martes, 23 de junio de 2009

Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land (ING) - Wikipedia

Fuente:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizardry:_Tale_of_the_Forsaken_Land

Información:

Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land

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Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land
Box cover of Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land
Developer(s) Racjin
Publisher(s) Atlus
Platform(s) PlayStation 2
Release date(s) JP November 15, 2001
NA December 19, 2001
EU October 4, 2002
Genre(s) Computer role-playing game
Mode(s) Single-player
Rating(s) ESRB: T (Teen)
OFLC: G8+

Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. It is a spin-off of the Wizardry series of computer role-playing games. It was released in Japan, under the title "Busin: Wizardry Alternative", by Atlus and in North America by Atlus.

Contents

[hide]

[edit] Gameplay

Like the other games in the series, Tale of the Forsaken Land uses a first person perspective. Other elements such as classes, races, class changes, and magic resembling Wizardry I-V are implemented as well.

The classes, Warrior, Priest, Thief, Sorcerer, Bishop, Samurai, Knight, and Ninja, all have initial requirements that must be met in order to choose them, such as attributes and alignment, making some classes possible only after one has gained enough experience in the dungeon.

Movement through town is done by choosing locations from a 3D menu that scrolls to the location in the town, and the options are fairly straight forward.

The Guild Hall allows group reformation and the creation of new members from scratch, much the same way as the initial character is generated, as well as the learning of new group "tactics" such as 'Charge', which require that the group repoire is at a certain minimum (if one continues to annoy their group members by attacking friendly monsters, or acting inconsistent with their alignment, they will lose their trust in them, thus invalidating that tactic).

The Inn is where characters must go to gain benefits from any level increases, as well as recover lost HP and MP.

The Church, known as 'Salem Temple', is where any parties must go to recover from negative status effects(at least, without the aid of a proper healer in the group), and to revive dead party members (not always guaranteed to work, especially if a party member has been reduced to Ash).

Vigger's Shop is where one can sell and buy items as well as craft magic stones that allow one to learn new spells or enhance old ones. Additionally, Vigger can unequip cursed items, or remove their curse entirely(though this will render the item worthless), as well as appraise items of unknown value.

Lastly, there is the Tavern, 'Luna Light', where party members can be dismissed and recruited, and quests from the locals can be taken on by the protagonist for assorted rewards, as well as the gaining of new party members.

Duhan is also the only location where the game can be saved, with the exception of suspending data, which can be done at any point outside of the town.

Suspended data is deleted once loaded.

Beneath the town lies the dungeon that is in this case called the Labyrinth of Duhan.

Movement in the dungeon is 1st person 3D, with the thumbsticks allowing the player to "peek" around before turning in 90 degree increments.

The shoulder buttons allow one to side-step, and there is a run button (O) that makes the dungeon crawl a little less tedious.

That, combined with the unlockable shortcuts to deeper reaches adds a welcome enhancement to what veterans of the series might recall as a tedious trudge. The environments are memorable and varied, with NPCs spread about such that it is difficult to get lost in the earlier levels. There is an automap and plenty of transfer potions that one can buy, ensuring that after the first few hours, the player will have the ability to come and go from the Labyrinth with relative ease.

Combat is turn-based and load times for combat are fairly short. With the tactics and spells, as well as variety of classes and weapons, one can find a fair amount of tactical enjoyment, though it can be a guessing game when the enemy starts using the same tactics (charge, for instance). It becomes a game where you as the player must learn what the enemy is capable of through the painful process of live (or die) and learn. NPCs will give you clues and you might actually want to read them the first time through.

Cutscenes are sparse, with most encounters being done in a paper-doll style where text appears below the image of the NPC that is talking.

Exploration is rewarded, and provided you brought a thief, it should be relatively painless. Some walls hide treasure, shortcuts, and most areas have a locked or trapped chest or two (though the chests and monsters can respawn with different permutations). Unlocking and untrapping involve a mini-game in which you must hit certain buttons in the patter displayed below before the timer runs out. They are not generous, to try to learn the controller by touch before attempting any non-blue chest.

Spells are handled by the "X number of casts per level" for each level of spell. One must collect components and then take them to the shop to craft a stone that then is used to upgrade a spell. Since inventory space is limited, with no storage area except backpacks, one is constantly heading back to town to form whatever spells they can to empty out inventories for newer, better, items.

Party dynamics aren't as tricky as they sound, as it is fairly obvious what will and will not be the "good" or "evil" choices. There are dynamic scenes that will unfold as one ventures further into the dungeon and even as you are travelling through areas previously uncovered, so be prepared for new situations to arise and to travel back through places again every once in a while.

[edit] Story

Tale of the Forsaken Land takes place in the kingdom of Duhan, which was recently struck by a disaster known as The Flash.

The Flash not only killed thousands, but also left Duhan in a state of perpetual cold, and separated from the outside world.

On the outskirts of town lies the Labyrinth of Duhan, which the player-created protagonist must explore, whether for treasure, the truth about his own past, or for the kingdom.

Though Tale of the Forsaken Land's protagonist is customized by the player, there are several NPCs encountered along the way which help branch out the story.

[edit] Characters

Kyo Hattori

Race: Human

Class: Ninja

A young ninja stricken with the fear of death, who can either overcome his fear and stay with the group, or set out on his own if he does not agree with the protagonist's ideals.

Ricardo Dorephes

Race: Human

Class: Warrior

A warrior who questions the value of trust as an important part of a party, after having a bad experience with his last one.

Sara McDuff

Race: Human

Class: Priest

A priestess who is concerned for the welfare of the poor.

Rui

Race: Human

Class: Thief

A sorcerer-turned-thief, out to serve only her own needs, but may join the group if the price is right.

Daniel

Race: Hobbit

Class: Thief

A trickster who can't be trusted, but gives his aid from time to time, and will join if the protagonist comes to his aid at a key moment.

Michele

Race: Elf

Class: Priest

A young elf who wants to make up for her people's mistakes, and help solve the mysteries of the Labyrinth.

Hina

Race: Elf

Class: Samurai

Having lost both of her brothers within the Labyrinth, she seeks the help of the protagonist to find the whereabouts of her missing family.

Orphe Bright

Race: Human

Class: Warrior

A warrior seeking to find the truth about her father, who's been acting strangely. Always accompanied by a samurai named Aoba.

Aoba

Race: Human

Class: Samurai

A student of Gustav Bright, Orphe's father. Aoba seeks to protect his teacher's daughter from the dangers of the Labyrinth.

Grace

Race: Human

Class: Knight

The fiancée of Eugene Guestam, one of the game's antagonists, who she's followed into the Labyrinth to learn his true intentions.

Wolfe

Race: Human

Class: Knight

A warrior who accompanies Grace everywhere she goes.

Kulgan the Agile

Race: Elf

Class: Ninja

One of the most loyal Queen's Guards, devoted to serving the Queen, and the leader of the guards, LeDua Almsay. Kulgan does not trust the protagonist, and they seem to have a history together.

Virgo

Race: Human

Class: Sorcerer

An evil-looking sorceress who attacks the protagonist on several occasions, though her ideals seem less wicked in nature and more misguided.

Kaza

Race: Elf

Class: Bishop

An elven survivor of The Flash who holds a grudge with the protagonist, and acts very hostile at first.

LeDua Almsay

Race: Human

Class: Bishop

The leader of the Queen's Guards, and practically the Queen's second in command, conveying all of her orders to the main character.

Queen Otelier

Race: Human

Class: N/A

The sovereign of Duhan, who according to her subjects, has changed completely since The Flash that devastated her kingdom.

Once kind and warm hearted, Otelier has begun acting cold and rarely speaks, conveying most of her commands through her Bishop, LeDua.

[edit] Sequel

Box cover of Busin 0: Wizardry Alternative Neo

A second 'Wizardry Alternative' game was released only in Japan by Atlus, called 'Busin 0: Wizardry Alternative Neo', with a new story, characters, and labyrinths to explore.

[edit] External links

Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge (ING) - Wikipedia

Fuente:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizardry_VI

Información:

Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Wizardry VI)
Jump to: navigation, search
Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge
Image:Wizardry6Box.jpg
Developer(s) Sir-tech Software, Inc.
Publisher(s) Sir-tech Software, Inc. (Amiga, DOS)
ASCII (SNES)
Platform(s) Amiga, DOS, Super NES, Macintosh
Release date(s) 1990 (Amiga, DOS)
1995 (SNES)
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single player
Media Floppy disk, Cartridge
Input methods Keyboard, Gamepad

Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge is the 6th title in the Wizardry series of computer role-playing games. It was the first in the trilogy surrounding the Dark Savant, which was followed by Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant and Wizardry 8. It was developed by Sir-tech Software, Inc. and was released on the Amiga and DOS platforms in 1990 by the same company, and for the SNES in Japan in 1995 by ASCII.

Contents

[hide]

[edit] Gameplay & Atmosphere

Wizardry VI is a first person, tile-based and menu-driven RPG. Its monsters and races are made up of many mythological creatures and people, from the fictitious, to even some real life races and people. The player may meet Sirens and Charron from Greek mythology, the Amazulu (a group of black warrior women, whose tribal name is derived from the Amazons of Greek legend, and the Zulu of Africa), and even the Caterpillar from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

[edit] Story

The player controls a party of between two and six people from numerous fantasy backgrounds, identical to those found in Wizardry VII: the Human, Elf, Dwarf, Gnome, Hobbit, Faerie, Lizardman, Dracon (a half-Human, half-Dragon), Rawulf (anthropomorphic dogs), Felpurr (anthropomorphic cats) and Mook (aliens that resemble Sasquatch, or the Wookiees from Star Wars). They have come upon a castle that has been abandonded for over a hundred years, and which is rumored to contain the Cosmic Forge, a pen said to control the destiny of time and space. It is said that whatever is written with the pen becomes instantly true. Additionally, nobody knows what became of the King, Queen and Wizard who once lived there. Once the party enters the gates of the castle, the gates close behind them, making escape impossible.

The party visits many exotic locations. The ruins of the castle and its turrets have become overrun by creatures such as giant rats, vampire bats and carnivorous vines, and its basement has become a den of thieves, pirates and other ne'er-do-wells. Once the party finds a path through the castle and into the mountains beyond it, they meet the hostile giants and dwarves who mine the rock there, and a tribe of warrior women called the Amazulu in the jungles nearby.

In the mountains, they free the spirit of the lost Wizard, Xorphitus, who used the Cosmic Forge to learn everything there was to know in the universe. By doing so, his essence was split into two separate beings: the ghostly vision that the party meets, who seems reflective and benevolent, and his insane and violent physical self who appears much later. Xorphitus explains that this was because the nature of man was to be divided, and to know all things constituted a breach of this natural law. As such, he was naturally separated into two beings, each containing half of the universe's knowledge. He warns the party not to use the pen as he did, because using the Cosmic Forge outside of the Cosmic Circle would cause the user to suffer its Bane: to have their desire twisted into a mockery of the writer's intent.

Using a pair of red rubies gained from their dealings and combat with the giants and dwarves of the mountains and the Amazulu of the jungle, the party gains entrance to the River Styx which runs beneath the basement of the castle. There, they eventually meet the lost King and Queen, and the King's lover, Rebecca. The King, having used the cursed Cosmic Forge to wish himself immortal, suffers the Bane of living forever as a vampire, unable to feel any human emotion. He attacks the party and drinks their blood, and leaves them weakened, but alive.

The party also meets the long dead Queen, whose spirit still haunts the world. She relates the story of how she was forced to be impregnated by a demon at the King's command, and after she gave birth to the half-demon creature Rebecca, the King took the young girl as his lover, then ordered the Queen put to death. Her vengeful spirit gives the party a silver cross and instructs them to use it to kill both the King and Rebecca.

In actuality, her story is untrue. The King, in fact, took Rebecca in as his own, when a holy man known only as the Vicar and his betrothed, Annie, left her in his care. This caretaker relationship eventually developed into a romantic one. The Queen's death was not by the King's order, and was in fact her own doing. Jealous at having been tossed aside for the young girl as the King's lover, the Queen used the Cosmic Forge and wrote of the death of the "witch," which the Bane interpreted as meaning herself, and she slipped and fell on her own knife.

Finally, the party meets Rebecca, who hypnotizes them and brings them to meet the King a second time. The story branches from here, depending on whether the party believed the lies of the Queen. If they did, they still have the silver cross given to them by the Queen, the King burns himself upon it, and the party is thrown into prison. If they did not believe the Queen and threw the cross away, the King drinks his fill of blood, then throws the party into prison anyway[1]. The choice the party makes becomes much more important later, after they make their escape from the prison.

After eliminating the physical form of Xorphitus, they enter a final meeting with the King. If the party disbelieved the Queen and discarded the cross, the King relates to the party his struggles with a life of no emotion, and then kills himself by thrusting a holy stake of wood into his own heart. Rebecca appears afterward, and asks the party to take care of both the Cosmic Forge and her half-brother, the dragon Bela, who was born of an affair between the Queen and the Vicar.

Interestingly enough, when Rebecca first appears, if the party says, "I love you," she will give them a diamond ring. This ring has excellent healing and defensive stats, and can be used in Wizardry VII to acquire some of the strongest items in the game, and can be returned to Bela in Wizardry 8 for a massive experience bonus and his thanks.

Returning to the branching story line, a party allied with the Queen is forced to fight the King, and on the more difficult game settings, his lover Rebecca. As vampires, the two of them may only be damaged by holy stakes of wood and holy water. After his death, the spirit of the King relates his struggle, and then disappears.

After the King is dead, either by his own hand or by the party's, the chamber of the Cosmic Forge is finally revealed before them. If the party decides to secure it, a voice says, "I'll take that!" (this is the voice of Aletheides, a cyborg who returns in Wizardry VII and 8). At this point, a screen appears to tell the player to save a savegame for use in the sequel, and is then transported back to the forest outside the prison so the party can continue to train for the sequel, or just adventure.

If the party does not take the pen when prompted, they continue on through another door to meet Bela, and the final story branch occurs here. If the party did not believe the Queen and did not kill the King and Rebecca, Bela is elated at having new company. Together, if the player so wishes, the dragon and the party enter the mouth of a spaceship and take off for the stars to chase Aletheides. On the other hand, a party that believed the Queen is forced into combat with a vengeful Bela. After killing him, they may enter the mouth of the spaceship on their own, and blast off into the stars by themselves.

A shipbound party that goes with Bela meets the Umpani in the next game, while a shipbound party that goes without him will end up captives, and unwilling servants, of the Dark Savant and the T'Rang.

The origins of the spaceship are explained by Bela during the story path where the party befriends him. He apparently made it through instruction gained from an interstellar communication device from the Umpani, a race prominently featured in Wizardry VII and 8). He also says that it is powered by the remains of the dinosaurs in the forest, i.e. oil/gasoline. Also, if the party refuses Bela's offer to travel the stars, he offers them the key to the castle so that the party may return to the entrance where the game began. He then asks them to turn the lights out when they're done.

[edit] Endings

In all, there are three different endings to the game:

  • The "Bela" ending, which requires dropping the silver cross before meeting the King for the second time (and therefore, disbelieving the Queen), then accepting Bela's offer to chase Aletheides.
  • The "Ship" ending, which requires holding on to the silver cross when meeting the King for the second time (and therefore, believing the Queen), then choosing to board the spaceship after killing Bela.
  • The "Cosmic Forge" ending, completely independent of whether the party believed the Queen, which is achieved by trying to take the Cosmic Forge when prompted.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://dogandpanda.com/production/bane_hints.htm

Elric of Melniboné (ING) - Wikipedia

Fuente:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elric

Información:

Elric of Melniboné

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Elric)
Jump to: navigation, search
"Elric" redirects here. For other uses, see Elric (disambiguation)


Elric as depicted by Michael Whelan on the cover of "The Weird of the White Wolf" (DAW, 1977).

Elric of Melniboné[1] is a fictional character created by Michael Moorcock, and the antihero of a series of high fantasy books centering in the world of Melniboné. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VIII, 428th Emperor of Melniboné. Later novels by Moorcock mark Elric as a facet of the Eternal Champion.

Elric first appeared in print in 1961 in Michael Moorcock’s novella, "The Dreaming City" (Science Fantasy #47 June 1961); subsequent novellas were reformatted as the novel Stormbringer (1965), but his first appearance in an original novel wasn't until 1973 in Elric of Melniboné.

While not the first antihero to feature in literature, Moorcock's albino character is one of the best-known in fantasy literature, having crossed over into the mediums of comics and film, though efforts towards the latter have stalled. The novels have been continuously in print since the 1970s.

Contents

[hide]

[edit] Fictional history

“ It is the color of a bleached skull, his flesh; and the long hair which flows below his shoulders is milk-white. From the tapering, beautiful head stare two slanting eyes, crimson and moody, and from the loose sleeves of his yellow gown emerge two slender hands, also the color of bone.[2] ”

Thus described by author Michael Moorcock in the first book, Elric of Melniboné, Elric was the last emperor of the stagnating island civilization of Melniboné. Physically weak and frail, the albino Elric must take drugs - later retconned to mean special herbs - in order to maintain his health. In addition to herb lore, his character becomes an accomplished sorcerer and summoner, able to summon powerful, supernatural allies by dint of his royal Melnibonéan bloodline. Unlike most others of his race, who are described as being psychologically based upon cats[citation needed], Elric possesses something of a conscience; he sees the decadence of his culture, and worries about the rise of the Young Kingdoms, populated by humans (as Melniboneans do not consider themselves such) and the threat they pose to his empire. Because of his introspective self-loathing of Melnibonéan traditions, his subjects find him odd and unfathomable, and his cousin Yrkoon (next in the line of succession, as Elric has no heirs) interprets his behavior as weakness and plots Elric's death.

As emperor of Melniboné, Elric wears the Ring of Kings, also called the Ring of Actorios, Elric is able to call for aid upon the traditional patron of the Melniboné emperors, Arioch, a Lord of Chaos and Duke of Hell. From the first story onwards, Elric is shown using ancient pacts and agreements with not only Arioch but various other beings - some gods, some demons - to assist him in accomplishing his tasks.

Elric's finding of the sword Stormbringer serves as both his greatest asset and greatest disadvantage. Forged in the distant past, the sword confers upon Elric strength, health and fighting prowess but must be fed the souls of those struck with the black blade. In the end, the blade takes everyone close to Elric and eventually Elric's own soul as well. Most of the Moorcock's stories about Elric feature this relationship with Stormbringer, and how it - despite Elric's best intentions - brings doom to everything the Melnibonéan holds dear.

[edit] Influences

The saga of Kullervo from Finnish Mythology[3] contains elements similar to Elric's story, such as a talking magic sword and fatal alienation of the hero from his family.[4] Kullervo has been proposed as having influence on Poul Anderson's 1954 novel The Broken Sword, Elric, and J.R.R. Tolkien's story of Túrin Turambar, which appeared in The Silmarillion and subsequent works. Moorcock has stated that "Anderson's a definite influence [on Elric], as stated. But oddly, the Kalevala was read to us at my boarding school when I was about seven." and "from a very early age I was reading Norse legends and any books I could find about Norse stories"[5] Moorcock in the same posting stated "one thing I'm pretty sure of, I was not in any way directly influenced by Prof. T[olkien]"[5]. The Silmarillion was not published until 1977, sixteen years after the first Elric story. Moorcock has publicly written that he preferred Anderson's work to Tolkien's.[6]

Elric's albinism appears influenced by Monsieur Zenith, an albino villain who used a sword cane, who Moorcock appreciated enough to write into later multiverse stories.[7] Moorcock read Zenith stories in his youth, and has contributed to their later reprinting, remarking "took me forty years to find another copy of Zenith the Albino! In fact it was a friend who found it under lock and key and got a copy of it to Savoy who are, at last, about to reprint it! Why I have spent so much energy making public the evidence of my vast theft from Anthony Skene, I'm not entirely sure... "[8]. Moorcock later said "As I've said in my introduction to Monsieur Zenith: The Albino [ISBN 0861301099], the Anthony Skenes character was a huge influence. For the rest of the character, his ambiguities in particular, I based him on myself at the age I was when I created Elric, which was 20"[9] The influence of Zenith on Elric is often cited in discussions of Zenith (e.g., [10][11])

[edit] Novels

[edit] Original saga

DAW series (1977)

  • Elric of Melniboné (novel, Hutchinson 1972, cut vt The Dreaming City 1972 US; DAW 1977) ISBN 042508843X
  • The Sailor on the Seas of Fate (collection, Quartet 1976; DAW 1977) ISBN 0441748635
  • The Weird of the White Wolf (collection, DAW 1977) ISBN 0441888054
  • The Sleeping Sorceress (novel, NEL 1971; Ace 1971 as The Vanishing Tower; DAW 1977) ISBN 0441860397
  • The Bane of the Black Sword (collection, DAW 1977) ISBN 0441048854
  • Stormbringer (novel, fix-up, cut, Herbet Jenkins 1965; restored, DAW 1977, Berkeley 1984) ISBN 0425065596

Del Rey reprint (2008)

  • The Stealer of Souls
  • To Rescue Tanelorn
  • The Sleeping Sorceress

[edit] Later novels

  • Fortress of the Pearl (novel, Gollancz 1989) ISBN 0441248667
  • Revenge of the Rose (novel, Grafton 1991 as The Revenge of the Rose: A Tale of the Albino Prince in the Years of his Wandering) ISBN 0441001068

[edit] Later trilogy

[edit] Collections

[edit] Graphic novels

[edit] Publishing history

Elric first appeared in print in 1961 in Michael Moorcock’s novelette "The Dreaming City" (Science Fantasy #47 June 1961). A further four novelettes ("While the Gods Laugh", "The Stealer of Souls", "Kings in Darkness", "The Flamebringers") and four novellas ("Dead God's Homecoming", "Black Sword's Brothers", "Sad Giant's Shield", "Doomed Lord's Passing") followed, the last of these terminating the sequence with the close of Elric’s angst-ridden life. The five novelettes were collected in The Stealer of Souls (collection, Neville Spearman 1963) and the four novellas were first published as a novel in Stormbringer (op. cit.). (This early version of Elric’s saga, i.e., these nine short stories – with the full text of Stormbringer, as it appeared in Science Fantasy – has recently been republished in a single volume as Elric (Orion/Gollancz 2001), Volume 17 in the Fantasy Masterworks series.)

Moorcock published further Elric tales throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. One of these was "The Jade Man's Eyes," published in 1973 in Flashing Swords! #2, an original anthology edited by Lin Carter. In 1977 DAW published what’s widely regarded as the canonical version of Elric’s saga: six books that collected the tales according to their internal chronology (and with the text of Stormbringer restored and revised). These DAW paperbacks all featured cover art work by the same young artist, Michael Whelan, and helped to define the look of both Elric and his sword Stormbringer. Whelan has subsequently done the cover art for other Elric novels, as have many other artists.

A few oddments were collected in Elric at the End of Time (coll. NEL 1984). The novelette "Elric at the End of Time" fits into the saga between The Sailor on the Seas of Fate and The Weird of the White Wolf.

In 2008, Del Rey Books reprinted the original, classic Elric material as a series of three illustrated books: The Stealer of Souls, To Rescue Tanelorn, and The Sleeping Sorceress. Subsequent volumes appearing in 2009 (Duke Elric and Elric in the Dream Realms) and 2010 (title to be confirmed) will reprint later material.

[edit] Chronology

The main sequence, according to the saga's internal chronology, comprises the following books (in those cases where a book is composed of several titled sub-stories, these are listed):

  • (I) Elric of Melniboné
    • Book 1
    • Book 2
    • Book 3
  • The Fortress of the Pearl
  • (II) The Sailor on the Seas of Fate
    • Book One: Sailing To the Future
    • Book Two: Sailing To the Present
    • Book Three: Sailing To the Past
  • (III) The Weird of the White Wolf
    • Prologue: The Dream of Earl Aubec
    • Book One: The Dreaming City
    • Book Two: While the Gods Laugh
    • Book Three: The Singing Citadel
  • (IV) The Vanishing Tower (The Sleeping Sorceress)
    • Book One: The Torment of the Last Lord
    • Book Two: To Snare the Pale Prince
    • Book Three: Three heroes With a Single Aim
  • The Revenge of the Rose
  • (V) The Bane of the Black Sword
    • Book One: The Stealer of Souls
    • Book Two: Kings in Darkness
    • Book Three: The Flamebringers (aka The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams)
    • Epilogue: To Rescue Tanelorn
  • (VI) Stormbringer
    • Book One: Dead God's Homecoming
    • Book Two: Black Sword's Brothers
    • Book Three: Sad Giant's Shield
    • Book Four: Doomed Lord's Passing

[edit] Characters in the Elric series

See also: Deities in the Elric series

Cymoril: A Melnibonéan, Elric's cousin and consort. He hopes to one day make her his wife and empress. She tries to understand and help Elric, but like his subjects she has difficulty understanding Elric's motivations and would have him rule as the emperors of old, with no concern for any but himself.

Dyvim Slorm: A Melnibonéan, Elric's cousin, son of Dyvim Tvar. He fights alongside Elric in the final war against Chaos, wielding the black sword Mournblade.

Moonglum of Elwher: A short, red-haired human with a cheerfully ugly face, adventuring companion to Elric. He and Elric share many dangers and rewards together. The most steadfast and loyal companion of all the Young Kingdom humans Elric encounters. He assists Elric in completing his fated purpose.

Rackhir, the Red Archer: A human, once a Warrior Priest of Phum but cast out of his order. He and Elric travel and adventure together several times throughout the series.

Theleb K'aarna: A human sorcerer of the Pan Tang isles. After being displaced as Queen Yishana's advisor and chief sorcerer by Elric, he seeks revenge and uses sorcery to hinder several of Elric's plans.

Yyrkoon: Prince of Melniboné, Elric's cousin. He is next in line for the throne, as Elric has no male heir. He is greatly concerned at Elric's behavior and takes all of Elric's brooding and philosophical talk as a sign of weakness. He yearns for a return to more traditional emperors and secretly plots Elric's demise. Yyrkoon is a great sorcerer who has made many pacts with unholy forces to obtain his sorcerous strength. As further evidence of his decadent ways, he openly desires his sister Cymoril and intends to make her his wife and Empress if his plans ever reach fruition. Yyrkoon also appears reincarnated as a demon, serving as a messenger between Galndyth-A-Krae and the Chaos gods in Moorcock's Corum series.

Zarozinia: A human of the Young Kingdoms. She falls in love with Elric and eventually marries him, for a time allowing him to experience true love and companionship. For her sake, Elric also gives up his blade Stormbringer and reverts to taking sorcerous herbs to sustain his life.

[edit] Appearances in other media

Elric (along with Stormbringer) was listed in the first printing of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) Deities & Demigods rule book. However, Chaosium already had a role playing series in the works based on Elric & Stormbringer and the initial AD&D printing was not fully authorized. A mutually beneficial deal was worked out between Chaosium & TSR, yet TSR chose to remove Elric from subsequent printings of Deities & Demigods.[12]

Elric and Stormbringer have been detailed in the Stormbringer role-playing game by the publisher Chaosium and their licensees. Hawkmoon has also been so treated, as has Corum.

[edit] Comics

As well as within comic book adaptations, Elric also appeared in a number of original stories published by DC Comics. Helix, a short-lived science-fiction and fantasy imprint of DC, published the 12-issue Michael Moorcock's Multiverse from 1997. More recently, DC Comics published the 4-issue Elric: Making of a Sorcerer, with art by Walt Simonson, a story about Elric's magical training before the events of the novel Elric of Melniboné.

P. Craig Russell has drawn comics adaptations taken from three Moorcock novels: Elric of Melniboné (with Roy Thomas and Michael T. Gilbert; Pacific Comics), The Dreaming City and While the Gods Laugh (representing the first two-thirds of Weird of the White Wolf; Marvel/Epic Comics), and Stormbringer (Dark Horse). The character has also been separately adapted by Walter Simonson and Frank Brunner, and by George Freeman and others on the long-running Elric series at Pacific which Russell had co-created. (Reportedly tensions between himself and Thomas were the reason for his departure.)

[edit] Film

[edit] Unproduced film

Wendy Pini published a book documenting her attempt to make an animated film project of the Stormbringer series. Law and Chaos: The "Stormbringer" Animated Film Project (ISBN 0936861045) was published by Father Tree Press of Poughkeepsie, New York in 1987. The book contains original artwork, information on the characters, an overview of the plot, and her personal investment in the project. The film, however, never reached completion.

[edit] Upcoming films

On May 29, 2007, in an interview with Empire Magazine, directors Chris and Paul Weitz revealed that they are in the process of adapting a trilogy of films based on Elric for Universal Pictures.[13] Chris has stated that he grew up reading the material[13] and has met with Moorcock, who trusted them with the project.[13]

[edit] References to Elric in popular culture

  • In the second to last episode of the TV show Alias, entitled "Reprisal", the password for one of computer engineer's Marshall Flinkman's programs is revealed to be "Moonglum of Elwher". [15]
  • Elric was parodied in the humorous comic strip Thrud the Barbarian. The character Eric of Bonemalone, bearer of the cursed sword Stoatbringer, appeared in the story "The Three Tasks of Thrud". Published in White Dwarf #57 (September 1984). Author / Artist: Carl Critchlow.
  • Karl Edward Wagner wrote a short story, "The Gothic Touch", in which his immortal antihero Kane enlists the aid of Elric and Moonglum, which can be found in Michael Moorcock’s Elric: Tales of the White Wolf (ISBN 1565041755) and in Wagner's Exorcisms and Ecstasies (ISBN 1878252283).[18]
  • UK space rock band Hawkwind released the studio album The Chronicle of the Black Sword in 1985, based upon the Elric stories. An expanded live album (Live Chronicles) was released in 1986 and includes several spoken-word links by author Michael Moorcock, appearing on-stage as narrator. The live show, complete with mime artist dressed as Elric, was also released on VHS and DVD as The Chronicle of the Black Sword"
  • Author Neil Gaiman wrote a short story called "One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock'" about a troubled boy who loves the stories about Elric, and finds escape from the everyday world in them. The story was published in the short story collection Smoke and Mirrors.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Pronounced "mel-nib-on-ay"[1]
  2. ^ Moorcock, Michael (1987). Elric of Melniboné. Ace. pp. 192. ISBN 0441203981. http://www.amazon.com/Elric-Melnibone-1-Michael-Moorcock/dp/0441203981/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qisbn=1227459056&sr=1-1.
  3. ^ The Kalevala: Rune XXXI. Kullerwoinen Son of Evil
  4. ^ The Kalevala: Rune XXXVI. Kullerwoinen's Victory and Death
  5. ^ a b Elric/Turambar - Moorcock's Miscellany
  6. ^ Tolkien times two | Review | guardian.co.uk Books
  7. ^ Fantasy Magazine » S.T. Joshi, Michael Moorcock
  8. ^ Lancer pirates? > M. Zenith - Moorcock's Miscellany
  9. ^ World Famous Comics >> Baker's Dozen - Bill Baker, Jan 05, 2005
  10. ^ Monsieur Zenith the Albino
  11. ^ Savoy People: The Most Banned Publishing Company in Britain
  12. ^ See the RPGnet brief history of Chaosium for more details, http://www.rpg.net/columns/briefhistory/briefhistory3.phtml
  13. ^ a b c Empire Staff (2007-05-29). "Weitz Brothers Making Elric". Empire. http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=20750. Retrieved on 2008-07-13.
  14. ^ Babylon 5 - Moorcock's Miscellany
  15. ^ Alias: Reprisal (1) - TV.com
  16. ^ Thomas, Roy (w), Windsor-Smith, Barry (p). "A Sword Called Stormbringer!", "The Green Empress of Melniboné" Conan the Barbarian 1 (14, #15) (March, 1972), Marvel Comics
  17. ^ "I loved Dave's parody. As he knew. He'd been a little charey of what I'd think of it and I thought it was tremendous. I even bought the Elrod T-shirt." "Jack Gaughan. I never forgave him for that hat." - Michael Moorcock. Moorcock's Miscellany. Image here. Retrieved 2008-03-23
  18. ^ Animus
  19. ^ http://www.blueoystercult.com/Studio/SWbios.html
  20. ^ Blue Oyster Cult - Music Shop - Virgin Radio
  21. ^ RPGnet : A Brief History of Game #11: White Wolf, Part One: 1986-1995

[edit] See also

[edit] External links