THE BEGINNINGS
The world of Darkshom was little more than a pipedream back in 1981 when I was 11 years old. I had run out of reading classes to take. My school created a classroom for about twenty students with a teacher who volunteered for it. He introduced us to writing.
Back then began various incarnations of the main character Black Feather. Her name was Ketira back then--and initially I made attempts at pulp vampire/sci-fi. At 11 years old this just doesn't work so well. After that my mother introduced me to Edgar Cayce. She and I discussed his ideas in comparison to the Bible--what things could have been. Cayce had a theory that there are world gates in various locations on Earth. Supposedly he thought in his dreaming that there is a pyramid that is such a gate in the Bermuda Triangle. Suddenly my vampire story had a different form of space travel that utilized these gates between worlds.
Through various copyrights and frustrations I kept redoing the story over and over. Nothing was really satisfying because, I confess, beyond biology and genetics science is not a major strong point. I can't configure things that don't sound like fuzzy science. Another world grew in the mean time, where dragons flew. Anne McCaffrey's influence set in and suddenly dragons could bond with people. Gods and Goddesses began to appear. A new world was forming--but the soul of the original character, Ketira, turned into a drow from Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. I role played some. At this time I had not heard of Drizzt. Forgotten Realms was only a role playing landscape.
I had been granted my Native American soul name of Black Feather by this point. I'm German, but I did and still wear this name with honor and pride. Since much of my influence was on surface drow in the story, the woman became Black Feather. She started searching for her real identity--which was DriannaSi. Her name means "Sweet Water River" after the Elfquest saying "Shade and Sweet Water to you." Leeta's influence from Elfquest set in.
I nearly burned everything. In 1995 I learned about Drizzt and my idea was no longer original. I was role playing this character and it just made me sick that there was another good drow out there. However, this character was interesting. By this point she had become a goddess who was still mortal and unaware of who she was. Someone compassionate--a drow born with a soul. Friends and my dm--Tezcatlipoca--convinced me not to burn the years of manuscripts I saved. Don't trash the idea.
The world gate--the Darkgate--allowed her to go from world to world. It wasn't under her control.
You may see things change on these documents as I hone the world. My one desire is to break away from Forgotten Realms (tm) and things associated with popular role playing. I want this to become my own creature and creation. You will see that those other references are fading away and have no place here.
The links here show stories of this world and hints of the cultures within. It is a work in progress, and my future hope is to have novels published from this as well as support from Steve Jackson Games as I turn this into a GURPS role play setting. All work is copyrighted to me. Other contributions are noted on each story. The works are not to be used without written permission from me. The writings here do not reflect any of my religious beliefs. This is a fantasy setting.