Two hundred years have passed since the last great war of the five peoples. Peace reigns, in appearance, on the vast world of Isthariun.
In Valendas, the human capital, Eskalys, a young boy, and his childhood friends, Firnaël, the fishing elf, and Gugnir, the forest dwarf, live a golden and happy youth, hardly disturbed by their numerous pranks.
But their last joke during the warm-season party was not to everyone's taste, especially their respective families, who decided to separate them as soon as possible.
Embarked in spite of themselves in epic adventures, will they manage to find their way? Will they discover the origin of the strange elements that could call into question the very existence of their universe?
Follow the adventures of the three friends and other heroes as singular in a fantastic adventure, where they will meet amazing creatures, where magic will be omnipresent and fights... often deadly!
Two hundred years have passed since the last great war of the five peoples. Peace reigns, in appearance, on the vast world of Isthariun.
In Valendas, the human capital, Eskalys, a young boy, and his childhood friends, Firnaël, the fishing elf, and Gugnir, the forest dwarf, live a golden and happy youth, hardly disturbed by their numerous pranks.
But their last joke during the warm-season party was not to everyone's taste, especially their respective families, who decided to separate them as soon as possible.
Embarked in spite of themselves in epic adventures, will they manage to find their way? Will they discover the origin of the strange elements that could call into question the very existence of their universe?
Follow the adventures of the three friends and other heroes as singular in a fantastic adventure, where they will meet amazing creatures, where magic will be omnipresent and fights... often deadly!
Valendas, the human capital, was the largest city on the continent of Edrios. It was populated by thousands of inhabitants, mainly humans, but also had several native neighborhoods.
Here was an elf district, where fishermen, dressed in simple loincloths barely protecting their anatomy, offered on their stalls the results of their dives in the Alonmar Ocean. They were often seen strolling the cobbled streets, always on the lookout, a trident hanging from their backs.
There, a dwarf district, wooded, green, and full of country smells. Suspended in their hammocks of tight ropes, the dwarves liked above all to tell jokes that sometimes made them laugh so much that they fell from their supports and crashed to the ground like overripe fruit, with a great clatter of armor that they almost never left. This made them laugh even louder, as well as the passers-by of other races who were lucky enough to have witnessed this spectacle. They were always ready for a fight and always kept their war hammers close by, as they said to anyone who would listen, a dwarf is worth two.
Here again, a verdzer landmark, with their houses all in height. They were suspended on pillars of black rock, faithful reproductions of their homes in distant Ukhron. These humanoid creatures with short transparent and iridescent wings, like those of insects, could not fly, to their great dismay. They were, however, able to make great jumps, which allowed them to reach their high homes very easily.
Rather shy, the verdzer did not mix much with the other inhabitants of Edrios, and those who had joined this continent were nicknamed «the Exiles» by their fellows remaining on Ukhron. Rather solitary, the verdzer offered their natural healing talents to other peoples in health centers or in adventurer groups. They often accompanied human caravans to sell their services to the highest bidder.
This was also a district of civilized orcs. The other species liked to wander around and one could regularly see these orcs so elegantly dressed in human clothes, drinking with elves, or chatting with dwarves or humans. They would sit together in a happy hubbub, sitting in the streets if the weather permitted, or playing cards in the inns. The most famous library in Valendas was also located in this area, as civilized orcs were known for their love of books.
Everywhere else, humans. Of all sizes, all ages, and all appearances. Practicing different trades. They gathered in guilds, among which the indispensable ones for all cities, such as the apothecaries, the blacksmiths, or the innkeepers and the bakers.
All mingled in peaceful harmony, day, and night, and without any particular animosity despite their differences. There were no borders on Edrios since the last Great War, two hundred years ago. Of course, sometimes brawls broke out, often due to excessive drinking or a misplaced word in a conversation. But the human army of Valendas kept a close eye on things. Though discreet, the guards, clad in red armor and equipped with short swords and round steel shields marked with the royal coat of arms, the famous purple rose, roamed the city with vigilance. They were known to be ruthless, but fair, to delinquents or other troublemakers, regardless of their origin. In the park of the dawn, located in the southeast of the capital, Eskalys, a human boy, then ten years old, was quoting in a very appropriate way for his age, due in large part to his noble education, with two companions. A young dwarf, of the same height as him, and already dressed in chainmail adjusted to his measurements, as well as an elf in traditional clothing, namely a simple loincloth and a short vest. It was always necessary to be ready to go swimming in the first water that came along, especially with the current temperatures of the warm season, he often told them.
Many strollers strolled by and looked at the trio with amazement, surprised at the collusion that seemed to exist between these three kids of such different species and dresses. In fact, young people who whisper in a corner are well known to have dark designs.
Addressing the elf in a teasing voice, Eskalys suddenly said:
“So, it seems that you don't only have pointy ears? At school, I was told that everything is pointy among elves!”
Gugnir the dwarf, at these words, could not repress a long chuckle, accompanied by pig-like grunts. His long red hair and beard made him look friendly, and he laughed so often at his own jokes, as well as at those of the other dwarves or his companions, that he kept his cheeks almost permanently pink. Some people called him Gugnir «The Glowing One» for this reason.
Firnaël, the elf, immediately retorted with aplomb.
“You think you're funny, little human? If you want, I can prove to you that indeed, everything is pointed. Taste my pointed foot, you idiot!” he shouted while trying as well as he could to raise his leg as high as the decency induced by the wearing of a loincloth allowed him.
Firnaël was the tallest of the three, already almost the size of a grown man. His blond hair, his blue eyes, and his musculature in the making did not leave indifferent the young humans he met in Valendas. He didn't care, he preferred to stay with his friends.
And here they are both running at a loss of breath in the park. The elf trying to make Eskalys' backside feel the strength of his pointed foot, all this under the gaze of the dwarf, who was laughing louder and louder, but also under the smiles of the walkers who, although they could not hear the initial joke, had understood who the main victim was.
Gugnir finally stopped laughing out loud and questioned his two companions. Stroking his beard with one hand, rubbing his belly with the other.
The male dwarves of Isthariun were all born with a rather full head of hair, and their great pleasure, living near the forests, was to decorate their beards and hair with various natural devices, such as leaves or flowers most often. Gugnir, however, kept his unadorned, as he had not yet decided which would suit him best, yellow herbs or red dried leaves to match his hair. Being presentable always was important to an Isthariun dwarf, especially when living in a foreign city. His father often told him to pay attention to his appearance.
“Hey guyth, instead of running around thtupidly after each other, aren’t you a little hungry? My thtomach's been growling thince earlier.”
Gugnir's slight speech impediment had not bothered them for a long time, but it could surprise strangers who heard him speak for the first time.
Eskalys replied, a little out of breath from his mad rush, but still mocking:
“You only think of eating; my word! Belly up, belly up!”
“Eh ho! You will altho feel my kickth if you inthitht!” answered then Gugnir, a little vexed.
“Haha, you'd have to be able to catch up with me already considering the belly you're carrying!”
To his great surprise, the boy suddenly found himself with his nose in the soft grass of the park. Firnaël had taken advantage of the moment of diversion brought by the dwarf to give a big kick to the young human's bottom.
“So there, you are going to pay...!” began Eskalys with a not feigned anger burning in the bottom of his big green eyes.
He did not finish his sentence, however, because he saw the magnificent shadow of a griffin passing in the sky, a strange mixture between a mountain eagle for the head and the wings, and a desert lion for the body and the legs. The animal was ridden by a dwarf covered with an armor of silver plates, which reflected the rays of the afternoon sun like a bright mirror.
The other visitors to the park had turned away from the trio and were also staring at the skies. Dwarf messengers had been rare lately.
“Look!” cried Gugnir, his eyes full of admiration, “look! It is Niarin, the methenger of the high lord of Greenforest!”
“Pffff! Messenger or not, a dwarf should not fly, you are as ugly on the ground as in the air!” mocked the elf.
“Well, I'm thure that Niarin can defeat a bunch of thavage orcth all by himthelf!”
“Oh, yes? Well, I'm convinced that Liasten, the cursed elf archer, could shoot down a thousand charging trolls with an arrow in each eye!”
Leaving his two companions to argue about the imaginary merits of their respective heroes, Eskalys followed the direction taken by the flying dwarf with a thoughtful air. Was he the bearer of bad news? What was happening in the distant kingdom of Greenforest? No, her thoughts were quite different.
“I'm sure that several bags, filled with horse manure, and dropped from this height, would work wonders at my family's next ball.”
He immediately told his two friends, who thought it was a fantastic project. Firnaël proposed to collect fishing nets and elven cloth to make bags. Gugnir would prepare an aerial rope to bombard the guests from the trees. Eskalys, after all, was the one who had the initial idea, would have the mission to go through the barns and meadows of Valendas to recover the precious and unappetizing contents.
They worked out this plan in one go, giggling under the questioning and increasingly suspicious looks of the few passers-by still nearby, then decided to go to the dwarf quarter to eat, much to the delight of Gugnir, who could not wait any longer.
Eskalys is a mischievous young boy who loves nothing more than conspiring with his best friends; Firnaël, an elf and Gugnir, a dwarf with an adorable lisp. When he see's a messenger flying high over head, he's struck by the idea to pull their most epic prank yet; cover everyone at the annual warm season Ball in horse manure from a great height. Unfortunately for Eskalys, his parents were not so impressed.
Now grounded, Eskalys is bored, and instead of occupying himself with tidying his bedroom, he starts to pelt fruit at passers by from his bedroom window. Exasperated, his mother and father (who once, was also somewhat mischievous and the bane of his teacher's lessons), the archmage is summoned to start Eskalys' initiation into becoming a mage.
Meanwhile, Firnaël and Gugnir are devastated that their human friend is to be sent away. So, the night before Eskalys is due to leave, the mischievous trio set about drinking Eskalys' father's liquor. To disastrous consequences.
Now, as charming as the characters are, especially Gugnir's lisp, there were some problems with Juvenile Tribulations, the narrative becoming confused and somewhat garbled at times. Gugnir's lisp was intermittent, with him being able to pronounce one a word in one sentence, but in the next, the same word would be lisped. That was one continuity issue, making me unsure on whether it was Gugnir speaking or another character. Another issue was with Eskalys. There's many points within the main narrative where Eskalys is referred to as her:
The interested party who was passing by her son at that very moment mentioned to him... tidying his room would be a healthy occupation.
At Uwpon Castle, Eskalys had found a healthy occupation, other than tidying her room, much to her mother's displeasure... "Eskalys, stop throwing fruit at the windows!".... "Yes mother!" the offender screamed as he ran off down the corridor pursued by the soft scream of his mother.
Other issues with Juvenile Tribulations were that Latrev would skip through perspectives without any form of chapter break. Many books within the fantasy trope have multiple narrative perspectives; it's a great tool to tell the story from other character's point's of view, and can work incredibly well. But only when there's some indication that you're moving from one character's narrative to another. There's no such indication in Juvenile Tribulations. Indeed, a chapter will swing from one end of the content to another several times, leaving the reader dizzy as they attempt to get their bearings.
It's a great shame, as this has the potential to be a great, fun book. The characters are adorable and engaging and have witty and fun dialogues. It's just not executed well at the moment.
S. A