The Ring of Night

The Ring of Night

  A popular serial in the newspapers and magazines in The Great Sky City of Clair.
 

Concept:

  Beren, a young, flighted man, finds a note, obviously meant for other eyes, telling the reader to meet the writer in the Fractal Alley at midnight. Going against his better judgment, he risks the encounter and finds himself engrained in a scheme to break into the royal treasury.
  Everything was going smoothly until a careless bump of his sack sent a statue falling into a glass case. The magic that protected the contents shattered into a million pieces, sending chaos into the room and battering the crew. Bloody and still under the ill effects of the magic, Beren picks up the single thing that fell from the case, a silver ring with a goldstone so glittery it shone brightly from the pieces of shattered magic still in the room.
  Alerted by the alarm set of by the magic seal being shattered, the guards and the king's wizard come into the room just in time to see young Beren put on the ring. The magic that had been bouncing around the room all but sucked into Beren's form as it turned inky black. All that could be seen was a winged shadow with two stars for eyes. Afraid for their lives the guard flees the room, but the wizard keeps his wits about him. Stepping gently to the side, he maintains eye contact with the creature that Beren has become and holds out his hand. After considering for a moment, Shadow Beren takes the proffered hand and the two suddenly vanish into another world.
  Readers went nuts at this cliff hanger as the unnamed author took an unplanned "hiatus" (i.e. jail) for a year. Countless fan works were written speculating what Shadow Beren and the king's wizard did after being whisked away to another world. Not all of it was publicly appropriate, and the Great Library itself had to crack down on the amount of wanton stories coming from its own hallowed halls.
  After the author came back from their "hiatus", the following chapters recieved mixed feedback from fans as enough time had passed that they no longer considered the canon correct. This, of course, begat more fan works. Others, however, loved the new canon so much that they also created more of their own work around it.
  The editors of the cities' periodicals took it upon themselves to capitalize on this new phenomena and began publishing work from the fans. From stories, to art, to letters, the media was awash with The Ring of Night to the chagrin of those who did not care in the slightest.
  Unforunately for them, however, the popularity of the serial was such that it begat several offshoots by other authors, and several stage plays. The romance and the splendor of the setting caused a wave of fashion that showcased silver rings with bloodstones, and black gowns with sparkling sequins, and black feathered wings.
 
 

The Canon

  The continuing canon states that after Shadow Beren and the King's wizard vanish into another world they must face the wrath of the gods that rule there. They also find that people are slow to trust them asThe Ring of Night is said to have been the very ring that the wicked Goddess Nightfury herself wore. In fact, with the appearance of Shadow Beren, portents of woe begin to circulate.
  Finally, a lone hag pities them and takes them to the capitol where the great wizard Antiovli is rumored to live. It is he, she tells them, that fought and defeated Nightfury, and he who had sent the Ring for safekeeping in another world. Surely he would help them.
  He did not.
  This was another cliff hanger but planned this time, and recieved the expected outrage and outpouring of letters wanting more.
 

The Critics

  Unhappy critics cited the simple nature of the story and its obvious plot holes as reason to shun the anonymous author and put pressure on the companies who profit from such "drivel".
  More thoughtful critics, on the other hand, cited the lack of complexity as a genius move on the part of the author, as it left much to the imagination.
  Others still, suggested that the author was just not well versed in storycraft and had published their manuscript as a way to make ends meet.
  Academic critics took the time to look at the imagery and the implications of a magic so earth shatteringly real that it trancended the borders of two worlds, and what that could mean for real magic in the real world.
 

Fans

  The primary fans that were willing to admit their love of The Ring of Night tended to be women over 40, or girls just out of their First Letters. This had led to the demeaning of fans who enjoy the work. Of course there were plenty of male fans, and people of other genders and species willing to attest to their love of it, but they were too often drowned out by critics.
  Some of the nasty voices were silenced, however, when it became known that the Pirate King Gold Claw was a major fan, and even wore what was said to be one of the most expensive replicas of the Ring of Night in existence. This simple fact enboldened those who loved the serial, but particularly the female audience as Gold Claw, though a king, was female.