June 13th: eeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh...
Don't tell me, it's -- uhm -- Fridddddd...Friday the... uh, some number, all right? I'm not gonna write Friday the 13th right here and invite evil so ---
Oooooops. 
Ehm. So... While I'm still in one piece (and casting fearful glances about me for a psychopath in a hockey goalie mask), let's get to today's business, shall we?
We're still on our serial. "The Pilgrims' Trial and Faith" is getting bigger and better (yeah, I am sure of that, why?) all the time. 
It's critter-fightin' time! Let's see how our "valiant heroes" fare in Chapter Eleven! 
Also, I've finally gotten around to putting the PDFs together in the Download section: There are two PDFs (and corresponding zipped files), one contains Chapters 1 - 5, the other Chapters 6 - 10. As if that wasn't enough work (phew, how many seconds did I spend on that?), I also put in an index page for the serial (here). Like the index pages for "The Miracle of Solstice Day" and "Tales of the Gods", it contains links to all the chapters as well as the PDFs, so you only need to go to this one page to get it all (as far as we've published it, yes, I know, and no, we're not gonna hurry up any more!).
So. Hmm. Uploaded the current installment. Uploaded the PDFs, installed the index page. Anything else?
No, I don't think so. Wherefore I'll take my leave now and --- was that a noise at the window? Naaaah, it's just the cat.
Another noise? But... but... the cat's in here, and there wasn't anybody out ------

June 6th: Back to our serial --- and down into the lands beneath Deersrun Hill the journey of our faithful continues. What shall they find? What joy, what terror?
Why don't we find out a little more in Chapter Ten?
No more babbling this week, I've got some work to do. Maybe you'll be treated to more rambling from me next Friday, if you're very (un-)lucky.
See ya then, an' take care, everybody!

May 30th: What, we don't show you more of the world of Gushémal? Like, we ain't got no idea what's happening aside from our stories and their locations?
HAH! Like that's possible! We've got half the frellin' planet mapped out! (Well, except for the part of actually drawing a map. There's that tiny problem of having talent at drawing anything better than stick figures, but... oh, well, that's all details, y'know?)
Anyways, in this week's installment of THE WORLD we're proving that we do have ideas about the rest of our pretty Gushémal world. To wit, here's the first installment of our two-part article on Ibrollene!
Enjoy the thrills, enjoy the terrors --- and, oh why doncha just start readin'? You know we're gonna still be around when you're done!
Take care, everybody, have fun, and we'll see each other again next week!

May 23rd: You've read the last chapter of "The Pilgrims' Trial and Faith", haven't you? (Don't give me a wrong answer, you hear me? I'm unarmed and undangerous!)
Well, we've already done one better -- the new Chapter Nine is out and there for your enjoyment! Have fun, and take care! 

May 18th: And we're back underneath Deersrun Hill, in the ancient caverns of mystery -- filled with wild dwarves and other far more dangerous creatures.
Last time we saw our misfit group of heroes, there was a scream echoing through the caves.
Now let's see what that is about, right? Don't dawdle, it's here, in Chapter Eight!

May 9th: Ever wonder what is on the other side of the hill? 
You know, you're not alone. People in the world of Gushémal wonder as well. What is there? Is there a way to get on the other side, to see if the proverbial grass truly is greener over there -- or maybe that it's just as boring and mundane over here?
Ah, bah! Humbug! There can't be any place as mundane as this, right? It's gotta be different over yonder -- but just how different?
People wonder about that, and we've shown you some ideas in our first installments of Lands Beyond Our Ken, and now we'll give you some more inklings in the second part. Read about the The Isle of Hunters and the Snowqueen's Realm in this installment!

May 3rd: Things are heating up in our serial, the ever popular "Pilgrims' Trial and Faith". What happened to Slim Tim? Whatever could be dangerous in the caverns underneath Deersrun Hill? I mean, apart from the wild dwarves?
Read Chapter Seven and find out!

April 28th: New update. "The Pilgrims' Trial and Faith" Chapter Six. Read it. It's good.
And, yes, I'm being grumpy today. Grumph. Hrumph. Better stop this before I descend completely into grunting.
Enjoy this week, folks!

April 16th: Hi, everyone. Things ain't going too smoothly here, and -- weeeeelll -- it actually is all my fault. So last week's regular update is quite a bit late, and I'm putting up this week's regular update on two days early. 
But, heeey, it's the Easter Holidays ahead! (As well as Passover, I know.) Ahh, a good time with the family, and even better -- with great food. So, let's just hurry into what's new on the site:
The Pilgrim's Trial and Faith goes into its fifth installment of its descent into the dark and dread caves: Chapter Five is online.
We explore something new in THE WORLD with a two-part article on Lands Beyond Our Ken. The places we've mentioned so far are certainly not all there is to Gushémal. It's a big, big world -- yet as things go, mostly rumors reach our shores. Herein we present some of the rumors as well as a few facts; read what can be discerned about the world outside!
Enjoy, you've got a lot to read, folks.
Oh, and Happy Easter Holidays!

April 4th: Hope you all enjoyed a funny April Fool's Day. (I'm not gonna say a word about what happened to me.)
And we're continuing our serial, "The Pilgrims' Trial and Faith" with the fourth chapter. Read and have fun!

March 28th: Here it is, the final installment of our article on Grenage, Goddess of Beauty and Joy. Read about temples as well as the blessings and curses that Her clerics can wield!
Otherwise, my computer troubles have eased. My system is up and running again. Whooo. Thank goodness, it'd been quite a shock (not literally and electrically, fortunately).
On another note, it's very, er, interesting to find that we haven't been picking truly original names. After all, as our most recent addition to the guestbook shows, there's actually somebody named "Nych" (cf. Cornell #1 "Call of the Dragon") out there. What about that?! Can we now start reading the phonebook for names? Sheesh...
Thanks, Nych, for writing to us. We hope you'll enjoy the other stories, too!
That's it for this week, folks. Enjoy 

March 22nd: Whoops. Itsy-bitsy problem with the computer yesterday -- a couple of programs crashed, I had to reinstall, recover the data, and so on and so forth. Still haven't done everything, but leastways I've gotten my internet connection and the update in place! Wow, I'm so proud of me.
("You're pathetic." -- "Shut up. I know.")
So, the update is the third installment of our new serial, "The Pilgrims' Trial and Faith". Things are really heating up now. Last time out we ended things with a bang -- or rather an earthquake caving in the ceiling of the cavern.
That's bad enough, you say? Well, ehm, our folks would happily agree with you -- since that will shortly be the least of their problems.
Read, find out and enjoy Chapter Three!

March 14th: And now there is another installment of our brand-new serial, "The Pilgrims' Trial and Faith". In the first chapter you've met our narrator Ahnfredas - as well as a couple of unpleasant arydogs. Now meet the rest of our little gang... and we'll get the journey started in Chapter Two.
In other news, I hadn't mentioned that the download files for "Tale of the Gods" are online, have I? Eh. Okay, well, they are. Check out the download page, there is one complete PDF, and the third/final partial PDF, suited to fit with the previous partials.
All right, enough blathering for the moment. Enjoy the new chapter of our story!

March 7th: Back to her joyful divinity, the goddess Grenage! We now offer you the second part of our article, giving you more information on some other kinds of priests serving their mistress. Find out about beautician clerics, bardic clerics, and also about the types of clothing common to Grenage priests!

February 28th: Sorry, this is only a very brief entry. One of these days I'll surely get around to talking your ears off (or was that "writing your eyes off"?), but for now all I've gotta say is:
We're starting a new serial today. "The Pilgrims' Trial and Faith" is an eighteen-chapter long adventure story. There is a secret within Deersrun Hill, and our lead characters will learn more about it -- if they want to or not.
Enjoy the first chapter!

February 21st: Whoo-hooo, we're done! We're finished!
Erm. No, not that "finished"... What is done is "Tale of the Gods - First Cycle", now concluded with Episode XXX "Passage Opened"!
We've given you 30 episodes, and it's taken a pretty long time, I know. It's also been a pretty rough ride, and we seriously hope our story is worth it. Come on, let us know, all right? We love to hear from you!
Oh, by the way the download files aren't finished yet. The PDFs should be added to our site sometime in the next week, I'm having a bit of a time problem here. Don't worry, it'll all be here soon!
So, take care, folks, and next week we'll start on a new story, "The Pilgrim's Trial and Faith" -- and due to our revised schedule, the installments will appear a lot faster!
All the best, and I'll see you again in seven days!

February 14th: We're having divine weeks at Gushémal right now, don't we? On the one hand, our serial novel "Tale of the Gods" is winding down (next week is the very last installment), and today we're uploading the first segment of an all-new deity article:
Grenage, Goddess of Beauty and Joy is explored today, legends about her as well as the first group of her clerics (devoted to stagecraft). There's much to enjoy here -- how fitting for a deity dedicated to joy!
(A note about that: This article has gotten pretty long, so it'll take three installments to conclude. Stick around, it's worth it --- but then again, isn't that true of all we produce?)
Have a great week, folks, and enjoy the world of Gushémal!

February 7th: The pen-ultimate installment of "Tale of the Gods" is now online. Things are coming to a close, so don't wait to read up!
(And don't complain that this entry is so brief, please. <sniff, ah-choo> Can't I ever get rid of these colds? <insert curses> Bed, now...)

February 2nd: It's the day after the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated, the crew lost along with the ship. It's still difficult to believe it happened; difficult to fight down the memories of Challenger seventeen years ago.
We here at Gushémal salute the brave crew of Columbia, who gave their lives to the dream of going to the stars. 
They follow in the footsteps of the first Africans who thought of travelling further north; the first cavemen who sought out the deeper recesses of their caves; the first shore-dwelling people who thought to build canoes; the Polynesians who braved the seas in their flimsy boats for hundreds of miles; the Europeans who set out to find sea routes to Asia; the explorers to hard-to-reach places on our planet like the deserts, the polar regions, the very depths of our oceans.
Human beings have always sought to seek out new frontiers. In part it is curiosity, in part it is the need to do what nobody else has done. In part it is our understanding that the newly discovered is a source of wealth -- and of life. As long as we as a species seek out fresh knowledge, we are still growing; we are still improving. We are still alive.
Columbia and her crew are gone. In their memory we must keep the dream of the stars alive.

January 31st: Did you miss the "Tales of the Gods"? Wonder what would happen to Alyssa and Darawk, now fed by the power of the villagers' prayer?
Fret not, for here is the newest installment of the serial: Part XXVIII "Confrontation" is online! It's time for a showdown -- let's see who shoots first, shan't we?
By the way, we're switching now to a different publishing scheme. I mentioned that before, so I'll keep it brief here: For two weeks, there'll be a new installment of the current serial each Friday. In the third week, we'll visit THE WORLD for one of the many travellers' tales we have prepared for you. 
After that, the schedule resumes with another two weeks' worth of stories, and so on and so forth.
We hope this'll make it easier for you to stick with a single story. This new scheme will certainly make it quicker for us to finish each serial! 
Why not let us know what you think? Is this better than the old one, pretty much the same, or are we still too darned slow?
That's it for now. Take care, folks, and we'll see you in seven days!

January 24th: Okay, quick'n'dirty this one. We've returned to the world -- for a really minor oversight. Well, you can't really complain about this -- I mean, it's just a very minor species, really unremarkable. So they eat a coupla humans occasionally (like every other day or so), and they're so small that you miss them if you're myopic, and ---
OKAY! YES! WE KNOW! They're bloody big and ferocious. All right? Darnit, the bloody darn
Emperor Dragons are here.
So read about them, enjoy, and --- oh, what the hell...
Guys and gals, have fun! (This is, like, uh, serious. ["Cut the hippie attitude." - "The what?" - "Oooooooookay, forget it...." - "What?" - "Just shut up, all right?])
Well, that's it for this week. Next week we're picking up with "Tales of the Gods", and till then... Have a great time, folks!

January 20th: Just a small update. I've added reviews of the books I read in December in the reading list. For your information, those were almost exclusively during my christmas vacation since I don't seem to have much time for reading otherwise. <Sob>!
Otherwise I've added the PDF file for "Tangled Elves" in the Download section. I have also taken the liberty of removing the partial PDFs of "The Miracle of Solstice Day" (i.e. Chapters 1 - 4, 5 - 6, etc.), leaving only the complete PDF. Should any of you want the other versions, please write to me, and I'll put them back online.
Thank you for your attention. See you on Friday!

January 17th: Hap--- No, wait, I did that last week, didn't I? Right. Uhm. Regular schedule, you say?
Oooookay, here is the conclusion of "Tangled Elves" (Part 2)!
Don't mind my snoring now... I really haven't gotten back into my routine. Darnitall!
Still, I've updated the "Coming up" panel, and anyways... See ya in seven!

January 10th: Happy New Year, everybody!
So, this is 2003, right? Uhm, feels very much like last year, don't it? What a pity, I'd had such great hopes, but...
Oh, no, this means my vacation is already over?! Hey, it just started! Darnitdarnitdarnit...
Okay, so we're back and ready to get started with a new story. It's "Tangled Elves" (Part 1) time for good ol' Cornell! The story's set before the regular series, it's a short action adventure to get y'all back into the feel for the world of Gushémal. Enjoy!
Oh, should you be wondering about the "Coming up" panel to the left, I haven't quite gotten around to updating it. It should be ready by next week. Slowly, slowly, I'll ease back into the working routine.
Have a great year 2003, folks!

2002

December 18th: Once more I'm a tad too early. Now that's simply due to one thing, and one thing alone:

HIATUS!!! VACATION TIME!!!

Oh, yeah, baby, yeah, we're going on vacation! No work for an entire unbelievable two weeks! Yay! Yahoo, and all that woo-hoo stuff!
We'll be back on January 10 2003, right and fresh as always. Don't worry, we'll go right back to the weekly updates, starting off with a new two-part story: "Tangled Elves", featuring Cornell and Barandas -- set before the events in the regular series. It'll be fun and adventure, as mad and nutty as these characters always promise...
But before we're leaving to plague various poor relatives over the holidays, and enjoy the presents, gifts, and the candy -- there's a new update out this week: "Tale of the Gods" goes in its twenty-seventh installment with the suitably titled Prey!
Now who's the prey, and who's the predator? 
There's something else we'd like to say: It's now been two years (gotta let it roll off your tongue: two years) since we started Gushémal. The ride's been bumpy here and there, but that's what you expect from a good rollercoaster.
We hope you've liked it this far, and we promise that there'll be a lot more thrills (and bumps, probably) coming in the future! 
Thanks for sticking around, folks! See ya next year!

Oh... right...

Merry Christmas, 
and a 
Happy New Year 2003!!!

December 13th: (Okay, it's actually the 14th. Chalk that one up to Xmas shopping and me stuck in the shops until wayyyy too late. So I'm catching up in the morning...)
It's the second part of Dicerius, Chief God of Justice and Death this week. Read about the Dicerians' temples, their blessings and curses! (Sorry, no "how to make this place warm" spells around. If there were, I'd've used them several days ago. Darn, I'm freezing...)
There, that's all my shivering fingers can come up with this week. Write me a few mails to warm me up, why don'cha? 
All the best, folks!

December 6th: I think it's winter. No snow yet (though I'm dreading a rerun of last year's getting snowed in), but it's gotten that bloody cold outside, I shiver and freeze looking at the thermometer. Brrrrrr... Time to think about moving someplace closer to the equator...
All right, before I freeze up all the way, you may have noticed that our schedule's changed a little (as I mentioned earlier). We have a new installment of "A Tale of the Gods" today -- it's #26 "The Rigors of New Life" wherein we take another look at the dweorgh and very radical developments there.
The 27th installment will come in two weeks, and that'll take us straight into our christmas hiatus. 
Yup, we're taking some time off --- but don't worry, it's only going to be two weeks. On January 10th 2002 we'll be back with "Tangled Elves", a short story featuring Cornell and Barandas, that will conclude a week later. An update of The World follows on January 24th.
After that we'll stick to "A Tale of the Gods", finishing off the final installments of the first cycle in the next month.
Then we have a new novel-length story waiting for you, with new characters and a new setting. "The Pilgrims' Trial and Faith" will start on February 28 2002.
Okay, that's a bit of a teaser, isn't it? I hope it's shedding some warmth on you, folks, 'coz I'm about to head back under a layer of blankets and consider hibernating until springtime...
See ya next week!

November 29th: Well, we're still around. 
What, was there anybody out there who thought we'd start the hiatus right away? Leastways, that's the impression I got when our counter hits dove to the ground in the last week. (So, you feel challenged? Good. Click on us time and again, so we get a good, warm, fuzzy feeling of being loved and wanted! <sniff> Gettin' so lonely here, y'know?)
And now we're turning our eyes back onto our original pantheon of Gushémal deities -- lo and behold, we're actually going right to the top! Yes, it is the head of all our gods, the very Dicerius (or was that Decirius? In fact, there is an explanation, folks! We don't make mistakes, we just have happy little accidents... darngottadropthosePBSshows...)!
Find out more about that Lord of Gods, about the Chooser, about -- oh, well, you can read up all the various dedications and titles in our Mythology section... We've got another interesting serving for you ready -- so go read it now!
On the homefront, we're all buckling down for Christmas, getting ready to do our shopping sprees. Of course that'll have to wait until Xmas Eve, but -- hey! -- you've gotta be ready, right? You have to mentally prepare yourself for the teeming masses and the sheer brutality of fighting for that very special gift and no, I actually missed that Schwarzenegger movie. 
Eh, the Christmas spirit? 
Oh, right. Putting on the proper songs and all that stuff. With snowflakes falling outside your window, and fuzzy warmth filling your belly and mind. 
I'm sure that I will get around to that, once I get into my Xmas vacation (strangely coinciding with our site's hiatus). Until then, though, it's "Heck, I've got a lotta shopping to do" and "Heck, I've got a lot more writing to do!"
(A lot of confused thoughts above? Nooooooo, really? Darn --- too obvious.)
So, your faithful Gushémal staff is still at work. We've got a whole new year to map out (and write). There's such a lot of goodies we're prepping, you'd better stick around!
There, I've gone back into hyperbole-mode. See what you get when I don't cut down on my writing habits? (It's not as if you hadn't figured that one out by now. I seem to recall a certain Cornell Christmas story that was planned for a single installment and wound up at around seventeen segments...)
But now, I promise, I will stop this diary entry. Don't forget to read our Decirius article (first part), and -- ahh, enjoy!
See you next week!

November 20th (cleverly disguised as the 22nd): Hey, first of all --- can anybody guess where I stole that opening line from? Okay, originally it was "Ah, this is Monday. Cleverly disguised as Tuesday."
What? Prizes? Oh. Eh. Well, there's a handshake in it for you if you can solve this! (You've got to pay for travel expenses, of course.)
Seriousness. Such a dismal business. And yet -- occasionally we have to deal in it: All right, we're concluding our little two-parter "Life's Values" today. It's the second part, and you can read it here! Enjoy it -- if you can. Darnit, but I nearly cried when I wrote that little story. And there I was talking about my heart of stone. 
Do not let Chris find out about this! I'll never hear the end of that piece of haranguing!

Folks, we're starting to change our line-up a little in the coming weeks. 
First of all, I should tell you that Gushémal is going to take a hiatus over the Christmas holidays and New Year. That'll be two weeks without a regular update. I know that it'll be hard for you, without your regular fix. And we certainly don't want you to wean off our little page, but -- well, two weeks of vacation time doesn't sound too bad. 
Chris and I have got to catch up with our rather expensive hobby (otherwise known as www.amazon.com) and finally come around to reading some of those books we've bought. 
Besides, there's this little matter of recharging our creative batteries. We've gotta get some massive stuff written for next year, don't we?
So, it's just a two-week hiatus, and then we'll be back with some powerful stories for you to enjoy. 
Incidentally, we'll also shift around our schedule. Starting in January, the stories will be published in more or less a packed formation. Two weeks of story updates, interjected by one week of THE WORLD. Rinse, repeat.
We hope you'll have more fun this way when you can follow the story more closely. Be sure to let us know what you think about this new schedule!

And beyond that ---- oh, by the ruby flames of the abysses, enjoy!!!!

November 15th: Once again, it's time for a Tale of the Gods! Now we're heading for an "Interrogation" -- let's see if that refers to a nice chat over a cup of tea or so, shan't we? (As if you'd ever believed we were capable of something peaceful as that!)
All's reasonably well here behind the stage, so I'll leave you without any further ado. See ya in seven, folks!

November 11th: I just learned that our buddy Tim's been in the hospital with some serious afflictions for a while. ("Some" as in "several", the poor guy!)
Thank goodness he's recovering now. From everyone at Gushémal, we wish him a speedy and complete recovery so he can enjoy our antics once more.
Folks, Tim started a thread on our forum some time ago, asking whether some of you out there would like to join him in e-mail (or online) role-playing. I'm sure it'd do him a world of good if you answered to that thread (here), or if you just dropped him a line at his email address. Thanks!
Again, all the best to our buddy Tim of Gushémal! 

November 8th: Unicorns, anyone? What, not even one leg? They're delicious, trust me! Not a bit like horse, more like an -- uhh -- kinda horsey chicken, I mean, it's...
Okay, folks, we've got a new update here. Find out about the unicorns of Gushémal. We grew a bit tired of the classic model -- which shouldn't come as a massive shock to you, I know --, and I hope you'll like what we came up with!
Enjoy!
(A funny aside: Right now, my stereo is -- truly coincidentally -- playing Noel McLoughlin's "Unicorns", a nice Celtic tune. Honestly, I didn't play it specifically!)
What else is new? Well, we hit 3,500 on our counter today. Not that it's a particularly great achievement after nearly two years (phew, that's long!) on the web, but certainly a welcome site.
Thanks, everybody, for clicking on us so far -- and please return. Bring friends! Let's have a campfire, tell scary stories, jokes, and... and... Oh, well, let's just have tons of fun!
Fittingly, we've just gotten our first award on the site, from www.SFcrowsnest.com. Yes, yes, it's not exactly a major achievement, but we did get listed in the supposedly fourth-most popular European SF site. (European... Today Europe, tomorrow -- the world! And the day after tomorrow, the galaxy, and the day after the day after tomorrow, the universe, and then we'll see into pan-universes, and... and... SOMEBODY STOP ME!!!)
<sound of a billy club breaking on a very stubborn head>
Oh, yes, thanks, Chris. I needed that.
Now where was I? What, finished already? I've only begun to -- yeah, all right.
Start reading about the Unicorns, and then let's all gather here next week again! Have a great time, everybody!

November 1st: Hmm, some minor changes on the front page, after we've concluded "The Miracle of Solstice Day". I'll minimalize that intro page in a couple of weeks -- or perhaps sooner. Just gotten too cluttered up, but right now I'm not yet sure what to throw away and what to keep. Ah, the joy of decision-making!
All right, another update. This time we're starting a brief two-part only story called "Life's Values". A quiet, sad tale -- but don't worry, there's a good bit of humor in there as well. Time for something different.
I hope you'll enjoy it! Please let me know your opinion!
Thanks a bunch, folks, and once more I'm off into the sunset. The weekend is near!

October 25th: What, it's a Friday? And I'm updating the site?
What's going on here? Sheesh, I've gotta be sick to be on time.
No, wait. I've been sick all the other time, so that would imply I might be healthy now. 
Naaaaaaahhhhh.
Awright, enough of that chit-chat. Time for the "Tale of the Gods" again, folks. It's the twenty-fifth installment (phew!), the Council of Shadows convenes...

October 20th: Don't tell me, I'm a coupla days late with this week's installment. I know! Do I have an excuse? What do you think I am? Somebody who doesn't ...
Er.
Well.
Awright, I don't have a good excuse! You don't have to rub it in, y'know?
So, what is the current update? It's the second part of our article on Haguen, God of Loyalty and Duty. Now we're explaining about the temples as well as the blessings and curses of this deity and his priesthood. Another serving of well thought out background, which is entertaining of its own! (Hmm. Hyperbole, isn't it? -- Naaaah, just the plain old truth, surely!)
Be that as it may, folks, it's there for you to read, nay, to devour and to send us your comments. 
Take care, everybody!

October 11th: Ech. I'm slow today. Sorry about that, it's gotta be old age catching up with me. Not like it's been wasting any time since my birthday this week. AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
Another year gone by, and this birthday's one of those special big ones that... Let's quickly forget about it. (Darn, gotta update my bio...)
Anyway, there's a great reason to celebrate this week: "The Miracle of Solstice Day" is finally on the website in all its (complete!!!) glory. Yes, Chapter Seventeen is now online! Our first novel-length tale is now concluding, and you can enjoy it in all its magnificent length!
By the way, we're putting up the final PDF files, including one complete file with the full text. So you can download it, print it, read it on-screen, and just enjoy it! It's right there in our Download section...
C'mon, you're just waiting to see what we've been keeping back on! There's a whole chapter left, and it's all the fun you'd expect from our crafty Cornell crew (though they ain't half as good as I am at aliteration). Read it, believe it, and cheer it!
Have fun, folks! (We sure did, coming up with that nutty story...) See you next week!

October 4th: Okay, "Tale of the Gods" once more --- it's Ep. 23: "The Eagle's Flight"! Shenaumac's at it again, our nice and dear friendly neighborhood god of ev--- eh, sharpened things...
Read it! Enjoy it! Look forward for more excitement!
While I'm mentioning that, next week there'll be the conclusion of "The Miracle of Solstice Day". Be sure not to miss that one, folks!

September 27th: We're heading back into mythological territory this week. You've met him in "Tale of the Gods"! You've seen him and his halberd in action!
Now find out more in detail about Haguen, God of Loyalty and Duty in our first part of examination! (Am I getting the hang of shilling, or am I? -- Don't you dare answer!)
Now that's the update for this week. Anything new on other fronts? Nothing in particular. We have about the first half of the next year wrapped up story-wise, and we'll delve into the entries into The World soon. 
Which brings me to this: Do you have any specific questions? Is there anything in Gushémal you want to learn about in depth?
Please write to marc@gushemal.com if there's anything of the sort. We'll see about fitting it into our schedule! (Which probably means that we will write about it, don't worry. We're looking for pointers as to what we ought to write about!)
And should you just like to chat with me, do send me a mail. Or pester Chris. He deserves that! 
Awrighty, folks, that's it for this week. Enjoy today's update, and I'll see you in seven days!

September 20th: Oh, my goodness! I just noticed today's update is the sixteenth chapter of "The Miracle of Solstice Day"! That means it's time for...
Uhm... Right...
Get ready. Get set. It's showdown time!
Yup, we've spent a couple of months building up to this. Now the feces hit the ventilator, and we're gonna see how this whole mess is going up in flames! (Let's not forget, Cornell's done that already this time out...)
The showdown is here --- and you can't afford to miss it! Read it now, right here in Chapter Sixteen!
Okay.
Now how in blazes am I going to hype Chapter Seventeen (coming up in three weeks)? Oh, sure, there are a couple of things left to tie up. If you think that a single showdown ever suffices, you're a bit off. Cripes, there's a giant chapter still waiting down the road -- and it's another fine ride, courtesy of T.I.P. Entertainment! Stick around! Cornell ain't done yet! (Or is he? Ahh, you'll see...)

September 13th: Okay, it's a Friday. And it's the ---- er... uhm... it is notthat kind of a day, is it? You know, the homicidal maniac with an icehockey goalie mask and a chainsaw kind of day? C'mon, don't ruin the start of the weekend! It can't be Friday the 13th! (Brrrr... it is...)
Let's ward off the ill omen by a visit to our own gods -- it's time for "A Tale of the Gods" again. Part XXII has now gone on-line, "The New Villagers". Guess who these folks can be... and you know why they aren't in the best of moods!
Take care, folks, and enjoy our offerings!

September 6th: Whoa, it's a Friday, and I'm reporting in. What's new? Well, first of all that we're expanding our section on Magic for a change. The Crimsonlance is added to our list of appliances, both an ancient weapon and one that can be found more commonly in the present day.
Give it a read, and enjoy!
I'll be taking things easy for a little while longer, we'll be back with the next update on Friday, and then --- well, we'll see...
Have a good week, folks!

September 2nd: Folks, I'm late on the update. Nothing very serious, some internal problems that shouldn't interfere too much with the continued running of the updates. (Just that I'm on sort of an unexpected vacation, so a lot of things are currently on hold. Apparently including my humor...)
Anyways, Cornell is back, and we're racing really close to the finish of our bigtime adventure, "The Miracle of Solstice Day"! Check out Chapter Fifteen ---- there's only two more coming up...

August 23rd: We're re-joining the gods again this week, with the 21st installment of "A Tale of the Gods". Once more, we're taking at the look at the dweorgh, the forefathers of modern-day dwarves, and the tale of their journey to the mortal realm.
Take a look at "A Divine Gift", and enjoy!

August 16th: Time for another update -- and that means we're finishing our report on the Sandmen of the Elfadil Desert and their odd mythology. Read about their Ritual of Death's Journey, it's a strange and interesting one.
What else is new? The sun is shining.
Excuse me? Oh, you mean it's summer. Well, that hasn't really stopped the rain from falling the past week or so. And now I'm so tired from slaving away long hours -- coming up with new stories -- that I just want to go to bed and sleep. (Cue the yawning routine) 
But I shouldn't bore you too much with that. We have reached a certain milestone: This year, I've written 200,000 new words set in the world of Gushémal. Admittedly most of those will see the light of this site only next year, but -- hey! -- we're securing another year of weekly materials.
You want a small preview? All right, we'll be getting a couple of stories with new characters -- including one serial I'm writing right now, the title of which keeps changing every couple of days. 
Aside from that, Cornell will return in his regular series after taking a breather from "The Miracle of Solstice Day". "The Tale of the Gods" will conclude its first cycle February 14th next year.
THE WORLD will also grow. For that I can't give you a lot -- since none of us backstage characters here has much of an idea what areas we'll delve into. Rest assured that we'll find something exciting to explore.
Awright, folks, that's it for me this week. Read about the Sandmen, and I'll see you in seven days! Take care!

August 12(a)th: (Yes, yes, accuse me of superstition! Go right ahead and stone me --- after you find a hotel that doesn't have a 12(a)th floor between the regular 12th and 14th!)
Uhm, anyway, our forum is getting active again, folks!
Our buddy Tim is still looking for somebody to play the Gushémal RPG with him! Now c'mon, fellas, give him a hand, will ya? Maybe we can get Chris to actually GM a session for you!
You can always reach him via his e-mail -- twotenjr@woh.rr.com --, and since Tim is a good friend of ours, he really deserves to hear from you. (Uhm, so do we, by the way.)
All right, something else: I've updated my reading list, in case anybody's interested.

August 9th: It's Cornell time again! "The Miracle of Solstice Day" enters Round 14 (also known as Chapter Fourteen), and our heroes are really getting themselves into troubles. Well, all right -- they actually did so last chapter already.
But, wait, they actually manage to make things worse!
Find out how they do it -- read the latest chapter! Enjoy!

August 3rd: You wanna know something? This site is getting pretty big. I've been checking the size a few moments ago -- we've got nearly 33 MB stored here. Whoop-de-doo! And since you know this site, you know that the very least part of this is graphics. Okay, the lion's share is made up by the PDF and zipped PDF files we've got in our download section, but that's still pure text!
Sheesh, we're at around 300,000 or 350,000 words here. (Forgive me -- though I know you won't -- but I keep getting distracted by the number of words we have ready backstage and what's already online.) That's about the same as three full-size novels out on the market these days. (Or one George R. R. Martin monster -- yes, I know. One book, around 400,000 words. That's the sign of a madman, I tell you.)
Okay, I'm just baffled by this. It seems that we'll have to upgrade our deal with our provider since the files are spilling all over their database, I'm sure. (Heh, try keeping up with us!)
Well, back to the real business you folks are interested in: "A Tale of the Gods" is going into its twentieth installment: "The Cat's Pawn" is online and ready for your perusal!
Number 20 also means that there's a new PDF ready for you, collecting installments Eleven through Twenty. It's at the Download section, or you can just grab yourselves the PDF file (300 KB) here.
We're still very interested in hearing your comments. It's been getting quiet around here, you know? The team needs to know that we still have friends out there in the world! [Cue the melodramatic sniffle]
So, come on, send us a mail -- tell us what you think, how you found out about Gushémal (did our buddy Tim lure you in?[*]), whether you like our kind of fantasy, and -- oh, boy -- pretty much whatever hits your mind when reading our stories and background supplements!
[Once more, melodramatic sobbing and sniffling time] Don't let us stay alone out here, listen? 
[sobering up] Okay, folks, that's it for this week. Enjoy the latest update, and next week it's Cornell time again! See you in seven!

[*] See, it isn't that difficult to get mentioned often in these comments. Just get that keyboard smoking and praise us! 

July 26th: THE WORLD is growing again. We're on a mythological bent lately, aren't we? 
Well, this time we're taking a dive into unknown waters -- outside the regular pantheon and religion we've presented so far. The Sandmen of the Elfadil Desert don't share the belief of either the Tonomai or the other so far introduced lands; theirs is a somewhat insular view. But does that mean it's wrong? Or do their gods exist?
Otherwise -- we've surpassed the 2500 mark on our counter! Wow! That's looking good! Thanks again, people, and I hope you'll come back for more. As I keep saying, we ain't done for a looooooooooooong while!
So, now have fun with the Sandmen, and we'll see you next week with another installment of "A Tale of the Gods"!

July 22nd: Hey, our good friend Tim has posted again -- this time in the forum. He wants to get in touch with the rest of you suckers -- ehhhhhh, honest, smart, well-educated and extremely good-looking readers out there! He's also interested in starting a round of RPGing in our very own world of Gushémal. Check out his message in the forum (here), and then do write back!

July 21st: Do you know what a volatile combination is?
Pretty simple: Cornell when he's fed up with everybody else trying to control him. That usually leads to a lot of headaches (not to mention the pain in other parts of the body, whichever the Cayaborean's blade reaches first). 
In other words, "The Miracle of Solstice Day" Chapter Thirteen is now online! Read it now, and find out what kind of a mess our heroes have found themselves in now. (And just why did Cornell fall off the horse -- again? You can be absolutely certain Cornell does not like that!)
Okay, site news: You probably noticed that this update is two days late -- on a Sunday rather than our common Friday. Simple enough explanation: I got myself another case of the flu. Several days of feverish dreams (none of which are printable, but they still might find themselves into the stories; you've gotta use whatever's available in writing), sneezing, coughing my lungs out, and similar niceties have somehow impeded me from putting the newest chapter online. I'm pretty much back on the health track now (at least as far as the flu's concerned, all other habits of mine are still as unhealthy as ever), so I guess that means we're on course for a regular Friday update now!
Just wanted to give you an explanation (and elicit a round of sympathy for poor ol' me --- okay, I knew I wouldn't get any from people who just want their next tale from Gushémal! yeahyeahyeah, I knew it!).
Anyways, have fun, folks! In seven days -- er, I mean, in five days, we'll take another look at the world and delve into the mythology of the Sandmen of the Elfadil Desert! I'm looking forward to your responses on that, by the way, theirs is a bit of an oddity. (I think so, anyway.) 
So, see you in five!

July 12th: Now things are heating up in the realm of the immortals. Our "Tale of the Gods" is back with its nineteenth installment, "The Power of Prayer", and Alyssa, Darawk and the old man now find them at odds with a dangerous opponent. They've been a little too bold lately, haven't they? Time to cut them down a head or two...
A note for all those who entered messages in the forum or the guestbook:
Both forms have been malfunctioning for a few weeks now, and I didn't get any of the entries. Please forgive me for not realizing earlier! We should have them back up and running by Friday afternoon, so please come back and reenter your messages!
Thanks for listening and not brandishing any swords or -- swoosh! -- ("Darn, that was close! The natives are restless today...")
Er, anyway, uhm, have fun with the newest story installment, and I'll see you again next week!

July 5th: Back to THE WORLD, and back to our explanations about Nash'Geo, God of Travel and Exploration! Let's see what else is there to find out.
Hmm, first off, we take a glance at the temples devoted to this god -- or rather, the shrines. A god on the move doesn't care too much about grand structures devoted to him, but there are places of worship nonetheless. Confused? Bend your knees, get your coins ready, and step in to learn more!
After that, our last section here delves into the Blessings and Curses which clerics of Nash'Geo have at their disposal. Find out how they can split rivers, how they can farsee -- oh, yes, a Nash'Geo priest is usually handy to have around when you're out in the wild!
Well, good enough hawking of our wares, folks? As if you needed any convincing! (You don't, do you?)
My computer problems seem to be over for the moment. So, I'm happy to say that we shouldn't have any problems with the schedule in the foreseeable future. (Which extends to about five minutes after my writing this. You never know...) 
Therefore I expect to see you around here again next week. Till then!

June 29th: Just a quick note here. Devoted reader Tim has written a wonderful letter to us, which I've put up in the Guestbook. Why is it wonderful? Three guesses, folks! 
Oh, I also updated my reading list for the books I've read this month.

June 28th: Three weeks since the last Cornell installment already? And now we're in Chapter Twelve? Gee, I'd better figure out how to conclude this story, shouldn't I?
Just kidding. "Miracle of Solstice Day" is finished, even though I personally might hardly remember how it did end. Old age seems to be getting me, and my memory isn't as good as...
Uhm. Er.
Where am I?
("Your jokes are getting worse all the time." -- "Sue me! I have a headache!" -- "All right, I'll sue you. What was our lawyer's number again?" -- "Just shut the <censored> up!")
So, while the site is progressing decently, I thought I'd bring you a few updates on what's happening backstage. As you should know from this diary, we're working on getting our stories published the regular way (i.e. bookstores, with actual money being paid to us -- what a concept!). Thus far, we've learned that it's a heck of a slow process.
We've been writing to agents for a while now, and our collection of rejection letters is growing. A real pain in the ass are rejections that are just scribbled on our letters. Oh, sure, the form rejection letters aren't heavenly either -- but really, can't those guys spare at least one single sheet of paper?
I can understand that agents don't have a lot of time, and that they can't answer personally to explain why they don't accept a query or submission. But this scribbling is over the top. 
(Although another agent took the cake: We got a shred of paper with the printed statement that the agency was moving and no manuscripts would be read. Forwarding address? Where these folks move? Naaaaaahhhh. That was the impolite version of "Don't call us. We'll call you.")
Okay, so I'm ranting. Sorry. It's a real pain in the butt, y'know? 
At least I have you folks out there who suffer from the group delusion that our stories are worth reading. (Do not contradict me! PLEASE!)
Thank you, guys and gals! You're the best!
Marc

June 21st: All right, there is an update -- even though I did switch to my new computer. Alas, managing this update seems to be about the best I can do. Most importantly, my e-mail's down, so if you sent me any messages, don't expect a quick response. I've gotta fix that problem, and it seems to be a doozie (i.e. I don't have the foggiest idea why the mails don't work! <insert gratuitous cursing>).
Really terrifying is the fact that I can't even really start working on the system: The new computer has an 80 Gigabyte hard drive (great, ain't it?) -- unfortunately, it's not partitioned, and 80 gigs are a friggin' big load of single partition. Plus, it's Windows XP -- so I don't trust all my old software to work here. Yeah, I'll figure out the mess sometime, but until then, this place is going to teeter on the brink. 
To be perfectly honest, while I'm writing this, I don't even know if the update is going to go through without a hitch. I'm expecting to curse some more later in the evening. <Sigh!> The joys of new computers.
But, should you be reading this, there is a new update for you to enjoy: The latest installment of "A Tale of the Gods" -- Part XVIII. A Goddess Defeated -- will see the repercussions of a few of our recent episodes, and we might learn a bit more about the ever (un-)popular Shenaumac and Tiger!
So enjoy this, enjoy the summertime, and please spare a bit of pity for poor ol' me who will spend the next couple of weeks getting my new computer usable. Thus, I'll leave you with the traditional comments of a new computer owner: "Frellin' shit, will you bloody finally work?!"
See you sometime soon, hopefully next Friday!

June 14th: A fair warning first of all: I'm going to switch to a new computer over the weekend. Knowing the usual troubles that I have with that (as in "That's another fine mess you've gotten us into, Stanley"), I'm not sure whether I'll be able to run a regular update next week. It might happen, so don't count us out, okay? Otherwise, you can expect a torrent of (hopefully censored) cursing from me. Sigh!
But back to today's update: We're opening out holy books again and start presenting a number of other gods of Gushémal to you. Nash'Geo, the god of travel and exploration, is this week's candidate. Read the first installment now! 
So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be back for the next update on Friday. See you then!

June 6th: Uhm. Yes, it's Thursday. And there's a new update. (It's "The Miracle of Solstice Day", Chapter Eleven, by the way, in case you want to rush off and devour it right away!)
You're still here? (Man, I've gotta hook them better with the stories...)
Righty-on, my business schedule is getting bent every which way lately, so once more I've had to upload the current update a day early. I'm not sure when things are going to settle down again, there's a good chance that some of the next weeks will see updates on Saturday. But I want to assure you that I'll keep the variations within one day -- and maybe I'll actually manage to publish an update on Friday! (Yeah, like that's probable...)
In other news, I'm glad we've finally managed to put a new installment on the Spanish site, after a lengthy wait -- and all of that just because our translator has this nasty habit of wanting to eat and such stuff! (Okay, kidding aside, Guillermo has been putting in a lot of hours aside from his -- paying -- work, and I'm really grateful. He's done another good job, so if you understand Spanish, give it a try!)
Now then, like I said last week, I've gotta do some writing. Hopefully I'll get somewhat better than the last couple of days -- I wrote awfully little. Disgusting! Where's a Stephen King-style writing speed when you need it?
Keep on reading, folks! See ya next week!

May 29th: Like I threatened last week, the current update is two days early. So, on this Wednesday rather than Friday, The Tale of the Gods is continuing with the seventeenth installment -- an interlude that returns us to the mortal woman Caltraya and her view of recent events. This one is putting in the foundations for some of the things that are going to occur in the next installments, so don't miss it!
Me sleepy now, me no want to write more. Me go bed, me --- Me, Grimlock, save the universe! (Ouch, damn those bloody Transformers flashbacks!)
Anyway, see ya in seven! Enjoy summer! (I'm trying to, that's for sure. Next week, it's back to the slammer -- i.e. having to write some more...)

May 23rd: So, the new update is a day early. Don't worry, next week it'll be the usual... uh... Y'know, come to think of it... I won't be home (i.e. at my computer) next Friday either, just like tomorrow.
Uhm. Well.
So these are the two Thursday weeks, then, eh?
Ah, very well. Back to business: The World of Gushémal is getting the spotlight again this week, introducing gargoyles. I've scattered so many teasers all about, you ought to know that it's a fun read again. (Or maybe not... Let me know, awright?)
In other news, I've returned the links to the Guestbook and the Forum to the main page. We're getting a bit of traffic in the Guestbook -- thank you, thank you! As I keep saying, we love to hear from our readers. We live for that! (Well, actually, we live for the day when Chris and I are publishing books and you faithful out there will buy them... Whaddaya mean, "What's in it for us?" Once we get that far, we can spend all day coming up with new stories!)
Folks, enjoy the section on Gargoyles! See ya next week, so hold tight, true believers!

May 21st: I made a minor change to the F.A.Q. and my "Recent Reading List" which is now located on a page of its own. Maybe you can find some tips on what to read during your summer holidays, eh?
Otherwise, we've had a visitor to our guestbook -- twice. Thanks, Everion! It's great hearing from our readers!
And otherwise, folks, next Friday, we'll present you the gargoyles of Gushémal. Let's see if you like this little tale. It's not for the fainthearted --- although not for the usual reasons. (There, is that a good teaser? Great, then I won't have to come up with something fresh on Friday! Yahoo!)

May 17th: Well, "The Miracle of Solstice Day" is proceeding at pace. We're now in Chapter Ten -- our heroes are now trying to take an active side for a change rather than be chased all over the city of Atnas and beyond. Will the circumstances be so kind as to let them do what they want for a change? 
Uhm.
I suppose you've read my other stories. Circumstances are never kind, right?
So enjoy our latest installment! See you in seven! 

May 10th: "A Tale of the Gods" continues in its sixteenth installment, "The Birth of a Race", with Taurkémad and Maidoyú looking for the missing dwarves in the mortal world. Now are we finally going to find answers?
Well, only one way for you to find out: read it!
Have fun, folks!

May 3rd: Another page of the world stands revealed: the land of Modayre.
Read about the strange realm of the north from where a constant flow of magical appliances has been coming, both mundane and extraordianry. What do the people of Gushémal know about it? What is rumored, what is believed?
Find out here!
All righty, folks, I've got things to see, people to do -- so I'll just welcome you back in seven days! Take care -- and don't you dare forget to read our newest entry!

Apr 26th: It's Cornell time again! (Hey! Don't run away! Please stay!)
The ninth chapter of our serial "The Miracle of Solstice Day" has just gone on line. What are you waiting for? Follow the link and gobble up the newest adventures of our favorite -- uhm -- well -- awright, let's just call him a hero, fine?
Should you have stuck around for the next paragraphs, thank you. Obviously you appreciate the brand of humor I practice in these weekly messages, and... (What? I'm all alone? There were some people here before, weren't there?)
Not much new to report on the background of our little project here. We're continuing to chase down agents, but our stunguns and cattleprods were impounded yesterday, so --- ("Don't tell anybody about that! That isn't legal, remember!" -- "Oh. You're sure?").
Otherwise, you may have noted that our counter just jumped over 1,700. Considering how slowly we got this thing started, that ain't half bad. Okay, so it took us sixteen months to get that high. (Don't force me to do the maths on this, awright?)
Anyway, it seems that some of you out there actually like our project, and for that I would like to say
Thank you!
Please keep visiting -- and please tell others about Gushémal! Our little gem of a site could really use a much higher number on the counter. How 'bout trying for six digits?
Thank you!

Apr 19th: Okay, so I'm not much for chatting today. Sue me, why doncha. Yeah, and where're you gonna find a lawyer?
Ooops.
Wrong joke.
That's the one about God trying to sue the devil, ain't it? Bugger, like we have that problem. We got our own on staff, and that means... Uh, doesn't that mean this is hell?!?!?!? 
Whoa, wait a minute! That can't be right! I'm a good guy, seriously, I mean, I really...
Sheesh, I think I honestly need a lawyer now. (And I just blew my chances. You know, the word "honest" just scares them away better than a 12 gauge sawed-off shotgun does. Trust me, I've tried both. --- "Yeah, right.")
All right, let's shortly pay attention to this week's news. "A Tale of the Gods" continues with installment XV. Through the Hole. Let's see where fair Alyssa and her brother are heading... and whether they're ready to defy their chief god!

Apr 12th: Well, so much for last week's announcement of sunny weather. Seems St. Peter checked out my website and decided to douse my joy -- quite literally. All right, so it's gotten cold again. Hey, how can you tell spring in these parts? It's raining rather than snowing. (Stick around, I've got another bad joke for summer. That's when the rain gets warm. Okay, you may run from my bad jokes now. But only the jokes, mind you!)
A couple of hours later than usual, but the weekly update's still happening on a Friday. This time we take a look at The Deadcrossing, the stretch of neutral land between Cayaboré and the Land of the Undead, Rek'atrednu. We've given you a couple of hints at the disastrous nature of this place, now you can find out just why it kept the undead hordes of the north from pouring into the southern kingdom.
And next week we'll see what's happening in "A Tale of the Gods". Yeah, we're getting to rock...
See ya then, and keep readin'!

Apr 5th: Freshly served on this beautiful spring day -- the eighth chapter of Cornell's "The Miracle of Solstice Day"! 
And -- as a special service for the sun-worshippers amongst us --, the new chapter is also available as a PDF file you can print out! Chapters 5 - 8 are here as a PDF (537 KB) or as a zipped PDF (360 KB)!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to work on my tan...

Mar 28th: Well, the "Tale of the Gods" continues in the fourteenth installment, when Alyssa discovers "A Chink in the Armor"...
There's also something else new: I've finally gotten round to putting up some PDFs of our serials.
What? No, sorry. Those aren't the complete stories. What kind of a fool do you take me for? I want to make you thirst for the next installments -- not just slam them out in a PDF! (Whoa, let me check... Not that I've.... Phew! Thank goodness, I was smart enough only to put up the partial files!)
All right, you can find the files in our Download section. The first ten installments of "A Tale of the Gods" and the first four chapters of "The Miracle of Solstice Day" are waiting for you...
See you in seven days - and Happy Easter Holidays! 
(See, I haven't forgotten... It's a real Gushémal holiday, after all, what with the easter eggs we've been hiding on this website for over a year --- and that nobody has figured out! Shame on you! And a double pat for myself and Chris -- we're just too damn good! Why don't you take a closer look over the holidays and prove us wrong? I double-dare you!)

Mar 22nd: A proud announcement! By the end of this year, there will be half a million words on this website!
Whew!
500,000 words -- y'know, that's about five ordinary-sized paperbacks. (Yes, I know, it's also about two of those Stephen King fatso novels.) Taking the average size again, that's roughly 1,450 pages.
Okay, so it'll take a while until you can read all of them assembled here. But, after all, you've already got well over 300,000 words available. (No, don't make me calculate the number of paperback pages, all right?) Wowiieeee!

In other news, I have now completed "The Miracle of Solstice Day" (finally), so I have now added the final number of chapters to the left-hand schedule. The story topped out at seventeen chapters, numbering about 70,000 words. So... there's still a lot to come. Come back and enjoy this wild ride of fun and mayhem!
"The Tale of the Gods" (Cycle One, Section One --- man, that's a toughie of a title) is also finished, at over 50,000 words. As you can see in the schedule, it's 30 installments long.

Was there something else? 
Oh, yeah, right, it's Friday, so there's something new on the site: Take a look at The Calendar of Gushémal! This is a fantasy world, after all, so there aren't our regular months. You might have noticed that in the bios or in the Rek'atrednu history. Now you can read how exactly the months are constituted (and which silly words we came up with...)

Let's have fun, folks! I'll be seeing you again next week, then we'll be checking back in with the gods of Gushémal for their fourteenth installment. Things are starting to heat up...

Mar 15th: Once more into the breeches for Cornell. We're now in Chapter Seven of "The Miracle of Solstice Day", our novel-length story featuring our favorite he- uhm... Okay, so let's call him a "hero", fine. As if that fella'd accept anything else!
I know, the story will still take a long time to unfold, but stick around, there's such a heck of a lot of things left for Cornell and companions to screw up! (Boy, are they good at that, or are they? No, don't worry, you don't have to answer now. Take your time.)
Enjoy reading, and I'll see you again next week when we'll take a quick look at the calendar of Gushémal!

Mar 8th: And we're back to our Tale of the Gods, with the thirteenth installment, "Two Searchers", online. 
Maidoyú has killed a sapient creature. How does she feel about that, since she cannot claim self-defense? After all, she is a goddess. What are matters of life and death to her, who has always been flighty?
And what about Taurkémad, the goddess looking for her missing dwarves. Is she getting any answers to her questions?
You know how you can get answers, don't you? The links to the story are pretty much everywhere on this page... So start reading, and for a change you could drop us a line how you like it. (Well, I can nag, too, you know? C'mon, write us! We don't bite. Much.)

Mar 1st: So, another week is done, and now we're concluding our section on the history of Rek'atrednu, the land of the Undead, in Part 2. See how the kingdom of Keroull was distorted into a realm of darkness and destruction! It's a gruesome tale...
Okay, you want funny this week? (Like I threatened last Friday?) 
Uhm, better forget about it. Sick old me is getting close to the flu again. Like I didn't have enough of that last year... On the other hand, most of the year's materials have now been written. There are only a couple of weeks left in the year where Chris and I have to produce new installments - so you can be assured that at least for the rest of this year, you'll be getting further tales of Cornell and his bunch of lunatics as well as the "Tale of the Gods" -- and all the additions to the world announced in our Coming in 2002 schedule!
Yes, I'm surprised about this, too. 
So, please come back often, we'll have something new and spectacular for you every week of the year!
Oh, and again, if you have comments and suggestions, please send them to marc@gushemal.com or, concerning the game, to chris@gushemal.com. 
Otherwise, see you in seven!

Feb 22nd: Cornell's travails in the city of Atnas continue in Chapter Six of "The Miracle of Solstice Day". Me tired now, me go bed and sleep. (Me better get funny next week, though...)

Feb 15th: Once more we continue our Tale of the Gods this week: In Part XII, we meet the goddess of love again, along with her brother, the god of knowledge. Let's see if we can't find out a bit more about what's going on here!
There, is that a decent teaser?
Now go on over there and start reading XII. A Divine Puzzle! (Thanks!)

Feb 6th: Whoa, we're visiting THE WORLD again! There's a new text online, the first part of our exploration of the land of the Undead -- Rek'atrednu (once known as Keroull). You've certainly stumbled across the name already (provided that you have been a faithful reader!), and now you can find out how Keroull was changed into the home of blood wizards, zombies, skeletons and all the things that go bump in the night.
So, start reading!
Oh, and in case you're wondering: Yes, this update comes two days early. I'll be taking an extended weekend (once more, once more), so you've got this week's delivery a bit early. Next week, it's gonna be Friday again!
For those folks who live in the Carnival-celebrating areas, have fun and enjoy yourselves! For the rest... Hey, the Olympics are starting on Friday! (What a coincidence that I won't be working on the site during that time, right? Be happy if I get back next week...)
Marc

Feb 1st: Okay, it's time for Cornell again. The latest installment (Chapter Five) is online. Enjoy!
Hmm, I don't feel much like writing now. How unusual! Mr. Chattermouth (or should that be Mr. Chatter-Keyboard?) doesn't want to babble on for half a dozen paragraphs. Oh, well, maybe I just feel a bit under the weather.
Anyways, folks, keep on coming to this site, and please let us know what you like (or not?!?!?!)! 
All the best! See you in seven days!

Jan 25th: Guess what, I've updated the schedule you can find on your left. In the past couple of days I've finished writing almost all the entries for The World for 2002. Whew! That currently brings the total number of words in that section to well over 130,000 words -- as long as a 450 page pocket book...
Okay, tied into that is a change of our schedule:
We're now going to tri-weekly programming. What? No, that does not mean we'll only put out new materials every three weeks. We will continue to do this weekly.
But there'll be new installments of the serials -- "A Tale of the Gods" and "The Miracle of Solstice Day" -- every three weeks. That frees up one Friday in that tri-weekly schedule: Then we will release new material on The World; the stuff I've listed on the left.
So, there you have it. That's our new schedule, and we should be able to keep it up throughout the year! Now if that isn't worth a cheer, I don't know what is? (Excuse me? I'm patting myself on the back? Yeah, so?)
See y'all next week!

Jan 18th: So, here we are again. It's Friday, and we continue our story about Cornell and his Solstice Day misadventures in Chapter Four. Go on, read it now!
Aside from that, we now have a couple of new texts ready for The World. That means we'll be updating the schedule (or more precisely, we'll be re-instituting an actual schedule, so you can see what's up when.) We'll probably get around to it by the next installment/week, so you'll have an idea what we're going to be serving up this year. (Let us know what you think, okay? marc@gushemal.com, the usual address.)
In other matters -- can you believe that I've only managed this week to watch The Lord of the Rings? No, me neither. There's been so much trouble, and I am thoroughly disappointed in myself that it took me this long to drag my carcass into a movie theater.
Was it worth it?
Oh, great lord and all the saints, angels and demons in the heavens (and abysses), was it ever worth it! All hail Peter Jackson, the exalted director of this movie. I can scarcely remember another film that was this cohesive and made this good use of its resources - be they the CGI, the camera/perspective, the actors, the sets, and what have you.
The movie sort of reminded me of David Lean films in its scope and grandeur; it is a masterpiece, and you can bet that in December 2003 (only twenty-three months!), I'll be in a movie theater and be one of the first to watch the entire nine hour drama of all Lord of the Rings movies put together. 
To properly describe this movie, I could beg a word from the German language (since I live there and had to watch the movie in the dubbed version, it's apt), "Geil!"
But in English, more properly, the single word to describe the movie is this, "WOW!"
Should you not have seen this movie yet -- go see it immediately! It's not just hype, the thing is worth every single frame! 

Jan 12th: Awrighty, another week's done, and there is a fresh installment of "A Tale of the Gods". Let's see what life in A Marble Cage is like...
There's little else to report this week. Chris and I have gone back to work a bit on The World -- it's been quite a bit since we updated that section last. (Don't ask, okay?) Now we have a couple of new articles ready, which means that we'll interrupt the schedule of the serials occasionally for those materials. (On the plus side, that means I have a little longer before I have to write on. Right, the serials are not yet finished. Lazy ol' me is still writing 'em...)
What do you think of our Spanish site? It keeps knocking me down to see our work translated so magnificently... As usual, send us a few comments, all right? Thanks!
And now, go on, read the new installment. See you next week!

Jan 4th: Happy New Year, Folks!!!

It's 2002, another year in our brave new millenium! A year to cherish, and a year to have lots of things to read from the world of Gushémal. (Self-serving, ain't I? Just like last year... Guess what my New Year's Resolution was not!)
I'm back from my vacation, and I've happily found that my regular abode is free of snow (whereas my parents' place is still a white mess). Alas, it's cold nonetheless. Darn! Can't it be summer yet? (Okay, then I couldn't complain about the weather, I suppose. You have to pick the good things you can get...)
Now back to work!

You've probably noticed that I re-structured the site a little bit. Now that there are a couple more stories around, I've decided to split them into the two series I had originally planned -- one being Cornell: The Resurrected Hero, the other the anthology Tales of Strange Adventures. (Back at the start it looked ridiculous that there were at best two entries in either of the sections, so I kept the stories in one section.)
It also means that the two serials are in separate sections - and therefore you can see more easily which story has been updated last. 
Otherwise I'm considering to add another section to The World, which will probably be called "Miscellaneous". Something where I can drop stuff that doesn't exactly fit into the other sections, like the calendar of Gushémal. I'm not sure when I'll get around to that; perhaps your nice mails could induce me to do that? (Hint! Hint!)

By the way, the third chapter of "The Miracle of Solstice Day" is now online, continuing Cornell's adventures in the Tonomai city of Atnas! Let's see where the troubles will run this time...

Since this page has gotten way too long, we've added a second one containing the even older archives! (Boy, have we been doing this website for a while or have we?)

Read the older archive entries here