Lurkers at the Threshold is a compilation of ghost stories from German folklore, translated into English from German collections, many of which have never been translated before. It’s an interesting collection, covering a branch of European folk tales that will be both strange and hauntingly familiar to an American audience.
Full disclosure: The compiler and translator of these stories, Jürgen Hubert, is a long-time acquaintance, although he and I have no professional relationship and I have received no compensation for this review.
Dr. Hubert published his first collection of translated German folklore (Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles) in 2020. That effort was apparently so successful that he plans to release a series of similar books, each tied to a specific theme. Lurkers at the Threshold is the first of these, devoted to ghost stories. The book contains exactly 100 narratives, most of them rather short, each of them accompanied by translator’s notes and commentary. Just reading the stories themselves is likely the task of a single afternoon, but the supporting material is very rich and will reward closer study. Each entry is thoroughly footnoted, and the book also contains extensive contextual material on German geography and history.
Since this collection is centered on a theme, it calls some repeated tropes into sharp focus. German ghost stories are different than a modern American reader might expect. Ghosts are not translucent and immaterial; usually they are frighteningly tangible. Many ghosts are evil, others are simply unpleasant, a few are benevolent, but they’re all dangerous to encounter. They sometimes need the help of the living to escape their condition, but they’re often bad at making it clear what needs to be done to help them. You probably don’t want to attend church with a bunch of ghosts . . . and whatever you do, don’t shake a ghost’s hand!
I was surprised to find several headless ghosts, including a few Headless Horsemen. I suspect Washington Irving must have done his own reading in German folklore back in the day.
As with Dr. Hubert’s previous work, this collection has plenty of entertainment value, but it’s also valuable as a scholarly resource. Authors and game designers will find the series useful as inspiration for their own fantastic literature. Dr. Hubert continues to support such uses by placing his translations under a Creative Commons license.
I thoroughly enjoyed Lurkers at the Threshold, and I’m looking forward to further volumes in the series. Highly recommended for anyone interested in folklore and ghost stories.
The best-laid plans of mice and men, and all that.
My plan for February was to get a major update of the world-design sequence for Architect of Worlds out the door, and then pivot to finishing the Human Destiny novelette “Remnants” before the end of the month. Okay, one out of two isn’t bad.
It turns out that writing a murder mystery is hard. I’ve rewritten “Remnants” three times in the past couple of weeks, and I keep finding plot holes that mean the story still won’t work. I don’t think there’s any way the story will be finished to my satisfaction before the end of February. I’m honestly not sure how long it will take me to get it straightened out, even if I stay focused on it to the exclusion of other projects.
It appears to be time to throw in the towel and move to something else, while the back of my brain works on “Remnants” on its own schedule. That means there will be no charged release for February for my patrons. I’m going to concentrate on getting started on a new project for next month, and in the meantime pushing a book review out with what’s left of this month. I’ll post a planning message early in March as usual.
Just a very quick note, for folks who aren’t my patrons and don’t follow me on Facebook. Earlier today, I released a new interim draft of the world-design sequence document from Architect of Worlds. It’s available for free on the Architect of Worlds page on this site.
This is probably the last version of this material I’ll be releasing for free – other sections of the book are exclusive for my patrons, and the book itself is slowly moving toward being ready for final draft and release. I’m kind of hoping that 2022 is the year I finally finish this project.
Still, if you’re interested in this kind of scientific geekery, feel free to have a look.
I’ve been rather badly under the weather for the past few days, and not inclined to work too hard. Today, to take a break from outstanding projects, I decided to sit down and tinker with a recent purchase: the second edition of The One Ring, possibly the best tabletop RPG ever published set in Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
The four starting heroes I drew up this afternoon are based on characters I ran in the Lord of the Rings Online MMO years ago. Leonore and Morlindiel are taken almost directly from the online game, Reinald is a looser adaptation of another online character, whereas Náli is more or less original to today’s effort. In any case, I think this group would make a pretty decent starting party for the tabletop game.
I don’t know what, if anything, I’m going to do with these characters. I’ve been known to write some Tolkien fan-fiction in the past, but in recent years I’ve been trying to get away from fan-fic in favor of original work. Still, the new edition of The One Ring has certainly attracted my interest. I may even go looking for a group to play the new game with . . . in my copious free time.
Anyway, without further ado, here’s a small band of adventurers, ready to set out into the wilds of Eriador in the decades leading up to the War of the Ring.
Leonore Rushlight
Leonore is the daughter and only child of an alderman of Bree. Her parents took the unusual step of educating her as best they could, even acquiring books for her to read. She grew up rather quiet and thoughtful, and the other Bree-folk think her a bit strange, but she has already learned as much about the true history of Middle-earth as any of her people. Recently she met Gandalf the Grey at the Prancing Pony. Her long conversations with the wizard have encouraged her to seek out knowledge wherever she can find it, even if it means leaving the safety of Bree far behind.
Culture – Men of Bree
Blessing – Bree-blood (+1 Fellowship Rating)
Calling – Scholar
Standard of Living – Common
Distinctive Features – Fair-spoken, Subtle, and Rhymes of Lore
Travelling Gear, balm to soothe pain (Healing), book of history (Lore)
Pony (Vigour 1)
Morlindiel
Morlindiel is a latter-day Elf, descended from Sindar who survived the fall of Thingol’s kingdom in the Elder Days. She has many years of experience as a ranger in the wilderness, protecting the Grey Havens and the borders of the dwindling Elf-realm of Lindon. In recent years she has taken to wandering far and wide across the lands of Eriador, sensing that great events are stirring and there may yet be a part for Elves to play. She has just arrived in Bree, only to meet Gandalf the Grey and a young woman named Leonore, soon becoming snarled in an adventure.
Culture – Elves of Lindon
Blessing – Elven-skill (Spend 1 Hope to gain a Magical success on a skill roll)
Calling – Champion
Standard of Living – Frugal
Distinctive Features – Keen-eyed, Swift, and Orc-lore
Shadow Path – Curse of Vengeance
Flaws – The Long Defeat (Lose maximum 1 Shadow during Fellowship Phase)
Travelling Gear, knife for skinning and cleaning game (Hunting)
Náli Silvertongue
Náli was born in the Iron Hills, moving to the renewed kingdom of Erebor after the death of the Dragon. There he has prospered, serving as an envoy and trade representative for King Dáin Ironfoot. Náli left Erebor early this year, traveling with a company of Dwarves on their way to the old mines in the Blue Mountains. On the journey, he met and befriended Reinald of Dale. Now that the Dwarf-caravan has reached Bree safely, Náli seems prepared to join Reinald on any adventures he might find.
Culture – Dwarves of Durin’s Folk
Blessing – Redoubtable (Halve the Load of any armor or helm, rounded up)
Calling – Messenger
Standard of Living – Prosperous
Distinctive Features – Fierce, Proud, and Folk-lore
Shadow Path – Wandering-madness
Flaws – Naugrim (Cannot use great bow, great spear, or great shield)
Rewards – Grievous (Great Axe)
Virtues – Hardiness
Strength 7 (TN 13)
Endurance 31
Valour 1
Heart 3 (TN 17)
Hope 11
Wisdom 1
Wits 4 (TN 16)
Parry 14
Skills
Awe 2
Enhearten 1
Persuade 1
Athletics 1
Travel 3 (Favored)
Stealth 1
Awareness 0
Insight 0
Scan 3
Hunting 0
Healing 0
Explore 2
Song 1 (Favored)
Courtesy 3 (Favored)
Riddle 2
Craft 2
Battle 2
Lore 1
Combat Proficiencies
Axes 2
Bows 0
Spears 1
Swords 0
Gear
Treasure – 90
Great Axe (Damage 8, Injury 20, 4 Load, Grievous)
Short Spear (Damage 3, Injury 14, 2 Load, can be thrown)
Coat of Mail (Protection 4d, 6 Load)
Helm (Protection +1d, 2 Load)
Travelling Gear, fiddle (Song), fine tools for personal grooming (Courtesy), magnifying glass (Scan)
Pony (Vigour 2)
Reinald of Dale
Reinald comes from a prosperous trading family in Dale. As a younger son, he was never likely to inherit a big share in the family trade, so he sought out a position as one of King Bard’s huscarls instead. He served the king for several years, earning experience as a warrior and war-captain. Early this year, he (apparently) left the king’s service to join a band of Dwarves traveling to their old dwellings in the far-off Blue Mountains. During the journey, he met and befriended Náli Silvertongue. Now that the Dwarves have arrived safely in Bree, Reinald has left their company, and intends to seek adventure in the lands of Eriador.
Culture – Bardings
Blessing – Stout-hearted (Valour rolls are Favored)
Calling – Captain
Standard of Living – Prosperous
Distinctive Features – Bold, Generous, and Leadership
Shadow Path – Lure of Power
Flaws –
Rewards – Fell (Sword)
Virtues – Dour-handed (+1 damage on a Heavy Blow)
Strength 6 (TN 14)
Endurance 26
Valour 1
Heart 6 (TN 14)
Hope 14
Wisdom 1
Wits 2 (TN 18)
Parry 14
Skills
Awe 1
Enhearten 2 (Favored)
Persuade 3
Athletics 1 (Favored)
Travel 1
Stealth 0
Awareness 1
Insight 2
Scan 1
Hunting 2
Healing 0
Explore 1
Song 1
Courtesy 2
Riddle 0
Craft 1
Battle 3 (Favored)
Lore 1
Combat Proficiencies
Axes 0
Bows 1
Spears 0
Swords 3
Gear
Treasure – 90
Sword (Damage 4, Injury 18, 2 Load, Fell)
Bow (Damage 3, Injury 14, 2 Load)
Mail-shirt (Protection 3d, 9 Load)
Shield (Parry +2, 4 Load)
Travelling Gear, coil of rope for climbing (Athletics), lodestone (Travel), fine pipe for relaxation (Insight)
Time for a quick taste of how the new Architect of Worlds version is turning out.
Long-time followers of this project will remember the two running examples in the draft: planetary systems named Arcadia and Beta Nine that are intended to demonstrate how the system works in practice. I’m in the process of re-working all of the examples, which should be the last step before I share the current draft with my patrons and my readers here.
Here are a couple of tables to suggest some of the results of the revised system.
Arcadia Planetary System
Orbital Radius
Planet Type
Planet Mass
Density
Radius
Surface Gravity
0.254 AU
Terrestrial Planet
0.26
0.75
4470 km
0.53 g
0.380 AU
Terrestrial Planet
1.75
1.09
7460 km
1.28 g
0.580 AU
Terrestrial Planet
1.34
1.10
6800 km
1.17 g
1.00 AU
Terrestrial Planet
0.22
0.74
4250 km
0.49 g
2.12 AU
Planetoid Belt
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
4.08 AU
Large Gas Giant
460
0.20
84100 km
2.64 g
8.12 AU
Medium Gas Giant
180
0.075
85300 km
1.00 g
12.0 AU
Small Gas Giant
52.0
0.14
45800 km
1.00 g
17.6 AU
Failed Core
2.80
1.13
8620 km
1.53 g
Not too many surprises here – this resembles the previous version’s Arcadia system fairly strongly. For some context, the primary star here is a singleton K2V, with about four-fifths the mass and one-third the luminosity of Sol. The third planet (at 0.58 AU) is the Earthlike candidate that I intend to use as an example for the last portion of the design sequence.
Beta Nine Planetary System
Orbital Radius
Planet Type
Planet Mass
Density
Radius
Surface Gravity
0.027 AU
Terrestrial Planet
1.22
1.09
6610 km
1.13 g
0.038 AU
Terrestrial Planet
0.94
1.01
6220 km
0.99 g
0.062 AU
Planetoid Belt
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
0.135 AU
Small Gas Giant
12.0
0.29
22000 km
1.00 g
0.390 AU
Failed Core
2.80
1.16
8540 km
1.56 g
The Beta Nine primary is an M4V red dwarf, with about 0.18 solar masses and less than 1% of Sol’s luminosity. It also has a brown-dwarf companion that cuts off planetary formation too far away from the primary. This planetary system is actually quite a bit different from the previous draft’s Beta Nine. The new model I’m using provides enough planetesimal mass for at least a small gas giant world, and it also allows for the possibility that some of that planetesimal mass “migrates” into the inner system to help form rocky worlds. So we end up with more planets this time, and the terrestrial worlds are considerably bigger.
One inspiration here is the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system. My old model didn’t have much trouble generating a planetary system like that for a small red dwarf, but it needed a pretty massive protoplanetary disk to do it. Under the new model, a red dwarf star doesn’t need an improbably big disk mass to have a chance at Earth-sized worlds. Given how many red dwarfs we’ve found with planets of significant size, I suspect the new model fits the facts better.
I’m hoping to have the new draft out as a free update for my patrons, and as an update to the version posted on this site, within a few days.
Well, my day job is a little less demanding as January turns into February – my two big projects for calendar year 2021 are almost finished and I don’t have any big new projects for 2022. At least not yet. So I’m expecting to make good progress on a couple of creative projects this month. Here’s the main list:
Top Priority (“this is how I’ll judge whether the month has been successful”)
Architect of Worlds: Rewrite sections of the Introduction and Design Sequence segment, based on new research, hopefully simplifying several steps of the sequence having to do with the placement of planets. I may also take this opportunity to update all the worked examples and make all the mathematical notation more consistent.
Human Destiny: Finish the novelette “Remnants” for eventual collection and publication.
Human Destiny: Finish writing an article for the Cepheus Journal about the game-book project.
Second Priority (“work on this as time permits”):
Krava’s Legend: Write a few new chapters of The Sunlit Lands.
Architect of Worlds: Start work on a section describing the structure of the galaxy and of interstellar space, and providing guidelines on how to make maps for interstellar settings.
Human Destiny: Produce a high-level map of terraformed Mars.
Human Destiny: Research and produce a timeline for the terraforming of Mars.
Scorpius Reach: Write a few new chapters of Second Dawn.
Back Burner (“work on this only if everything else gets blocked”):
Architect of Worlds: Start work on a section of special cases and additional worldbuilding material that doesn’t fit into the design sequence.
Krava’s Legend: Write the second short story for the “reader magnet” collection.
Scorpius Reach: Start work on a third edition of the Game of Empire rules for Traveller (or Cepheus Engine)
The work on Architect of Worlds is probably the top priority this month. The end result there will probably be a version 0.8 draft of the Introduction and World Design Sequence. That new document will be a free update for my patrons.
I’m also considering releasing the new partial for free on this blog site, in an attempt to generate some new interest for the project. There have been a lot of changes and improvements since the version that’s currently available to the public. My patrons will continue to get any further updates to that document as free rewards, until there’s another major overhaul or the book as a whole is about ready for layout and release.
Meanwhile, I should be able to complete the novelette “Remnants” this month, and if that ends up being long enough, I’ll likely make it the charged release for February.
