Into

Masters of
Creativity
Tracy and Laura
Hickman

Walking
Through
Walls
Chapter 12:

FREE

Feast of the
Deceased
Original Fiction by

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UtahGeekMagazine.com

David
Page 1J West

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Publisher & CEO

Dennis Lundstrom

Executive Editor & VP

Adrian Broadhead

Contributing Editors
Karla Alice Rene

Contributing Writers

Alex Sousa, Carter Reid, Daniel Yocom, David J.

West, Deborah Moore, Mercedes Roberts, Seth
Duncan, Stephanie Sharp, Zac Johnson,
Utah Geek Magazine may or may not agree with
the views and opinions expressed herein by our
contributors. Copyright Utah Geek Media LLC.
Reproduction without our expressed permission is
prohibited. Utah Geek Magazine, UGeek Media, Cosplay
Centerfold, and the UGeek logo are trademarks (TM)
of Utah Geek Media LLC.
To advertise in Utah Geek Magazine, visit
UtahGeekMagazine.com/advertise,
or call Dennis at 801.839.4581

Website: www.UtahGeekMagazine.com
Email: [email protected]

Motivated Mom
Article and Photo By Deborah Moore

y children motivate
me to be a better
person. Recently,
my oldest daughter River also
inspired me to revisit an old
project.
Every summer the library is
our second home. We go there
to take advantage of their
summer reading programs,
activities, and air conditioning.
We were visiting the Sprague
library, and my daughter River
wanted to know where the graphic novels were. I knew the location of
these books in our local libraries, but not here. It was a job for a librarian.
While the librarian helped River out, my daughter mentioned that I was
working on a graphic novel. I found this out because this same librarian
mentioned it to me earlier. She told me how proud my daughter was of
me.
It was wonderful to hear. There was just one problem. I hadnt worked
on that graphic novel for over a year. There were scraps of art in my desk
at home and typed pages of dialogue on my computer. None of which
had been touched or looked over in a very long time.
I felt bad for letting this project go by the wayside. After all it was something I had enjoyed putting together. I felt a bit guilty for leaving it alone.
What sort of message was I sending to my children about perseverance?
There are some people who think guilt is a bad thing. Im not one of
them. While I believe that shame is damaging and useless, guilt can sometimes be the motivating force for change.
This was the situation in my case. Before we left I checked out a few
books to get myself back into gear. Then when I got home I went to work
fleshing out the plot and a few characters with better detail.
My progress has been slow, but methodical. The best part has been
taking the time to show the pages off to River. It feels like Im collaborating with her in a way. Writing can be lonely. However, it doesnt feel
that way with my cheer squad of daughters.

Your One Stop

Gaming Shop
6831 S. State St.,
Midvale, UT 84047
Phone: 801.352.2605
www.hasturgames.com
Facebook.com:
Hastur Games and Comics

Hastur Has It!

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After a year of neglect, I have already put together the first four
pages of my graphic novel and worked out the plot issues that
stopped me the first time. Little by little it is coming together. All
along the way River asks to see the completed pages and read over
them.
I am so thankful to have children who still think that I do cool
things. Even if Ive put them on the back burner for a while.

Raising Geeks

There are so many times when we have chances to support our

children. I hope that I can learn from her example. I want to encourage them by being excited about the things they have created
and are passionate about.

Have you noticed your own children rooting you on? Maybe
they are asking to play a video game with you or love the cosplay
that you are putting together. Whatever it is, take time to enjoy the
compliments.
Theres nothing wrong with embracing those moments when your children make you want to be a better geek. We should wear that knowledge
with pride.

Page 3

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Krayt Clan
A community
family
By Seth Duncan aka Morut Naast
Photo courtesy Seth Duncan

Club Connection

he Mandalorian Mercs Costume

Club is an international STAR
WARS costuming organization
dedicated to celebrating the STAR WARS
universe through the creation, display, and
wearing of quality character costumes that
represent the Mandalorian characters and
culture from the STAR WARS sagas.
The MMCC unites individuals with
a common love for STAR WARS and
the Mandalorian culture/characters
while encouraging self-improvement,
personal growth, family involvement,
and fellowship with peers.
The MMCC promotes interest in
STAR WARS and facilitates the use of
these costumes for STAR WARS-related events as well as contributing
to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work.

MMCC is unique as it encourages is

membership to embrace creativity and
individualism as opposed to costume
organization based on visual accuracy
from the STAR WARS films and canon
reference material. The MMCC is an
inclusive and friendly club, following the
Mandalorian way of Clans or family units

Page 4

and a clans ability to adopt anyone who

wishes to be a Mandalorian.
Recognized by Lucasfilm LTD. as The Elite
Mandalorian Costuming Organization; Mandalorian Mercs Costuming Club set the standards of Mandalorian costuming based on
canon film(Boba and Jango Fett), Expanded
Universe, Legends, action figure, and video/
board game references. Our CRLs (Costume
Requirement List) allow official members to
be highly creative with their Mandalorian
costumes, even though there is a minimum
visual and quality standard that must be
reached; every Mandalorian Mercs Costume
Club member is constantly encouraged to
improve their costume to elite standards.
The Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club
lives up to its label as The Elite Mandalorian Costuming Organization by promoting
the love of STAR WARS, creation of quality
costumes, and spirit of volunteerism.

Established in 2010, Krayt Clan is the Utah

chapter of the MMCC. Weve watched the
clan grow from 5 members to 31, with many
more on their way. Krayt has long held the
ideal of a Mandalorian saying that Family is
more than blood, and we strive to show the
community just how large that family can
be. The work we do with the community and
various charity organizations is the foundation and primary reason that most of our
members are involved in our organization,
but the fun we have is the icing on the cake.
We look forward to the years ahead and
having our family grow.
If youre interested in joining Krayt Clan,
please look up our forums at Mandalorianmercs.org and check us out on Facebook
at facebook.com/KraytClan . Were happy
to answer any questions you may have and
look forward to meeting you.

www.UtahGeekMagazine.com

Savage
Worlds RPG
By Daniel Yocom
www.UGeek.us/DanielYocom
Photo credit Kenzer and Company

edges have prerequisites, so you cant start

with them.

One aspect I like about this system is you

dont need to figure out conversions to determine success. Everything is based on the
die you roll for your attribute or skill. There
are modifiers based on your edges and conditions, but to determine success you roll the
appropriate die for the skill you are using. If
it is a 4 or greater, you succeed.
Initiative is done by using a deck of
playing cards, including the two jokers. The
highest card decides who goes first or holds
their action for later in the round. Jokers are
wild cards giving special advantages for the
round.

avage Worlds role playing game

(RPG) has been around for a while.
I had heard very little about the
system. Simply, it was a good system. So
recently I picked up the basic book when I
had the opportunity. What I had heard was
correct, and here is why.
The first words after the table of contents
are, Fast! Furious! Fun! And, with that as
the motto for their RPG, it delivers. The
concept of the system is to get people past
the rules and into the storyline of the game.
Savage Worlds basic game book is less than
150 pages. Within the space provided you
get the basic rules for creating characters,
adventures, etc. for any genre.

Savage Worlds, from Great White Games/

Studio Publishing, developed by Shane Lacy
Hensley strives for, and delivers, a quick
learning, and quick playing system. For
more, check online for the expanded review.

The
Forgotten
Planet
By Daniel Yocom
www.UGeek.us/DanielYocom
Photo credit giochix.it

Character creation is simple. There are 5

attributes to work with: agility, smarts, spirit,
strength, and vigor. Each attribute is based
on common gaming dice and start out as a
below average 4-sided die (d4) roll. Players
then have 5 points they can use to buy up
to a d6 (average), d8, d10, or d12 roll.
Next, you have 15 points for skills, which
are based on the attributes and work the
same way. Skills are learned abilities such as
shooting, fighting, knowledge, and so on.
They are broad in scope, so you dont have
to maintain a long list of skills that some
systems require (e.g. pistol and rifle skills are
both shooting).
After that you choose hindrances and
edges. These are balanced out for beginning
characters, you cant get an edge unless you
have a hindrance. These flaws and innate
traits are similar to other games. Some of the

Throughout history, mining has always

been an important part of building civilizations. The ores and minerals have provided
the material for developing new a greater
things. As we have expanded throughout

www.UtahGeekMagazine.com

The Forgotten Planet pits 24 players in

developing a mining operation on a
distant world on the edge of known
space. The environment is harsh and
the planet is unstable so you have to
use robots.
Players start with one solar collector,
robot, and each energy crystal resource. There is a limited area available
for mining, which eventually puts you
and the other miners in conflict. Your
strategy needs to include collecting
power to run your robots, mining, and
building more robots, bases, or walls.
This allows you to find new mining
sites where you can collect the crystals
that you need to sell to the merchant
guild, or use to build.

Tabletop Games

Characters advance in levels using a twostep approach. All characters start out in the
rank of novice and advance up through four
other ranks. Each rank effectively has four
levels (except the last level, legendary, which
is open ended). With each level advancement, you choose between several ways of
improving your character.

the galaxy, mining has become no less

important. And now, the energy crystals are
more important than just about anything
else ever mined. A new source of the minerals has been discovered, and the race is on.

Three of us sat down with The

Forgotten Planet without looking at the rules
beforehand. At first, the rulebook looks
imposing. However, the rule book contains
four languages, so its really not as bad as
it seems. In a short time we had the basic
concept of the rules and were starting our
first turns.
The rules are easy to understand and the
game is recommended for ages 12+. During
our first game, we referred to the rulebook a
few times. For the second we only used it to
choose a different layout for the board. We
had the concepts and were willing to give
our strategies a second chance.
The game is well balanced. The first game
was decided by a tie breakers based on the
number of crystals players had. The second
would have probably ended with a different
winner if there had been one or two more
turns, the rules allow a way to push to an
end game, which I did. Both games we
played we completed in the 75 minute time
frame listed on the box.
The Forgotten Planet from giochix.it, and
designed by Michele Quondam, is a good
strategy game. I come to this conclusion
based on two aspects. First, how close both
games were to determine a winner. Second,
I, and the other two players, were discussing
strategy options the next day. When a strategy game doesnt get you thinking about the
strategy, it isnt intriguing enough to play
again. This is one game that is not going to
be collecting dust in our group.
Thanks to giochix.it for a copy of The
Forgotten Planet.

Page 5

Into

THE VOID can be hard to imagine, because it

exists in a nether between the physical and the
virtual. Its an immersive experience that needs
to be seen in order to be truly understood.
Even then, its incredible that it exists.
What Jensen and the other co-founders,
Curtis Hickman and Ken Bretschneider, are
doing is a blend of mediums. Virtual reality is
part of ita huge part of itbut THE VOID is
also part movie production, part amusement
park, part theatrics, and part illusion. Its the
marriage of all those elements that creates
something much bigger, more revolutionary
than anything thats come before.
--I faced a blank wall, suited up in patented
Rapture gear, THE VOIDs proprietary equipment designed from the ground up for their
experiences. I waited in darkness, the visor of
my Rapture HMDthe head-mounted displayflipped down over my eyes.

By Alex Sousa

Photos by Nicola Pritchett

They call it Hyper Reality.
Thats a term weve coined to describe
what were doing, says James Jensen, Chief
Visionary Officer and co-founder of THE VOID.
Hes outside their attraction stage, a 30 by 30 ft.
arena thats only a quarter of the size of what
their final Dimension Stages will be. Everyone
else is doing virtual reality, but hyper reality is
a blend between the physical world and the
digital world.

The headgear looks like a bike helmet, and

it fits like one too. Its packed with equipment,
screen, optics, high-end headphones, and
a microphone. Its a snug fit, and any noise
around me is muffled. Standing there, waiting,
is almost like being in sensory deprivation.
The HMD is wired to the backtop computer,
which is strapped to the back of the vest. Its
the nerve system of the Rapture equipment.
The computer is the first of its kind, built with a
custom motherboard and BIOS. It renders the
graphics in real-time for the user and communicates the data to a central game server, connecting everyone in the experience together.
The whole set-up weighs about 13 pounds,
and most of that comes from the hot-swappable battery pack, which allows them to change

the power supply out while the computer still

runs so they never have to take a vest offline.
Jensen says that the equipment will only get
smaller and faster as they move forward, but
even now its unobtrusive and I hardly notice
the weight.
The whole set-up has been designed for
safety and ease of use.
Most HMDs in the market are bricks
strapped to your face, says Jensen. If you take
a hit in that it crushes your face. You take a hit
in ours and you just bounce right off.
He tells me about their plans to implement
a donning rig, to help people get in and out
of the equipment quickly. When THE VOID
finally opens, the plan is for the equipment to
be ready to go, pre-loaded with a customers
profile as soon as they arrive, so once the gear
is on they can step into their avatar.
For now, I just have to wait in darkness while
my photographer gears up, too.
We were about to experience The Curse of
the Serpents Eye, an adventure story reminiscent of Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider, more
linear than some events, focused on puzzle-solving to give people a taste of what their
tech can do. It was the same experience they
previewed at TED 2016, where Harrison Ford
donned the gear and tried it out for himself.
Rumor has it he approved.
The technician taps me on the shoulder and
I give her a thumbs-up. Were ready to begin.
In a flash of blue, the blackness before me is
gone, replaced with the sights and sounds of
an ancient temple. The gray wall that Id been
facing, it now looks like its made of crumbling
stone. I can hear birds call and insects buzz

Part virtual
reality, part
physical
reality, this
Utah company
is the next
big thing in
entertainment
Page 6

www.UtahGeekMagazine.com

around me. Theres a button on the wall that

glows ethereally.
Wow, my photographer says, her voice
crisp and clear in the headset. I turn to look at
her, but her digital avatara blue outline of a
rugged explorerhas replaced her. Eventually
the avatars will be fully rendered, giving people
the chance to be whomever or whatever they
want in a given experience. For now, while the
beta continues, the blue, generic outline is the
best we have, but it doesnt ruin the illusion.

support character, or a zombie, or an alien, but

its a way for audiences to participate outside
the Dimension stage as well.

Part of that delay comes from developing

new technology, making sure it functions the
very best that it can. Another part of the delay
is that their plan has constantly evolved as
theyve been approached by a multitude of
companies looking to implement their technology in training, teaching, and education
practices.

We want to open it up to that. We dont feel

like were competitors in the home market at
all, were very specific to out-of-home entertainment, and so we want to support those
in-home VR systems, participate at that
level so that people can play at home.

Experiential learning has the highest

retention rate, which ticks off the possibilities
provided by the Void, Jensen says. Thats all
based on how vivid the experience is.
Entertainment is their first platform, though,
which has given them their first hurdles. TV ratings are up, movie theater attendance is down.
Its an interesting time for show business.

An unprecedented amount of good TV,

along with streaming services, and the lowIts in this moment that I doubt my senses. I
er-cost for home theater systems has made
had seen the wallthe real physical wallin
it easy for people to consume entertainment
front of me before I flipped the visor of my
from the comfort of their own homes. Its a
HMD down, I had just reached out and touched problem that multiplexes are fighting all over
a physical button in front of me. But then, in
the country. Pair that with a bevy of fresh inthe virtual world, I saw that wall disappear and home VR consoles, and THE VOID is up against
heard a voice telling me to walk forward.
a gaming revolution that has never been seen
I take a leap of faith and step. The wall, its
before. But, even in a year thats bombarded
gone, just like I had seen, but not believed. The with the release of reality entertainment, Jenconflict between whats real and whats not
sen says they arent concerned.
ends as I accept the world as it is being preThe stuff were doing in THE VOID is physisented to me. Im fully immersed at that point,
cally impossible in your home, he says. Youre
leaving behind the fact that the world Im phys- not going to have the space we have, youre
ically in is not the same world Im experiencing. not going to have the physical effects. They
Im looking into THE VOID, and THE VOID is
lack the capability to provide the argument
looking back at me.
that what youre seeing is actually happening.
---

The Vision of Infinite Dimensions. Thats what

THE VOID actually means. Talking to Jensen,
that vision is two-foldthe digital vision that
theyre giving to the customers, and the vision
of the future theyre creating.
Jensen has spent the last fifteen years working on ways to put digital worlds on physical
spaces. He talks about THE VOID with passion,
and its obvious that all his work is finally culminatingthe technology has caught up with
the ideas and now, as Chief Visionary Officer,
hes able to truly look towards the future.
Were carving out this new industry. Were
open to all sorts of new terms and phrases,
because they dont exist yet. THE VOID is going
to play a big part in creating the culture around
it, he says.
One of the major struggles has been educating people on what it is that theyre doing. THE
VOID is something that truly needs to be experienced in order to be understood. And while
theyve offered opportunity for beta audiences
at events and partnered with Sony to create
their Ghostbusters: Dimension experience at

Before that, though, Jensen and his

team are developing a mobile companion app, which he proudly shows off.
Built for both Android and iOS, the app
will be a portal for customers be able
to purchase tickets like a movie theater,
but because of their gaming foundation, the app will do more than just that.
The app will allow for customers to
manage their personal profiles. Buy a
ticket, and the next step is choosing
who to be. Jensen scrolls through pages
of avatars, ready to be fully rendered
in the virtual world, replacing the blue,
glowing outlines that are in place now.

The profiles that youll build will

in THE VOID will stay with you. On every
experience you go to, youre increasing your
dimensional traveler, says Jensen. When you
go through the experience, you gain experience points, you pick up items. When you leave
the experience, you can leave with those items,
or new experience points, or VOID credits,
because you did so well in a certain level. You
can unlock items, or use credits to purchase
new ones.
Audiences will also get to leave with a 15-30
Continued on page 15

After experiencing THE VOIDs arguments,

its easy to see the draw. What can be accomplished in THE VOID, with their particular
blend of physical interaction and virtual
storytelling, is the sort of thing generations
reading dime-novel science fiction have
hoped for, but have so far been denied.
Weve had a lot of people go through this
and say they never thought theyd see this in
their lifetime, he says.
As sensational as the Oculus Rift or the
PlayStation VR or the HTC Vive may be, they
cant convince all the senses that the world
they create is real. Thats not to say that THE
VOID doesnt have plans to enter the home
market, however.
We eventually want to have versions of
our digital worlds that go out on mobile
and out to the home market, so people can
extend their gameplay, says Jensen.
Theyre developing ways for players to
participate from home entertainment systems, dropping into the games that people
are experiencing in their Virtual Entertainment Center. Maybe that means playing a

www.UtahGeekMagazine.com

Feature

I reach my hand outit too has been

replaced by a translucent blue outlineand
touch the glowing button. The button itself
is a physical element, a tangible, interactive
feature built into the experience. When I press
it, I see the ancient wall crumble away and feel
a gust of air on my chest, arms, and face. With
the wall gone, I see the courtyard of the temple
beyond. A voice in the headset tells me to walk
forward and enter.

Times Square in July, their official launch

originally scheduled for this summerkeeps
getting pushed back.

Page 7

Page 8

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www.UtahGeekMagazine.com

Photographer: JW Photography

Character: Wonder Woman

Cosplayer: Sherry Bear Cosplay

Page 9

Wonderful advice! What do you think you can

make this year?

Get creative and have fun with it! - Sherry Bear

Cosplay

Say you are building a sword and a scabbard, you

can create a hidden compartment on the side to
hold your items. Have a heavy gun? When designing it see if you can fit a hollow space that you can
open and close. My most recent costume is Princess
Jasmine from Aladdin. I made the costume from
the scene where Jafar turns her tiger Rajah into a
little kitty and puts him in a cage. I found a small
zip-able case that could act as the base of the cage,
painted it to match the cage, and attached it to the
bottom. Voila! Prop storage!

My cosplay tip is to always think about storage

with your costumes. Youll always want a place
to put items like your phone, cash, cards, a small
touch up kit for your makeup or hair, etc. Not all cosplays include convenient props like a backpack or
pouches, and you might not always have a handler
available to carry things for you! Its always a fun
touch to make props that can double as storage.

Sherry Bear is a skilled and talented cosplayer

here in the Utah community. Her work ranges
from super heroes to princesses. Sherry started
cosplaying in 2014 when she was inspired by all the
cosplayers at Salt Lake Comic Con. She got to know
some crafting friends and now shares her own
cosplay sage advice.

By Mercedes Roberts
www.StitchAndSeam.blogspot.com

Using Props
as Storage

Cosplay Tip:

Walking Through Walls

Chapter 12:
Feast of the Deceased
By David J. West
The story so far:
Kenaz, known as the Mind-Walker, can step
outside his own body to gather secrets and information. Now Kenaz has been proclaimed heir to
the mysterious Salamanders great fortuneBUT
he was tricked by the Salamander and their bodies have been switched anddid I mention he is
trapped in the old mans body that is pierced with
arrows and dying? . . .

ith her spyglass in hand, Lysandra

watched from the rooftop and
through the open window into The
Salamanders palatial villa. She could plainly
see past the palm fronds and into the open
window revealing the luxurious bedroom and
the scene of impending bloody death.

Fiction

The old mans labored breathing grew heavier as crimson spouted out around the arrow
shafts, staining his ivory toga. He reached for
the leering young man standing over him in
one last desperate attempt for revenge, but
his flabby arms grew weak with blood loss and
his great bulk fell back against the velvet chair
never to rise.
The Salamander was finally dead.
Kenaz, Lysandras only real friend, had
been proclaimed his heir, master of all
the evil old scut had accumulated. So
why did she feel something was wrong?
This should have been a joyous occasion. Kenaz would lift the bounty on her
head and reward their friendship.
Lysandra carefully watched the dark
alleys below. Dark furtive shapes were
still running about with the occasional
gleam of moonlight on their brazen
spear points. The Salamanders Valchiki
guardsmen were still hunting her
like hounds who had lost the scent.
Shouldnt Kenaz have called them off
by now? She went back to watching the
window. Kenaz was speaking to The Salamanders sorcerous assistant, Pike. Odd, they
had never been close. Kenaz despised the man,
calling him a wastrel conjurer or worse.
She wanted to call out to Kenaz, to let him
know she was near and that he needed to

Page 10

david-j-west.blogspot.com
remember to call off the Valchiki. Why wasnt
he doing that yet?
A thought crossed her mind.
Gathering an iron and flint starter, she signaled at him from behind the spyglass. A weak
orange light went out, piercing through the
ebony darkness toward his window.
As intended, it caught his attention. Kenaz
and the little bald sorcerer stuck their heads
out the window.
Lysandra silently waved to them and
mouthed, Call off your dogs!.
Kenaz did not smile at her joke nor wave
back. Instead, he glared at her and barked to
his Valchiki guardsmen below, pointing at her
hiding place. The assassin is on the rooftop!
Kill her!
Lysandras smile dropped. Ill gut you for
this, Kenaz! She screamed, at him. His bold
face, looking so unlike his usual good natured
smirk, stung her like salt in a wound. She ran
from her rooftop hiding place, his booming,
sinister laughter ringing out behind her. How
could he betray her? Trust no one! Thats what
her mother used to say. Lysandra never wanted
to believe that bit of advice, but the truth hurts.
Everyone lies. Everyone will turn their back on
you when the time comes.
She thought she heard Kenazs voice in her
mind begging her to reconsider and return to
the scene of the crime. Thats crazy! she told
herself. He betrayed you just like everyone else
in her life had.
Her running, jumping and panting was the
only thing keeping the constant barrage of
voices in her head silent. Was she going crazy?
Sticking to the rooftops was the only sure
way of staying ahead of the long limbed Valchiki. The tenacious men of the south were strong
and deadly and it wouldnt do to be caught by
them at any point in the city.
What options were left to her? She thought
about which of her safe houses were compromised. All but two, she thought and even then
there was a chance. After all, if you cant count
on the one person who has saved your life time
and again who could you count on?
She ducked into a darkened alcove overlooking the city. Why now? Kenaz could have slain
her several times over if that was what he really
wanted. He could have left her to the devil-fish

in the bay. He could have given her up any

number of times. Why now? She held back the
tears. They were a luxury she could ill afford.
She had to keep moving.
Briefly outlined by a jeweled moon, she leapt
down the rooftop to a balcony below letting a
striped awning break her fall. A woman cooking dinner screamed, but Lysandra ignored her
and rushed past. From there Lysandra grabbed
a clothesline and swung over to an adjoining
tiled roof and then hooked left to another
rooftop after jumping the short chasm of an
alleyway between.
She was gone, so why was the woman still
screaming?
Lysandra looked back and knew dark
paralyzing fear in her gut. Pike, that wastrel
of a sorcerer had sent something after her. A
green-lit, smoky shape was swiftly snaking its
way through the aether toward her. It looked
like a bearded dragon, serpentine and fierce,
but shimmered and shifted colors almost like
it was made of the northern lights shed once
seen when just a girl. Lysandra had heard of
this type of magic before, what did men call it?
A Lightning Worm!
Who would have thought that Pike was
capable of such a spell? Lysandra certainly
hadnt believed he was skilled enough for such
a cantrip, but there it was, fishtailing through
the night sky with its electric mouth agape.
Nearly upon her.
Take a corner swiftly, it cant change direction as fast as you.
Where had that thought come from? She
didnt know anything about Lightning Worms
other than they were deadly sorcerous creations. But still she heeded the thought and
dodged right around a corner and dropped
down to a balcony below.
The Lightning Worm spun thrice in a tight
circle to correct itself and keep up the pursuit.
It crackled with energy, swimming through the
air toward her in a determined zig zag motion.
Lysandra tried to remember what it would
take to evade such a magical creation and
found herself out of breath and thought. There
is always a way, but what?
A Lightning Worm has but one command for
each measure of its creation. Let it complete
that command, or at least believe that it has.

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That would mean letting it think it had

destroyed her. But how?
Let it touch youso long as youre
touching someone else. Perhaps one of the
Valchiki?
I must be going mad to think I am
hearing advice from Kenaz, she muttered to
herself, as she clambered up a peaked roof
and slid down its long opposite side.
Will you listen to me?
Kenaz? What do you want? she asked.
She couldnt see Kenaz but knew his gift of
out of body travel allowed him to find her
anywhere. He might be trying to slow her
down so his men could catch her. Im not
listening to any more of your lies!
Ive been trying to tell you for the last
three city blocks. That wasnt me. The Salamander tricked me. He has my body and I
have only his dead one. Im a lost soul. Ive
nothing to return to.
She pushed back tears and smirked,
saying, Well, I still have a lot to lose. So Im
afraid youre on your own. I have to look out
for myself now. Since no one else can.
The Lightning Worm was getting closer.
The crackle and hum from its energetic body
made Lysandras hair stand straight out in
every direction. She slid down another slanting roof and ducked across an adjoining flat,
making the Worm spin like a top once again
to adjust its pursuit.
Friends help each other.
So they say.
I understand how you feel. You forget, that
while Im in spirit form I know what youre
thinking better than anyone.
Get out of my head!
Lysandra rounded another sharp corner and dropped down into an alleyway,
delaying the Lightning Worms electrical bite
by barely a sword strokes length. She ran at
top speed over the cobbles, her hard leather
boots slapping the stones and echoing
through the narrow alley.
The Lightning Worm rocketed after her,
gaining with every heartbeat.
You must touch someone precisely before
it gets you. It will discharge the shock.
As if Id ever trust you again, she growled,
swiftly bolting through an open doorway
and dashing through a taverns kitchen. The
Lightning Worm rocketed after her, much to
the horror of the patrons and staff inside.
Take the next left and trust me.
Despite her misgivings, she took the
next left and ran right into a trio of Valchiki
guardsman. They roared in triumph at having seized her.
Kenaz, you bastard!
Touch them. Touch them now!
Lysandra reached out and took the foremost Valchiki by the arm. He stared at her
curious but unafraid. They didnt fear this
red-haired woman. She didnt even have a

weapon drawn.
The Lightning Worm burst around the
corner, its neon green mouth wide open and
closing over the top of Lysandra.
Bright white light erupted all about her
and a shockwave slapped her hands like a
dozen wasp stings, but it sent the three Valchiki guardsmen careening away like straw
in a storm.
Trust me now?
That was luck, she said, continuing her
race across the terraced upper city.
No such thing as luck. I orchestrated your
deliverance. Again.
Perhaps, she reluctantly admitted. The
steam and smells from someones supper
nearby teased her empty stomach. Why
hadnt she gotten something to eat at the
party? Oh yes, she was too busy saving the
ungrateful traitorous wretchs life. From now
on, she would trust no one and eat when she
felt like it. Farewell, Kenaz. Whatever we had
is over.
I need you and you need me.
Getting involved with you is where my
life went to the seven hells.
Help me and you help yourself. We can
work together, get our revenge and our lives
back.
Lysandra shook her head. He has too
many men and your body now. I should just
flee Tolburn and go far away. Avaris maybe.
We have options. Lets ask Ytainlyn for
help.
All she gave me for your supposed rescue
was a ticket to the celebration, this cloak,
and a pair of fancy boots. She said if I got in
and slew The Salamander, all would be right
in the world; look how wrong that went.
Youre discouraged, thats fine. Trust me
I am teetering upon the precipice but we
cant stay like this. We have to fight. We have
to overcome our obstacles.
She thought long and hard about options.
She didnt know anyone in Avaris. There
was no one to turn to anymore, except a
spirit making her look like she was talking
to herself on a balcony overlooking the city.
Stranger things have happened before she
supposed, miracles even. Im exhausted
and will regret this. But what is your plan?
How can we get your body back from that
monster and turn all of this around?
Well have to trick him into stepping outside himself, and when he does, Ill be there
to take back my body.
I dont suppose you have any ideas on
how to make him do that. He must have
wanted your body all along and this was
all a ruse to get you into this position. Hell
be more protective than ever. Youll have to
steal your body back.
You make it sound so unseemly.
It is unseemly. He stole your body and
presumably was planning to do so for

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months!
Do you have any ideas on how we might
best accomplish this?
Lysandra chewed her lip before responding. Youre the answer man. But my best
idea is to make him think he has to step
out because your body is about to die or
something.
It irritated Lysandra that she was talking to
someone she couldnt see; she couldnt read
facial expressions or body language. It was
funny to think about how much she relied
on that to understand people. They give
away so much with expression and position,
but Kenaz was just a voice in her head now.
Ill owe her an exorbitant amount, but
Ytainlyn may be our only chance. She has a
grudge against The Salamander and ought
to help us trick him.
Maybe I dont have any friends I can trust,
but it seems you do, she said. We should get
help for this!
Youre right. I should get the gang together.
Gang? Who?
Callus Durro, Hershel Burnside, and
anyone else with a grudge against Sal. With
enough people we can throw so much havoc at him, Ill be able to get my body back.
A sinister voice boomed from the darkness. Now that sounds like a great plan. But
Im afraid its just too late.
Lysandra wheeled to look at Kenaz in the
flesh, except she knew it wasnt really Kenaz
but the body snatching Salamander. You
Save your insults precious, theyll buy
you nothing. Take her! he commanded his
guards. Stout arms soon grasped Lysandra
about the waist before she could draw her
sword. I may have some use for you yet. And
Kenaz, I know youre here, listening nearby.
Thank you for your gift, however unwillingly
given it was. You may as well see yourself to
the other side of the seven veils. What youve
missed is that Im a Mind-Walker myself and
have been since before you were born. I
know the pitfalls. Why do you think I took
your body? You werent the first Ive taken
and you wont be the last.
Youre the shadow demon! Youve tried to
steal my body before! Lysandra winced at
the anguish in Kenazs mental cry.
Of course, you young fool! By dawns
light, youll be forced out of this plane of existence. The myriad spirits and demons and
gods that surround us every day wont abide
a human spirit to wander the city with them.
Theyll destroy you. I wish you a speedy
oblivion. He bid his bodyguard follow him
with Lysandra in chains and they marched
back to the villa.
Kenaz watched in anguish. He guessed he
had but a few hours until sunrise.
Next time: This Is The End

Page 11

Feature

The Masters
of Creativity:
Tracy and
Laura
Hickman

Go Ahead. Ask this

couple of renowned
storytellers how
they met - then sit
back and enjoy as the
tales of their lives
unfold.
By Stephanie Sharp

ack in May, I was pleased to meet

Tracy and Laura Hickman at THE
VOIDs new studio in Lindon, Utah.
My adventure began with a quick introduction before Tracy whisked us down the hall
to check out the set. He beamed like a proud
new papa as we stepped into the staging
area. Laura and I suited up, and we stepped
into the experience.
For those who dont know, THE VOID
(thevoid.com) is a new virtual reality studio
where Tracy works under the direction of his
and Lauras accomplished son, Curtis. Their
groundbreaking system overlays a virtual
reality environment on top of the physical
environment, providing an unparalleled
immersive experience. How incredible it
felt to visit an ancient Mayan temple and
walk through as if I were Indiana Jones or

Page 12

Lara Croft. (See Into THE VOID in this issue for

more on this amazing technology.)
Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Tracy
Hickman is one of fantasys best authors according to ranker.com. His work includes the
Dragonlance series, The Immortals novel, and
the storyline for the Shroud of the Avatar video game. His career in professional writing
began with the famed Dungeons & Dragons
roleplaying game. When first introduced,
D&D gameplay was all about the setting.
It was Tracy who changed the game from
being setting-based to plot-based. The rich
storylines you find in RPGs today owe their
start to stories he wrote over 25 years ago.
Now credited as a pioneer in RPG storytelling, Tracy may have invented a new genre.
Lauras contributions are not as well
documented. Thats partly because bias has
traditionally leaned toward male writers , but

also because Tracy and Laura have worked

side-by-side on many projects in the past 39
years. This creative couple has collaborated
on every task thrown their way. Living by
the adage You can do amazing things if
you dont care who gets the credit, she and
Tracy have successfully created their own
RPGs, authored novels and gaming modules,
designed board games, taught professional
writing courses, and raised four extraordinary children together.
At the start of their relationship, neither
of them knew the other liked science fiction.
Even as newlyweds, they danced around the
idea of going to see a new sci-fi film as a
night out. Tracy worried that Laura wouldnt
want to see Star Wars, and Laura wasnt sure
how to tell him she really wanted to go. After
all, this would be their first date as a married
couple, and sci-fi was not as mainstream as it
is today. So they pulled out the newspaper,

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scanned the movie listings, and were too shy

to admit what they wanted to see. We both
knew we liked science and the Apollo stuff, but
I didnt realize he loved science fiction as much
as me! Laura remembered.
A few months later, Laura was invited to
act in a local stage production. Upon arrival
at the theater, friends began telling her about
a new game. After drawing up a quick map
and throwing down some weird-shaped dice,
several hours passed before Laura realized
she hadnt picked up her new husband from
work. He was fuming as he rode his bicycle
across town to find out why. When he arrived,
he discovered that she was lost in a world of
her friends creation. He calmed down, they
explained the game, and he was intrigued.
Later, Laura gave him a basic set of this game,
Dungeons & Dragons, as an early birthday
present. He immediately vanished into the
basement for a month, and when he emerged,
great stories came with him. The first dungeon
he created was named Orthunk.
Their success allowed them to create a home
office by the time their eldest children started
elementary school. Both Tracy and Laura grew
up with parents who worked from home, and
they share a feeling of belonging among the
tribe of the makers. They told me several
times: We love to play. We love to create
(and have a nice cup of tea now and then),
but weve learned that discipline is the key to
making anything. It is the disciplined creatives
who make things.
Tracy refers to his wife as the secret weapon
in everything Ive done, credited or not! They
do everything together, and a finished product
is neither his nor hersthe credit belongs
to the couple. Their most famous Dungeons
and Dragons campaign setting, Ravenloft, was
originally Lauras idea. Strahd, the first great
villain in D&D, started his life as a product of
her imagination.
Together, theyve placed their DNA inside
the International Space Station, both figuratively and literally. Their digitized DNA

is included on the ships

Immortality Drive, and their
idea for a new party game
eventually became the
inspiration for a short film
titled Apogee of Fear (youtu.
be/2fv3ZJ2J89M), which was
the first science fiction movie ever to be filmed in space.
This film was produced and
directed by game developer
Richard Lord British Garriott (the creator of Shroud
of the Avatar and the Ultima
video game series) during
his 2008 trip to the ISS, and
was written and edited by
the Hickmans. Operation Immortality and the
Immortality Drive were Richards solutions
to a possible global catastrophe, as well as a
marketing tie-in to his poorly received video
game Tabula Rasa.
Curtis Hickman, Tracy and Lauras son, is
the Chief Creative Officer and founder of THE
VOID. He is a master illusionist and professional
magician who designs theatrical illusions for
top magicians around the world. Specializing
in mystery and miracle,his illusions have been
performed by David Copperfield and Criss Angel. Hes taken his gift for illusion and applied
it to the virtual world. THE VOID allows you to
step through a virtual space thats in complete
agreement with your understanding of physical space. It looks real. It feels real. It is real!
Being a creative type, Tracy was eager to get
involved with his sons project. He just wasnt
sure how to approach him. Id been thinking,
How could I possibly ever work there? Unknown to him , Curtis approached THE VOIDs
co-founders and said, I can get us a New York
Times best-selling writer who can really do the
job for us and has all the requirements. Hes
perfect for the job, but hes my dad. What do
you think about that? The other co-founders,
Ken Bretschneider and James Jensen, were
very supportive. They knew Tracy; hed done
some work for them before. After a good talk

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about what the future might hold, they struck

a deal. Tracy now works for THE VOID full-time
as the lead story designer .
The Hickmans have a great love of adventure, family, and one another. As it says in their
favorite musical, The Music Man, theyve each
found the one who is more interested in me
than he is in himself and more interested in us
than in me. This theme has a constant presence in their personal and business lives, and
so does the belief that an unopened book has
never lived. As Tracy puts it: The actual data
density of a book is minimal. The sights, the
sounds, the smell, the experience, the meaning
of the text is all provided by the reader.
This year, Tracy will be busy with THE VOID
and Laura is working on her blog Baking Outside the Box (bakingoutsidethebox.com). The
Sword of Midras, the first in a series of books
co-written with Richard Garriott and based
on their video game Shroud of the Avatar, just
came out in June. And the second book in the
The Nightbirds series, Unhonored (co-written
by the two), will be coming out in October. See
them at Dragoncon in September, GenCon
next August, and various other signing tours
throughout the year. For more information,
please visit trhickman.com.

Page 13

Reprinted with permission

Geek Cred Pop Quiz

By Zac Johnson

In the American Dub for Dragon Ball

Z, which Voice actor passed out while
recording?

A) Sonny Straight
B) Terry Klassen
C) Christopher Sabat D) Sean Schemmel

In Digimon, which digidestineds digimion digivolved to

champion first?

A) Zabimaru
C) Zangetsu

A) Bill B) Dave
C) John D) Frank

A) Superman
C) Aquaman

B) Batman
D) Green Lantern

What year did Marvels Squirrel

Girl first appear in comics?

B) Nozarashi
D) Tenken

A) 1987 B) 1992
C) 1997 D) 2002

Marvels Deadpool was based off of

which lesser known DC character?

In Magic the Gathering, what

is the most used Keyword not
counting revisions?

A) Flying
C) Vigilance

Which of the following

DC characters did Actor
Nicholas Cage almost
portray in the 90s?

A) Tai
B) Matt
C) Sora D) Izzy
What is the name of
Ichigos Zanpakut
in the series Bleach?

Page 14

B) Haste
D) Poison

In the Manga, Yu-Gi-Oh!, what did

they originally call the card game
now known as Dual Monsters?

A) Duel Battles
B) Fantasy Duel
C) Magic and Wizards
D) Card Battle!

10

Which came first?

A) Pokmon TCG
B) Pokmon anime
C) The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
D) Pokemon Red and Blue

A) Deadshot
B) Anarky
C) Human Cannonball
D) DeathStroke

Answers at www.UtahGeekMagazine.com

In the DC comic series Preacher, what is

the name of the main characters (Jesse
Custer) father?

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Into THE VOID

Continued from page 7
second video of the experience,
personalized and dynamically
edited for every player, that will live
on the app. Like the photos taken of
tourists going down the big drop of
a roller coaster, the videos will serve
as a highlight reel, with footage of
what the player saw and what was
actually happening.
-On a 40-acre plot in Pleasant
Grove, Utah, theyre planning to
build their studio and corporate
campus. Included in that plan is
the first, full VEC, with six to eight
stages, each home to a unique VOID
experience.
They plan on that just being the
first, though.
THE VOID allows us to have a
theme park all over the world. Well
eventually have thousands of centers across the world and each one
of those centers will be connected
to each other, Jensen says, talking
excitedly again. You can have a
center in Utah thats playing with a
center in China.
Theyre also opening themselves
up to the idea of eSports, already

trademarking the term vSports.

Like a true Chief Visionary Officer,
Jensen talks about the far future,
about stadiums packed with fans
looking down at VOID stages as
two teams battle it out. Fans will be
able to follow their favorite players,
dropping loot for them, sponsoring
them, watching their view on huge
POV screens.
Its an intriguing premise, and
one that doesnt seem far-fetched
having experienced what they have.
Even with its rough edges, THE
VOID is a remix of so many different
mediums, making something that
feels fresh.
THE VOID taps into primal
feelings, to protect, to run, to fight,
to react. Its so convincing that its
real, its bizarre to look back on it
and know that all of it was false. Its
strange to think that what was seen
and experienced didnt actually
happen.
And though THE VOID is selling
an experience thats ultimately
illusion, their future is much more
tangible than that. As Jensen says,
This is real, and its happening.

What will
you print?

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www.UtahGeekMagazine.com

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