When I started to plan my first fantasy book, I wondered what kind of setting my fantasy world would be. Initially, I thought of making my fantasy world a kingdom, but that kind of setting has been used far too often. With this in mind, I thought who has more power, wealth, and influence than a king? The answer is an emperor, which is a rank and title that is at the top of the feudal system and outranks even a king. I therefore made my fantasy world an empire that consists of multiple kingdoms instead of just one.
Throughout medieval history, noble families would record and sometimes invent their family histories with genealogical charts. The picture above depicts the genealogical chart of the most powerful and longest reigning dynasty ever to rule England: The Plantagenets. It is depicts over three hundred years of Plantagenet family history. I am in the process of creating a genealogical chart for the Magnus Dynasty leading up to the upcoming third volume. I may even add it into the Magnus Dynasty Saga as an illustration.
When I wrote Numen the Slayer, I added an interesting feature to the ashes dragons leave in their wake. Dragon fire is well known for incinerating anything and everything it touches. However, from all that death and destruction comes the promise of new life. Like ashes created by forest fires and volcanoes, the ashes left by dragon fire is great fertilizer. In fact, due to the magical properties of these ashes, Dragon Ashes is the best and most coveted fertilizer in the Gradaian Empire. Wherever a dragon unleashes its fire, farmers and traders are not far behind, waiting to claim their share of the ashes. One kilogram of Dragon Ashes is enough to fertilize ten acres of land for a decade. Because Dragon Ashes is such a coveted fertilizer, farmers usually make pacts with dragons. In exchange for a percentage of their livestock, dragons would burn wood to provide the ashes.
At the start of Numen the Slayer, dragons were all but extinct and most of the Dragon Ashes were used up. After Numen the Slayer, Dragon Ashes become mass produced by newly revived dragons. As the years go by and Dragon Ashes becomes more common, the various lands of the Empire become increasingly more fertile, which promises more plentiful harvests than in previous years.
I have great news! Starting midnight tonight, both of my fantasy books, Numen the Slayer and The War of the Gilded Beasts will be FREE for five days. In addition, after those five days are up, both books will be discounted to $0.99 each for one month. I am conducting this giveaway and subsequent discount to celebrate the second anniversary of my first fantasy publication.
It has come to my attention that some of the hardcore fantasy authors such as J. R. R. Tolkein and George R. R. Martin created anthology stories that expand the history and lore of their respective fantasy worlds. Tolkein wrote the Silmarillion and Martin wrote The World of Ice and Fire as well as Fire and Blood. I am thinking of doing the same with my own fantasy world. When I wrote Numen the Slayer, I created a number of ways I could expand the history and lore of Gradaia. What I am planning to create is my own personal Silmarillion with several books revealing the history and lore of my ever expanding fantasy world.
One of the most significant events in my fantasy series is the Dark Death plague. It resulted in the death of half the empire’s population and eventually the fall of the Marvak Dynasty. Soon afterwards, the Dark Death mysteriously stopped abruptly seemingly without reason. Three hundred years later, modern historians and chroniclers regard the Dark Death as a simple disease. However, what if the worst and most horrifying pestilence Gradaia has ever known was not a natural occurrence? What if the true cause of the Dark Death was something so evil and unholy that it was purged from the history books forever? I am thinking of writing a prequel that will explore the true nature and history of the Dark Death and how its cause was forgotten by the empire. I may even foreshadow the possible return of this unknown cause.
I love action scenes especially if it involves medieval warfare. When writing Numen the Slayer, I thoroughly enjoyed depicting the Battle of Foxden, which was the main epic battle of the story. After watching and learning about so many medieval battles, I got a pretty good idea of what the Battle of Foxden would include. When two armies clash, it quickly descends into chaos. Blood and mud fly through the air as steel strikes steel. You are running through the battlefield dodging sword swings and stray arrows. Everyone becomes so covered in grime that you can no longer tell who is friend or foe. Some of your foes get killed in front of you, some you kill yourself, and a few accidentally kill their own comrades. Then the ground becomes so wet with mud and blood that it becomes too slippery to stand on. Writing all of these details allowed me to depict the Battle of Foxden as realistically as I could. I look forward to watching these writing skills grow as the years go by.
