~or~ What is this character doing in that universe anyway?
Other than the immortal question of “Why are we here?”1, I find myself asking that question of me as I write more on “Necropolis by Moonlight.” Friends, family, and fans2 probably know the basic plotline3. It has nothing whatever to do with In Sanguine and the entire cast of characters from the Gallow’s Road gang4. It is set in a vaguely recognizeable modern Egypt, with characters who are vaguely recognizeable as modern people. Why then, other than the appearance of Merytamne5 in In Sanguine would I even suggest…
What, you forgot about the Viper? Tsk. Or the fact that young ‘Than takes her first Carpathian bath in a converted Egyptian sarcofagus? (It happened. There is a scene, whether anyone reads it in context or not.)
It occured to me about half way through last year’s edits that Jake and Der had more in common than I could easily explain if they were to be in different universes (which they once were). In fact, with the exception of the baroque Highwayman look on the one who is, in point of fact, a baroque period Highwayman, they could be twins. (Jake is a touch swarthier owing to his Greek mother.) There is, naturally, a way to explain it in the same universe, if you find it necessary. The former could easily be descended from the latter, with or without the interferance of a certain lupine lady6. No worries there.
The fact is, I like the non-historical non-Earth of In Sanguine more than I like the idea of setting Necropolis by Moonlight in the real modern world. We’ve already discussed changes in the world setting from reality. The reason why has a lot to do with my aging of In Sanguine’s earth by about 300+ years.
Wait, you say? What about the wizards? How about the fact that travelling west at mid-summer will cause you to leave the dimension entirely?
I have an excerpt for that posted here. It is slated to form the background plotline for Thank Gods for Small Magicks. The loss of magick coupled with the healing of a major historical continuity error will self-correct a number of inconsistancies between earth history and non-earth non-history, which will, in turn, allow a number of advances to occur in a timely fashion. This does, however, destroy the world as the Gallows Road gang knows it. (Hence the reason why Gael tries to put a stop to it in Thank Gods.)
That was always the plan. Zag knows. Ask her if you don’t believe me. It has a great deal to do with the somewhat late fall of Constantinople and the deaths of Derian Fiske and Anathandra Lesenvlk in the partly written novel, “Reprise.”
Oh, does that bother you? Knowing that? Would you refuse to read a series where the main character’s ends are already written? In that case, I urge you to read The Highwayman excerpt on this site. You should know better if you think death is the end for any of my characters.
I digress7. It was my intention to suggest from the very beginning that Merytamne was Anathandra’s blood grandmother on her mother’s side. (Her grandfather liberated a lady from the harem of the Caliph of Al Qahier, according to canonical In Sanguine. And, she mentions, off hand, to the “current,” sitting Caliph that her grandmother was descended of the “poor fool” who took the Book of Thoth in the excerpt Al Qahier that you can read on this very site.
Merytamne is/always has been the ancestress of Alex’s mother’s family, although Derian de Rennic and Anathandra Lesenvlk are not in her branch of the family tree at all. Remember, Merytamne lived a *very* long time.
And that, my Lords and Ladies, is what Necropolis by Moonlight has to do with the Castle Lesenvlk. Only the connection between Jake and Derian is new.
- To clarify, why are we reading about this story on this web page, rather than the more esoteric versions of the question. I understand that philosophy 1001 might still have seats available if you wish to discuss the other.
- Fans: read “voyeurs” of a literary nature because I am certainly not well known enough to have acquired actual fans of the non-air moving variety. Why are you reading this, exactly, then? Is it the gratuitous use of voyeur in a foot note?
- For some reason the aforementioned sentance begs the continuation, “which is,” whereby the writer begins to elaborate. Today the writer is being capricious and is not going to oblige.
- Gallow’s Road gang: noun (proper) the slang term coined on 17th -02- 2005 at 2:08 AM for the loose conglameration of friends named in the In Sanguine stories. This list includes, canonically: Anathandra, Baroness Lesenvlk; Derian Fiske, sometimes Lord de Rennic; Angeline Damiani di Ravena; and Gael Warren.
- Merytamne: lit Mersankh Merytatanen, daughter of King Hatsuret and Lady Neferset, aka too many things to list.
- The aforementioned Lupine Lady would be ‘Than Lesenvlk. Derian always was a bit of a man about town. I never thought a few wild oats were beyond the pale. Of course, the more I think about it, the more I am tempted to include the lupine lady as well. A relationship between 142nd-cousins shouldn’t bother anyone, should it?
- I digress a lot. That would be why I had to make foot notes for this entry.