Monday, April 29, 2013

‘Y’ is for ‘Yegg.’



'Y’ is for ‘yegg,’ individuals particularly interested in safes. Their particular interest is getting inside them and taking their insides elsewhere, or if the safe is small enough, taking the entire endeavor elsewhere. Preferably to a workshop with good sound-proofing.

Yeggs are common because safes are common, having been left behind by so many civilizations that thought they were going to live longer. Apocalypses destroyed many possessions, but a sturdy box has outlasted many an owner. Most of the known history (and the better part of the gossiped and unreliable history) are from documents found in safes.

Of course, so are the few functional guns and most of the powerful magic items in circulation. Any worthwhile scavenger has to know how to crack safes, and the really good ones get famous. In The Frontier, Kazh Anzhel gained fame for cracking two gremlin vaults, the only person ever known to perform the feat twice. Being human, he was a pride of the Empire of Gold and Jade, even though he was known to rob them as well. His skill with locks was so great that it was rumored to merge all-chemistry, forging keys that opened doors not only in walls, but in the ground, in the earth, and within gravity itself.

Kazh Anzhel quit the safe-cracking business a few years ago on account of apparent death. His daughter, Ninx Anzhel, has done an excellent job honoring his memory by outdoing him. All of her targets are deemed impossible, like a life-sized statue of a tyrannosaur and the stage from the world’s first theatre. She recently stole the ceiling from The Empire of Gold and Jade’s royal palace. Anyone who knows how she did that should contact their nearest magistrate.

Ninx is one of the main characters of Last House in the Sky.


And no, I didn't make up the word 'yegg.'

36 comments:

  1. Hello there,

    Stopping by from the AtoZ Challenge, just to say Hi. Congratz on reaching this far with this challenge.

    Bhavya
    #atozchallenge
    Just Another Blog

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  2. Good post made great by the fact it's a real world. I'm liking the way your mind works, the style reminds me of Terry Pratchett. As for the palace ceiling heist, my sources say it was an inter-dimensional sleight of hand. It's still there, they just don't see it.

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    1. You may be on to something! Please contact your local magistrate.

      And honestly, thank you for the kind words, and the outrageously kind comparison to Pratchett. He's an incredible social humorist.

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  3. Yegg is a wonderful word. Thank you for enriching my world - again.

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  4. Great insight in to your world-building skills, John and as Elephant's child has already stated - a brilliant word. Only one more post to go - looks like you've found it easy - I haven't - particularly the getting around to other people's blogs aspect of it.

    Haven't done too badly though and have met loads of interesting people like yourself. Looking forward to staying in touch after the challenge.

    Kelly's Eye - Writing, Music, Life

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    1. I think you've done a great job in the blog posts I've seen. Sorry you've struggled to connect to people, but I'd be happy to keep up with you in the future. And thank you for your kind words on my world. It's funny this has wound up executing smoothly given I so seldom, if ever, write world-building this blatantly.

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  5. I wonder how much of what gets put into a safe would have value ten thousand years from now. Cash? Bearer bonds? Jewels?

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    Replies
    1. Anthropologics can raise the value of old cash. I have a little Confederate money that is apparently very valuable now.

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  6. A ceiling? That is totally awesome!!

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  7. You post the most interesting information! Thanks!

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  8. Amazingly enough, I'd seen that word before and knew what it was. :-) The father-daughter tandem is fascinating, though... stealing a ceiling has to rank right up there with a locked-room murder mystery. And "apparent death" has some interesting implications. :-D

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    1. Haha, it'd be amazing if ceiling-theft turned into the next locked-room of crime fiction.

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  9. This world seems like the perfect place for skilled thieves and skilled thieves seem like the perfect MCs to explore it.

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    Replies
    1. They're some of who I'm working with! Holding my breath for betas right now.

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  10. Ninx sounds like she'd be fun to hang out with! :)

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    Replies
    1. Her two henchman are very happy with it. Well, one of them is. The other wouldn't admit it.

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  11. This seems like a world that I could live in!

    www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

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  12. Stole a ceiling? That's some thief!

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    Replies
    1. Her father would be very proud, or so she says.

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  13. I want to know how they move all that stuff, ceilings and safes?
    KaTy Did at: Life's Ride As I See It

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    1. If you figure it out, please contact your local Empire of Gold and Jade magistrate.

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  14. Some things, it seems, never go out of style :)

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  15. Oh, I do hope to find a yegg in my safe *now, where did I put that* Ninx sounds quite slippery, stealing a ceiling is no small feat! Such incredible tales you weave:)

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  16. It's wonderful how all your definitions/explanations hint at all the stories out there. But they also tell enough about them that I don't even necessarily need to know more because you have planted enough details to make the stories come alive on their own in my brain. That's a prized skill!

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    1. This sort of writing is very fun for me. It slides out relatively easily, particularly if I'm flippant. There's entertainment to goosing an entire history. I'm very happy that you've enjoyed it. One more entry to go!

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  17. She stole the entire ceiling? Now that's quite a feat.

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  18. Yeggs are cool. This is a great way to introduce Ninx, too. Now I am VERY curious about her!

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    Replies
    1. She'll get her own book pretty soon, so I'm glad you like her!

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  19. Learned a new word today. Creative strange world you have there.

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  20. What a wonderful word. For something from around 1903, it has a delightfully late-60s vibe to it (I can almost see the psychedelic poster in my head).

    These characters sound great too. I would like to read passages depicting yeggs in action, especially the theft of the ceiling.

    Have you ever read In the Skin of a Lion? The thief Caravaggio is a joy to read about. I love the parts about how he practised to become a master thief.

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    1. I'd love to see a version of that psychedelic poster. What does it look like?

      And Caravaggio sounds so familiar, but the covers I've googled don't resonate. If I have read this, it was a long time ago. Ought I to revisit? Before or after Wool?

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  21. How do you take a ceiling without anyone noticing?

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  22. Safe-crackers unsettle me. I like to think safes are foolproof.

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  23. There's something romantic about being a yegg. I know it's wrong but I admire their moxy. I don't have the courage to take the risks required to be a successful itinerant burglar. There's also something noble about the thefts from the Empire of Gold and Jade. One more day to go.

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