Paul R. McNamee said...

They all sound good. Poetry mood setting does remind me of Kane stories.

Maybe now with the pulp options opening up, you'll have more markets for Krieg.

SKELOS, CIRSOVA and STORYHACK come to mind immediately.

Oscar Case said...

They sound goo to me, Charles.

Charles Gramlich said...

Paul, I've contacted Skelos but not heard back yet. I'd like to see them published there

Oscar, thanks, man.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Have not written a new word in forever. Fingers crossed for you.

Charles Gramlich said...

Patti, I'm trying to get quite a bit in during the summer. School will be starting soon.

^.^ said...

Kain means Krieg ... don't you know? ... friend Charles Gramlich? ... Meouw ... Love, cat.

Charles Gramlich said...

Cat, I did not know that

UplayOnline said...

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Charles Gramlich said...

Roth, thanks!