Linvin Grithinshield is the protagonist of “Quest for the Red Sapphire”. 
In order to go on his quest and have any chance of success, he needs help. 
The most indispensable person he brings along is his Uncle Anvar
Greenlith.  Anvar is an elf who is slight in stature even for his
breed.  His hair is a blend of white and grey and he wears a long beard
kept impeccably groomed.  His blue eyes are mesmerizing and are impossible
to ignore.  He became friends with Linvin’s father, Dirk Grithinshield in
Fraylic, the capitol of the Kingdom of Sartan.  Anvar had been somewhat of
an outcast.  The Greenlith family looked harshly upon him for embracing
Human culture and most of the humans sneered at him as just another elf. 
Dirk did not care about such things.  He measured a man by his character
instead of his heritage.  After becoming best friends, Anvar introduced him
to his oldest sister, Jelena, who also sought to escape the mundane life of
elven society and had come to Fraylic.  Dirk and Jelena fell in love and
married.  Their only son was Linvin and Anvar was given somewhat of a
godfather role in the boy’s life.  Even when Linvin was in Valia, Anvar
would travel for months to see his nephew.  Now his visits were of a more
serious nature.
Whenever you think Anvar has no more secrets, he reveals
another one to you.  He is a man of many stories with the right one always
ready.  Anvar will answer your questions and leave you with two more. 
He only reveals what he believes you need to know, when he thinks you need to
know it.  With some people, that would lead to a lack of trust.  But
for Linvin, his faith and trust in Anvar (he is the only nephew given the
privilege of not calling him Uncle) is unshakable.  Linvin is intelligent
and knows Anvar is withholding details and facts.  He also knows that Anvar
is too witty and wise to let any information slip before he intends to divulge
it to him.  On the other hand, he knows Anvar would protect him with his
life.  This paradox is frustrating and yet understood by
Linvin.  
Anvar is a peacemaker.  He abhors violence and
resorts to it after all diplomatic solutions have been tried.  Linvin’s
headstrong behavior is clearly frustrating to the old elf.  Anvar is
constantly in Linvin’s ear trying to teach him patience and understanding. 
It is a lesson Linvin takes to heart at certain times and at others completely
ignores; often to his own detriment.  Though Anvar scolds all of his
nephews, he expects the most out of Linvin and holds him to a higher
standard.  For all his pacifism, however, if Linvin is in a bad situation,
Anvar is the first person there to have his back.  He loves Linvin like a
son and feels a sense of responsibility for his safety.   

Linvin Grithinshield is the protagonist in “Quest for the Red Sapphire.” 
He is half elf and half human, having a human father (Dirk Grithinshield) and an
elven mother (Jelena Greenlith-Grithinshield) Linvin is an only child of an
increasingly affluent family.  When he is about 12 years old, his parents
find out something that changes his life forever.  His father will not
explain the situation other than to say that Linvin will someday be in a
position to make a positive difference for those who are most in need of
help.  In order to be ready for that day, however, Linvin must be sent away
to the far off Kingdom of Valia to be trained by the finest inventor and
military mind in the world; Sedemihcra.  After training together for six
years Sedemihcra finally gives in to Linvin’s plea for practical experience and
allows him to enlist in the army as an archer.  Linvin has developed into a
muscular man of six feet in height and a chiseled physique.  He quickly
advances to the infantry and then the cavalry.  Due to his own abilities
and efforts his rank rises quickly and after episodes of great heroism is given
the title of general.  After a strange twist of fate he becomes Commander
of the Combine Valian Forces at only 26.  He distinguishes himself and his
military mind in many great battles with the Marsh Goblins of the southern
swamps.  His men, his king and the people love and adore him.  Then he
is called home unexpectedly and the real intrigue begins. 
Linvin can
come up with a plan in moments if he takes the time to remember what he was
taught.  He can come up with an entire strategy when given sufficient
time.  Yet, for all his strengths and skills Linvin has a fatal flaw. 
He has a quick temper that can sometimes block out reason.  When Linvin
thinks things through, they generally work out for him.  When he doesn’t
take time to think, disaster almost always follows.  He is easily offended
and grows angry, forcing poor decisions.  If he cannot learn to better
manage himself, he will never prove himself worthy to possess the Red
Sapphire. 

The next least populous group in Lavacia are the Dwarves.  They are a short, squat and good-natured.  An average dwarf stands about four to four and a half feet tall.  They weight in excess of 200 pounds at adulthood and carry it well. Their arms are long and muscular while their torso is thick and strong.  With their upper body being long, their legs are short and resemble stumps. Due to these facts, dwarves are not fond of running or travelling great distances on foot.  They are perfect as miners, farmers and anything where they can use their
hands and great strength.  

Dwarves are known as craftsman.  They are often blacksmiths, weapon smiths and armorers.  With
elongated lifespans and a rich history of craftsmanship, dwarves make the finest armor and metal weapons in the world.  The goods are sought by every nation and are a fast selling section of the Grithinshield Trading Company.  Dwarves also manufacture just about everything from jewelry to wagons.

Though never excessive in number, the vast majority of the dwarf population resides in the Dwarven County of Sartan.  The southern part of the county is rich in ore for mining while the northern area is perfect for farming. 
Pockets of dwarves are found in nearly every country where they are generally well accepted but live together in common areas.  

A happy dwarf is one with a beer in his hand. They pride themselves on their ancestry of making spirits but are particularly fond of their beer and ale. Drinking contests with them are to be avoided at all cost as they consume beer with every meal and have a high tolerance for its affect.  

They blend well with humans and do not resent anyone.  A hard working but not greedy people, they see no group or race as an enemy and find the notion amusing.  Few dwarves have been found to channel
magic.  Those of note are of the lesser colors and use it mostly for entertainment purposes. 
They also give the most freedom to women of any society in Lavacia.  Women can hold political offices, work
where they with and have all the rights the men have.  
 Females are nearly as strong as their counterparts.  It is best not to invoke their
wrath!

In the world of Lavacia, goblins make up more of the population than all of the
other dominant races combined.  This is due to the abundance of offspring
and their rapid growth as stated in my last blog.  Humans are the second
most populous.  They are the dominant species in every country in the land
except Sartan where they are equals with elves and dwarves.  Humans here
are no different than humans in our world except a select few are born with the
ability to channel magic.  (That is a topic for future blogs)  Their
lifespans are no longer than those on earth and they are similar in all other
ways, both good and bad.  It is no coincidence that they formed the nations
making up the map of Lavacia.  Humans are the one breed that thinks of
themselves in a national sense rather than a racial position.  For example,
elves will identify themselves as such and form bonds with other elves based on
their race.  Humans will see themselves as Sartanians, or Valians and so
forth.  They identify with their country of origin.  When humans are
not busy fighting goblins, they find it compulsory to fight one another. 
Unlike the Goblin Wars, they are not fighting for existence but rather, land and
wealth.  Nations go to war instead of races.  It is that division that
is their greatest weakness but also propels them to their greatest
accomplishments. 
With Valia and Rador on the eastern coast of the
Great Continent, they became sea explorers and found new lands to the east
across the waves.  Trade of finished goods to the native people for raw
materials (particularly gold) has been prosperous for both sides.  They,
like many of the nations have taken their focus off the looming goblin menace
and focused on profit.  Like I said, they are no different than men in our
world 

In my world of Lavacia there are serveral species that dominate the Great
Continent.  Their existence goes back to the creation of the world; but
that is the topic for an entire book.  In order from must to least they are
goblins, humans, elves, dwarves and gnomes.  Today I will focus on
golbins.  They are unique in several different ways.  To begin with,
their bodies run on a 48 hour clock.  Therefore, they have greater
endurance than their counterparts but must rest for a longer period of time
afterward.  For example, an army of goblins could march an entire day and
into the next.  Then, however, they would need 2/3rds of a day to
recooperate.  Goblins frequently produce litters needing 3 months of
gestation.  The average litter is 6-8 offspring.  They reach full
maturity in five years but have a shorter lifespan than the other people of the
world.  They are realatively short, rarely exceeding 5 feet but weigh
between 250 and 300 pounds.  In short, they are perfect soldiers. 
They have one reason for existing.  They wish to smite all the other races
and rule Lavacia.  Throughout the uncharted history of the world, they have
grown so numerous many times that they overwhelmed their opponents and cast the
world into a Dark Age.  During these Dark Ages civilization would be
reduced to the most common, base existence.  In each case the Dark Ages
would end when the other people of Lavacia pulled together and pushed back the
goblin menace.  Most of the time the Master of the Red Sapphire would lead
the united people.  Though the goblins would be defeated, they could never
be completely annihilated due to their numbers and ability to repopulate. 
Quest for the Red Sapphire takes place in one of the Renaissance Ages between
Dark Ages.  Though the goblins are checked, they constantly endeavour to
reclaim the lands they feel belong to them.

The day during the Creation of Lavacia just after the manufacturing of the Lava
Giants saw the creation of the Ice Giants.  They were made much like their
brethren.  The Ice Giants were made immortal and impervious to magic. 
They too sought to conquer the world.   However, they found when they
left their frozen homeland at the northern most part of the continent, they
became weaker and were forced to retreat.  One is actually introduced
briefly in the the follow-up to Quest for the Red Sapphire called Sapphire
Crucible.  They are capable of forming ice javelins instantly from the
humidity in the air and hurling them with deadly accuracy.  Over the years
they have become lathargic and obsessed with treasure.  They force the
Mandrean Empire to pay them tribute just to leave their lands in peace. 
Even with the payment, the frozen beasts will raid Mandrean towns on occation
for sport.  Though seemingly trapped in their fridged environment, they
still dream of one day ruling the world and especially of finding a way to
defeat the Laza Giants in the extreme south.

In "quest for the Red Sapphire" I have created a world called Lavacia.  The
story takes place on the Great Continent.  No one knows how far to the
south the continent extends because after traveling far enough you reach the
Realm of The Laza Giants.  They are not good or evil.  They are
immortals who were militant at the beginging of the world.  Then they found
they were weak outside of their realm, which is dominated by a landscape of
active volcanos of every type.  So they settled into a routine in their
home.  Outsides are either incapable of existing in the environmant of ash,
soot and lava or else are dealt with most harshly.  They are not mentioned
in the book because quite honestly, the journey takes the characters north
instead of south.  At some point in the series I do intend to introduce
them and their invincable lava blades.  So long as a Laza giant holds it,
the blade is pure liquid rock.  Once the giant releases it, however, it
immediately returns to stone and shatters under its own weight.  I sence a
great fight scene in the future!  Who am I kidding, it is already
planned.  The question is, how do you fight something that can not be
destroyed and is impervious to magic?  It will be cool!