Tag Archives: The Story of Jasmine

Jasmine Snippet #20

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Continued are the notes for “The Story of Jasmine.”

Prince Ahearn of Dockalfar, from the unpublished Installment #13.

Only the day before, King Aranbrod spoke to his daughter sternly and in frightful earnest, “For seven years, you have repaid my patience and generosity with false intentions. Now there is only one suitor left. He is from the north, a proud prince of the dark elves. Flavia, THIS time, you cannot refuse…”

Flavia, upon seeing her father’s firm determination, knew that her resolve never to consent to marriage was at an end. She could no longer oppose him and yielded. She agreed to properly receive Ahearn, Prince of Dockalfar as her future husband. The King smiled and, kissing his daughter on the forehead, tells her that he must ride immediately to tend to a crucial matter within the kingdom and would be unable to attend the official courtship event. That was why he needed her promise to consent. As he leaves her chamber, he mutters something about already being indebted to his future son-in-law.

However, when the next day arrived, the princess lost heart and forgot her promise. She’d imagined her prince would be filled with art and music, much like the other suitors that she refused. But when the last prince stood proud before her, he stood in bloody black armor, his gleaming sword still red-stained from battle. From without, she heard the clamor of UR’s own soldiers rising to arms.

The dark prince bowed before her and took her hand to kiss, but he did not remove his headgear. Feeling the coldness of his armor, she quickly withdrew her hand. When their eyes met, his harsh look pierced her astonished one.

“M’lady,” said he, “forgive my appearance, but your western outpost has been attacked!”

The Prince then recounted the details of the battle to the court as, no doubt, he would many times in the future. But the Princess stood in shock. She did not know what to do, so she stood like a statue, still and unmoving. She did not wish to listen to the account of this person’s most recent exploits and refused to engage him in conversation. She found this prince, standing so darkly before her, to be course and disgusting. Courtship protocol was the furthest thing from her mind.

At length, the little patience Prince Ahearn possessed finally frayed. He spoke his mind, “Princess of UR, you have not only insulted me with your discourteousness, but you have disgraced your kingdom. As I did not remove my armor before I entered your company, I accept blame for your apparent bewilderment and forgive you. I must keep wearing my armor because I am still needed on the battlefield.

“I am sorry. There is no time for gentle wooing. The time is nigh that I return to the aid of your father in battle. In exchange for my sword, you have already been promised to me as my wife. Make it official by declaring your love and faith to me and I will fight in your name as my beloved.”

The princess finally found her tongue. ”What? Kill in my name? I find you a rude and woeful companion and will never willingly marry you. Leave me at once and never return!”

“Vain princess — your intentions are now known to me, and clear. This disastrous meeting was only a courtesy. You and I are already promised. Whether or not either of us want it, our fathers have already agreed. And it is why I am called and consent to battle on your behalf.”

Then Ahearn withdrew. Truth be told, he was relieved return to battle. That is something he understood well. He always felt awkward and ill at ease at court, and this one, especially so.

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* Arbethe or Aranbrod — I seem to have been unable to settle upon the right name for the King of UR, even within the same document.

© 2018 DARLENE

Jasmine Snippet #19

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The Story of Jasmine notes continue:

She stared into an oblong fountain filled with water. The rippled-diamond reflections danced upon the curves of her face and sparkled brightly in her green eyes. The trough also contained something very powerful, as it was the source of the brilliant light. The white maiden’s concentration was so intense that…

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Sorry, that was all that was written. I’m assuming this passage has something to do with finding the Staff of Erlkyng.

© 2018 DARLENE

Jasmine Snippet #18

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The Story of Jasmine notes continue:

The day before King Aranbrod spoke to his daughter in frightful earnest, “For seven years, you have repaid my patience and generosity with false intentions. Now there is only one choice left. He is from the north, a proud prince of the dark elves. Flavia, THIS time, you cannot refuse him.”

Flavia, upon seeing her father’s stern resolve, knew that she could not oppose him. Before her father left her chambers, she consented to receive Ahearn, Prince of Dockalfar. The King smiles and tells her that tomorrow, he must tend to an important matter. That was why he wanted her to consent. Needed elsewhere, he is unable to attend the event of their official meeting. As he leaves, he mutters something about already being indebted to him.

However, when the next day arrived, the princess lost heart. She had imagined her prince would be filled with art and music, much like the other suitors she refused. But when the prince stood before her, he stood in bloody black armor, his gleaming sword still red-stained from battle. From without, she heard the clamor of UR’s own soldiers rising to arms.

The dark prince bowed before her and took her hand to kiss, but he did not remove his headgear. Feeling the coldness of his armor, she quickly withdrew her hand. When their eyes met, his harsh look pierced hers. “M’lady,” said he, “forgive my appearance, but your outposts have been attacked!”

He then quickly recounted the details of the battle to the court as, no doubt, he would many times in the future. But Flavia was shocked. She did not know what to do, so she stood still, unmoving. Thus, frozen she would not discourse with him on any subject. She found the man, standing darkly before her, to be course and disgusting. She did not want to listen to his account and did not make him feel at ease.

The precious little patience the prince possessed began to fray. At length, he spoke his mind, “You have not only insulted me with your rude and discourteous behavior, but you have disgraced your kingdom. The custom in my country, is not to remove armor when a battle on the field is still active. If this is not your custom, I accept blame for your bewildered silence and forgive you.”

The Prince was agitated, doing his best to rein in his anger. “I am sorry there is no time for gentile wooing. The time is nigh that I return to the battle to the aid of your father. In exchange, you have been promised to me as my wife. Make it so by declaring your love and faith to me and I will fight in your name as my beloved.”

The princess finally found her tongue. ”What? Kill in my name? I find you a rude and woeful companion and will never willingly marry you. Leave me alone and never return!”

“Vain princess — your intentions are now known to me, and clear. This disastrous meeting was only a courtesy. You and I are already promised, whether or not either of us want it. Our fathers have already signed the agreements. And it is why I am called to battle.”

Then Ahearn withdrew.

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* Arbethe or Aranbrod — I seem to have been unable to settle upon the right name for the King of UR, even within the same document.

© 2018 DARLENE

Jasmine Snippet #17

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The notes for the Story of Jasmine continue:

This is the ICON I used for Jasmine Publications when I decided to publish my own game based on “The Story of Jasmine.”

Flavia de UR* walked briskly past the aisle, her footsteps echoing with resolve as she entered from the courtyard. “Let the barbarian wait.” She announced haughtily to her attendant within earshot of the young suitor who had spent most of the day doing just that.

He was the last suitor. She had always found plenty of excuses to dismiss all the others. The last suitor waited outside the chamber. In months past, she had cleverly dispatched all the other eligible men whom her father, the King, had carefully chosen for her. And even though she knew her father’s anger would increase with each passing moment, she could not bring herself to face the fate of being a royal daughter. So Flavia de UR played a waiting game.

The golden light of the setting sun streamed through a small window. Flavia de UR prayed. She did not want to be a pawn. She wanted to feel alive.

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*Elsewhere, I called her Princess Arlet.

This seems to be the first bit of actual story writing.

Jasmine Story – Snippet 15

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Notes for The Story of Jasmine continue:

Palace of the Ice King, Thorgall.

“I am drawn by the spirit of the North,” Thorgall said of his kingdom, “and am determined not to be crushed by it. It takes a special people to prosper where nature makes life so difficult.”

“I have chosen to make things hard for myself,” he commented, “because there is much merit in it.”

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This is more representative of the things I would “receive” during the day… often a small snatch of conversation be tween two characters. I usually wrote them on napkins or note cards or whatever was at hand. Of all my written notes, these would probably be the ones not to survive.

Obviously, I did not command the creative process.

© 2018 DARLENE

Jasmine Story – Snippet 14

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The notes for The Story of Jasmine continue:

This piece of art is “The Rainbow Maiden” and was created roughly around the same time as Jasmine.

Upon the waning of the Third Age of the Mid-Realm, there lived a King who ruled the great peninsula of UR. The wise rule of Arbethe* and the prosperity of UR was widely known throughout the Mid-Realm. And many traveled South to partake of UR’s hospitality.

King Aranbrod’s* greatest love was for his pale and fragile queen who died while delivering unto him a daughter. And although King Aranbrod grieved over the loss of his beloved wife, he took steps to insure his only child would be strong in body and mind.

As his daughter’s blonde hair shone golden in the sunlight, he called her Flavia,** which means “golden hair.” As the years passed, he marveled at how well Flavia resembled her mother. Because he forgave her mischief far too often, Flavia grew to be headstrong.

It came to pass that on her 10th birthday, her father came to her and said, “the time has come for me to seek a match for you so UR will continue to prosper through me.”

Fearing her loss of freedom, Flavia replied, “Aye, father, this is true — but I am only a child. I entreat you, father, please wait on this until I am a true maiden.”

Reluctantly, the king granted her wish. Thus, year after year, Flavia was able to put him off until her 15th birthday, when it was clear for all to see that she had grown into a fair and beautiful young maiden.

To her father’s satisfaction, Flavia finally agreed to be wooed by the many eligible suitors of UR. But her condition was that she be the only one to decide who would be her husband. So, in this way, all the able young men who came to ask for her hand were turned away.

As time wore on, her suitors became so few that the King invited eligible princes outside his kingdom to come. He did not realize his daughter had resolved never to choose any man for a husband. The last suitor came on her 17th birthday.

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*Finally, the King of UR has a name, actually two of them, in the same snippet: Arbethe and Aranbrod

**Now Princess Arlet is named Flavia. The name is an Ancient Roman name, which does, indeed mean “blonde” (from the Latin word “flavus,” meaning “golden, blonde).

You can tell by comparing this Snippet to the last one that these are woefully out of order.

Jasmine Story – Snippet 13

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Notes from “The Story of Jasmine” continue:

From Installment #13, this is Jasmine atop The Great White Throne mountain where she first receives the Staff of Erlkyng.

As Jasmine (“White Flower”) she enters the first stage of Enlightenment as the salvation of the Mid-Realm. To do so, she acknowledges her destiny at the ancient temple atop The Great White Throne mountain. A hidden chamber opens for her and reveals her predecessor’s staff and cloak and other special magical raiment. Still plagued by the power of Bardulf’s ring, Jasmine discovers she must hasten to Thorgall, the Ice King of Tarrant, the only man powerful enough to remove the ring.

Like the eye of her new staff, her mind has awakened, becoming keen and brilliant. As was proven with Bardulf, she is most vulnerable when she is proud and haughty. This behavior was nurtured in the court of her father, the King of UR, who meant to consolidate his power by cementing political relationships through marriage. Her destiny has never been to become the wife of a powerful prince or the Queen of a powerful King. Her life’s purpose would be taking another path.

She has been raised as the Princess Arlet* of UR and does not become Jasmine until after she flees the castle.

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*This name would change again.

© 2018 DARLENE

Jasmine Story – Snippet 11

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Notes from The Story of Jasmine continue:

Rogan The Red as pictured in Installment #13.

Accepted into the Companionship as a Guide to the north is Rogan the Red.* His stately mannerisms are annoying to the rest of the party but amuse Jasmine. When asked about his past, he becomes evasive. He is an excellent horseman, as stealthy as a thief, and is quick and accurate with a knife. Although his interest in Jasmine is more than just passing, he keeps a calculated distance.

As Thorne’s friend, Rogan advises her to join Jasmine and Glynn on their journey northward. He conceals his fascination for the blonde magician. Thorne, handy with a sword, offers protection.

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*Other names considered for this character were Kayne, Macklin, Red Burkhard and Rowan.

© 2018 DARLENE

Jasmine Story – Snippet 10

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Bardulf-Thaatur “Axewolf of the Darkness”

Bardulf is the main vilan of the story, at least at the very beginning.

Through treachery and a touch of magic, the dark prince used the mysterious Ring of Emeth to bewitch UR’s princess, whose proud beauty fascinates him. By placing the ring on her finger, she immediately fell under his spell. Intending to marry UR’s princess himself, he planned to secure the rich kingdom of UR for himself, With ambitions to conquer the whole of the Mid-Realm, the subduing of UR through political marriage was only his first step towards this goal.

Although he lost the princess due to the incompetence of his soldiers, he knows the loss is only temporary. He can always find her with help from the ring of Emeth. A dragon-lizard named Gryth is attracted to the ring. Through the dragon-lizard’s connection, he is able to “watch” Jasmine’s progress from afar. Jasmine cannot remove the ring. In the meanwhile, Bardulf pretends to the King of UR, pretends that the princess is in his stronghold, and that she has already consented to be his Queen.

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I would have said that the above text is also from Installment 13. But after comparing it with the actual panel (below), I find that it is not. There is more and better information in my notes. I think space limitations caused me to abbreviate the ideas stated above.

This is the text accompanying Bardulf’s illustration. It’s from the 1st panel of Installment 13.

© 2018 DARLENE

Jasmine Story – Snippet 8

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Glynn Kedar Oakenheart “Powerful Stout-hearted Mountain Lord”

For 40-years, this dwarf-warrior had wandered through a weary land relishing his freedom. But as a witness to Jasmine’s mysterious liquid energy and grace, he swore allegiance to her cause.

His battle axe is as mighty as his loyalty. Grim and humorless, Glynn remains Jasmine’s greatest friend and champion. As her protector, he is wary and suspicious of men’s attention and intention towards her and would think nothing of striking them dead.

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The art above depicts two views of Glynn. The one on the left is from a finished, but unpublished panel. It would have comprised the next “Story of Jasmine” installment in “The Dragon” Magazine. The art on the right is the character card for The Jasmine Faction in the “Jasmine: the Battle for the Mid-Realm” card game.

Looking at the left image of Glynn just made me realize that the above text accompanied that very image on the page. I loved that page design…

Wow! I just had an idea. Tomorrow, I must show you that page I’m so fond of!

© 2018 DARLENE