What is the Vorrgistadt Saga?
The Vorrgistadt Saga is a serialized fiction experiment set in a swords & sorcery setting. The blog you see before you is the central hub and creative outlet for this project.
What’s up with the weird name?
We could say that there’s a lot of fantasy outlets and fictional works out there already, and all the good titles were gone.
The name came up after a few hours of deliberation, when the author, Mark, was daydreaming at work and wanted a unified name for a desperate group of stories that were shooting out of his head. The name went through several permutations, until he finally settled upon the idea of basing the stories around a common ruined city as the focus, or in another way of saying it, a “locality McGuffin.”
Vorrgistadt breaks down into Vorr-gi-stadt. Vorr being a name in a forgotten language for an ancient culture that has faded away from the world and left numerous (and often destructive) legacies throughout the dying world of Aelth Myrris. Gi, is a suffix, that signifies a collective group. Similar to the suffix -jin, in Japanese (Nihongo). Stadt, means just as it would mean in the real-world German language, a city. Although, as languages changed in the setting, the word “stadt” took on a more sinister and ancient meaning. Now the word “stadt” in the language of the Hoelath-Kavi (the predominant unified tribes in several of the story-lines), means “a haunted/ruined city to be avoided at all costs.” Well, not as verbose, but that pretty much sums it up.
How exactly is this thing in the swords & sorcery genre, anyway?
Here’s the (heheh, I just hit every button before you got in here so I’d have some more time to ramble) elevator-pitch, as incoherent as it is…
Think of a world that is dying, not necessarily because of any nuclear war, environmental neglect, or global devastation, but because of higher powers simply saying “that’s enough, I’m bored, let’s move on.”
These immortal powers, with their long lives and longer memories are tired with the world, with how things are with humanity. They want to power down the systems, turn off the light, shut the door, lock it up and call it a day.
What about the normal people? What about the nations that fought, survived, hoped, dreamed and built legacies? What about the average person trying to fight to stay alive in a world that seems to get more barren, more stark, more depraved and more dangerous with every passing day?
This is that world, and this is the story of those normal people fighting to stay alive. The golden age has come and gone. Now you’re stuck in the dregs at the bottom, the last death rattle before everything goes dark. This is the story of that time, of those people, and the indomitable human (and other species, of course, we’re inclusive like that) spirit to stay alive just one more day. To defy the odds no matter what. To stand up to those jaded immortal assholes who like to make grand, sweeping choices, without thinking about the little guys, and tell them to shove it.
This is Howard Phillips Lovecraft sending rambling letters and poetry to Robert E. Howard.
The Vorrgistadt Saga is a serialized fiction experiment set in a swords & sorcery setting. The blog you see before you is the central hub and creative outlet for this project.
What’s up with the weird name?
We could say that there’s a lot of fantasy outlets and fictional works out there already, and all the good titles were gone.
The name came up after a few hours of deliberation, when the author, Mark, was daydreaming at work and wanted a unified name for a desperate group of stories that were shooting out of his head. The name went through several permutations, until he finally settled upon the idea of basing the stories around a common ruined city as the focus, or in another way of saying it, a “locality McGuffin.”
Vorrgistadt breaks down into Vorr-gi-stadt. Vorr being a name in a forgotten language for an ancient culture that has faded away from the world and left numerous (and often destructive) legacies throughout the dying world of Aelth Myrris. Gi, is a suffix, that signifies a collective group. Similar to the suffix -jin, in Japanese (Nihongo). Stadt, means just as it would mean in the real-world German language, a city. Although, as languages changed in the setting, the word “stadt” took on a more sinister and ancient meaning. Now the word “stadt” in the language of the Hoelath-Kavi (the predominant unified tribes in several of the story-lines), means “a haunted/ruined city to be avoided at all costs.” Well, not as verbose, but that pretty much sums it up.
How exactly is this thing in the swords & sorcery genre, anyway?
Here’s the (heheh, I just hit every button before you got in here so I’d have some more time to ramble) elevator-pitch, as incoherent as it is…
Think of a world that is dying, not necessarily because of any nuclear war, environmental neglect, or global devastation, but because of higher powers simply saying “that’s enough, I’m bored, let’s move on.”
These immortal powers, with their long lives and longer memories are tired with the world, with how things are with humanity. They want to power down the systems, turn off the light, shut the door, lock it up and call it a day.
What about the normal people? What about the nations that fought, survived, hoped, dreamed and built legacies? What about the average person trying to fight to stay alive in a world that seems to get more barren, more stark, more depraved and more dangerous with every passing day?
This is that world, and this is the story of those normal people fighting to stay alive. The golden age has come and gone. Now you’re stuck in the dregs at the bottom, the last death rattle before everything goes dark. This is the story of that time, of those people, and the indomitable human (and other species, of course, we’re inclusive like that) spirit to stay alive just one more day. To defy the odds no matter what. To stand up to those jaded immortal assholes who like to make grand, sweeping choices, without thinking about the little guys, and tell them to shove it.
This is Howard Phillips Lovecraft sending rambling letters and poetry to Robert E. Howard.
This is Clark Ashton Smith scribbling messages from beyond in blood, while channeling the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe.
This is Michael Moorcock making a gonzo bit of artwork immortalizing his eternal champion while telling H.R. Giger he needs more lighting, and that Hunter S. Thompson needs to show more cleavage.
This is this author’s take on the classic, pulp-as-fuck, gritty, violent, desperate swords & sorcery in the high-octane vein of Mad Max, and a soundtrack of Wagner reincarnated as a metal-head, with Conan actually wearing a god-damn shirt for once.
…And most of all… It’s none of that uppity bullshit written out, above. It’s a story that the author of this project wants to make for others. To inspire them to make their own stories and turn this thing, whatever the hell it ends up being, into something they can point at and say “I had a part in that, I helped that exist, and I think it’s pretty damn neat.”
…And yeah, the author is using a lot of the swords & sorcery tropes as well, in his own messed up way. Bygone ages, reluctant heroes, evil sorcerers/esses, lich kings, warped magic, desert landscapes, fur clothes, big-ass swords, and the occasional bit of tasteful amazonian side-boob.
Now, there is just one more question remaining…
Does any of this seem like something you’re into?
If so, please join us on this (probably doomed anyway) ride into… Whatever the hell this is going to end up being. Thank you for your immense patience in reading this. You are the person this project was written for.
…If you’re not, could you sit down so the people behind you can see the screen. Thanks.
Welcome to the dying world of Aelth Myrris, and the ongoing Vorrgistadt Saga.
The Author
Mark Lazure
A (relatively new) speculative fiction writer of fantasy, science-fiction and horror. Mark has been writing stories since he was a small child and now three decades later actually wants to share them with people. He has worked in the freelance role-playing game industry, spent some time in art college learning how to ‘draw,’ spent some time working in the film industry, did some musical bits for two bands, and spent some more time in university learning about ancient civilizations.
Mark recently was able to attain an honorable mention nomination for a short story called “Glimpses of Things to Come” from the Writers of the Future Contest for Quarter 2 – Volume 33. That story is the first part of this ongoing serial fiction project.
Mark is one of those overly-polite Canadians that people talk about in hushed whispers. He identifies as a metalhead, a (reformed, old-school) goth, a grognard-style geek, a human rights activist, a fan of all things Lovecraft or Poe, and a fan of all things Silent Hill. He lives with his significant other in a house filled to the brim with far too many Dungeons & Dragons books (at least that is what his significant other states, at any rate). In what little free time he has, he plays table-top role-playing games, argues over the internet with people who don’t know what THAC0 is, makes the occasional YouTube video, and enjoys playing The Forest on PC.
He also has an author site, here.
Legals
It sounds pretty ominous, right? Well, this is just a reminder page for those that are visiting or passing through. Don’t worry too much, this is for reference.
This site contains original work and owned intellectual property.
The Vorrgistadt Saga
A Vorrgistadt Shard – Shaeullyn: A Child Lost to Time
A Vorrgistadt Shard – Jykal: Beating Heart of Cursed Blood
A Vorrgistadt Shard – In the Shadow of the Dread Lord
The above works and all original work on this site are protected under digital copyright, © 2016 Mark Lazure. Some elements on this site are © 2015 Mark Lazure.
Please do not use any writing, artwork, digital material, or original elements on this site without expressed permission. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted © 2016 Mark Lazure. Some elements on this site are © 2015 Mark Lazure.
The mention of or reference to any company or product on this website is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned. All persons, places, and organizations on this website – except those clearly in the public domain – are fictitious, and any resemblance that may seem to exist to actual persons, places, or organizations, living, dead, or defunct is purely coincidental.
In the case where any material on this site is the written work, artwork, or digital material of another person or group, proper credit will be given and permission to use that work will be sought and provided.
If you are interested in the creation of any derivative or fan-related works such as fan-fiction, artwork, or other contributions to this site, please check out our Fan Support Page.
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