Unpublished (and largely unwritten) book series by contributor Quodo. An heroic fantasy set in a Steampunk world which is populated by Angels, Demons and Mad Scientists. The story follows the life of junior Artificer Miles Nummer and Archon (a sort of proto Angel) Sophia Meisters. The first book (Archon) is in progress. In about a month Quodo might feel pleased enough with a revised edition to put the first few chapters somewhere online.
The story starts in Selise; a bustling metropolis that is ruled over by a councel of angelic beings called the Seraphim, the University that controlls the Artificers, and a civilian government that is often trapped in between the two factions. Sophia Meisters is a Archon in the service of the Seraphim who had the task of helping Miles Nummer find his Anchor; the thing that will help him recover insanity after building the impossible machines that his profession entails. After spending a day with her Miles realises that Sophia is in fact his Anchor. But you already knew that. However unfortunately for both of them that is not what this series is about.
The first book, Archon, is written and unergoing revisions. Some work has also been done on the second book, though most of it has been scrapped in favor of better outlines.
Those interested can read the first seven chapters
on Quodo's DeviantArt account.
Tropes featured include
- Action Girl: Sophia
- Artificial Human: Lilith
- Author Avatar: Roland Gardner (also the Butt-Monkey)
- Badass Family: The Nummers. They consist of a Mad Scientist, an Angel of the devine wrath persuasion, a homunculous designed to track down targets (kind of a fantasy Terminator), and a man who is functionally Gay!James Bond.
- Badass Normal: Drake can often take out people with magical powers but really only through letting others do most of the dirt work. Still he deserves credit for killing Faber.
- Johan is also an example as he though he lacks her speed and strength he is a superior unarmed opponent to Sophia.
- Battle Couple: Miles and Sophia
- Batman Gambit: Miles pulls this off sometimes (though he often feels guilty afterwards)
- Berserk Button: You can mess with either Miles or Sophia but only if you don't mind getting your throat torn out. This later extends to their children.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Averted. I'm aparently a very dark person.
- Determinator: Sophia. Shoot her? Poison her? You'll be lucky to slow her down.
- Fantastic Romance: The romance subplot is basically what happens when a Mad Scientist falls in love with an Angel. Also, they Can't Have Sex, Ever or she will turn into a demon.
- Fantasy Gun Control: Averted, Guns are common.
- Instant Death Bullet: Sophia invokes this when she's shot to get the drop on an unsuspecting airship pirate.
-
Genius Bonus: Scientifically inclined readers will notice that Miles is making thermite at one point, mentioning a rusty pipe and grabbing some aluminium flatware. - Goggles Do Something Unusual: Artificers need their goggles so they can't see manna and don't start randomly pouring their Sanity into things.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Averted with Miles. He has Two-Face level scarring but is still the good guy.
- Hand Cannon: The standard firearm for Archons, Justified as Archons can handle any amount of recoil and normally fight demons.
- The Last Dance: If all goes according to plan there will be two in this series The second last book being an elderly Miles' and the last being a six hundred year old Sophia's
- Meaningfull Name: Doctor Engel
- Magnificent Bastard: Faber has his moments but this series true Magnificent Bastard is Drake. If only because he was more or less manipulating Faber from the start.
- Mad Scientist: Artificers but more specifically Artificers that have become unfettered become malevolent and violent.
- Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Archons in general are Angelic Kung Fu Cowboys but Sophia takes it a step further by becoming a Frankenstein style zombie.
- Power Born of Madness: Miles' main advantage in any situation where he's out of gadjets and isolated from his allies is the fact that at that point he's probably good and insane and will consider options no sane person would.
- Psycho for Hire: The Gentleman.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: All Artificers' goggles make it impossible to see the Artificer's eyes. Sophia finds it creepy at first but eventually just find it frustrating as it can make having any kind of emotional conversation next to impossible
- Science Is Bad: Mostly averted, but if you've been doing unethical experiments expect Miles to drop the hammer.
- The Unfettered: Subverted and played straight. Artificers completely lacking in Sanity are called Unfettered as they no longer have to operate with the limitations of other Artificers. However as Alexander tells Miles, Unfettered create their own limitations and are in a way more restrained than most Artificers. However Drake has no goals beyond protecting Selise. Beyond that there is nothing he won't do.
- Waif-Fu: Suberted with Lilith, she may look like a thin fifteen year old but what she lacks in size she makes up in density.
- World of Badass: There are a few characters that couldn't kick your ass. But only a few.
