FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I do get a number of questions from readers, and I noticed similar questions. So here I have compiled a list of frequently asked questions and their answers. As the number of questions grow, I have found it necessary to classify them according to category.
To look for a answer to your question, click on the category, then look for the question. If you can't find the answer, e-mail me.
Available categories:
Will Skyva's past be explained in the second book or will you save the best for last?
Yes, Skyva's past will be explained in the second book, but personally, I wouldn't considered it the 'best'.
Is Skyva really the bad guy / beast?
I can't really give you too much information on this, because it will give away some vital storyline in the second book. What I can tell you is to examine the dialogues that the Great Exalted Mother had with Barguz in the past and with the beast at the end. Along the way, there are also clues as to Skyva's true identity in relation to the beast's.
What happened to Skyva at the end of the book?
Well, as I like to ask my readers, what do you think happened? I've had some theories:
- Skyva was teleported away and Lareg
took his place.
- Lareg possessed Skyva and used his body tto attack the Great Exalted Mother.
- Lareg killed Skyva and then took over hiss body to attack the Great Exalted
Mother.
All I can say is that I intend to continue the Skyva's Story series, so we can't have the main character die so fast, can we?
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Is Lareg, then, the Beast that enslaved the world? If not, where did he come from when he appeared? Did he emerge from the earth or what? What is Lareg, is he a man, or a boy?
Lareg was a man born of a woman a thousand years ago in the past. He lived among people as one of them until the day that he realised his mission in the world. It was then that he fought against the Beast. He is remembered as Saviour of the world, but only the Pillars knew that to be part of the truth of what really happened.
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Will more on the mysterious Lich Skull Master be revealed?
Yes. Much more.
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What does "Crepido Orbis Terrarum" mean?
It is Latin and roughly translates to "Pillars of the World".
Since Enid shared the spirit of Lareg with Mathus, is it possible to take away the immortality they possess?
Yes, but probably only by the same person who gave it to them.
I seem to like asking questions about the D.O.M. Will his mysterious appearance in the "8 Rings of Legend" be explained?
He appeared in that one chapter of "8 Rings" at the request of the lady in dark red cloak, whose identity I am sure you can deduce.
Why is it that the Great Exalted Mother had never bothered to reveal to the people the other things that Lareg had done?
When the Great Exalted Mother defeated Lareg, she and
the other Pillars of the World were members of the group called the Vagabonds,
which essentially comprised outcasts. The people who they saved from the Beast
and from Lareg found it hard to consider them heroes, until decades later. But
by then, Lareg was already seen and remembered as their Saviour, and the Pillars
as his instruments of freedom.
A possible theory raised could be that someone at that time was concealing the
truth from the majority of the people, and brainwashing them to believe his
version of the truth.
How do you give the 4 Pillars of the World names like "Dual-bladed Occamist Monk" or "Occam's Luciferous Pre-eminent Sorceress" and what do they mean?
The name "Albene Dictine" came from the name of a
friend which is roughly Al****** Benedict Ting. This same person pointed out to
me the name of the liquor Benedictine D.O.M., which we decided would be good to
give to Albene's ancestor.
So next, I had to find what D.O.M. stood for. Since he wielded two swords, so
"D" stood for "Dual-bladed". "O" came during a hunt through a dictionary, and I
landed on Occam's Razor, which is explained, albeit out of context, in the book.
Finally, "M" just stands for monk. Nothing special there.
For the latter case, the acronym OLPS is the same as the name of the church
attended by the person I modelled her after. "O" stands for Occam, which you
already know what it means. "Luciferous" means "of light", "Pre-eminent" means
"supreme". And I am sure you know what "sorceress" means.
These are titles given to the 4 Pillars by other people of their time, and are,
as Avid Fan mentions, largely based on their
abilities.
I would like to know whether the next book, "The 4 Pillars of the World" will touch on all of them. Will the book go way back to tell how they were chosen and their names? How about the battle with the Beast?
As the name describes, "4 Pillars" will cover the lives and relationships of the 4 Pillars, not so much as how they lived a thousand years ago, but how they live now in the present day. Much of what took place a thousand years ago has already been explained, but "4 Pillars" will cover certain parts that were deliberately missed out. There will not be much on the battle against the Beast, but there will be some on the 4 Pillars' battle against Lareg.
Will the identity of the child of Enid and Mathus be revealed in the next book? Why had Mathus buried himself when he had a descendant which he bore with Enid? He could have passed down the Rings of the Vagabond to the child for safekeeping.
The child's identity has been implied in "8 Rings", but for those who didn't get it, it will be explicitly revealed in "4 Pillars". The child was conceived and born only after Mathus woke up, not before.
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When Sylvig uses the Rings of Filmas to revive Kitty, does that mean she is therefore, a Ring Bearer? Does this revival spell apply to the Rings of Filmas only or are the other Rings capable of doing so?
Yes, Kitty now bears the Earth Ring of Filmas,
otherwise Sylvig would not have been able to tap into the power of the Wind Ring
of Filmas due to the presence of the FCG on it.
This spell is applicable to all corresponding pairs of the Rings of Legend -
Dictine, Filmas, the Vagabond, and Lareg. This is why Jotan now wants to obtain
the other Ring of Lareg.
If the Metal Ring of the Vagabond was buried with Mathus when he went to sleep in some secret location, how is it the Rings could have been taken from him? How is it possible that Gyee Zur had so easily found it when Enid did not even know where he had hidden himself? Will that be explained in the next book?
Before Mathus buried himself, he gave clues to each of
the other Pillars as to how to find him should the need ever rise again. A
crucial clue was left with the Pillar who did not appear in "8 Rings". Enid did
not obtain that clue, and hence was never able to locate Mathus' tomb.
Gyee Zur, on the other hand, somehow laid his hands on that clue. The next book
"4 Pillars" will touch on that.
As for the Rings of Lareg, why is it that Enid never placed an FCG onto the Rings of Lareg since they were the most powerful rings?
As Enid mentioned, the Rings of Lareg should be worn together to balance their power. Too much of either Ring can be detrimental to the condition of its wearer. As Enid was granted the gift of immortality, she had no fear of dying and could hold on to those Rings for as long as she lived, forever being the guardian of the world against the possible rise of the undead.
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About the Melnian Mystics, if Ediko takes up the role of Commander of Field Mystics, does it apply only to the battlefield or does she take over the leading of the Melnian Mystics? How about Jolyn Seraphina, what does it mean when she is the Dean of Studies?
As CFM, Ediko will lead the Mystics to battle when the
need arises, a role which she was not able to fulfill in "8 Rings" but will do
so in "4 Pillars". Ediko will take over leading the Melnian Mystics only when
Enid is not around. She is like the second-in-command to the Great Exalted
Mother.
Every college or university has a Dean of Studies. As Dean, Jolyn's role is to
coordinate the lesson plans of the students, a role which she requires that she
work closely with Enid. She would be something like the person in charge of all
the Heads Of Department.
I would like to inquire whether Krigsy will be further explained. You see, she is able to do spells that Ediko cannot, without learning to cast spells without a rod. Will we readers find out why she is gifted with such power?
The purpose of using a rod to cast spells is to focus
larger amounts of mana (or magical energy) towards a more powerful spell. As
such, rods are normally used by weaker Mystics to cast simple spells, or
powerful Mystics to cast the most powerful of spells. Krigsy is powerful Mystic,
despite her youth, and is able to cast simple spells without a rod, which is
something that Meryl can also do. Given her natural affinity for magic, Krigsy
is naturally gifted with knowing how to use a rod, although she is still
required to go through the module before she can obtain her own legal rod.
In "8 Rings", Krigsy seems to be the only Mystic with such a power, but in "4
Pillars", readers will be introduced to other characters who can cast magic
without the use of a rod. This has something to do with where they come from.
Can anyone wear a ring, or does the bearer need to be chosen? For the FCG part, what does it mean when there are known FCGs as written in the glossary? Is FCG a spell?
Anyone can wear a
Ring of Legend, but only a Ring Bearer can use its abilities. When a person can
use the abilities of the Ring he wears, it is said to have chosen its bearer.
Not everyone can use the Rings of Legend, as shown by Gyee Zur's failed attempt
to use the Love Ring of Lareg.
The FCG is a magic seal placed on six of the eight Rings of Legend, to prevent a
corresponding pair to be used by the same person at the same time. The three
FCGs placed on the pairs of Fire and Water, Earth and Wind, Psychic and Metal,
are given different names, although their function is the same.
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When is your next book coming out?
I aim to get it out this year.
How many books will there be?
In this series, there will be four books. The first book "The 8 Rings Of Legend" introduces the 8 Rings that will appear throughout the series. The second book, tentatively titled "The 4 Pillars of the World" will touch on exactly what it says. Till now, all of the Pillars of the World have made their appearance, except for one. The third book will be titled "The 2 ..." and the last book will be "The 1 ...". As to what the full titles will be, you will have to wait and see.
How long did it take you to write this book?
The first draft took me about three months of writing. I'd get in about a few hours a day, if possible, to get a chapter out. I'd finish the entire story before going back to make corrections, such as character descriptions etc.
How did you decide on the characters?
Interesting people are all around you; you just need to open your eyes. Of course you can't use them as characters in your stories, or else they might get angry. But what you can do is to observe people and note down certain interesting traits about them. For example, if I see someone who is very hardworking, I can take that trait and create a character who is very hardworking. Then I will build a whole new character around that trait.
What's the most important thing in order to be a author?
You must love to write, have a story to tell, and have plenty of support and encouragement from those around you.
And their names? How do you choose them?
Have you ever heard of anagrams? They are words or phrases formed from the letters of another word or phrase, but in a different order. For example, my own name can be rewritten as "Leinad Ayt". Play around with other familiar words or names and you can come up with loads more. ^__^
Where else can I find your book?
Until I find another publisher who is able to bring my books to the major bookstores, the only other places that sell my books can be found in this list.
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Is the OSA that protected Sion a spell or a shield generated by machines?
It is formed by the simultaneous casting of a certain spell by a specialized team of Mystics. The magical shield is modelled after a similar shield generated by machines, which were used in ancient times, and was rebuilt by Mathus to protect Melnir.
At the end of "8 Rings", JFK's sword was destroyed and it said that he had another prized weapon. Is that weapon more valuable than Zweilicht, or what? How about Mt. Kosva, will the blacksmith be mentioned?
JFK's other 'weapon' refers to the Metal Ring of the Vagabond, which was not used much in "8 Rings". However, the Ring alone doesn't do much. JFK's weapon refers to something else that is used together with the Ring, which you will see in the next book. Part of "4 Pillars" will concentrate on his journey to Mt. Kosva, where he will meet the fabled blacksmith who forged his sword... and more.
Does Phili like Jotan?
Unfortunately for Jotan, who does like Phili very much, the feeling is not mutual. Phili does like Skyva, however, and the feeling is mutual, but circumstances may or may not allow them to be together in the future...
Where can I buy your bookmarks?
Currently, the only place that sells my bookmarks and postcards is at:
Cana - The Catholic Centre
55 Waterloo Street
#02-00
Catholic Welfare Services Building
It is just behind Oxford Hotel. It's also where I had my book launched, thanks to the very helpful volunteers there.
For the postcard set which you can see on the main page of this site, that's not for sale. It's an exclusive postcard set that will only be sold at the places I visit to give talks etc.
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