themes/tags . found family, lgbtq, magic, self discovery, forging your own destiny, self discovery, rejecting religion, questioning authority, hints at romance, ensemble cast, antagonists that arenât really all that bad, magical beasts, culture shock, political undertones
synopsis . a pulse is seen the entire world around. it floats across the sky like aurora borealis, but its too static, too constant, too red. it is seen again, and again. a magic of unknown origins has settled in the north, somewhere under the thick ice, and the kingdoms and empires and nations and republics of the world have all stopped their petty squabbling long enough to ask: what do we do with this?
the northernmost region of vosya, a kingdom recently felled to a republic, has called a summit in the capital to discuss how to deal with this new arrival. while figureheads and their puppets gather, people of other status ask themselves: what if i were the one to uncover these secrets for myself?
from far and wide people flock to vosya in hopes of slipping past the mountain barrier and its patrols and fantasizing that they will be one of the lucky few who might survive her cold nights. what no one is prepared for is the wilderness, and the shapes that the thick shadows conceal.
north node follows six people desperate enough to try it.
characters .
jin kaifen, 16 .
a self described âex-noble,â kaifen uses pride and anger to mask the religious insecurity that hides beneath. he is outcasted by his clan, his eyes left naked by his goddess. devoutly religious, he keeps on him two books at all times: a scroll of prayers, and a binding of his deceased motherâs poetry and prophecy. he is determined to claim this strange north magic for himself, the goddess zhuoshi, his father and the magnificient empire of yangshe.
adesawa oyekan, 17 .
with the gift of the gab, itâs hard to imagine adesawa hiding anything. as eager to talk as she is to listen, she has a warm presence thatâs easy to open up to. hailing from arid west kon, she speaks no more of her motivation than âiâve come along way for it.â strategical and relentless, but always eager to spend an evening cozy, laughing, and merry.
saoirse aleksandr minnet, 17 .
although their mother is a hero-turned-politician, saoirse would much rather be known as a light hearted musician who spreads smiles. theyâre sheltered though they donât know it, and are blind to the privilege their mother has given them. saoirseâs insecurities have lead them right into a lonely life, and by embarking on this journey they hope they might find the girl who broke their heart and win her back.
pelageya lenshka, 18 .
a young soldier with a manipulative higher-up, pelageyaâs left behind her mother, half-brother and step-father to carry out her orders. on a secret mission to find the source of the power, pelageya is content to be away from the stuffy atmosphere of her hometown. brutal and resourceful, sheâs prone to using her soldier status to bully locals into being her guide. a secret part of her whispers to take the power for herself, but she tries to ignore it, for the honor of her country.
illarion gabrikov, 19 .
a smuggler and deckhand on a fishing ship, illarionâs grown up in a war torn town on the east coast. orphaned by fire heâs grown up in the gangs that now run the town, looking after his sister and messing around with his friends. heâs a hardworker with the goal of being able to afford laziness, and heâll do nearly anything for a quick buck. and when a soldier rolls into town and her usual methods gain her nothing but mockery from a lawless place, illarion decides to see just how badly she needs that guide, after all.
huang xiulan, 15 .
a young huawunu whose trained in flower magic since she was born, xiulanâs been summoned north by paycheck and honor. a princess from one of yangsheâs small clans has sent her on her behalf and with her reputation on the line, xiulan is set that she will not let her down. she sports a cold exterior that hides a sweeter, sillier inside.
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âA secret admirer. Youâre very fun to watch.â Itâs a girl, and her accent is from somewhere very far away. Kaifen scans for her, but he sees nothing.
âStop hiding like a coward.â There is nothing, not even a sound, a scuffle, a rattle, for a long time. His guard dissipates until his heart is no longer racing, and his fists slowly loosen and lower to his hips. He straightens his back and sniffs. If some mocking girl wants to spy on him, he wonât be happy about it, but heâs just glad to be left alone.
He turns around and steps back to take another run at the incline and screams. He takes a step back, and heel hitting nothing he thrashes his arms until heâs flung forward. He lands on his knees and pushes loose wefts of hair back from his face so he can stare up at the face thatâs emerged above him. On the ledge heâs been aiming for squats a girl with black skin and tightly curled hair. Sheâs laughing.
Kaifenâs cheeks scorch the rest of his face until itâs all burning. He scrambles to his feet and puffs out his chest. His back is straight and shoulders high; perfect posture that he hopes to be intimidating. The girl laughs so hard she falls back off of her feet and lands on her butt, one leg tucked under her and the other hanging over the cliff. Kaifenâs pride, wounded and sulking, finds anger to help it regrow.
âIs this how you conduct yourself?â He tightens his hands into balls. âUnladylike on the side of a mountain. Do you not have a chaperone? A guard? Or are you some kind of miscreant? I truly cannot think of any reason you should be out here on your own unless you are a thief or a runaway. Youâre beneath me.â
She lets him finish and leans on one arm, but doesnât conceal her eye roll. âYouâre the one whoâs beneath, actually.â She kicks the rock with her heel, for emphasis. There is a charm to her voice that only makes Kaifen angrier.
Taglist (ask to be added or removed): @snowdropwrites @woodhouse-jay @leave-her-a-tome @oscarfuckingwilde @starrywritingg @theforgottencoolkid @purpleshadows1989 @writings-of-a-narwhal
I have a sequence in my head shortly after Adesawa and Kaifen first meet where they get into an argument and, theyâre both very stubborn, so they both go âFine! I donât need you anyway!â and decide to Go It Alone
But the trouble is, theyâre headed the same way. And keep running into each other. Adesawa helps Kaifen when his foot gets stuck. Kaifen saves Adesawa when a travelling couple is harassing her. It goes back and forth like this for a couple days until they defeat a [forest beast of some kind] together and kind of begrudgingly go
âFine. We can do this together.â
and then theyâre inseperable the rest of the book :â)
