What is Tower Mountain?

Tower Mountain

is a an Elfquest fan club. Elfquest is a fantasy comic created by Wendy and Richard Pini and published by WaRP Graphics. If you're not familiar with Elfquest , check out the Elfquest Home Page . The best way to jump in is to read the comic, especially the first 20-issue story arc. This is available as a four-issue graphic novel collection at most major bookstores.

Many EQ fan clubs create their own stories and artwork based on the original series. Unlike most fandoms, EQ fans seldom write about the original series' CHARACTERS. Instead, we create our own characters and tribes of elves, who never meet, interact with, or even know of, the characters created by the Pinis. Originally, most EQ fan clubs (or "holts") based their tribes on the Wolfriders, the tribe to which the main characters of the original series belonged.

Tower Mountain, on the other hand, is loosely based on the Blue Mountain scenario--that is, it's a group of advanced, early-generation elves living in a rock-shaped mountain home, worshipped and served by a tribe of humans. (At this point the resemblance ends!)

Tower Mountain is a continuing shared-world anthology. Through the stories and artwork of our members, your character can interact with hundreds of other elves, trolls, and humans. Founded in 1986, Tower Mountain has published thirty-seven issues of our short-story zine, Tales of the Tower, as well as several novella-length supplements.

More information can be found in the Tower Mountain FAQ below.

Tower Mountain FAQ

1. In the Fictional World

1.0 Why don't your maps look like the maps of Abode in the comics?
This is an alternate version of the World of Two Moons.Ý Cutter and Leetah and Rayek never exisited here; the history, geography, and very likely the future of this World of Two Moons is very different from the one portrayed in the comic.

1.1 What is Tower Mountain?
Tower Mountain is a lava butte, similar in shape to Devil's Tower, located in the caldera of an extinct/dormant volcano somewhere on the World of Two Moons.Ý The caldera and environs are known as the Redrock Valley by the inhabitants.Ý Tower Mountain, appropriately hollowed out by rockshapers, is home to a community of early-generation elves (one to four generations removed from the High Ones); they share the Redrock Valley with their human worshippers, the Mraal.

<1.1.1 So where did these elves come from, anyway?
The Palace, where else? No, seriously. . . the majority of Tower elves are descended from Ketsal's Band, a group of High Ones who, after the fall of the Palace followed one of their number named Ketsal and his Recognized lifemate, Isilien. This band migrated south for several thousand years and also had a previous coastal settlement (known as the Old Settlement) before some of them went on to found the Tower.

1.1.2. Who's in charge here?
During the first three millennia of the Tower's existence, it is ruled by Lord Tyaar, a first-generation elf and the son of Ketsal and Isilien.Ý At the end of the Third Millennium Tyaar dies and is succeeded briefly by his former lieutenant, the rockshaper Beliel. Beliel is deposed after about two seasons of rule and replaced by the dual Lordship of Erik and Shadaln. About a century into the Fourth Millennium Shadaln resigns her position and Erik is left as sole Lord of the Tower.

During Tyaar's reign, his chief advisers/officers include his lovemate/lifemate Lady Tascha (until she flees the Tower at the beginning of the Third Millennium); the Flight Leader (leader of the hawkriding Declared; position held by Twillor until TWR 1087, then held by Doleera), who is assisted by the Hawkmaster (Tanyel until TWR 1087, then Ayla) and the Cadet-Master (Eylar); and the Seneschal (responsible for running the Tower on a day-to-day basis, and for the human servants; position held by Shadaln) assisted by the Castellan (Kesik). Sometime during the Third Millennium, Beliel becomes Tyaar's lieutenant/second-in-command.

When Erik and Shadaln become Lords, most of the above positions remain, though with different elves filling them: Silara becomes Flight Leader, Tanyel returns as Hawkmaster, Ayla "understudies" both roles; Eylar remains Cadet-Master. Kesik becomes Seneschal and Giddiorn becomes Castellan. Erik and Shadaln also create an Advisory Council to aid them in ruling the Tower.

1.1.3. Who are the Declared?
The Declared (pronounced in three syllables) are the Tower's aristocracy, more or less.Ý Originally applied only to the hawkriders (cf. the Chosen Eight of Blue Mountain), the honor was later granted by Lord Tyaar for great achievement in other fields as well.Ý Declaration involves swearing an oath of loyalty and service to Tyaar and/or the Tower.

After the death of Tyaar and the ascension of Erik and Shadaln, no more Declared are created and the title begins to fall out of use (though still held in memory and esteem by individual elves according to their own views).

1.1.4. What are all these humans doing here?
They live here. The humans of the Redrock Valley, who call themselves the Bakhansha-urd-Mraal ("Dwellers in the Blessed Land"), or "Mraal" for short, arrived about three centuries after the elves did.Ý Already impressed by Tower Mountain itself, obviously a "holy place," when they realized that the elves lived there they began to worship them as the "spirits of the Mountain."Ý The Mraal community currently supports both the Tower elves and themselves (with agriculture, herding, and so forth) and also provides workers and servants within the Tower.Ý Tower service is considered a great honor among the Mraal.Ý An article on the Mraal can be found at the Tower website, and was originally printed in Tales of the Tower #2

1.1.5. What's all this talk about "Millennia"? What separates the Millennia from each other?
The Millennia (First, Second, Third, and Fourth) are major divisions of the Tower Mountain timeline, instituted for the convenience of the writers.Ý (Note:Ý the elves themselves do not speak of "Millennia" and do not even use a formal dating system.)Ý Each is roughly (guess what!) a thousand years long.Ý The First Millennium dates from the founding of the Tower settlement by the elves, and runs from approximately TWR -1970 to TWR -970.Ý There is no sharp division between the First and Second Millennia in terms of events, but in general the First Millennium is a time of growth and the Second a time of stagnation.Ý The first real turning point in Tower history occurs in TWR 0, the beginning of the Third Millennium, marked by the death of Wisprian and the resulting madness of Tyaar.Ý The Third Millennium is thus an increasingly dark and decadent period (what you've probably heard all the rumors about).Ý The Fourth Millennium begins in TWR 1178/9 with the death of Tyaar and the exile of Beliel.Ý It is a time of renewal and increased contact with the outside world (for better or for worse).Ý The settlement of New Hope dates from TWR 1180, which is equivalent to New Hope year 0.

1.2. What is New Hope?
New Hope is a multiracial settlement located on an eastern coast of the World of Two Moons.Ý In origin it is a colony of Tower Mountain, founded by a group of elves, humans, and trolls who chose to leave the Redrock Valley after the death of Lord Tyaar and the exile of Beliel.Ý Their main goals were to leave behind the stagnation of the Tower, to find renewal on the Outside, and to create a community whose guiding principles would be closer to the ideals they had developed during the centuries of the Tower's darkness.Ý The basic tenet of the New Hope philosophy is that all people, of whatever race, are blessed and worthy of love; therefore all three races are put on an equal footing and the New Hopers strive to live in peace with other peoples as well insofar as is possible.Ý New Hope maintains close ties with Tower Mountain, and many of the New Hope elves have relatives and friends in the Tower.

1.2.1. So whose idea was this?
The concept of New Hope was developed by several elves from Tower Mountain after the death of Lord Tyaar, including Evanda, Geibryl, Iys, and possibly others.Ý After they proposed the idea, the Mraal cult of the Lovebringer threw a good deal of support (and ideology) behind it from the human side, and Mikail provided the necessary political clout among the Tower elves to make the plan a reality.

1.2.2. Who's in charge here?
New Hope is governed by a Council of Elders chosen from among the Household Elders of the various Households; the Council of Elders makes major decisions that affect the community at large.Ý It also acts as a tribunal when necessary, and has certain ceremonial functions.Ý There are elves, humans, and trolls on the Council.Ý Council appointments are usually for life, so elf (and troll) Elders tend to remain constant over time while the human ones change from one generation to the next.Ý The Council operates by consensus, which means that the Elders discuss a given matter until a decision is reached that everyone can more or less agree on.

1.2.3. What's a "Household" and what Households are there?
A Household is a subdivision of the New Hope settlement, consisting of people who live and work together and who consider each other "kin" in a sense.Ý A typical Household (if any of these groups can be characterized as "typical") consists of a core family of elves (say, a mated pair with one or more children) and several families or bloodlines of humans who share common interests and activities with these elves.Ý Other elves and humans who have ties of blood or friendship with these core members may also be members of the Household; if so, their mates and children, if any, will often be members too.Ý This system began to evolve naturally in the early years of New Hope, since the Tower elves were used to having "their" humans (servants or cult members) and the Mraal were similarly used to having "their" elves (masters/mistresses or cult deities).Ý Later on it was deliberately encouraged as a way to group the population into manageable chunks without splitting them along racial lines; the Household system was made "official" around NH 5.Ý A partial exception is the trolls, most of whom live in a single Household of their own.

Each Household has a name, which all members use as a surname (e.g. "of Trailingstar" or "of Greenwillow").Ý Households specialize in certain jobs (such as farming) or crafts (such as weaving), sometimes more than one, though this doesn't mean that every member of the Household will do that kind of work.Ý It's just that the fishers will tend to congregate in a seaside Household and the herders in one located near the plateau, while weavers will gravitate toward a Household where they can study with a master of the craft.

Existing New Hope Households, their known specialties, and their dates of founding:

Trailingstar: gardening, leatherworking; NH 5
Whistleleaf: herding, hunting, scouting; NH 5
Greenwillow: weaving, fishing, herding; NH 5
Threetail: sea harvesting, miscellaneous; predominantly female; NH 5
Foxlair: herding, horsebreeding, brewing; NH 5
Risingmist: pottery, gardening; NH 5
Springreach: agriculture; NH 5
Trolldelving: mining, stonework, metalwork; NH 5
Sea Runner: shipbuilding, deep-sea fishing, sealore; NH 30
Startide: sea harvesting; NH 230

1.3. What is the Hidden Valley?
Which one?

1.3.1. What do you mean, 'Which one'?
The Hidden Valley, an isolated mountain valley located several hundred miles north of Tower Mountain, has been occupied at two separate times by two separate groups of inhabitants.

1.3.2. Who were the original Hidden Valley settlers, and what happened to them?
The original settlers of the Hidden Valley were a group of elves of the same stock as the Tower elves, led by Tyaar's brother Meiron.Ý Their settlement was founded at roughly the same time as the Tower, some time after the two groups were separated in the disaster called the Sundering (an incident with a raft and a flooding river). This settlement was sacked by trolls in TWR 614, leaving only ruins and a few scattered survivors (most if not all of whom have managed to make contact with the elves of Tower Mountain/New Hope by the Fourth Millennium).

1.3.3. Who are the Exiles, and what are they doing here?
The Exiles are a small group of elves who were banished from Tower Mountain after the death of Lord Tyaar. Some of them, like Beliel, were judged guilty of various crimes and cast out for that reason.Ý Others among the Exiles had other motives for leaving, but in general, they felt that they no longer had a place in the Tower and they had no desire to live in the more egalitarian atmosphere of New Hope.Ý Some of the Exiles feel that the Tower elves have done them wrong, and nurse grudges of one sort or another.Ý The Hidden Valley has provided the Exiles with a stronghold to rebuild their numbers and create the sort of society they wish to live in.

1.3.4. Who's in charge here, and what do they want?
Beliel and Doleera are the two elves with the greatest amount of personal power in the Hidden Valley. Many of the elves and humans in the Valley consider them to be gods, High Ones, or simply powerful rulers to be obeyed.Ý Though neither one really likes or trusts the other, they are more or less stuck with each other. Doleera maintains a following among the hawkriders, who consider themselves a warrior elite, while Beliel is more popular among the ground troops and the "commoners." Doleera is the superior general and tactician, while Beliel is the superior politician.

Doleera wishes to build and maintain her own empire, and prove to the Tower elves, especially her mother Silara, that she has become a power in her own right. Beliel merely wants revenge on those who killed Tyaar and exiled him (which means he wants revenge on just about everybody.)

After the Hidden Valley's attack on New Hope in NH 229, Beliel disappears and Doleera continues as sole ruler.

1.3.5. Who are the Hidden Valley peoples under the Exiles' rule?
There are three tribes living in the Hidden Valley, two elf and one human.Ý The elves are the Brightcolor Desert elves and the Deathwater Falls elves.Ý The Brightcolor Desert elves are descended from a group of forty-some warriors whom Silara brought to the Tower; after the war she promised them didn't happen, they took up with Doleera instead.Ý Their original home is the deserts far to the west. The Deathwater Falls elves are a forest tribe, originally from northeast of the Tower, whom Doleera and Beliel convinced to follow them.Ý Many elves of both tribes started out believing that the Exiles were High Ones, but few retain that belief now. The Neiali'Cin are a tribe of primitive humans who are convinced that Doleera and Beliel are specific gods of their tribal pantheon.

2. In the So-Called "Real World"

2.1. What is Tower Mountain?<
Tower Mountain is a division of the ElfQuest National Fan Club. It was founded in 1985 by a group of artists and writers who wanted to further explore the possibilities of the Blue Mountain scenario.

2.1.1. Who's in charge here?
Teri Gardner is the Editor-in-Chief and Coordinator (i.e. the person to whom questions should be directed). She can pass you on to other members who may know more about your specific question. She also has final say about new characters, timeline entries, and story edits. She can be contacted by postal mail at Teri Gardner 20 - 1085 Bute Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 1Z2; or email basile35@shaw.ca

2.1.2. What publications are there?

Tower Mountain/New Hope publishes a quarterly (by intention) newsletter/ zine called Tales of the Tower, which prints stories, artwork, character profiles, poetry, cartoons, and other creative contributions by members. At various times we have also come out with special publications of one sort or another. So far there have been three story supplements (longer stories issued as separate illustrated booklets), a full-lengthÝ illustrated novel, the specialty zines Tower Mountain Celebrations and In Pursuit of Romance, and the Tower Mountain Coloring Book for Big Kids. In the works are a large-format anthology zine called Tapestries, and a Tower Tarot.

2.1.3. How do I join?

Contact Teri Gardner 20 - 1085 Bute Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 1Z2; or email basile35@shaw.ca and either subscribe to the newsletter, Tales of the Tower, or arrange to become a Tower contributor (see below). Subscription prices are $11.00 per year for subscribers (a "year" being defined as however long it takes us to put out four issues of Tales, whether or not this corresponds with an actual calendar year), $9.00 per year for contributors. Checks or money orders (U.S. funds only, please) should be made out to "Melissa Van Houten."

2.1.4. What's the difference between a "subscriber" and a "contributor"?
A "subscriber" or subscribing member simply pays a certain amount of money per year to receive Tales of the Tower and notice of other publications. Subscribers are not required to create characters or to submit creative work to the group.Ý A "contributor" is granted the privileges of lower membership rates and one or more elf characters in return for contributing a certain amount of creative work - of publishable quality - to the group per year.

2.1.5. What do I have to do to become a contributor?
In order to become a Tower contributor, you must demonstrate that you can produce creative work of publishable quality. This means that if we are not already familiar with your work, you will need to submit samples -- of writing, art, or whatever. The samples do not have to be Elfquest-related (though it's sometimes easier to judge them if they are), but they should be complete works:Ý entire stories, essays, or poems, finished drawings, etc. Samples should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief, Teri Gardner 20 - 1085 Bute Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 1Z2. Assuming your samples are approved, you will then need to send in one year's subscription money ($9.00 for contributors) and either submit a preliminary Character Information Sheet on your proposed character or arrange to adopt an existing Tower/New Hope character. (A list of adoptable characters can be obtained on request.)Ý Once you have done these three things, you are officially a Tower contributor.

2.1.6. Okay, I have my character(s) - now what?
First of all, contact any members who have characters whom your character would like to know or interact with. Send them your character sheet and ask for a copy of theirs. You can also request copies of character sheets from the editor. Often you will get ideas for stories, events, or artwork just by reading other people's CISes. If you have any ideas for timeline events or stories concerning your character, contact the members whose elves might also be involved to let them know and work out what might have happened. Be sure to keep the editor informed so your ideas can go into the main timeline! Once you have an idea what your character is like and what he or she thinks of all these other people, you may also want to fill out a character reactions sheet and a character development questionnaire. Both of these are optional, but they will give other writers and artists a better idea of what your character is about, so we encourage people to fill them out and pass them around to other interested members (and the editor, of course!). A reaction sheet is just that -- a list of all the other characters in the tribe, and what your character thinks of them. It can be quite simple ("Beliel -- X hates his guts.") or complex ("Beliel -- Due to the longstanding rivalry between Beliel and X over the affections of Z, the two elves don't get along. However, they mask their mutual hatred in an elaborate game of back-handed compliments and often seem to go out of their way to be in each other's company.") A CDQ is a series of questions about life, the universe, and everything which you can have your character answer.Ý Sample questions might be "What person most influenced you as a child?" "How do you feel about food?" "How idealistic are you?"

2.1.8. Can I get back issues?
You sure can. We keep the entire run of Tales of the Tower in print, as well as all story supplements. Tear Drop City, the Tower Mountain novel, is also still available. Prices are as follows:

Tales of the Tower #1 Free on request (sample)
Tales of the Tower #2 - 5, 8 - 16 $2.25 each
Tales of the Tower #6/7 (double issue) $4.50
Tales of the Tower #17 - 20, 23 - 29 $2.75 each
Tales of the Tower #21/22 (double) $5.50
Tales Of the Tower #30-present issue $5.00
Declaration (Supplement #1) $2.25
Gentlemen's Agreement (Supplement. #2) $3.75
Goin' Down (Supplement #3) $4.25
Elusive Ragings (Supplement #4) $5.00
Tear Drop City (novel) $15.00

All of the above prices include postage except in the case of Tear Drop City (which is large-format), for which $4.50 should be added for First Class postage, $2.00 for book rate. Tear Drop City, Elusive Ragings and Gentlemen's Agreement are suggested for mature readers, and require either an age statement or a parental permission letter (for members under 18) when ordering. Back issue orders and checks or money orders should be made out and sent to Teri Gardner, 20 - 1085 Bute Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 1Z2.

2.1.9 How do I get/keep in touch with other members?
A list of all contributing members of Tower Mountain, including names, characters, postal addresses, and email addresses where applicable, is available from the Coordinator on request. (Telephone numbers may be exchanged between members at their own discretion; we don't generally circulate them.) For the email-enabled, the Tower also has a mailing list, also known as te Tower Online Colloquium, where various Tower matters are discussed online.Ý Requests to be added to the list should be sent to Teri Gardner at basile35@shaw.ca

2.1.10. Okay, I've drawn a picture - now what?
If the picture is of your elf, send a clear, clean photocopy (NOT the original!!) to the Editor-in-Chief, Teri Gardner. We always need artwork of all sizes for Tales of the Tower, and even if we don't publish the picture, it is still valuable reference material for writers and other artists who want to know what your elf looks like. If the picture is of (or includes) other people's elves, why not send copies to those people? "Hi, I drew your elf!" is a great way to introduce yourself to other Tower members. If you're shooting for one of the "showcase" spots in Tales (front cover, back cover, inside back cover) backgrounds are desirable, and we prefer that two or more characters be used in the picture, though that's not a hard-and-fast rule. All illos intended for publication should be done in black ink on white paper. Further art guidelines can be found in the Writer/Artist Guide.

2.1.11. Okay, I've written a story - now what?
Editing of stories for publication is done by an Editorial Board. Completed (first draft) stories should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief, Teri Gardner. She will read a story when it comes in, and do one of two things: 1) send it back to the author with a letter about the great big continuity glitches/plot holes/character misrepresentations that will have to be cleared up before anything else can be done with the story, or 2) write back to the author to acknowledge receipt of the story and give first/general impressions, and meanwhile send the story on to the first of two associate editors. This associate editor will read, comment, possibly communicate with the author if s/he feels it's necessary, and pass the story on to the second associate, who will do likewise. Then the story comes back to the EIC, who will read, comment, and send the story back to the author for any necessary rewrites. As well as doing rewrites, the writer is responsible for getting character okays from the creators of any characters not her own that she uses in the story. Getting a character okay involves sending the story or relevant parts thereof to the creator(s) in question and asking for comments. Rewriting may be necessary if a creator feels the writer is misrepresenting his/her character(s). Once a story is accepted for publication, the writer also gets input on which artist illustrates the story. Details of this procedure are in the Writer/Artist Guide.

This FAQ is copyright 2001 by Hydra's-Head Press. Contributors include Barbara Cummings, Margaret Dean, Kristin Fontaine, and Ree Moorhead Pruehs. Comments, queries, suggestions and additions should be sent to Teri Gardner 20 - 1085 Bute Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 1Z2; or email basile35@shaw.ca

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