L.L. Stephens
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L.L. Stephens
@triempery.bsky.social
1.8K followers 570 following 2K posts
L.L. Stephens, author of epic fantasy Triempery Revelations series and other SF&F fiction. SFWA member. Player of board games and painter of minis!
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triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 28 is ZIGZAG

Another word not in THE RILL LORD, so I went with "snake," which as a verb does a lot of visual work!

This compact snip depicts a sorcerous battle. Can't say much more than that. This is a big book and battle!
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Snip shows a bit of sorcerous battle. Elithegh itself seemed crowned with fire, something atop its towers burning. Fire poured down to bathe the Sorcerer in power as he stood within his orb of light. Whatever that Diadem thing was, Nalf Rhys no longer doubted its destructiveness. Gods damned Sorcerer! What would that hellfire do if ever it found human flesh? So far, they had escaped the demon touch of it. Green fire snaked across the plain like nothing any Kheld had ever seen before, burning the very air, only to erupt into fans of hissing energy upon encountering blue walls of countering force thrown into its path. Those walls now formed a shimmering barrier between Essera’s forces and the fortress blazing with mad power on the plain.
November 28, 2025 at 12:44 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 28: Free Friday

Here's a great illustration of Chyralane Rannuleonis, Denizen of the Seven Houses, who would not call herself a villain but is one. Such a fun character!

Link to my blog essay on Chyralane in comment. 😉

Art by @cblansdell.bsky.social
Illustration of a rather terrifying old woman wearing a structured headdress with gold ornamentation. Her dress is dark blue with gold banding on the arms. She wears costly jewelry of gold and precious gems as she stands before an open window overlooking a wealthy city.
November 28, 2025 at 12:13 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 27: For what am I thankful

Life. It's pretty amazing, isn't it? ☺️
November 27, 2025 at 11:42 AM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 26 is IMPEDE

When things go wrong between Hans and Dorilian, nothing will stop Hans from trying to put things right. A short bit without spoilers from THE RILL LORD but it uses "impede."
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Snip shows Hans running after his hot-tempered ally Dorilian, who has stormed out of meeting: Stopping only to fling his cloak about his shoulders and grab his sword from Snearly, Hans ran from the room. Pandaros and his officers stood in a group just outside the winery door, but Dorilian was not with them. “Don’t leave. I’m going to get him back.” Pandaros gave a nod that said he’d stay. It went without saying that the Sordani army would follow its Hierarch, not Hans. When the sentries guarding the perimeter of the camp saw who Hans was, they did not impede him, nor did he bother asking them which way Dorilian had gone. He could not explain how he understood the architecture of Dorilian’s impulses, but he regretted now leaving the Dazunor Crown behind. Though he found its amplifications distracting, it might have helped him by pointing to the Hierarch’s mood, the hidden pitfalls of that volatile temper. Even without it, Hans knew that Dorilian would want to be alone, that he would seek out a high place. That he needed to restore a sense of control.
November 26, 2025 at 12:30 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 26: My book titles

Readers may notice that my book titles describe what the book is about. Often literally.🤷‍♀️

As a reader I may not even know the title of a book I'm reading! I picked that book because the cover intrigued me. Or I read something about it. Or read a page(s).
November 26, 2025 at 12:09 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 25th is SYSTEM

This snip is about the Rill, which plays a major role in the final book, THE RILL LORD (it's in the name!). In this snip, the Rill is having... problems. As one might expect given what's going on.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. The snip describes the Rill god/transportation system having problems. Quirin’s communications with the Seven Houses had been strained. Dorilian’s threats to Chyralane, widely repeated, had silenced some Houses, but Quirin learned news that chilled his blood. The Rill had faltered in terrible, unforeseen ways. The blue glow of the Permephedon and Sordan core arrays had blazed, then darkened. Transports had been stranded at Hestya and Dazunor-Rannuli—and two charysi had failed completely, one a passenger vessel. Two hundred people had died. For many hours, the Rill had lingered in a torpor, dull flickers permeating blackened Overlays. Only communications had remained intact, and that function had experienced unprecedented disruption. Although the system had stabilized before another day had passed and service resumed, the Brotherhood had reduced operations. Panic remained high.
November 25, 2025 at 3:45 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 25: Share artwork

Today I'd like to showcase the work of artist @margawart.bsky.social
.
The collage is of illustrations she did of some of artifacts found in the Triempery series. Lower right is the Rill Stone and in the center is the Undying Crown. More in the alt-text.
Collage of six illustrations done by artist Margarita Bourkova of artifacts from the Triempery series of epic fantasy novels by L.L. Stephens. Center: The Undying Crown, the god-infected device that gives villain Nammuor his powers Clockwise from top left: 1. The Gweroyen Sword, forged by Leur in the core of a star; icy metal with blue-green gems and fantastic design 2. Aubrey Amanda's gold leather pouch of rune stones; gold-hued pouch sits atop a red-covered book and there are blue rune stones scattered about 3. The Rill Stone on the hand of Dorilian Sordaneon; the Rill Stone's center green gem is said to be fashioned from the eye of the Rill God, Derlon. The setting is formed of talons, evoking the Sordaneon eagle symbol. 4. Two cupped hands holding the Wall Stone. The ivory-colored Wall Stone is shaped like the top bone of the human sternum--because it is made from the sternum of the Wall God, Ergeiron. 5. The Leur's Ring is white and glowing on the hand of an old man. The man is wearing a blue robe.
November 25, 2025 at 3:26 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 24 is DEBUT

Though there are many "debuts" in the Triempery series, none use that word. So I went with "show up."

The scene in THE SECOND STONE where Dorilian shows up and Hans and Arne first see him is a good one.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE SECOND STONE, book 3 of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Snip is of Hans and Arne witnessing the arrival of Dorilian Sordaneon at a disrupted event. Hearing the call of tens of thousands, Hans blanched. Like rolling thunder, the chanting gathered force and took on a disturbing, threatening note. “This isn’t good.” Arne tugged at Hans’ shirt and urged him to listen. “We’re in a seat of trouble already. And more if that one shows up! He’s more like to kill us all than put things right. Murder is what he does! Let’s get out of here. There’s some here look just about mad enough to take a shot at him.” Thinking Arne might be right, Hans resolved to leave. A loud clatter on the steps above him and a sudden deep hush—unexpected and commanding—made him stop. And look. And freeze. Ruddy firelight bathed the Rill steps and also the ivory horse that pranced precisely down the stairs. Blue hoofs overlaid with silver filigree tapped sharply on each step so that each report resounded across the dead quiet of the Dekkora, where now only the fires raged. The horse’s polished harness shone like silver, and yet it was plain and functional, purpose without pageantry—but the dark green cloth beneath the saddle blazed with silver thread and white gems in a pattern of sweeping ellipses, sword and eagle too majestic to be anything but royal. The crowd’s silence became deeper still. Hundreds—no, thousands… tens of thousands—dropped to their knees. Many bent to the ground. A breastplate of silver wings spread across the man’s chest and a circlet of cold metal and icy gems rested upon his brow—but Hans did not need to attend to the crowd to know that he looked upon the Hierarch Dorilian. Book cover of THE SECOND STONE, book 3 of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Shows two young men on a sailing boat going toward a fantastic city in the distance (Sordan) along with other ships.
November 24, 2025 at 1:09 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 23rd is GLOBAL

"Global" doesn't appear in the Triempery series, but there's lots of talk about the "world." Here's a bit from THE RILL LORD in which Dorilian lays a global, as in "encompassing," truth about the series' villain, Nammuor.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. This snip is from POV of Dorilian Sordaneon, addressing skeptics about the nature of their enemy: “You don’t even see Nammuor for what he is, none of you do—or can.” Dorilian’s outward calm was thin and white and cold. “He is the terminus of a race memory intent on revenge. The Diadem he wears is not even of this World! It holds a god’s slaughtered vengeance that has sought to destroy the Creation since the beginning of Time. It is not without intelligence or cunning. Now it has twisted Nammuor into a vessel for its designs, which, believe me, do not include Khelds in any way. You are merely mortal—and no matter how much you try, you cannot harm it. Our only chance is to kill Nammuor himself. Nammuor’s goal is not to rule Essera as we know it, but to destroy it. He will amuse himself with the pieces. He has been amusing himself all along, even at Stauberg, where he watched like a cat to see what a grasshopper would do with the Wall.”
November 23, 2025 at 12:49 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 23: Dealing with imposter syndrome

I've always written for joy and never felt like an imposter except when moving in certain social circles... but about my writing, never.

My advice is to proudly be what you are. An author. A writer. A creator. A unique, wonderful human.
November 23, 2025 at 12:22 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 22 is CRYSTAL

Crystals serve to house arcane energy in the Triempery series. Here in this snip from THE RILL LORD, we see such crystals used in battle. On the field of battle, Dorilian contemplates the source of the attack.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Screenshot of a text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. This snip shows Dorilian on the battlefield contemplating the source of a magical, deadly attack: “Get the men on their horses.” Dorilian barked the command. A second assault from the fortress, on the horrible heels of the first, had just burst through the southernmost shield. “You too, Tutto,” he said. The old retainer planted his feet. “I stay with you.” “Not now. Not where I go.” “Whatever you do, you’ll need help after. I’m not about to let you die along with our hopes.” Frightened, the men left. Dorilian barely saw their faces as they ran for the horses but noted that Robdan’s was among them. Tutto and Legon stayed in a hollow just behind him, keeping hold on three horses. Elithegh loomed like a fire-crowned tooth across a plain seething with death. Dorilian traced the fortress’s structure within the World’s firmament, the weight of it, the dimensions of its walls and towers; his study was but a template of the massive edifice. Even from here, he discerned the solar array, its crystal linkages and amassed energy. Only an Epopte of the highest Order could have set such high-level magic.
November 22, 2025 at 12:25 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#NovemberWorldbuilders 22

The Triempery series has DEEP history and lore. The civilization of the Aryati existed before the current story and committed acts that destroyed the original Creation.

Ruins? A ruined World. The Rill. And three Cities.
#epicfantasy #Triempery #worldbuilding
Image shows three travel posters done by the artist Lazare. Posters show the three Cities raised by Leur in the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. From left: Permephedon (blue), Sordan (green and tan, with lake), and Mormantalorus (red, with volcano).
November 22, 2025 at 12:07 PM
triempery.bsky.social
L.L. Stephens
@triempery
#FantasyIndiesNovember 22: Saturday Snippet

This snippet is from the 5th book of the Triempery Revelations series, THE WALLED CITY. In it, Dorilian does a bit of crypt-robbing. Why? You'll have to read the book...
#epicfantasy
Left side of image is a meme with a pink background bordered by flowers and books; white text in the meme is a list of daily writing prompts for authors of fantasy fiction. Right side of meme is a text excerpt from THE WALLED CITY, book 5 of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. The snip shows main character Dorilian doing a bit of crypt-robbing: None had known about him, this Highborn scholar buried with his books at the foot of Stauberg’s storied Tree, where school children sat to learn their lessons and stare up at the silver boughs. Now that tree reared a ghostly canopy and Dorilian contemplated the unthinkable. Forgive me, brother. I do what I must. Sheathing the sword, Dorilian reached into the jagged opening he had created and placed his hands on the ancient alabaster. Focusing through the Sordan Coronal he wore, he brought forth the power that was in him, reached for the Rill, and envisioned Permephedon.
November 22, 2025 at 11:52 AM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 21 is DIRECTION

Battlefields are chaotic. Finding "direction" is vitally important and sometimes difficult. In this bit from THE RILL LORD, Arne finds himself needing to make decisions.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Screenshot of a text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Snip is of a battlefield scene: Arne knew he had to assume command, at least until someone better qualified stepped up. At the moment, all those men were on the field. He had to let Nalf Rhys know, and Orem Darm. Raphelon. And the Sordaneon too. He dreaded that one most but saw it as a good place to start. “You got to go to the Hierarch, Uncle.” He pointed in the general direction of the Sordani troops. “He trusts you, more the hell than he trusts any of the rest of us. Tell him what you saw and pray he believes it!” “He’ll believe it.” Robdan gathered up the reins. Riding into the battlefield surely terrified him, even if he would be behind their own lines. Arne saw one thing as clear: Their forces needed leadership more than any of them needed safety. No matter what others of his people believed, Arne knew Dorilian capable of providing it.
November 21, 2025 at 12:42 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 21: Comfort movies or TV shows

My husband and I watch mindless reality dating/marriage shows like Love Is Blind or, most recently, Married At First Sight.

I feel really good about having found and married him when watching those shows! He's a keeper!
November 21, 2025 at 12:27 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 20 is SPECIAL

THE RILL LORD uses this word several times. One of the best is this passage with Cortogh, a Dog Man, as the POV character. The Dog Men are lots of fun, especially their differences from humans.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Snip is a paragraph in the POV of Cortogh, a Dog Man, showing his thoughts as he waits among humans for an audience with the Prince. Cortogh crouched just inside the door of the Prince’s antechamber. The room, the first entered upon reaching the Manor’s State wing, was crowded. Many visitors waited to see the Prince. Generals and lords, weary Staubaun couriers, and sullen Kheldmen occupied every chair while the remaining tired bodies rested against paneled walls. Fine woods had gone into the making of this house, and Cortogh detected their subtle rich fragrance beneath the ripe smells of unwashed bodies. The stink of humans disgusted him and struck him as disrespectful. He had himself gone to great lengths to wash his body thoroughly and had taken special pains grooming his reddish hair and whiskers. Markers of clan rank, carved of antler and bone fitted with gold and woven with strips of colored cloth, caught the light where he had braided them into his hair. He had also carefully trimmed his heavy, curved finger and toenails, presenting them dully. No Hen Kyon would have approached a Highborn Prince otherwise. That Cortogh had been dirty from ranging the field, his clothing rough and fur matted upon first meeting the Prince in the Kragh, made him frown whenever he thought of it. He had made a poor impression.
November 20, 2025 at 3:09 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#NovemberWorldbuilders 20.

I've been using Sarkuan for this week so will talk about its settlements.

Sordan is a City raised by the god Leur. It's home to the Rill and great enterprises.

Other settlements sit on the lake. Bartulu is a grain port. Batraz is pink. Rhondda is Dorilian's retreat.
Travel poster of Sordan, a City in the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Art by Lazare. Poster shows a scene of a tan island across a lake of pale green water with sailing ships. The city on the island is one of fantastic towers. Words at the bottom say VISIT SORDAN -- HOME OF THE RILL
November 20, 2025 at 2:59 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 20: Where do I find inspiration?

Life. People. History. Art. Current Events. Everything is inspiration. Everything I touch and know becomes part of the matrix of creation.
November 20, 2025 at 2:47 PM
triempery.bsky.social
Today is Book Quote Wednesday and the word is JAM.

Here's an action scene from SORDANEON, in which Dorilian rides in a pelekys match, a brutal game which is played on horseback. He makes his move but doesn't come out of it unscathed.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #bookqw #Sordaneon
Left side of image is the book cover of SORDANEON, first book of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. The cover shows a fantastic city with something powerful glowing at its core, being looked on by a small human figure. Golden, rich colors. Right side is a text excerpt from the book showing a scene from a game played on horseback: Dorilian lurched back into the saddle, picked up the reins, and slid his left foot back into the stirrup. Shifting his body’s weight again, he signaled his horse to bear hard to the left. Aleistes bellowed as their two horses collided while the rider bearing the axe spurted past both into open field. Somewhere on the perimeter, human voices cheered. Dorilian ignored them. He jammed the toe of his boot against the other horse’s ribs and eased his tight grip on the reins, giving his mount its head. The mare recovered ground, then ran at the gray again. Aleistes, now furious, swung his whip and tried to break free of the harrying. The whip found Dorilian’s face, whistling and then stinging as it sliced across his cheek and jaw. The bastard! He shot Aleistes a glare as blood welled and dripped down his face. The big man laughed. “Wear that, pretty boy!”
November 19, 2025 at 1:15 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 19 is THIRD

In this snip from THE RILL LORD we see Aubrey grappling with rune reading. Princess Emyli also reads runes but the two women have different ways of reading them... so of course they reach different conclusions.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of a text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. This snip shows two main female characters, Aubrey and Emyli, reading runes, which is a Kheld means of determining facts and situations: Aubrey shut the heavy oak door to the Princess Emyli’s room and leaned against it, just for a moment, gathering her patience. For the third night in a row, Emyli had invited Aubrey to lay and read runes after the evening meal. Usually Aubrey enjoyed readings, but hers and Emyli’s methods could not be more different. The Princess relied wholly on the Rgir set, which focused on greater destinies and dreams. Aubrey, on the other hand, preferred the Gwihr set with its focus on safeguarding individuals and determining interventions. Only by biting her tongue had Aubrey worked with the Princess’s golden stones, seeking insights and guidance. It was hardly surprising that much of the resulting readings felt misguided, particularly Emyli’s obsession with the upcoming battle. “The runes bespeak catastrophe and betrayal,” the royal lady insisted. Emyli overlooked that each of the three readings conflicted by presenting favorable aspects and alternate interpretations. “Revelation.” Aubrey turned over the Prime stone, only to have Emyli counter by turning over its focus stone. “Ruin.”
November 19, 2025 at 12:51 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 19: Parts of writing that challenge me

Other than marketing, about which I have mixed feelings, the part of actual writing that I find daunting is...

Commas. I just don't know where to put the little buggers, so I do so intuitively. My editors despair.
November 19, 2025 at 12:16 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 18 is RETROGRADE

I'm using the definition of "backward" because that better fits the language of my series... and that word actually appears in THE RILL LORD. In this snip Aubrey confronts a young noble about his fancy purchases.
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Screenshot of text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. Snip shows Aubrey confronting Desmos, a Staubaun noble, about a discovery: “This is a message cylinder.” Aubrey held it up and shook it. “I’ve seen them. I handle Prince Handurin’s correspondence. I know what they’re for and how they are used and that this isn’t one of his. They usually go out with couriers. So why would you be placing one here?” She didn’t attempt to rid her voice of hurt and disappointment. She had always liked Desmos, who from the first had treated her well and found ways to make her laugh. It hurt to see his face so filled with dismissal and scorn. “Is this how you are getting the coin to pay for all your fine new things?” She had commented only the day before on a beautiful new fur and velvet cap he’d worn. Then, he had smiled with pleasure at her notice. Those fine Staubaun eyes narrowed. “Things I deserve.” “Because you’re noble? Or because you betray people?” Desmos moved nearer, stopping only when Aubrey took two steps backward, away from him. “I betray no one! Nothing! Because I do not betray what matters! I uphold what’s good and right in this land. And my family is noble. Noble for generations! Landed! Don’t forget that. You Khelds are quick to overlook that Essera is a Staubaun land where old blood rules. Blood like mine and my Lord’s, which goes back to the Beginning! Blood unsullied by that of lesser men.”
November 18, 2025 at 12:27 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 18: Favorite character I've created

Dorilian, I think. He's volatile, brave, smart, and funny.

Though I'm fond of so many of my creations!

Endelarin -- who's really funny!
Emyli -- when she's wrong, she doubles down
Hans -- nice guys don't always finish last
November 18, 2025 at 12:08 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#WIPSnips The word for November 17 is SPEND

This word provides an opportunity to showcase Emyli and her bitterness. This snip also highlights that she has detected the Hans / Dorilian bromance. (By THE RILL LORD, it has definitely become one.)
#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery
Screenshot of a text excerpt from THE RILL LORD, sixth and final book (April 2026) of the Triempery Revelations series by L.L. Stephens. The snip is of a conversation between Hans and his mother, Emyli, about Dorilian. Emyli detects Hans's closeness to his (to her mind sketchy) ally. “It was a game,” Emyli said, her voice cold and tight. “A vicious, cruel game. He enjoyed it, I think, on some level. He closed Sordan to Esseran ships, forcing Stefan to spend gold on Ardaenan or Mercedan transport, or else ship goods by Rill, enriching him. He tested the border in Neuberland every other day, requiring Stefan to keep a continuous state of alert and funnel troops and resources there. Only the Epoptes kept him from using the Rill against Stefan. Dorilian may not be the murderer many say he is, but neither is he the saint you want to think he is.” “I don’t think he’s a saint.” Hans was acutely aware that he was defending Dorilian—and wondering not why he should, but why he bothered. It seemed the entire world had entrenched reasons to hate the man. The clock in the other room struck the hour. “Don’t you?” Emyli studied his face. “I hear your voice when you speak of him. I see the look in your eyes. Well, Stefan has no one to speak for him.”
November 17, 2025 at 12:45 PM
triempery.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember 17: Your Hobbies

I don't spend all my time writing. I...
Paint minis!
Play board/card games. (shown: Aeon's End)
Collect Art Nouveau silver. (shown: Love Disarmed pattern, Reed & Barton)
But mostly I write and the IRS calls that a hobby too.
#Miniaturepainting
Montage of six painted miniatures done by L.L.Stephens. Top left is an angelic boss, the Paragon, from Massive Darkness 2 (MM2). Top center is Spiderman in red and blue. Top right is a Berserker from MMD2 . Bottom left is a winged evil minion from Cthulhu: Death May Die. Bottom center is a demon wizard from MMD2. Bottom right is an imp shaman from MMD2. Board/card game of Aeon's End in progress. Handle of a teaspoon. Love Disarmed pattern by Reed & Barton, circa 1900.
November 17, 2025 at 12:26 PM