Notes - Original Outline

Notes - Original Outline

When I first came up with the concept of The Magic Arts (& Crafts), within the matter of minutes, I had Melfina, I had Stark, and I had West Luna. Within a day, I also had the title.

I imagined creating an ongoing story that had no foreseable ending. There were no volumes, and chapters were called episodes. I was just going to outline as many chapters as I could and go from there. While I had some story arcs in mind, many of them were going to overlap, and just melt into each other as one giant story.

The outline covers Volume 1 almost chapter by chapter, and encompasses up to Chapter XII of Volume 2.

Here was my initial outline created several days after deciding to create the project. When it was still a fairly small story, with a small cast, and hadn't yet grown into the project that it's become.

Episode 1

• Introduces Luna, Melfina, West Luna, Finds a rare book she's been looking for.
• Ends with her apparently getting robbed for the book
• Text: Welcome to West Luna sign

(Note: Since this is what Chapter I of Volume 1 becomes, it is no surprise that I got this pretty much exact.)

Episode 2

• Stark fights off thief, introduces paladin and samurai skills
• Ends when Lord of West Luna shows up
• Text: Book of Fate (temporary)

(Note: The Book of Fate became the Tome of Lost Knowledge.)

Episode 3

• Learn about Starks immediate background as a dismissed guard
• Ends with getting hired by Lord of West Luna
• Text: Journal – Stark

(Note: And of course since this is still only Chapter III, and the introduction to Stark's background, this too is pretty much exact.)

Episode 4

• Discussion on whether or not Lord of West Luna is really a Lord
• (Last argument)
  • Melfina – "Lords are supposed to provide protection for their subjects."
  • Stark – "And he has provided you with a Captain of the Guard."
  • Mefina – "…" "Well then, escort me back up to my library so this book doesn't get stolen again Captain."
• Ends with going up to the library
• Text: Diary – building a library

(Note: This chapter is unique, in that the whole concept is centered around a joke. I was still flirting with the idea of having humor as a regular part of the story. Something I now know is difficult for me. I also was trying my hardest to use as many names of characters from UO as possible, and was trying to come up with explanations as to why they're so weird. If I did this all over again, would I have Gamblor and Lord of West Luna? I don't think so. The most ridiculous names I never used though, which is a good thing.)

Episode 5

• Introduces library, value of library after Tal'keesh destroyed Luna's tower
• Ends with mysterious note in the rare book
• Text: mysterious note

(Note: Obviously a very big change in the ending is no longer a "mysterious note". Instead there is the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom. It's at the heart of the central belief systems of the UO universe, so I felt it was important to have it in one of the early chapters. And important that it is in the Book of Chivalry, since the paladins are supposed to be the good guys.)

Episode 6

• Dismisses note, shows Stark the rest of West Luna
• Ends with…
• Text: Starks' contract with Lord of West Luna

(Note: Figuring out that the book in Episode 1 was the Tome of Lost Knowledge completely derailed this mysterious note storyline. And at this point, I had altered my outline a lot, and had already come up with the concept of distinct Volumes. In fact I had figured that out between what are now Chapter's I and II.)

Episode 7

• Introduction of Gamblor. Stark doesn't like him.
• Ends with…
• Text: List of things for Gamblor to get

(Note: Even as I was writing this Chapter, I didn't have an ending in mind. That's how Gamblor ended in in Chapter VIII of Volume 1 as well. The only thing I knew was that I wanted Gamblor to be introduced in Chapter VII since seven is a "lucky" number.)

Episode 8

• Introduction to actual shop, The Magic Arts & Crafts. Discussion about selling the Book of Chivalry.
• Ends with…
• Text: ???

(Note: The discussion about the Book of Chivalry was combined with Episode 5 to make what is now Chapter V. This very vague Episode idea is what turned out to be the Chapter that introduces Cadence and Tom.)

Episode 9

• Stark on duty. Thoughts on uniform. Maybe introduce Draven. Look in on West Luna Inc. "Looks like a firing squad."
• Ends with…
• Text: ???

(Note: That quote is a reference to an actual message left on the message board of the House of Furniture (Which at the time named "West Luna Inc." The house was set up so there was a line of vendors packed side-by-side, with all the same hair cut and all wearing robes, and put together in color groups depending on what they sold. In one of my big revisions, I got rid of that description because in an actual world, there wouldn't need to be that many people selling things. And I never found a way to put that quote in.

I eventually realized that what I had was boring. I needed to get some more action in my story. So instead I had Stark learn about the penninsula that West Luna is on and had him fight the crystal elemental. Why crystal elemental? Because I logged into the game, wandered around the area where my story took place, and saw that's the enemy that resides there.)

Episode 10

• A day in the life of Melfina, pay vendors, list for Gamblor, check on horse, run errands, clean up library, be jealous of Luna, restock items, get hired to copy a book
• Ends with another clue. Perhaps when she's hired to copy a book.
• Text: The passage in the book.

Episode 11

• Ends with Pied Piper giving Proclamation to Melfina for money.
• Text: Proclamation

(Note: The name Pied Piper is one of the names that appears in "The Mis-Adventures of Chad Sexington". I was going to use it originally but the name was later claimed by Chad, for possible use in "Undeniably Sexy: A Thief's Tale". I then thought I'd perhaps use "Melody" and have Melfina and Melody as friends, but that was claimed by Chad as a possibility for the game. So I used thesaurus.com and found Cadence. I love that name, and am glad that's what it turned out to be.

This is of course now what is the beginning of Volume 2, and Cadence doesn't sell information to Melfina, but is now somewhat of a mailman, hired by Lord Luna.)

Episode 12

• Discussion about what this means
• Ends with Melfina wanting to write a book about Umbra and Necromancy
• Text: Notes about Umbra

(Note: This was combined with Episode 11 to make Chapter I of Volume 2. By this time I already had an idea as to how many segments and plot points that I needed to make a full chapter, and knew that this wouldn't stand alone as a chapter.)

Episode 13

• Travels to Umbra and explores, thinks about what this can mean for her shop
• Ends with buying info about Umbra
• Text:

(Note: "What this means for her shop" is referencing how is she going to be able to pay her rent, since I had not yet come up with a solution to that at this time. That, of course, became obsolete by the time it came to write this Chapter, since the solution happened at the end of Volume 1.)

Episode 14

• Decides to stock up store with Necro regs
• Ends up also buying a book on Necromancy
• Text: ???

Episode 15

• Back in West Luna, Stark reacts badly
• Ends with Stark deciding they need more guards because book will attract evil
• Text: Notes on Necromancy Book

(Note: This is Chapter III of Volume 2. However, the character of Wayland nor the concept of a second Volume had not yet been created.)

Episode ??

• Travels to Luna to find a book on Spirit Speak (or Gamblor gets one for her because Luna has never had any on the "tainted" book.)
• Ends with opening the book
• Text: Passage in the book

(Note: This is Chapter V of Volume 2, although I forgot to use the word "tainted".)

Episode ??

• Takes a walk while training Spirit Speak
• Ends with summoning a Horde Minion
• Text:

(Note: This is what is now Chapter VII of Volume 2. The content of the Stark chapter was skipped because Melfina is the true main character of the story. Stark is somewhat just a counterpoint to her. His character allows me to add some more traditional fantasy story elements, while Melfina is exploring the core concept behind the reason the story was created.)

Episode ??

• Horde Minion immediately steals something.
• Ends with begins to growl
• Text:

Episode ??

• Horde Minion fights off something
• Ends with Horde Minion carrying the body of the creature closer to Melfina and she uses spirit speak to get some life back. You're ok, I just wish you’d give me back my ___ that you ate.
• Text:

(Note: This is what is now Chapter VIII of Volume 2. Although I did not use the spirit speak part. Melfina definitely had enough of that and necromancy for the day.)

Episode ??

• Starks' reaction to Horde Minion
• Ends with going to sleep
• Text:

Episode ??

• A day in the life of Melfina, now with Horde Minion
• Ends with naming it Reagent
• Text: Journal – Update on recruiting

(Note: This is what is now Chapter X of Volume 2. The only Episode in this outline that isn't in the correct sequence. And of course we've seen several letters going back and forth between Stark and Lord Luna, as well as the two chapters that deal with recruiting by this time.)

Episode ##

• ???
• Ends with...
• Text: ???

(Note: My outline was typed out in Microsoft Word, and this was simply the part that I copy/pasted when I had a new idea for a chapter.)