Mark W. Ellmore (born 1958) was the unsuccessful Republican Party nominee for the United States House of Representatives in Virginia's in 2008.
Ellmore has written a book called You've Got to Have It to Succeed Just Ask! about Christians succeeding in business and work environments.
Personal
Ellmore was born in Alexandria, Virginia in 1958. Over his business career he advanced from bank teller to senior vice president of several banking firms; he continues to work in the lending industry.
2006 election
Ellmore lost the 2006 primary election for Congress 70% to 30%.
2008 campaign
Ellmore ran for Congress because he thought his district needed new leadership.
During the 2008 primary campaign, Ellmore's supporters considered him a traditional Republican candidate who shared the worldview of then-President George W. Bush, as opposed to the more libertarian views of his opponent.
In a close and controversial primary election, he defeated the Ron Paul aligned Amit K. Singh. His campaign was originally managed by 15 year old Daniel Tillson.
He disapproved of incumbent Congressman Jim Moran's use of earmarking, and focused his campaign on contrasts with Moran.
2010 campaign
He announced his intention in November of 2009 to challenge Moran once more. However, in March he announced that he would drop out of the Republican primary, leaving five other candidates to contend for the Republican nomination in 2010. The nomination was eventually won by Army veteran Patrick Murray.
Ellmore has written a book called You've Got to Have It to Succeed Just Ask! about Christians succeeding in business and work environments.
Personal
Ellmore was born in Alexandria, Virginia in 1958. Over his business career he advanced from bank teller to senior vice president of several banking firms; he continues to work in the lending industry.
2006 election
Ellmore lost the 2006 primary election for Congress 70% to 30%.
2008 campaign
Ellmore ran for Congress because he thought his district needed new leadership.
During the 2008 primary campaign, Ellmore's supporters considered him a traditional Republican candidate who shared the worldview of then-President George W. Bush, as opposed to the more libertarian views of his opponent.
In a close and controversial primary election, he defeated the Ron Paul aligned Amit K. Singh. His campaign was originally managed by 15 year old Daniel Tillson.
He disapproved of incumbent Congressman Jim Moran's use of earmarking, and focused his campaign on contrasts with Moran.
2010 campaign
He announced his intention in November of 2009 to challenge Moran once more. However, in March he announced that he would drop out of the Republican primary, leaving five other candidates to contend for the Republican nomination in 2010. The nomination was eventually won by Army veteran Patrick Murray.
THEMED GIFT BASKETS
A themed gift basket is a gift basket whose items have been customized according to the recipient’s likings and personality. A variety of themed gift baskets exist which might include car wash gift baskets, fishing gift baskets, pet gift baskets, pasta lover gift baskets and many more. These themed gift baskets are fit in for any occasion. Any basket or a container is used that goes with the selected theme and have items attached to it.
HISTORY
Historically, baskets were hand woven with the material that can be found locally. Baskets were used to carry eggs and vegetables. People gathered food in the baskets and the hunters utilized them to store the catch of the day. Baskets were also used as saddle bags on horses and donkeys to carry food items and equipments.
During the middle ages, gift baskets gained wide popularity. Kings used to receive gift baskets containing gold, silver and jewels. Baskets filled with food items were transported as a symbol of grand celebrations. Later in nineteenth century, with the rail road system, it became convenient to send baskets even to the distant areas.
Firstly, the gift baskets were restricted to the food items or the flowers only. But with the passage of time, people came up with the new ideas and started creating themed gift baskets with respect to the recipient’s interests and hobbies.
BASKETS/CONTAINERS
A container or a basket is utilized with respect to the theme. These containers are very practical and are reusable. There is an array of containers or baskets which includes:
• Basket of all shapes and sizes
• Waste baskets
• Plastic bucket
• An ice bucket
• Flower pots
• Watering can
• Sports bag
• Canvas bag
• Storage box
• Bowls
• Tins
POPULAR THEMES
Themes are introduced to tailor a gift basket with respect to a certain occasion and the interests of the recipient. These themed baskets are presented on any occasion like birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Mothers day, Fathers day and Valentines Day. Popular themes include:
• Gardener’s Gift Basket holds the goodies used for gardening purposes such as gardening gloves, vegetable and flower seeds, liquid fertilizers, hand tools, gardening book and plant markers. Usually a watering can or a plant pot is used for stuffing in these items which can later be utilized as well.
• Car Wash Gift Basket is the combination of car wash products. These products involve car wash soap, a towel, glass cleaner, an interior spray, car wax and a wax applicator which often arrives in a bucket leaving a practical impression
• Bath Gift Basket is the basket filled with bath related products. Bubble bath, therapy oils, scrubbers, shampoos, conditioners and body lotions are often gathered to fill the baskets. Also candles, relaxing music CDs and a rubber duckling are used to add in more color and life.
• Spa Gift Basket is tailored to pamper the receiver. Spa gift baskets are always welcomed and a well appreciated gift. Main attractions of spa basket are bath salts, bath oils, massage creams, relaxation eye mask, scented candles, foot scrubbers, foot soaks, foot creams and nail brushes.
• Sports Gift basket is a basket which contains the items related to the recipient’s favorite sport. A Person interested in golf is presented with a sports bag stuffed with golfing gears, golf balls, golf rules book, golf club head covers, a pack of cookies and a mineral water bottle. Likewise boxing lovers receives accessories related to boxing which includes boxing gloves, head gears, mouth guards, body protector, boxing timer and a towel. Sports lover gift basket also contains items like books on favorite sports personality, CDs of famous matches and tournaments, posters, pain relieving sprays, T-shirts, hats, jerseys, pajamas, sweatshirts, wrist bands and head bands from branded stores. Moreover a pair of tickets of the upcoming match in which the recipient is interested in is gifted along with a binocular, sun hats, a shirt, pair of socks, candies, pop corns, chips, a bag of peanuts and drinking cans.
• Pet Gift Basket is arranged with the items related to the pet of the recipient. Favorite pet photo embossed coffee mugs, refrigerator magnets, foot mats with the most admired pet’s image, pet grooming magazines, pictures and greeting cards are used to make a perfect treat for pet lovers. Pet bowls or pet beds are commonly arranged with these items. Usually two kinds fall under this
:
* Dog Lovers Gift Basket is a basket containing amazingly delicious gourmet dog treats and pampered stuff. A special dog gift basket comprises dog doughnuts, dog biscuits, bouncing balls to play, collar or a leash, dog shampoos and conditioners.
:
* Cat Lovers Gift Basket carries all the cat pampering stuff and food items such as gourmet cat treats, cat brush, a chew toy, a rope, glitter balls and a scratching post which is a real fun for cats.
• Grandparent’s Gift Basket is a special customized basket for grandparents loaded with small wonders which express love and care. Such wonders draw in a framed family picture, video of the family, warm cozy slippers, a lap blanket, favorite flowers and perfumes, children art work, candies, coffee or tea and a book.
• Artist’s Gift Basket is designed for the art lovers which hold all the necessary items required by an artist. Paints (oil, water, and acrylic), papers or a canvas, brushes, markers, pencils, a sketch book, scissors and charcoal are the specialties of an artist gift basket which is commonly presented in a plastic container.
• Photographer’s Gift Basket is the arrangement of accessories related to photography. Often a camera bag is used which accommodates a lens cleaner, lens cloth, camera filters, films, picture frame and a photo album.
• Pasta Lover Gift Basket is the pasta ingredients arranged in a basket. Often a large bowl is used as a basket which is filed with the packages of gourmet pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, fresh olives, garlic powder, oregano, basil and a jar of a gourmet sauce. It might contain non food items like favorite pasta recipes, pasta cookbook and napkins.
• Desert Gift Basket portrays the utensils and the favorite desert items of the recipient. Such baskets include chocolate fudge, sprinkles, chocolate chip, ice creams, chocolate sauce, small candies, decorating tools, wooden spoons, baking tools, a measuring cup, desert plates and a desert cookbook However usually these baskets are prepared according to the recipient needs who might be on a strict diet. For this purpose desert gift basket with low calories and high in tastes are designed
A gift basket can be created by oneself other wise there are varieties of themed gift baskets that can be ordered online. The service providers are displaying a wide range of classy themed gift baskets which are delivered at the door steps on the requested date and time.
REFERENCES
http://rubyglen.com/gifts/giftbaskets.htm
http://www.chemoangels.net/angels%20corner/sub%20folders/gift_basket.htm#Painters_Gift_Basket_
A themed gift basket is a gift basket whose items have been customized according to the recipient’s likings and personality. A variety of themed gift baskets exist which might include car wash gift baskets, fishing gift baskets, pet gift baskets, pasta lover gift baskets and many more. These themed gift baskets are fit in for any occasion. Any basket or a container is used that goes with the selected theme and have items attached to it.
HISTORY
Historically, baskets were hand woven with the material that can be found locally. Baskets were used to carry eggs and vegetables. People gathered food in the baskets and the hunters utilized them to store the catch of the day. Baskets were also used as saddle bags on horses and donkeys to carry food items and equipments.
During the middle ages, gift baskets gained wide popularity. Kings used to receive gift baskets containing gold, silver and jewels. Baskets filled with food items were transported as a symbol of grand celebrations. Later in nineteenth century, with the rail road system, it became convenient to send baskets even to the distant areas.
Firstly, the gift baskets were restricted to the food items or the flowers only. But with the passage of time, people came up with the new ideas and started creating themed gift baskets with respect to the recipient’s interests and hobbies.
BASKETS/CONTAINERS
A container or a basket is utilized with respect to the theme. These containers are very practical and are reusable. There is an array of containers or baskets which includes:
• Basket of all shapes and sizes
• Waste baskets
• Plastic bucket
• An ice bucket
• Flower pots
• Watering can
• Sports bag
• Canvas bag
• Storage box
• Bowls
• Tins
POPULAR THEMES
Themes are introduced to tailor a gift basket with respect to a certain occasion and the interests of the recipient. These themed baskets are presented on any occasion like birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Mothers day, Fathers day and Valentines Day. Popular themes include:
• Gardener’s Gift Basket holds the goodies used for gardening purposes such as gardening gloves, vegetable and flower seeds, liquid fertilizers, hand tools, gardening book and plant markers. Usually a watering can or a plant pot is used for stuffing in these items which can later be utilized as well.
• Car Wash Gift Basket is the combination of car wash products. These products involve car wash soap, a towel, glass cleaner, an interior spray, car wax and a wax applicator which often arrives in a bucket leaving a practical impression
• Bath Gift Basket is the basket filled with bath related products. Bubble bath, therapy oils, scrubbers, shampoos, conditioners and body lotions are often gathered to fill the baskets. Also candles, relaxing music CDs and a rubber duckling are used to add in more color and life.
• Spa Gift Basket is tailored to pamper the receiver. Spa gift baskets are always welcomed and a well appreciated gift. Main attractions of spa basket are bath salts, bath oils, massage creams, relaxation eye mask, scented candles, foot scrubbers, foot soaks, foot creams and nail brushes.
• Sports Gift basket is a basket which contains the items related to the recipient’s favorite sport. A Person interested in golf is presented with a sports bag stuffed with golfing gears, golf balls, golf rules book, golf club head covers, a pack of cookies and a mineral water bottle. Likewise boxing lovers receives accessories related to boxing which includes boxing gloves, head gears, mouth guards, body protector, boxing timer and a towel. Sports lover gift basket also contains items like books on favorite sports personality, CDs of famous matches and tournaments, posters, pain relieving sprays, T-shirts, hats, jerseys, pajamas, sweatshirts, wrist bands and head bands from branded stores. Moreover a pair of tickets of the upcoming match in which the recipient is interested in is gifted along with a binocular, sun hats, a shirt, pair of socks, candies, pop corns, chips, a bag of peanuts and drinking cans.
• Pet Gift Basket is arranged with the items related to the pet of the recipient. Favorite pet photo embossed coffee mugs, refrigerator magnets, foot mats with the most admired pet’s image, pet grooming magazines, pictures and greeting cards are used to make a perfect treat for pet lovers. Pet bowls or pet beds are commonly arranged with these items. Usually two kinds fall under this
:
* Dog Lovers Gift Basket is a basket containing amazingly delicious gourmet dog treats and pampered stuff. A special dog gift basket comprises dog doughnuts, dog biscuits, bouncing balls to play, collar or a leash, dog shampoos and conditioners.
:
* Cat Lovers Gift Basket carries all the cat pampering stuff and food items such as gourmet cat treats, cat brush, a chew toy, a rope, glitter balls and a scratching post which is a real fun for cats.
• Grandparent’s Gift Basket is a special customized basket for grandparents loaded with small wonders which express love and care. Such wonders draw in a framed family picture, video of the family, warm cozy slippers, a lap blanket, favorite flowers and perfumes, children art work, candies, coffee or tea and a book.
• Artist’s Gift Basket is designed for the art lovers which hold all the necessary items required by an artist. Paints (oil, water, and acrylic), papers or a canvas, brushes, markers, pencils, a sketch book, scissors and charcoal are the specialties of an artist gift basket which is commonly presented in a plastic container.
• Photographer’s Gift Basket is the arrangement of accessories related to photography. Often a camera bag is used which accommodates a lens cleaner, lens cloth, camera filters, films, picture frame and a photo album.
• Pasta Lover Gift Basket is the pasta ingredients arranged in a basket. Often a large bowl is used as a basket which is filed with the packages of gourmet pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, fresh olives, garlic powder, oregano, basil and a jar of a gourmet sauce. It might contain non food items like favorite pasta recipes, pasta cookbook and napkins.
• Desert Gift Basket portrays the utensils and the favorite desert items of the recipient. Such baskets include chocolate fudge, sprinkles, chocolate chip, ice creams, chocolate sauce, small candies, decorating tools, wooden spoons, baking tools, a measuring cup, desert plates and a desert cookbook However usually these baskets are prepared according to the recipient needs who might be on a strict diet. For this purpose desert gift basket with low calories and high in tastes are designed
A gift basket can be created by oneself other wise there are varieties of themed gift baskets that can be ordered online. The service providers are displaying a wide range of classy themed gift baskets which are delivered at the door steps on the requested date and time.
REFERENCES
http://rubyglen.com/gifts/giftbaskets.htm
http://www.chemoangels.net/angels%20corner/sub%20folders/gift_basket.htm#Painters_Gift_Basket_
The Warriors of the Dragon Kingdom is a book in progress, created, written, and edited by Jonathan Arndt and Steve Cerchiari. The story consists of a main character named Zolo, teaming up with elves, dwarves, and humans alike to reunite the world. Other characters that might be considered main include Clyra, princess of the elves and early companion of Zolo; Junic, the main source of comic relief and the character desperate for Clyra's love; Cedric, master wizard and pacifist of the group; and others to be introduced later in the book.
Books
Book One: Resurgence
Book Two: Escape
Book Three: Crown
Book Four: Shadows
In all the books, Zolo is the main character but small, brief, but significant parts of the story being told through the perspectives of others, including Kera.
Plot summary
The first book of the four-part series, Resurgence, begins with Zolo hunting in the forest. He is interrupted, however, by a group of large stone monsters, which turn out to be apparently on the hunt for something or someone. A young girl around Zolo's age appears and uses her magic to defeat half of the monsters, but is knocked unconscious in the process. Zolo, in an attempt to save the girl, defeats the other two and takes the girl back to his house. Upon arriving, he discovers that his mother left for Algastad, the capital of the Elven Nation. With nothing to do, Zolo decides to wait for the girl to awaken.
Upon her awakening, she introduces herself as Clyra and that those monsters were golems. She also explains that she was on a journey to the Human Nation for diplomatic purposes but requests Zolo's accompaniment on her trip back to the capital, realizing that it is unsafe to go to the human land alone. Zolo agrees, deciding that he will meet his mother in Algastad. Shortly after departing, the two run into an elf named Junic, who has been following Clyra, his love interest, for two days. He pleads the two for them to allow him to join them on their journey (probably just to be with Clyra), and they reluctantly agree under the condition that he cooks all their meals from that point on. Here they decide to set up camp and rest until morning.
The next day, they continue their trip, but are attacked by a pack of shadow wolves, rare beasts who are usually nocturnal and thought to be extinct. Clyra is knocked unconscious during the battle and Junic is bitten by one of the poisonous wolves, leading Zolo to fend for himself. In the process of trying to protect his companions, he is gravely injured and nearly reaches death, but in a surprising turn of events, transforms into a dragonlike creature that either kills or scares away the wolves. With his new wings, he flies to safe location with the catatonic Junic and the unconscious Clyra in his arms. Upon landing, he shrinks back down to normal size with Clyra awakening and looking on as he transforms back into an elven form. He passes out right at that moment, Clyra watching fearfully.
Zolo awakens later all alone, discovering a note from Clyra stating that she had taken Junic to the nearby city to find a cure. Zolo follows the direction that Clyra's note indicated and finds Clyra, who asks him of the recent event, to which Zolo responds by apologizing and saying that he is just as confused as she. Clyra forgives him and she and Zolo decide to take Junic, whose cure could not be found in the city, to the nearby town of Sparrow Hills, an ancient and almost forgotten village on the other side of the Swamps of Demise. They make it to the village, discovering that most of it is completely destroyed and that the only residents is an old human couple. Zolo reluctantly accepts their hospitality and is taken to the wizard Cedric the next day. The wizard cures Junic of his wounds and tries to kill Zolo, who lives and finds himself in the old human's cottage the next day. Though normally racist, Zolo finds himself starting to love the old humans, but refuses to admit this.
A demon later attacks the cottage, but it is destroyed by Zolo, who saves the lives of the old humans and repays them for their hospitality by helping them rebuild their demolished house. The next day, they are attacked yet again, this time by a strange sorcerer named Zabura. Zabura almost kills Clyra and Zolo, but the two are saved by Junic when he shoots an arrow at the sorcerer. Zabura disappears, but Zolo doubts that he is indeed dead.
Their journey continues to outside the capital city of Algastad, where they meet a human samurai named Camoru, who explains that he is in the Elven Nation to take part in the Worldwide Fighting Tournament. This catches Zolo's attention and he immediately desires to take part in this competition as well, despite Clyra commanding otherwise. He ignores Clyra's orders and competes in the tournament, nearly being killed in the process but discovering that he has the gift of healing faster than normal.
While staying in Algastad, Zolo and Junic meet the king, queen, and prince, and discover that Clyra is actually the princess. The king requests that Zolo and Junic accompany Clyra to the foreign lands, and Zolo agrees while deciding that he will find his mother and tell her later. In the Algastad castle, Zabura attacks, leading Zolo to realize that he was correct in assuming that Junic indeed did not kill him. Zabura tries to attack and apparently kidnap the prince, Freidrich, Clyra's brother, but is stopped by Zolo's mother, Kera. Surprisingly, Zolo discovers that there is more to his mother than he thought, for she later explains after defeating Zabura that she is an assassin for the elven kingdom. She also reveals several other things about the history of the Elven Nation and hits towards Zolo's heritage, but refuses to reveal anything specifically. She then says that she has been asked to return to the Shadow Kingdom, where the Shadow Lord is planning his "resurgence" (hence the title of the book) and tells Zolo that she wants him to go with Clyra on her journey.
After she leaves, Zolo and Junic are introduced to the warriors who they will be traveling with. They manage to cross the Human Nation border but are arrested when a human falsely accuses Zolo of stealing his money. Clyra breaks them all out of jail and they flee with humans on their trail.
Characters
Protagonists
Zolo
The main character of the story. He is the son of Kera and, unknown to him for the first half of the story, Raiza, the king of the dragon demons, making Zolo half elf and half dragon demon. As such, he has characteristics of both races, giving him the ability to transform into a dragon, though this only happens when he is in a near death situation. He can also heal extremely quickly. Because he is the son of a dragon demon, he has the ability also to learn magic more quickly and more easily than most elves, but he does not know about this for the majority of the story. Physically, he is tall and powerfully built, more so than most elves, and has black hair. He also has dark red eyes that were inherited from his father.
His personality is very different from that of most main protagonists. He is sarcastic, arrogant, stubborn, cocky, competitive, and for the most part racist, against humans in particular. However, he is recognized to have a "heart of gold" according to his mother, though he sees this trait as weak and covers it up by placing greater emphasis on the aforementioned personality characteristics. For the most part, he has an offensive sense of humor and if he finds something funny, he amplifies the moment with a hilarious comment. He is, however, mostly optimistic and has a good attitude towards life unless it is spent doing something he does not enjoy doing, in which case he is in an extremely bad mood and takes it out on whoever happens to be standing closest to him, unless said person is either Clyra or his mother. Although, he does enjoy making fun of Junic in particular. As stated before, though, underneath the cocky personality he portrays, he is selfless and will willingly place himself in danger to protect those he loves, even Junic or a human.
In dragon form, he takes the form of the legendary Black Dragon, something that only occurs every thousand years or so. More powerful than any kind of dragon, the Black is said to have the spirit of the dragon god. There was a prophecy that was said to be fulfilled that a demon from the forests would come in a time of war in the form of a black dragon and destroy the evil in the world and unite the world as one, a prophecy that does indeed come true by the end of the series.
Kera
Zolo's mother and Raiza's ex-fiancé. She is also formerly one of the seven assassins and secret agents for the Elven Nation. These seven assassins were a secret organization under the king's direction, though the other six were killed during their last assignment. Kera is still an unofficial agent for the royalty, however, and has kept in contact with Algastad for years.
She also used to be a negotiator for the country and was sent to the Dragon Kingdom to form a coalition with them. During this time, she met the now former king of the kingdom, Raiza, and fell in love with him, eventually becoming pregnant with his baby. Upon discovering this, the two became engaged to be married, but Kera left Raiza when he began to become more and more power hungry and more focused on being a king than a father. Kera returned to the Elven Nation about a year after Zolo was born and raised her son as an elf in the Elven Nation alone.
Kera is very calm, serious, and strict and does not take no for an answer about anything. She does not put up with immaturity or hate, which is why she seems to be angry at her son quite often. She is extremely loving towards all beings and races and will step into the path of an arrow for anyone. She sees everyone as equal and believes that there is a good side to everyone, but she will not hesitate to harm or evil kill to protect those she loves. She secretly grieves for all the deaths she has caused. She is extremely powerful at magic but does not use it, especially not around Zolo for fear of him learning of his ancestry and secret powers.
Raiza
Zolo's father and the former king of the dragon demons. Before meeting Kera, and several years after, he ruled the Dragon Kingdom, widely known as the greatest king the country had ever seen, but Raiza's power hungry younger brother, Makala, overthrew him shortly after Zolo was born. Desperate to keep the country alive, Raiza took half of the Dragon Kingdom population, the residents of the country still loyal to his rule, and fled to an island in the south. He was weak and close to death and has remained in this state for years. During the battle with his brother, he acquired a handicap that limited his magic. As he was once the king, his dragon used to be gold, but soon reverted to red after Makala took the throne.
Raiza is built physically very much like his son and looks almost exactly like him, except that his hair is dark red. He is almost seven feet tall. He is also like his son personality wise; very stubborn and harsh and often downright merciless to his servants, but even he will admit that he loves each and every one of his followers dearly.
Clyra
Princess of the elves and Freidrich's sister. Clyra is recognized as the voice of reason of the group, and is also the leader. Although Zolo is indeed the main character, this is Clyra's journey and as such the group goes wherever she goes, for they are all accompanying her to protect her. Clyra strives to increase her strength in magic and was strongly affected from when she was defeated by Zabura. Since then, she could be seen constantly straining to help herself win her next battle. She is also somewhat of a tomboy, in that she lusts for action and adventure, and as such as a certain streak about her. She has a short temper, and often hits or threatens another member of the group for acting out or fighting. She eventually develops an attraction towards Zolo.
Despite this, she is strongly annoyed by Zolo and his constant bullying towards Camoru, Cedric, and Junic in particular. She is also annoyed by Junic entirely due to his strong attraction towards her and secretly wishes that he would leave her alone. However, she loves each member of the group dearly and considers all of them to be her friends, but her only wish is that she was not the only female of the group. She often complains about the disgusting habits of the men in the group.
Cedric
One of the two main human characters in the series. Cedric is a wizard, scientist, inventor, and artist from the Human Nation, based loosely on Leonardo da Vinci. He is a magic prodigy, and has been his entire life. His past is unknown, but it is known that he is the founder and leader of a community of magic-users in the Human Nation.
Junic
Camoru
An extremely competitive human warrior from the Human Nation and the main antihero of the series.
He is possibly the most complex character in the series. He grew up with an extremely abusive father, who beat his mother to death. This and other events, including his father's eventual death, led Camoru to leave home at the age of fourteen and begin studying the art of sword-fighting. As a young child, he was very religious, but at the age of seventeen, he denounced his religion and become an atheist, stating that he was very angry at the gods for not helping him in his times of need. He has never truly had a home and does not care about worldly possessions. He is extremely skilled in various fighting styles, especially sword-fighting. He is also a talented archer and horseman. He desires to prove that he is the world's greatest warrior by competing in the annual Worldwide Fighting Tournament, which he loses every year.
He dies twice in the story. The first is in Escape, where he betrays the group to Zabura, who promises him fame and all the powers in the world. Camoru gives in but Zabura kills him and replaces his soul with the spirit of a demon. He is later, in Crown, sent after Zolo to kill him, though Zolo, with Junic, manages to defeat him. Upon being defeated, Camoru sees the error of his ways and forces the demon out of himself with Cedric's help. Camoru then vows to Zolo to help him defeat the Shadow Lord. At the end of Shadows, Camoru admits his deep friendship and compassion for Zolo and sacrifices himself to save Zolo's life.
Cerchiari and Arndt both state that Camoru is their favorite character.
Gom
Antagonists
The Shadow Lord
Zabura
Makala
Freidrich
The Nobility
Races
Elves
Humans
Dragon demons
Dwarves
Influences and writing style
Warriors of the Dragon Kingdom is greatly influenced by the likes of The Lord of the Rings, as well as television shows such as InuYasha, Dragon Ball Z, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, though the similarities to any of these are slim. The series is primarily a fantasy and adventure story, but contains elements of romance, comedy, horror, war, and thriller. It generally has a dark tone throughout, but is known for its brief but many lighthearted and often humorous moments. It also contains usage of some words that are generally used in more modern settings but were used by the authors to further the story's difference from other fantasy stories.
The book contains many uses of red herrings and plot twists, with lots of face-paced action. While it is a typical "good versus evil" story, the overall vibe of it is very dark and violent. However, very powerful themes such as sacrificial love, racial unity, and personal growth figure into the story.
Books
Book One: Resurgence
Book Two: Escape
Book Three: Crown
Book Four: Shadows
In all the books, Zolo is the main character but small, brief, but significant parts of the story being told through the perspectives of others, including Kera.
Plot summary
The first book of the four-part series, Resurgence, begins with Zolo hunting in the forest. He is interrupted, however, by a group of large stone monsters, which turn out to be apparently on the hunt for something or someone. A young girl around Zolo's age appears and uses her magic to defeat half of the monsters, but is knocked unconscious in the process. Zolo, in an attempt to save the girl, defeats the other two and takes the girl back to his house. Upon arriving, he discovers that his mother left for Algastad, the capital of the Elven Nation. With nothing to do, Zolo decides to wait for the girl to awaken.
Upon her awakening, she introduces herself as Clyra and that those monsters were golems. She also explains that she was on a journey to the Human Nation for diplomatic purposes but requests Zolo's accompaniment on her trip back to the capital, realizing that it is unsafe to go to the human land alone. Zolo agrees, deciding that he will meet his mother in Algastad. Shortly after departing, the two run into an elf named Junic, who has been following Clyra, his love interest, for two days. He pleads the two for them to allow him to join them on their journey (probably just to be with Clyra), and they reluctantly agree under the condition that he cooks all their meals from that point on. Here they decide to set up camp and rest until morning.
The next day, they continue their trip, but are attacked by a pack of shadow wolves, rare beasts who are usually nocturnal and thought to be extinct. Clyra is knocked unconscious during the battle and Junic is bitten by one of the poisonous wolves, leading Zolo to fend for himself. In the process of trying to protect his companions, he is gravely injured and nearly reaches death, but in a surprising turn of events, transforms into a dragonlike creature that either kills or scares away the wolves. With his new wings, he flies to safe location with the catatonic Junic and the unconscious Clyra in his arms. Upon landing, he shrinks back down to normal size with Clyra awakening and looking on as he transforms back into an elven form. He passes out right at that moment, Clyra watching fearfully.
Zolo awakens later all alone, discovering a note from Clyra stating that she had taken Junic to the nearby city to find a cure. Zolo follows the direction that Clyra's note indicated and finds Clyra, who asks him of the recent event, to which Zolo responds by apologizing and saying that he is just as confused as she. Clyra forgives him and she and Zolo decide to take Junic, whose cure could not be found in the city, to the nearby town of Sparrow Hills, an ancient and almost forgotten village on the other side of the Swamps of Demise. They make it to the village, discovering that most of it is completely destroyed and that the only residents is an old human couple. Zolo reluctantly accepts their hospitality and is taken to the wizard Cedric the next day. The wizard cures Junic of his wounds and tries to kill Zolo, who lives and finds himself in the old human's cottage the next day. Though normally racist, Zolo finds himself starting to love the old humans, but refuses to admit this.
A demon later attacks the cottage, but it is destroyed by Zolo, who saves the lives of the old humans and repays them for their hospitality by helping them rebuild their demolished house. The next day, they are attacked yet again, this time by a strange sorcerer named Zabura. Zabura almost kills Clyra and Zolo, but the two are saved by Junic when he shoots an arrow at the sorcerer. Zabura disappears, but Zolo doubts that he is indeed dead.
Their journey continues to outside the capital city of Algastad, where they meet a human samurai named Camoru, who explains that he is in the Elven Nation to take part in the Worldwide Fighting Tournament. This catches Zolo's attention and he immediately desires to take part in this competition as well, despite Clyra commanding otherwise. He ignores Clyra's orders and competes in the tournament, nearly being killed in the process but discovering that he has the gift of healing faster than normal.
While staying in Algastad, Zolo and Junic meet the king, queen, and prince, and discover that Clyra is actually the princess. The king requests that Zolo and Junic accompany Clyra to the foreign lands, and Zolo agrees while deciding that he will find his mother and tell her later. In the Algastad castle, Zabura attacks, leading Zolo to realize that he was correct in assuming that Junic indeed did not kill him. Zabura tries to attack and apparently kidnap the prince, Freidrich, Clyra's brother, but is stopped by Zolo's mother, Kera. Surprisingly, Zolo discovers that there is more to his mother than he thought, for she later explains after defeating Zabura that she is an assassin for the elven kingdom. She also reveals several other things about the history of the Elven Nation and hits towards Zolo's heritage, but refuses to reveal anything specifically. She then says that she has been asked to return to the Shadow Kingdom, where the Shadow Lord is planning his "resurgence" (hence the title of the book) and tells Zolo that she wants him to go with Clyra on her journey.
After she leaves, Zolo and Junic are introduced to the warriors who they will be traveling with. They manage to cross the Human Nation border but are arrested when a human falsely accuses Zolo of stealing his money. Clyra breaks them all out of jail and they flee with humans on their trail.
Characters
Protagonists
Zolo
The main character of the story. He is the son of Kera and, unknown to him for the first half of the story, Raiza, the king of the dragon demons, making Zolo half elf and half dragon demon. As such, he has characteristics of both races, giving him the ability to transform into a dragon, though this only happens when he is in a near death situation. He can also heal extremely quickly. Because he is the son of a dragon demon, he has the ability also to learn magic more quickly and more easily than most elves, but he does not know about this for the majority of the story. Physically, he is tall and powerfully built, more so than most elves, and has black hair. He also has dark red eyes that were inherited from his father.
His personality is very different from that of most main protagonists. He is sarcastic, arrogant, stubborn, cocky, competitive, and for the most part racist, against humans in particular. However, he is recognized to have a "heart of gold" according to his mother, though he sees this trait as weak and covers it up by placing greater emphasis on the aforementioned personality characteristics. For the most part, he has an offensive sense of humor and if he finds something funny, he amplifies the moment with a hilarious comment. He is, however, mostly optimistic and has a good attitude towards life unless it is spent doing something he does not enjoy doing, in which case he is in an extremely bad mood and takes it out on whoever happens to be standing closest to him, unless said person is either Clyra or his mother. Although, he does enjoy making fun of Junic in particular. As stated before, though, underneath the cocky personality he portrays, he is selfless and will willingly place himself in danger to protect those he loves, even Junic or a human.
In dragon form, he takes the form of the legendary Black Dragon, something that only occurs every thousand years or so. More powerful than any kind of dragon, the Black is said to have the spirit of the dragon god. There was a prophecy that was said to be fulfilled that a demon from the forests would come in a time of war in the form of a black dragon and destroy the evil in the world and unite the world as one, a prophecy that does indeed come true by the end of the series.
Kera
Zolo's mother and Raiza's ex-fiancé. She is also formerly one of the seven assassins and secret agents for the Elven Nation. These seven assassins were a secret organization under the king's direction, though the other six were killed during their last assignment. Kera is still an unofficial agent for the royalty, however, and has kept in contact with Algastad for years.
She also used to be a negotiator for the country and was sent to the Dragon Kingdom to form a coalition with them. During this time, she met the now former king of the kingdom, Raiza, and fell in love with him, eventually becoming pregnant with his baby. Upon discovering this, the two became engaged to be married, but Kera left Raiza when he began to become more and more power hungry and more focused on being a king than a father. Kera returned to the Elven Nation about a year after Zolo was born and raised her son as an elf in the Elven Nation alone.
Kera is very calm, serious, and strict and does not take no for an answer about anything. She does not put up with immaturity or hate, which is why she seems to be angry at her son quite often. She is extremely loving towards all beings and races and will step into the path of an arrow for anyone. She sees everyone as equal and believes that there is a good side to everyone, but she will not hesitate to harm or evil kill to protect those she loves. She secretly grieves for all the deaths she has caused. She is extremely powerful at magic but does not use it, especially not around Zolo for fear of him learning of his ancestry and secret powers.
Raiza
Zolo's father and the former king of the dragon demons. Before meeting Kera, and several years after, he ruled the Dragon Kingdom, widely known as the greatest king the country had ever seen, but Raiza's power hungry younger brother, Makala, overthrew him shortly after Zolo was born. Desperate to keep the country alive, Raiza took half of the Dragon Kingdom population, the residents of the country still loyal to his rule, and fled to an island in the south. He was weak and close to death and has remained in this state for years. During the battle with his brother, he acquired a handicap that limited his magic. As he was once the king, his dragon used to be gold, but soon reverted to red after Makala took the throne.
Raiza is built physically very much like his son and looks almost exactly like him, except that his hair is dark red. He is almost seven feet tall. He is also like his son personality wise; very stubborn and harsh and often downright merciless to his servants, but even he will admit that he loves each and every one of his followers dearly.
Clyra
Princess of the elves and Freidrich's sister. Clyra is recognized as the voice of reason of the group, and is also the leader. Although Zolo is indeed the main character, this is Clyra's journey and as such the group goes wherever she goes, for they are all accompanying her to protect her. Clyra strives to increase her strength in magic and was strongly affected from when she was defeated by Zabura. Since then, she could be seen constantly straining to help herself win her next battle. She is also somewhat of a tomboy, in that she lusts for action and adventure, and as such as a certain streak about her. She has a short temper, and often hits or threatens another member of the group for acting out or fighting. She eventually develops an attraction towards Zolo.
Despite this, she is strongly annoyed by Zolo and his constant bullying towards Camoru, Cedric, and Junic in particular. She is also annoyed by Junic entirely due to his strong attraction towards her and secretly wishes that he would leave her alone. However, she loves each member of the group dearly and considers all of them to be her friends, but her only wish is that she was not the only female of the group. She often complains about the disgusting habits of the men in the group.
Cedric
One of the two main human characters in the series. Cedric is a wizard, scientist, inventor, and artist from the Human Nation, based loosely on Leonardo da Vinci. He is a magic prodigy, and has been his entire life. His past is unknown, but it is known that he is the founder and leader of a community of magic-users in the Human Nation.
Junic
Camoru
An extremely competitive human warrior from the Human Nation and the main antihero of the series.
He is possibly the most complex character in the series. He grew up with an extremely abusive father, who beat his mother to death. This and other events, including his father's eventual death, led Camoru to leave home at the age of fourteen and begin studying the art of sword-fighting. As a young child, he was very religious, but at the age of seventeen, he denounced his religion and become an atheist, stating that he was very angry at the gods for not helping him in his times of need. He has never truly had a home and does not care about worldly possessions. He is extremely skilled in various fighting styles, especially sword-fighting. He is also a talented archer and horseman. He desires to prove that he is the world's greatest warrior by competing in the annual Worldwide Fighting Tournament, which he loses every year.
He dies twice in the story. The first is in Escape, where he betrays the group to Zabura, who promises him fame and all the powers in the world. Camoru gives in but Zabura kills him and replaces his soul with the spirit of a demon. He is later, in Crown, sent after Zolo to kill him, though Zolo, with Junic, manages to defeat him. Upon being defeated, Camoru sees the error of his ways and forces the demon out of himself with Cedric's help. Camoru then vows to Zolo to help him defeat the Shadow Lord. At the end of Shadows, Camoru admits his deep friendship and compassion for Zolo and sacrifices himself to save Zolo's life.
Cerchiari and Arndt both state that Camoru is their favorite character.
Gom
Antagonists
The Shadow Lord
Zabura
Makala
Freidrich
The Nobility
Races
Elves
Humans
Dragon demons
Dwarves
Influences and writing style
Warriors of the Dragon Kingdom is greatly influenced by the likes of The Lord of the Rings, as well as television shows such as InuYasha, Dragon Ball Z, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, though the similarities to any of these are slim. The series is primarily a fantasy and adventure story, but contains elements of romance, comedy, horror, war, and thriller. It generally has a dark tone throughout, but is known for its brief but many lighthearted and often humorous moments. It also contains usage of some words that are generally used in more modern settings but were used by the authors to further the story's difference from other fantasy stories.
The book contains many uses of red herrings and plot twists, with lots of face-paced action. While it is a typical "good versus evil" story, the overall vibe of it is very dark and violent. However, very powerful themes such as sacrificial love, racial unity, and personal growth figure into the story.
Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikalam () is a forthcoming Tamil film written and directed by Gautham Menon. It stars Trisha Krishnan and four male debutants in the lead roles, whilst Nethra of Thoovanam fame and Nikita Thukral of Saroja fame play supporting roles. The film's score and soundtrack will be composed by the acclaimed composer A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Thamarai, whilst editing is being handled by Anthony and camera by debutant Manoj Paramahamsa. The film is said to deal with life in the underworld. Shooting for the film began on the 24th of July, 2007 at Tidel Park in Chennai, India, which is expected to release in 2010.
Cast
* Trisha Krishnan as ...
* Sathish as ...
* Veera as ...
* Karthik as ...
* VJ Shyaam as ...
* Nethra as ...
* Nikita Thukral as ...
Cast
* Trisha Krishnan as ...
* Sathish as ...
* Veera as ...
* Karthik as ...
* VJ Shyaam as ...
* Nethra as ...
* Nikita Thukral as ...