#ninestar

Adult Fiction Author of DON’T WANT YOU LIKE A BEST FRIEND Emma R. Alban‘s LIKE IN LOVE WITH YOU, pitched as Mean Girls meets NORTHANGER ABBEY, a sapphic, rivals-to-lovers Regency romance which begs the question: what if Cady and Regina just…kissed?, to Alessandra Roche at Avon, in a good deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2026, by Stacy Testa at Writers House (world). Continue…

NPCtember 3: An arcane interpreter works during a lecture at Ninestar Arcane Academy.

Polyglot arcanists are often hired as arcane subtitlers. Using illusion magics like Prestidigitation, they can translate, interpret or subtitle speakers live. In a multicultural, multilingual city as Ninestar, they are often used by public speakers wishing to make a statement on inclusion.

They are also employed for nearly every lecture at Ninestar Arcane Academy. Spellcasters have a high risk of disability due to their chaotic field. The most high ranking lecturers usually need accessibility options.

Derrek loves his job and really values his accuracy and connection to the lecturers. He wishes he had more time to chat with the students- he loves seeing the younger generations of arcanists. When he gets the chance, he tries to convince them to specialize in arcane linguistics.

(And a companion comic.🏜🌄, or for vocal speakers, Golden-Sun Warmed-Rock-Home, is an Awakened lion. He is communicating with direct telepathy with Derrek here. He uses written or typed word with mouth utensils. He also uses a telepathy to speech device, but because his grasp of language requires a lot of effort, the telepathy to speech device is often muddled or hard to understand.

Some doodles in preparation for my campaign. Ganna, one of the managers at the Summer's Wheat, and one that is often front of house.

A view of Ninestar high above the Stel.

Ninestar is the highest level education center in its area of Treniskoa. It lies in the valley on the borders of a mountain range.

It grew from two trading towns on the two sides of the Stel, the big river in the area. The Stel is fed by nine smaller rivers that find their origin in the mountain range.

Natural resources from the mountains nearby and agriculture in the valleys drew tradesfolk to the Stel. With its temperate, sometimes wet climate, it is very hospitable to farmers and builders alike.

The towns were connected by a series of bridges about two-hundred years ago, permanently linking them.

The Stel soon grew to a big ship trading highway, and Ninestar laid at the perfect place to trade. There was a huge influx of people and knowledge. And that knowledge was treated as valuable as the trading supplies. The first higher schools began battling each other from across the Stel even before the towns were linked.