Ragnarok - XX
#21 of ragnarok shane's ghost wanders the city, invisible and intangible, and finds himself listening to man - seemingly rehearsing a lecture - at the edge of a cemetery.
Ragnarok - XIX
#20 of ragnarok shane looks about at the world he has reached, to find he recognizes it. journey to the underworld is a common characteristic of the epic as a poetic form.
Ragnarok - XVIII
#19 of ragnarok shane finds himself on the path outside the world. this is was by far the easiest part of the entire poem to write.
Ragnarok - XVII
#18 of ragnarok as the sulfur carrier's final assault begins, shane and varr try to get the young girl to safety. if i'm remembering right, this was where progress on the poem stalled for a long time while i was at grad school.
Ragnarok - XVI
#17 of ragnarok the arrival of the sulfur carrier. "mean you to slay this?"
Ragnarok - XV
#16 of ragnarok as the witchfolk depart for other worlds, king roam and the young girl both come to speak with shane, ere a further calamity befalls. i'm still pretty proud of the dialogue in this canto.
Ragnarok - XIV
#15 of ragnarok shane, varr, and klau meet with the leadership of the witchfolk.
Ragnarok - XIII
#14 of ragnarok klau tells his story, explaining what this place is, why it must be defended, and where the old man has gone.
Ragnarok - XII
#13 of ragnarok shane and varr and the witchfolk refugees reach a fortress holdout, and find other refugees there, defended by other warrior souls, led by klau. somewhere it was sunset.
Ragnarok - XI
#12 of ragnarok having heard that there may be a way for him to return to the world of the living, shane has rejected it. yet with some regret, for he cannot rid himself of the memories of his life, nor can he entirely recall them.
Ragnarok - X
#11 of ragnarok having taken refuge behind a charm that wards off all those have died--both the soot, but also shane and varr--the witchfolk settle for the night and shane seeks answers.
Ragnarok - IX
#10 of ragnarok shane is introduced to some of the inhabitants of this world, the witchfolk, and hears disquieting rumors which leave him unsure. somewhere dusk was settling.