I'm now into the phase that's the least work but likely to be the most time-consuming:  legal inquiries.  I have to do them in a certain order for a number of reasons, and every one of them is a potential obstacle.  So I wait impatiently for a reply before I can move on to a resolution.  There's not much point in doing the actual writing until that's all cleared.

Meanwhile, I'm working on peripheral things, like assigning and coordinating keywords and abilities...which brings me to a big issue with HQ2 Core.  Character creation is too generalized; there are all kinds of options for abilities but not a lot of guidance.  If you happen to have played HQ1 or HQG, there's a structure that is missing with Core.  I get why it's that way; abilities tend to rely on the setting, and Core is supposed to be able to cover any setting.  But it's a high bar for newbies, especially if there's no one who has experience with the game in its more specific forms.  Occupation and cultural keywords provide that kind of framework, so that you end up with a modular character that's still plenty customizable.

To provide a bit of a teaser:  magic, being the lifeblood of Earthsea,  will have its own specialized framework, primarily having to do with wizardry.  This is a consequence of the system presented in the books.  It's going to be like yet unlike the schools in HQ1; for one thing, there's only one school and one system in Earthsea, although there are other avenues of magic (chiefly the Old Powers).  There will also be a plethora of occupational keywords, so you won't have to be locked in to playing a wizard.

That's about all there is to report at this point...except that I'm revising my theory in the last post to Segoy meaning parent instead of father, given the generally indeterminate gender of dragons.  More news as it occurs.