Of Clouds and Bells

                                                        ::OF CLOUDS AND BELLS::

      A Victorian, Steam-punk, Political Fantasy Adventure (and possible Watty Awards 2012 entry)

 Clouds

 Senn was the adventurous son of a farmhand, turned stablemaster to the largest circus in the Wildlands when his talent with animals attracted the attention of the quirky, imposing ringleader. Now his adventure is about to take a wide turn as the circus visits the City of Clouds for the first time in a decade. However, his excitement is marred by the terrible sense of foreboding the thought of the magnificent City brings to both him and his humble herd of horses. Suddenly, he is dragged into the crossfire of a two-layered political war. Can he give up everything he has gained in the years of service he has spent to his circus and his herd? Does he even have a choice?

 Tempest

 Poppen is a nomad and a mage--one of the first to be born in years to his benighted tribe. He should be been awed and respected for his gift, but his own family takes his lack of strength and fire for granted. As the whole tribe’s tensions are set tight by the lack of food and strengthening of the City’s borders, they risk--in vain--to raid for food. In this desperate attempt, Poppen--and all the people he has ever known--are either killed or taken as slaves. Lower than he has ever been before--a disgrace turned to a slave worth nothing at all--he will do anything to get what his people deserve

 Bells

 Varsa couldn’t stand the life of discrimination that came with being the daughter of a mercenary, the most looked down upon class, especially when one wasn’t a descendant of the nobility. Being illegitimate and without a mother could only make matters worse; so she left to work the streets where the looks she received were full of less hatred. Her life was tolerable until she woke up one morning to find that she was a monster of nightmares and dependent on blood given to her only by her anonymous benefactor. He gives her a choice; become his assassin or forfeit her life.

 Tides

 Edwin V could hardly keep his job, his family, and his obsession under control; so, he did as any sensible man would do--he chose his obsession and went to investigate the mysterious disappearances occurring throughout Tynum, City of Tides. With the help of his assistant, he must find the serial killer within his city even at the risk of his own life.