May 2025 -- Side Stories Poll!
My break has almost ended. Where did it go?
Seriously, where did it go? I know I did some things over my break, but it wasn't enough! I wanted to relax more, read more stories, watch more stuff...
But the days are moving forwards and to be posting a chapter by May 10th, I must begin once more...to actually engage my brain. The planning for a next chapter must begin, and with it...
The side stories poll! Well, I know there are chapters that must be written like Erin, Horns, Ylawes, etc. so this is truly a secondary-level poll. Important stories, ones that matter--and I'm not sure which should win!
I'll do a bit of explaining for some of them this time so there's context. I'd usually make those spoilers, but I'll try it this time this way. Anyways...vote! Vote, and get ready for chapters!
The Week After in Ailendamus -- This one's about Rhisveri, learning more about Eclizza, and the slaves who were rescued from Erin's ship. Including some Djinni, which may be a problem. Expect King Nuvityn making an appearance.
Seborn's Ship -- Seborn may interact with at least one Mrsha who's checking in on a very upset [Rogue]. He's on a coast, but he has no ship, no team, and no crew. If he wants to claim what he's owed from his father, he's going to need to go back to his roots. A [Pirate] returns to the sea. Expect water, ships, a discussion of the sea, and perhaps a certain survivor from the war at sea.
Turnscales of Pallass -- Not just Pallass' Turnscale bars, but an exploration of well, what it's like to be a Turnscale. It's not a good time with Chaldion out of the picture, but there's a lot of opportunity with that door in Liscor...it might be time to create a new bar. But Saliss is leaving for the New Lands, which means Mirn has to find more allies instead of relying on Onieva. Fortunately, there are a few, including a high-level [Doorgnoll]...Rose may intersect and we might find out if she made any deals.
Selys in the North -- Expect Selys being upset. Expect shenanigans. Expect...[Assassins]? Selys might not be making many friends, or maybe friends and enemies. Reinharts on the move.
Ilvriss Digs -- The man has a plan. It probably didn't involve the Goblin King, but he's going to strike some kind of dirt. Lyonette may need to offer him a hand or two. There's all kinds of opposition in the north, and not just the nobles you'd expect. A different kind of nobility is up there. Herder Barons.
Drassi, Channel 2 News -- It's time to report. From that assassination that she survived to new types of news--everyone's got a story, which means Drassi has a target on her back.
The Archipelago of Drath -- It's time to explore the final continent--if you want to. This would be the inciting chapter into Drath's content so I'm more interested if it'll win. Expect to see, well, just how it operates. Lots of different concepts like [Cultivators] in this one.
Vetn and The Thieves' War -- He's going to enter the race to find the Lightning Thief's legacy. [Thief] shenanigans, and, at least one Great Company are in the mix for this one. Expect some higher-level shenanigans.
Toren At Last -- He's free at last, but where is he? Also he has to take care of at least one person which is new for him. This is going to be about finding oneself. Literally, because he's lost.
Comments (80)
been too long since we've heard from the Horns of Hammerad after their training and flying off on the carpet. i miss them
I started a reread during your break. I miss Toren!
Seborn chapter, please please tell me seve survived🙏🙏🙏
Also where's the clown
I think all Baleros PoVs are going to be written anyways without a poll now. Especially since Tom already lost one poll against the horns.
Oh come on you fools, don't give up Drath for a dumb skeleton
Well Toren chaps have become more plot relevant
Torn!!! The Misunderstood
Ilvriss first then Toren
I thought so too!
Well time to vote for Toren(New lands, possibility of silver swords)
Definitely most exciting chapter idea
Come on guys, lets be real what point is there to talk about Toren? His character arc is basically over and his story relevance has dried up. Lets go with Darth, that will be way more interesting
I think that it might be part of a larger new lands story
I like Aliendamus, turnscales, Ilvriss and Toren. I'd rather not have cultivation in TWI but if it's inevitable we may as well get it over with sooner rather than later. Still, I think Toren edges it out regardless. [EDIT: And what I want the most, still, is more Erin. I hope she doesn't turn into a side character now and proceed to only show up at the conclusion for the final boss battle. Unlikely, I know, but that's what it feels like sometimes.]
Toren and Ilvriss are both loose ends that have been hanging for a while, especially given how integral they were to the main plot and that they went 'offstage' with specific missions in mind. Of course, there may already be plans for them (and their consequences) to rejoin the main plot, but having them on the Side Stories poll doesn't give that impression. Drath would be a whole new expansion to the world - it feels like it would want more than just a side story to show itself, or it should remain as enigmatic to the reader as it is to most Innworlders. I'm sure we'll be getting a lot of 'the week after' in various places through the main plot, so the Ailendamus aspects would have to be particularly impactful and self-contained to merit taking up a side story slot. Most of the others sound as if they'd be creating new plot threads for the sake of it, which might get tied off within their side story or might not but wouldn't really mean much either way.
What I need most is a spreadsheet for who is dead and who is now alive again.. after the last arch I’m a bit confused as to how many of each character and which versions are alive and well in the world..
Please vote for Toren. We never got to see multiple alternate Toren.
It has to be the baby undead learning his way in the world.. that innocent psychopath Toren
Toren if you want the story to get back on track.
DRATH! DRATH! DRATH!
Vote toren people
Seborn is going to get to a druid mrsha. This provides largest impact.
Toren! Our wayward family member! Whatcha doing bud? You taking taking care of healslime? He needs water *a lot.* like 5 times an hour or somethin buddy. Stop talking to Necromancers and witches. Er, evil necromancers. Just go be you for a while. Then come home
Why side stories? Palace of fates was enough for the next several years
I love and hate when every option is something I want to see. I'm leaning towards the ones further from the inn, like Vetn, if only to give us a break after the Palace arc. However, depending on how much other stuff we get first it might end up being about time to check in with Rose or Mrsha or Rhisveri or Lyonette... so hard to choose!
Eh aba tends to write in parts from the other side stories eventually anyway. More like the illusion of choice, or maybe just the main theme where there's still a good chance you'll hear about the other stuff, if not as much if it were the main pick
Drath will almost certainly lead into a multi chapter story at some point. Toren is a prodigal son who needs some loving, he's my one and only choice this time. The other side stories will return in other polls if they don't appear in their own time, organically, I'm sure.
So many great choices. I want them all. Drath can wait because it will open another plot points/characters. Let’s deal with what we have first. Highest priority is Toren. I also want to read about Vetn, Ilvriss, Aliendamus, Seaborn and Selys. So many great choices.
I agree. Drath would have been fun to explore if Erin washed up there or some other of the current cast had to he there
Um, I vote for no side stories for a few months. At least. It feels as if we just spent 7 months wading through a side story that grew like Seymour. There were awesome moments but I would be thrilled to spend 15 straight chapters with Erin, Rabbit & co., Nerin et al., the Horns, and the Swords.
Aw I want that as well lol. I wish Baleros had a palace of fates like arc where it was just one chapter after another but I don't think that's going to happen :(. I wouldn't mind seeing some of these side stories like Seborn or Aliendamus but I hope they're just one chapter.
Ill always vote Toren. My favorite stabby skeleton
This is my first poll since catching up you guys ^_^
I'm so happy to see the Toren love in the poll. A tragic but wonderful character that I think needs developing into a true anti-hero, or maybe just hero eventually.
Toren x Cognita: Shipped!
PIRATEABA DROP A FULL DRATH INTERLUDE AND MY LIKE IS YOUR'S
This is such a hard choice
sadly what i want doesn't seem likely. . so i say toren wint to drath became a cultivator, and now follows the way of the flaming skeleton of relics. seriously though i've wanted to see what pirateaba would do with cultivators sense they came up.
Drath my beloved, its finally time!
Dam, there are so many side stories that are all so good. Let's see, Toren is inconsequential, I don't care about Vetn or the thieves, don't need to know about Drassi, Turnscale may be fun, Selys will definitely be fun but will obviously be referenced later. Honestly the ones I want the most are Ilvriss, Seborn, and Aliendamus. Maybe Ilvriss because we've been waiting for him for a long time now and I'm interested in the walled cities. But it seems like the most likely to win is Drath. I know we've been waiting on it forever but at this point I rather we have an entire new story set in that place. There's too much happening outside of Drath that I want to finish before we put more on our plate.
I agree with you on Aliendamus since its a from of conclusion of Erin’s actions, but most importantly King Nuvityn’s Thoughts on the sudden appearance of the Goblin King :D
I want all of them but Selys, but Toren is way way way past getting some love, so im only voting for him. I'm amazed others seem to feel the same way. We love you, Toren!
No. No. God.. NOOO. You can't do this to me Paba. I want them all and you can't make me choose. Not this time. I want them all. And I want the newest junior guardsman of Liscor's watch. I want to see the prodigal son's return and for him to see everyone at the adventurer's haven. And I want the horns and Erin. I want it all. ... I swear...I don't know what you have done to me Paba. If I was in the innworld, I would definitely have a red class like [Insatiable reader] or some type of red status like . I was never like this. Back in the day, I never used to read or if I did it would be me rereading the same series every year but now, even my family is worried about my reading. On a side note, does the queen of nerry's fallen(can't remember spelling of her name) have a red status like the one I mentioned above?...see what happened right there? Seriously Paba what have you done to me?
Dammit every time with these polls I WANT THEM ALL but I’ll vote for Toren for now
Drath drath drath drath
I do think Mirn needs to be the Inn bartender though.
Oof none if them ate what I want. I want Embria and 4th company drama from her charge at the Solstice!!!!
Get up you skeleton!!!
Toren has been Tempered down thanks to Az’s children’s bullying. :) I am curious would he revert back into another (mask) persona like he did in the dungeon? And who he might find inn the journey. though i do hate it when all the choices are all great picks :p
The mask came from his "special bones" I don't think he got those back yet
This is impossible. I want all of them.
The prodigal son returns give me Toren
Drath needs to happen, however comma, I forsee that being a full-time commitment. How many years have we gone without Drath world building? What chapter was it where the boats passed each other and there were some drath sailors and some japanese I think was spoken? My point is, I think we should finish, or at least make good progress on SOMETHING, before really digging in to something new. The turnscales side story has really already been set up. From what Erin tasked Ilvriss to do, to the strides that Saliss and Oneiva have made. I can see that making high impact in a low chapter count with some(hopefully) tied up ends. I don't see the same with Drath(and this is coming from someone living in Japan, lol!) Take my vote. Great poll and post!
I want them all, how dare you make me choose
Toren pls! I think he would be a nice change of pace from the last arc. Little bit of a palette cleanser. It's been forever since we have seen him, and he's always been a bit on the silly side. So it would be nice to see how he handles the New Lands, and how caring for the healing slime has changed him! Drath is cool, but I think I would rather get there organically in the story. We have a lot of new threads opened from the last arc already, and many more that have been out there. I do want to see it eventually though!
I wish I could vote for several of these, lol
You can - the poll allows for multiple options
Toren
Ngl I'll be kinda pissed if Toren wins over Drath just because of the meme
I like the idea of a Drassi side chapter. Especially with so much going on, us ducks consuming all the emotional bread, but what about how the rest of innworld, who weren’t all directly involved, how do they see it? A news report on how things were reported would be really interesting.
My vote is for Darth. I wanna explore the [Cultivator] class more.
Nah we need News of the prodigal bone son
The hardest part of these polls is that they all sound interesting. I think the Drath might be the most important if we're finally going to get some Drathian content in the future, but I also want an update on the slaves and info on what Ilvriss is up to. I'm pretty curious how a certain Duke responds to everything that happened too. We got a small glimpse but with Mrsha back... Well, it'd be interesting.
Damn, I know that only one of the side stories can win, but I wanted to read all of them
Haha I am locking in Toren, Pallas, and Seborn. Looks like we are finally getting Mr bones.
Seborn my Boy!
Yes! DRATH! FINALLY
PLEASE TOREN
I want to see what Toren is up to as much as anyone else. but we have yet to see Drath. I'd be really interested to learn more about it.
Diabolically difficult choices this time around
I think I want them all - I hope that you had a great break!
WE NEED DRATH
Vote Toren!
For the love of God vote for drath
Never shall I
Enjoy the last bit of your break!!!
Tough call. Drath, Toren, and Ilvriss are a three-way deadlock for me.
Agreed
TOREN!!!