I have begun work on my new website devoted to mapping the world of Dragaera. I will be posting a number of documents and maps on this page, and as I write each one, I will publish it on the mailing list. This is the first (which lets you know how far along I am... no maps online yet, but I'm working on them). As you can see from reading the document below, I'm taking the position that Steven Brust's Dragaera novels are "real". If this is confusing to anyone, let me know. You can access this website by going to http://bryann.net and clicking on the Steven Brust object on the shelf at the top (btw, the stylized Jhereg on this object is one of my musings for the Cycle, another project I am working on). If you have problems with the javascript/dhtml menu, try the direct link: http://bryann.net/cgi-bin/main?content=brust/main.web, but be aware it may change in the future. My website has been developed using a web application I wrote at work. We have almost fifty customers using products based on this web application, and every single one of them uses Internet Explorer 6 on all of their machines. Accordingly, 99% of my work has gone into making our web application work for this browser ONLY. On my own time, I have also worked a little bit to make it work with Mozilla. There are problems with the menus and CSS, but otherwise Mozilla works fairly well. My brother has a friend who uses Safari 1.2 for the Mac, and he says that browser is very compatible with my site, although I have not verified this myself. I understand from previous postings to this mailing list that a number of you will be using other browsers. If you have any problems viewing my site, please let me know what operating system and browser you're using (including versions), and I'll see what I can do. I do NOT have access to a Macintosh here, although we have an older model at work that does a great job of collecting dust. My internet connection is an ADSL. While I get around 160K/second download speeds, my upload speed is only 11K/second. Anyone visiting my site from the outside will be limited by this upload speed, so please be patient. You probably won't even notice unless I publish a particularly large map here. I am open to discussion on my Steven Brust website in general, and this document in particular. Bryan Newell (http://bryann.net) His name was Friend To Wolf, and the four-barreled minigun slung across his shoulders was for everyone else. --begin document-- I. An Introduction to the Map of Dragaera My goal here is to create a map of Dragaera, a world revealed to us by Steven Brust. My attempt here is predicated on the following assumptions: 1. It is possible to make such a map. 2. The text is correct. That is, none of the narrators are blatantly wrong, and there are no major mistakes on the part of Steven Brust. In other words, I will try, as much as possible, to take the text of the novels at face value, and use the most obvious conclusions I can come up with. Questioning the text will only occur as a last resort. While I may not be capable of producing an exact map of Dragaera, I hope to produce a map that, at the very least, does not violate the text. I am more interested in the overall geography of Dragaera than the specifics of a given locale, so I will be using a scale of 1 pixel = 1 mile on all maps on this site, unless specifically noted otherwise. II. Sources 1. The Novels: The first thing I should establish is the framework within which the novels are written. Steven Brust receives these novels from outside sources, translates them into English, and publishes them under his own name. The novels and their narrators are: The Phoenix Guards Five Hundred Years After Paths of the Dead The Lord of Castle Black - As narrated by Paarfi of Roundwood, who considers himself a serious historian, but his contemporary detractors, of which there are many, accuse him of writing populist trash--more fiction than fact. Paarfi has strenuously denied this charge, although he has admitted to deducing some facts that were not known to him, such as what was eaten at a given meal, or the exact conversation between two characters. Jhereg Yendi Teckla Taltos Phoenix Dragon Issola - As narrated by Vladimir Taltos, an Easterner in the world of Dragaera. He is as intelligent and observant as you would expect from a master assassin. Orca - As narrated by Kiera the Thief, a Dragaeran of the House of Jhereg. She is an accomplished thief--perhaps the greatest thief in her world. She is extremely observant as well. She also reveals a secret in the one novel she narrated that leads me to believe she is a very trustworthy reporter. I do not know if she has directly narrated her tale to Steven Brust, or if she narrated it to Vlad, and he passed it along. Brokedown Palace Athyra - whose narrator is not known to me 2. The Author Any comments the author himself chooses to share on the subject, will, of course, be given the utmost consideration. However, within the framework he himself has dictated, anything he has to say on the subject should be accepted with a grain of salt. He is, after all, acting as the translator of these novels, as opposed to their original author. [*** Is this too much? -- Bryan ***] 3. Worthy Debate I will give equal consideration to all discussions on this subject, with friends, family, and on the Dragaeran Mailing List when refining my maps. It is certainly not my intent to be the only person working on this project. III. Disclaimer My work here is currently unauthorized. If any current or future text or comments by Steven Brust is in disagreement with my conclusions and maps, consider Steven Brust correct. Of course, if his text or comments disagree with his own text or comments, you'll have to take that up with him.