For the longest time, I have wondered what would be a realistic way to introduce my Dark Lord and his minions in my fantasy series. The first two books revolved around vengeful dynastic feuds between kings and emperors, which was largely based on real-life medieval history. Therefore, how does one introduce such a sinister enemy after two books that were mostly grounded in realism. I turn my attention to magic, which is a mere flicker of what it once was in my fantasy series. What if certain experiments were conducted in an attempt to restore magic to its former glory? What if those experiments produced faulty results that lead to something ugly? Compared to natural magic, I think artificial magic would be more dangerous and unpredictable. Just as Dr. Frankenstein created an artificial human that ran amok, I think the remaining magicians would make something run amok by creating artificial magic. I will tinker with this further as I continue to write my third fantasy book.
Monthly Archives: January 2021
A NEW DARK LORD
Dark Lords are often the main antagonists of the fantasy genre. They represent the incarnation of evil and their main goal is to dominate all life. The most infamous example of a Dark Lord would be Sauron from The Lord of the Rings, the cruel master of malice that forged the One Ring and tried to conquer Middle-Earth. Another example would be the Night King from Game of Thrones, who used to be human before being tortured and mutilated by the Children of the Forest into a ruined life form. In Berserk, Griffith threw away his humanity in order to achieve a selfish goal, becoming Femto of the God Hand and master of the Apostles. The Dark Lord of my fantasy series will be a combination between these three villains. Like Sauron, my character will be a being of powerful dark magic. Like the Night King, my character will have ways of growing his own army. Like Femto, my character will originally be human and will discard his humanity for a selfish goal. Overall, I am planning to make my Dark Lord my own interpretation of what evil embodies.
DARK SERVANTS
In addition to their armies, Dark Lords in fantasy tend to have a group of specialized servants that act as their main enforcers. The most infamous example would be Sauron’s Nazgul from The Lord of the Rings. Thanks to the rings of power Sauron gave them, the Nazgul became slaves to his will. While Sauron was regaining his strength, the leader of the Nazgul, the Witch-King of Angmar, led his armies in his stead. Another example of specialized servants would be the Ra’zac from the Inheritance Cycle, who performed the more shady tasks for their master, King Galbatorix. A third example would be the White Walkers from Game of Thrones, who served as the lieutenants and bodyguards of the Night King. In addition to an army of monsters, the Dark Lord in my fantasy series will have a specialized group of inhuman followers who act as his enforcers.
AN ARMY OF MONSTERS
I have decided on what the main antagonists for the third fantasy book onwards should be. Due to the immense power the Imperial Dynasty acquired, no mortal opponent will be a match for them. Therefore, their new enemy should be something that is neither mortal or human. I am envisioning an army of monsters that slowly grows and festers in the heart of the Empire. Eventually, this army of abominations becomes so big and so powerful that the Imperial Dynasty and their allies will need to put aside their squabbles and join forces against a common enemy. These creatures will come in all shapes and sizes and will be commanded by a Dark Lord and his followers. The existence of these monsters will have long term consequences to the Empire as a whole. These beasts will make the Orcs of Middle-Earth look like rabble and the White Walkers of Game of Thrones look like fairies by comparison. I will be drawing inspiration from all kinds of monster-based stories like Stephen King’s The Mist and The Cabin In The Woods.
THE CARNIVOROUS GOAT
One of the more intriguing prehistoric mammals would be Andrewsarchus, the largest terrestrial mammal carnivore that ever existed. It was as tall as a horse, weighed up to a ton, and had a 2.5 foot long skull full of crushing teeth. Even though Andrewsarchus was physically shaped like typical mammal carnivores such as wolves and hyenas, it had one unique feature that set it apart. It had hooves on its feet instead of claws. This was due to the fact that Andrewsarchus was the ancestor of hoofed animals like sheep and goats. Upon learning of this, I named a baby goat Andrew in the honor of its prehistoric ancestor. As I contemplate on what kinds of reverse engineered life forms to include in my dinosaur series, I turn my attention to Andrewsarchus and its sheep and goat descendants. If sheep and goats were reverse engineered into something resembling their prehistoric ancestors, would they become carnivores once again? That will be a question I will ponder as I continue to write.
CAPITOL HILL RIOT EXCUSES
In the days since the seditious insurrection at Capitol Hill, I have been observing the excuses the rioters were making to justify their treasonous actions. The most common excuse was saying they were performing their First Amendment rights. Really? Let’s make a list of things that resulted in their “First Amendment rights”. Five people dead (including a police officer), government property destroyed, trespassed, and ransacked, a legitimate session of Congress disrupted, many government officials and lawmakers (including the Vice President and the Speaker of the House) threatened, and American democracy was almost destroyed and replaced by a chaotic dictatorship. How are any of these crimes connected to the First Amendment? Also, my sister and brother-in-law live literally a mile away from Capitol Hill. That means if the chaos got any worse, they would have been caught in the crossfire. Fortunately, they managed to escape before things went too far, but it was too damn close. Almost destroying the country is bad enough, but potentially threatening the lives of my family is off the charts. I do not care what kind of excuses these traitors come up with. They nearly overthrew the government and put my loved ones in danger. Unforgivable!
THE STRANGEST ISLAND
When I wrote my dinosaur book, The Kaligen Experiment: Genesis, I wanted to create a dinosaur-infested island that was like no other. Kaligen Island is a completely manmade landmass that is as big as Connecticut. The area it sits on was originally open ocean for hundreds of miles in every direction. Thanks to terraforming technology, Kaligen Island was grown into existence and the most elaborate and isolated ecological laboratory was born. However, because of its synthetic composition, Kaligen Island’s landscape is broken, uneven, and some sections look semi-crystalline. To make Kaligen Island even more unique is the fact that the main island is surrounded by a mountainous ring. While the main island may be the size of Connecticut, the mountainous ring is a hundred feet above sea level and encircles the main island a hundred miles in every direction, isolating a section of sea from the rest of the ocean. Based on this, Kaligen Island is not a typical island; it is an island within an island. After its creation, Kaligen Island became home to not only reverse engineered dinosaurs, but also other reverse engineered mutations and monstrosities. When The Kaligen Experiment: Genesis comes out, you will get to see everything this perversion of nature has to offer.
ILLUSTRATOR FOUND
This morning, I finally found a viable illustrator for my dinosaur book. I will be consulting my attorney to consider our next course of action. It feels good to finally have an illustrator that suits my needs. If it all goes well, I might hire this illustrator for future projects. Wish me luck.
ILLUSTRATION PROCESS
While scouting for a potential illustrator for my dinosaur book, I have reached a certain conclusion. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find the right one. Some of the artists I contacted were either unavailable or they did not specialize in the art form I have been looking for. Does anyone know where I can find an illustrator who can do pencil sketches and is good at drawing dinosaurs? Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.
WHAT IS E750?
“Imagine. That one, a fraction of the size – deadly, intelligent, able to hide from the most advanced military technology. A living weapon unlike anything we’ve ever seen. “
Vic Hoskins, Jurassic World
In the second season of Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, we were introduced to one of Dr. Henry Wu’s side projects. The side project in question was labeled E750 and was kept in cryostasis somewhere on Isla Nublar. Some fans have been wondering what kind of creature is E750. In season one, while Brooklyn was looking through Dr. Henry Wu’s computer, it was revealed that E750 was connected to clinical trials.
However, I think E750 is connected to more than just a few clinical trials. I think E750 is another genetically modified hybrid like the Indominus Rex and the Indoraptor. If so, E750 may have been some kind of prototype that culminated in the creation of the Indominus Rex. On the other hand, E750 may be an early version of the Indoraptor since both Dr. Henry Wu and Vic Hoskins expressed interest in making a version of the Indominus Rex that was compact and every bit as dangerous as the original. However, when Jurassic World fell, Dr. Henry Wu was forced to take most of his research off site. Unfortunately, the good doctor clearly had to leave some of his other projects behind. With Vic Hoskins dead and his prototypes left behind, Dr. Henry Wu needed some other way to weaponize dinosaurs, which led to him working with Eli Mills in Fallen Kingdom.
Thanks to the usual antics of Kenji, E750’s cryostasis tank has lost power. At the end of the season, it is clear that E750 has escaped and is loose on Isla Nublar. While the kids try to find a way off Isla Nublar, they will also have to deal with whatever Frankenstein’s monster E750 is next season. I look forward to finding out what this mysterious creature is.
Grady P Brown - Author 