Food of the Seven Kingdoms (Evandar)

 In my world building, I have thought a lot about food. It may seem silly to some authors and more than a few readers to spend my time thinking about what someone eats in a fantasy setting. Honestly, I didn't start out thinking about what my characters ate. At first, I just didn't consider it important. All it was to me at that time was background color for the story.

After all, I wasn't writing a cookbook. Then, as time went on and I looked at the fiction I had read and enjoyed, I realized that truly immersive settings were what I deeply enjoyed. These stories gave the characters greater depth and realism through the inclusion of daily activities. I have attempted to emulate these techniques in my writing. You can see a progression through the books that I have out as I included more details about the world.

I really think that it is forcing me to grow as an author. Asking questions about regional differences in the Seven Kingdoms lead to my describing clothing and climate. Then I found myself thinking no one in these stories sits down and eats. You have to eat to survive. I tried to put more scenes about food into my books. I don't think I've been as successful at that as I'd like to be. I acknowledge in some cases, it comes off as contrived and rather forced.

But, as I look at it all, I think about what the different regions have in common and what is unique to each one. I also have been thinking a lot about food because of my diabetes. Somehow, this turned into my questioning what food is popular in what region, what food is most common, and what do they use to season it. At one point, I started working on posting recipes that would have been served in the world of Evandar. 

I am going to pick that thread up again after some experimentation in the kitchen and a deep dive into the kinds of food you can find in our world. Research and experimentation is what promises to make a recipe work. It is my hope that I will stumble on to things that my kids will enjoy because they're picky eaters. I also hope that I will eventually have recipes that literally add flavor to what I'm writing. It's a tricky part of worldbuilding that most authors don't get to. I think, however, I am up for the challenge. Who knows, maybe a cookbook will come out of this fantasy series after all. Wouldn't that be funny?

New Umbrel Chronicles Volume Coming Soon!

 Dear Reader,

I've been unwell and busy over the last few days. I had a migraine that lasted two days and I was finishing up the publication prep and process for Edge of Night: Book V of the Umbrel Chronicles of Evandar. I will have links for you soon. 

Here's the blurb:

The desperate deception of Askemb was doomed to failure. As the forces loyal to the true Queen of Evandar try to plan their next move, the elf-woman Sideria makes an astonishing discovery deep in the heart of Dragonwood Forest. A discovery that could change the course of everything. In the White City, the High Council votes on Askemb's claim to rulership over Dakon-Bar and all of the Seven Kingdoms of Evandar. Treason awaits. Away to the east, the turncoat Douglas struggles towards redemption. Meanwhile, the deamon Axeron tightens his grip and bides his time until true Darkness falls on the world of men.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Just as I was about to hit post, the ebook has hit the market! Grab a copy and a cup of coffee. ♥

Flora & Fauna: Grains & Harvest Festivals.

 Dear Reader,

Not much is written in many fantasy (or other fictional books) about foot staples of the world. I try to correct that oversight by describing the cultural importance of things like grain and what different regions have for food. I was posting recipes that would come from different regions for a while until I kinda ran out of recipes because life got complicated. I'm hoping to resume this on a semi-regular basis in the fall after the kids go back to school.

Wheat in the central Evandari kingdom of Dakon-Bar is the primary grain staple but in the northern region that is the foothills of the Dragon's Teeth mountain range, barley and oats play a bigger role. Both of these grains ripen at approximately the same time (for the sake of my story's world building. In actuality, they ripen on slightly different schedules) and can be planted both in the spring and in the autumn. Seed put in the ground in autumn will winter over in the fallow fields and come up in spring to be ready to harvest approximately in mid-summer. Seed sown in spring pops up in autumn. 

The first harvest is of great importance to the people of Dakon-Bar. The First Harvest Festival is accompanied by feasting, bonfires, and feats of athleticism. The final sheaf of grain in the field is gathered by the people and presented with great solemnity to their liege lord as tribute. While the grain is commonly taken in as tribute, this ritual tithe is one that formally acknowledges the bonds of oath between liege lord and their subordinates down to the level of serf.

During the First Harvest Festival, it is common for squires to receive knighthood and for apprentices and journeymen to advance in rank in their guilds because they are recognized as completed their required season(s) of service for advancement. Many of the common folk count the First Harvest as their date of reckoning for the sake of their age, but this tradition is fading out and being replaced by counting Winters, as is done in many of the other six kingdoms of Evandar.

Where the final sheaf of grain is presented as tribute to the liege lord, the first one is dressed in ribbons and paraded around the field and town until it is presented as an offering to the goddess Roen. This offering is a celebratory thing, unlike the solemnity of the tribute to the liege lord. Songs accompany the first sheaf and people will bear torches with it in the course of its journey from the field to the temple. The torches represent the light of Sigurt, Roen's consort. It is a ritual protection of the fertility of the harvest from the withering touch of Morguthu, the god of decay and darkness. 

The first sheaf of grain will remain in the sanctuary of Roen's temple until it is time for planting. Then seeds will be given out from the sheaf to the people to perpetuate the prosperity and fertility of the harvest later in the year. If a community receives but one seed, it doesn't matter because the single seed carries the blessing of Roen to the entire field. Grain storage silos are dedicated to Roen and considered holy places, as are that which is associated with processing raw grain into foodstuffs. (That, however, is a topic for another day.)

Craft of Writing: Plan like you're going to storm Normandy.

 Dear Reader,

This was a bit of advice that my Grandfather gave me as I was struggling with how to write a huge paper in college. He looked over my notes, which were in disorganized piles, and made that statement before walking off. I then looked at my outline and back at my notes. With a measure of despair, I tried to match the piles of notes to the outline.

It wasn't working so well. And then something clicked in my brain. My outline was too vague. So, I sat down and drafted up another outline in greater detail, drawing from some crucial notecards in the messy pile before me. I repeated the process until my notecards were in a stack and my final outline was essentially my paper in bullet points.

I had some people in my life at the time who felt that they knew more about what I was writing on than I did. They had tried earlier to interfere with my efforts to plan out this paper. It was part of the reason why my notes were chaos and my outline was really about as cohesive as cheap washi tape. (You know, the pretty ribbon tape that sticks to nothing but itself, and it even does that badly.) At my Grandfather's advice, I worked in silence and (to a degree) secrecy on this paper. By the time I had that final outline done and it was time to write, I was well away from the persons who were trying to dictate from their assumptions the facts of my paper.

I've since taken that approach to big projects. Do the organizational work on my own, in privacy. Don't allow anyone not directly involved in the project access to it. Don't encourage commentary on your work habits except from persons you trust completely to give you reliable input. If it worked in the storming of Normandy, it will work for the Great Work that you're trying to complete, whatever it may be.

Flora & Fauna: The Poisoner's book 1

Dear Reader,

Just as there are herbals that talk about the plants that are good for healing and eating, there are ones that talk about poisons. There is one book that is famous in Evandar known only as the Poisoner's Book. It is a catalog of all known toxic and poisonous plants in that region. I haven't written out the legendarium section for this book because it includes 'real world' plants. I don't want someone to sit down and pick up a notebook I have and find a list of deadly plants and how to kill or injure people with them. There are something I can just leave in the real herbals and make it look less suspicious.

As I move forward, there will be excerpts from the Poisoner's Book posted that feature plants that are not 'real'. They will have the same subject line as this post. The plants in the poisoner's book have names that may seem strange or are very descriptive of what they do. (Strangler's plant, for example, is one with an obvious name. It isn't in the Poisoner's book because it is a vine used to make the rope for nooses, but the deadly plants that have obvious names are going to be that sort of obvious.)

These little 'excerpts' are being posed here as references for me and entertainment for you. I'm also going to post 'recipes' using these plants. The recipes are going to be based on actual historical recipes for things like ointments and such. I have a lot of notes about these kinds of things and I need to start putting them down somewhere that they can be useful. Unfortunately, this is not the sort of thing that I put into my Book Bible. But I have to put it somewhere, right? So, why not the blog, eh?

The excerpts will be part of a future book. I will let you all know when that book is in the works and ready for publication.

Flora & Fauna: The 'history' of Dragons

Dear Reader,

Dragons are amazing creatures. They are the cornerstone upon a great deal of fantasy literature is built. One could write a really informative and awesome post about the place of dragons in the genre. My first interaction with dragons aside from fairy tales was Anne McCaffery's Pern series. That, however, is all a tale for another day. The dragons of the Umbrel Chronicles of Evandar have always existed within that universe. Each culture within that universe has had some kind of contact with dragons and have different stories about how they relate to humanity and their origin.

The kingdoms of Evandar and Ranyth border each other. A mountain range that is named for dragons spreads along that boarder and then splits into two separate ranges along the northern borders of those kingdoms. The kingdoms share the same general religion, though there are regional variances in the practices. There is, however, a shared consensus that dragons are dangerous and to be avoided. In Evandar, they are said to be the children of the god of chaos and wind. In Ranyth, they are said to be servants of that god in his malevolent aspect. The folk memory of Ranyth recalls the Great War between the gods drawing out the dragons into combat.

It is a state secret, however, in Ranyth, that the royal household is under the protection of a great dragon. The marriage between Asriel and Erian included the royal family of Dakon-Bar, a sub-kingdom of Evandar, in the protectorate of dragons. This lead to the revelation of the dragon whose domain overlaps Dakon-Bar and gives the region it's name (for Dakon means dragon and -bar is a prefix that denotes a region as forested.) This is an ancient Evandari name for the place. At the heart of it all is a forest known in modern times as Dragonwood forest. Here is the dragon's lair, hidden beneath the hills and trees of the region.

In Ranyth, there are actually two dragons that reside in the region. In the north, is the dragon that is sister to the dragon of Dakon-Bar. This dragon is the matron guardian of the royal family of this kingdom. In the south, all but completely forgotten, is another dragon of a more malevolent nature. They sleep, hidden away within their lairs. For Ranyth was once a battleground between these two dragons during and prior to the Great War of the gods. That battle exhausted them and they have rested for over an Age. When they awaken again, as the dragon of Dakon-Bar has, they will reengage in their fight.

Evandari Seed Bread.

Photo from Pexels.com

The people of Evandar in the northern kingdoms have less access to wheat. They use seeds and nuts as the basis of their bread in many cases. This can result in a bread that is much like maslin bread where there is access to wheat or barley. It can also result in a bread similar to what people in northern Europe had during the late Paleolithic period.

Evandari cuisine is varied but they each have their staple dishes for the general region. Seed bread is one that can be found on the tables of any of the northern kingdoms and the northern regions of the central region. The wealthy stud theirs with dried fruit and spices. The poor just use what ever they can find in it.

Here is an approximation of Evandari Seed bread.

3 cups of coarsely chopped mixed nuts and seeds (ie: hazelnuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds).
5 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt

Beat eggs until well combined. Fold eggs into nuts with oil and salt. Turn into a parchment lined pan. Bake at 325 degrees for an hour. Cool in the pan and turn out when room temperature. When cool, slice and serve with jam.

Flora et Fauna

Hey, I almost forgot about today's topic!

I wanted to give you the opportunity to name a plant. Let me describe it for you.

It is a vine that grows over all but sandy soil. The leaves are shaped like grape leaves but get up to a foot across. It bears no fruit or flowers. It will, however, spread through runners and broken vine pieces. It climbs up trees and has reddish-brown colored roots that grip the tree or other surface it is climbing up. It will strangle the trees it climbs up, like Virginia creeper. It is harvested and retted in water for the bast fibers which are used in rope making. Unlike hemp or flax, this fiber has a uniform and long staple length. The water from the retting process can be used to dye wool a dark brown color. When combined with black walnut, the liquid will dye most fabrics black, except for that which would have been made from the fibers of this plant. That just turns brown from the black walnut.

Undyed, the fiber is tan color similar to old hemp. The rope made from this plant's fiber is used for one thing officially, nooses. Unofficially, it is braided into hemp ropes to make them stronger and used to make sailcloth in the southern regions of Evandar and Ranyth. It is mentioned by is by-name 'sail weed' there.

My question for you is, what does everyone else call it?

Summer's End: Harvest Festivals of Evandar

Image from Pexels.com

The autumn is a season of harvest. While the harvest of the world of Evandar is far more labor intensive than harvest in much of the real world, it is a time of largess and celebration (when the harvest is good). For the people of Evandar, autumn is considered to begin with the first major harvest of the major crop of the region.

Generally, this is the wheat or other grains that were planted as late in the last year as possible so that there is grain growing as soon as all is thawed. The practice was one that the people of northern Evandar developed to compensate for the challenges of the growing season in that mountainous region.

The first harvest celebration is known only as First Harvest. It is celebrated when the final field of early, ripe grain is harvested. A corn dolly is made and left standing in the field to draw the attention of mischievous spirits to the field rather than the places where the grain is stored. Sometimes, the corn dolly will be paraded around the field with great ceremony and people trying to douse the dolly with water. The general tone of the celebration is joyful. This is also a time when many marriages take place because the harvest is considered to be an auspicious time for weddings and they have no reached the time where multiple things are due for harvesting.

The second harvest celebration is a few weeks later. The second full moon of autumn is known as the Harvest Moon and under the light of it (and by the light of bonfires) there will be harvesting done out in the fields. At the same time, however, there are races, feasting, and celebrating. The Harvest Moon celebration is also one of the ones that is focused on fertility. A pregnant woman will be chosen as the Harvest Queen and sit upon a throne of sorts. She will for the evening outrank local nobility and, later, rule the time between Harvest Moon and the final celebration. The Harvest Queen is housed in the local noble's home as an important guest. When the final celebration comes, the Harvest Queen is sent back to her home with a chest that holds the donations and gifts of homage that she received. (Most often, the gifts and such are things that she would need to care for her child and manage her household.)

The final harvest celebration comes after the first frost that lasts beyond sunrise. This is known as the Cold Harvest. Some also call it the Blood Harvest. During this final harvest time, herds are thinned and meat is prepared for storage. Where the other celebrations are filled with joy and excitement, the Cold Harvest is a time of great solemnness. The Harvest Queen kills the first fatted stock animal with an invocation that the animal's death be taken by the bane-workers (the deamons) and the animal's blood keep their thirsty lips away from human throats.

Food of Evandar: Roast fowl with Herbs

Image from Pexels.Com

It has been a while since I posted any sort of recipe. It is also a day where, at my house, we are dealing with a snow storm and I am interested in not making a whole lot of pots to wash even as the kids want to help cook. After a little consideration, I realized that what I am making for dinner would be rather common fare in parts of my little world.

Now the name of this recipe is an indication of how common it is. It is, however, a little bit deceptive. In the middle ages in our world, herbs was used as a general term for all parts of a plant and pretty much all manner of plant. It was applied to what we consider vegetables, herbs, and fruit.

The recipe itself is exceptionally simple. I am making a relatively small portion here because I have a household of four people (which has two children who are somewhat picky eaters on a regular basis). It is possible to do this with a whole bird. I, however, am using two chicken quarters cut into pieces with enough chopped vegetables to fill a 12 in cast iron skillet. My 'herbs' here are potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and radishes. If you were making something that reflected the Middle Ages of our world, the potatoes and sweet potatoes would not be part of this because they didn't come into European cuisine until the Renaissance period. (This is because they are native to the New World, along with corn, modern squash, and tomatoes.)

In my little world, the variety of root vegetables used is pretty close to what you would expect for medieval Europe. They would also include tubers like cattail roots and the more exotic plants native to the world. Lower class people would be having this simple meal with a dash of what ever savory herbs they had collected in the wild (such as dill or fireweed). The upper classes would include more exotic things to their region. Thus, it could have peppercorns, salt, or cinnamon in it. The dish consists of a cleaned bird flattened and roasted upon a bed of root vegetables with spices mixed into the vegetables and upon the bird. The bird would have butter rubbed on it and the root vegetables would be mixed with a portion of oil sufficient to coat them and enough water to keep them from burning to the pan.

The pan would then be covered and cooked at a moderate temperature until the bird was cooked fully. For our purposes, this would be approximately an hour at 350 degrees F. When I added oil to the vegetables, I tossed them with it and some pepper, salt, thyme, and paprika. I then added approximately a cup of water. The chicken was set upon the vegetables. I spread about a tablespoon of butter over all four pieces of chicken. It is probably a little excessive, but I'm not going to deny myself a little luxury after a long day with two boys having a snow day from school. I put the salt, pepper, and thyme on the chicken. I also added garlic instead of paprika.

I covered my pan with aluminum foil because the pot lid that fit it would not cover the pot completely with the chicken in the pan. You want to make sure that your chicken and meat combination is well covered so that the steam from everything helps cook it more completely. When finished, you would serve the chicken with the tender veggies along side. I am also going to be making a loaf of soda bread to go with it. I haven't decided yet if soda bread is a common thing or not, but in the world of Evandar, a loaf of bread would be served with this, as with any meal.

Given the heaviness of the root vegetables, you could do well to serve this with a hard cider. You could also do well to replace the water in this recipe with chicken broth or hard cider. I'm sure that you would get a good result from adding onions to the mix. (I was going to put onion in but then discovered that my onion had gone bad in the depths of the refrigerator sometime last week.)

Food of Evandar: Nine Day Porridge.

Something from my kitchen: Chickpea-Red Lentil Chili

Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot
Nine days old.
~ English Nursery Rhyme

In the old days of merry old England, peas were known as pease. They were used to make, among other things, porridge. Now, most people today think that porridge is another word for oatmeal. This is fairly accurate in a historical sense, but it doesn't really cover just what the deal with this food was. Please forgive me as I indulge in a bit of history about pease and porridge.

Porridge was the common man's fare. It was also the food of the elite. The difference between the two dishes was the quality of the ingredients and spices used. Porridge was a very simple dish to begin with. That thick gruel that people think of when they think of this food is pretty close to the most basic version. It was not always the consistency of wall paper paste. It was prepared by cooking oats or barley with some sort of liquid. During the cooking process, the dry grain would absorb the liquid and become more palatable (and less likely to cause you to have problems with gas).

This dish could also be prepared with dried beans and legumes (peas, lentils, etc.). In both cases, it was a slow cooking time. It was the one thing for the day, in many cases. One would eat porridge for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, if they had enough that is. It was usually made with a mixture of beer and broth. Water was not generally used because it was not frequently enough to be spared from other important tasks (like watering crops and keeping livestock alive). Like maslin bread (which I will be posting about next week after I finish my research as to a proper recipe and potential experimentation with said recipe), porridge usually was a mixture of what was on hand. It was also something that was kept on the fire and added to each day as needed.

That porridge from the first day may have started out heavy on the barley, root vegetables, and some fish caught from a local stream in a weak beer base. The second day may see more root vegetables added, milk (if it were in season), and some herbs that were from the kitchen garden. The third day may find mushrooms (if it were in season) and bones from the mutton that was cooked alongside it. Similar things would continue, supplementing the dwindling supply from the original batch made until you had something entirely different several days later. This practice of adding new ingredients as the time went on would have added depth of flavor and served to make it remain an interesting meal.

If the idea of keeping essentially the same batch of food cooking over an extended period of time sounds a little curious to you and you think it is something of the dark ages, you would be woefully incorrect. There are cooks who do this with soup. Not just people who are trying to squeeze every last penny out of their food budget mind you. (Though this thrifty practice is what made things like the continual pot of soup on the stove able to turn stuff like cheese rinds and carrot tops into edible components during the Great Depression.) It is also done in several very high end eateries.

Nine Day Porridge doesn't have to be something you fashion over the course of nine days. If you are in a hurry and want that complex flavor in one day, try out the following. And if you have leftovers, don't toss them. Just put them in the next pot of soup to help make it richer.

Nine Day Porridge: Quick Version

Ingredients:
1 15 oz can of navy beans
1 15 oz can of chili (with or with out beans)
1 15 oz can of split pea soup (plus 1 can of water)
1 medium carrot, chopped roughly
1 small potato, chopped roughly
1/2 cup of diced cooked ham
1/2 cup of diced cooked chicken
1 tsp of your favorite spice blend (I like the Mrs Dash with garlic in it.)

In a dutch oven, mix your ingredients. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until heated through. If you wish to convert this to a crock pot recipe, use a large crock pot. Cook on low heat for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Add an additional can of water.

Serve this with fresh bread. Something like a dark German rye bread would be somewhat similar to what people in Evandar (or in the middle ages) would have eaten if they were in the middle class. A rustic wheat sourdough loaf with white flour would have been more like what the upper class would have had. Your beverage would be hard cider or beer. Given the flavors with this, I would lean towards beer.

Flora et Fauna: Resemblance to Earth

Some would cry foul on my making the majority of the life on Evandar to be akin to what we find on Earth. It could perhaps be declared the penultimate version of laziness when the number of unique creatures and plants I devise are actually a very small percentage of the life forms that would be found on this world. If it is laziness, then I am going to do my best to make this the most glorious bit of laziness to be found in print.

There actually is a solid reason why I place so much in this world to make it a fantastic parallel to our world. Human beings arose within a fairly specific evolutionary context. While this is fantasy that I am writing and my humans are not going to be identical to those from Earth except by fiat or deus ex machina, I am not comfortable dropping humans into a fantastic world with out any of the evolutionary cohort they developed with. I could just cast such considerations to the wind and spin out my tales with out this often ignored or assumed aspect. Many authors have and done so with great success in their works.

I, however, felt the need to place my human characters into a situation where it was as Earth-like as possible with out being a complete copy. Humans have evolved with specific biological systems in place to process certain things for their survival. These things arose due to a specific set of ecological pressures, which promoted one set of traits over the course of evolution. You can not have a human with out those ecological pressures and traits. You will have something that will be human-like but it will not be truly human.

The world of Evandar is very different from Earth. It has a system of three natural satellites which influences things such as tides and nocturnal conditions. It is in orbit about a binary star system. (The second star is a ultra cool Brown Dwarf star and is not visible due to the glare from the larger main star of the system which is a Main Sequence star, like our Sun.) This also has an influence on tides but the combined effects of the triple moons and the dual stars serves to, for the most part, balance out each other and have oceanic tides that are for the most part like Earth's.

There are arctic, tundra, temperate, sub-tropical, and tropical zones. The continent that Evandar is located on spans a reach between arctic in the northernmost extremes to the tropics in the southernmost extreme. It is but one of several continents of varying size. All of these different climates and their myriad sub-climates (and countless micro-climates) have features both familiar to us and foreign. I do my best to keep the exotic elements in harmony with what we have in the real world so that my fantasy world is at least somewhat realistic. I am still in the midst of deciding the lay out of the other continents and the defining details of the different regions. I don't think I am a fool for following what I learn about Earth's climates and various regions.

Honestly, a good deal of what my exotic life forms are like is based pretty heavily in what sort of exotic life forms we can find in our own world. When we have creatures that live for an indeterminately long lifespan with out human intervention (I'm looking at you, Galapagos tortoises.) and creatures that clearly operate with a human like intelligence but in an alien fashion (ohai dolphins, how are you, you magnificent creatures?), is it really such a shock to consider that creatures of such a nature can be found on another world? Yes, my exotic creatures are strange and definitely alien. But if you take a peek in the ocean's depths or the florid complexity of the tropical rainforests, you can find lifeforms that are no less strange and alien.

History of the World (part 1)

I will confess, the title of this post is an homage to that hilarious Mel Brooks movie of the same name. If you haven't seen it, rent it and watch it. His take on the Spanish Inquisition is almost as off the wall as Monty Python's.

The geological history of the planet that Evandar is located on is quite similar to that of Earth's history. A cataclysmic event happened in the early epoch that killed off the very large creatures that lived during this time, except for a small population that adapted to the changes. They are scattered through out the world. The sentient population which was functionally decimated are what is known as greater wyrms or dragons. The population of the survivors that were not self aware (and actually were feed for the greater wyrms during the time of desolation that followed the event) are the lesser wyrms. The greater wyrms are solitary creatures, partly due to the vast distances between the enclaves that were present and partly due to their disinclination towards each other's company after spending the better part of no less than three Ages. (An Age is counted as 5,000 years. A day on this planet is approximately the same as a day on Earth and the orbit of the planet is equivalent to that of Earth's orbit about the Sun.)

There is buried evidence of the societies of the greater wyrms. The megolithic structures used by early humans were the ruins of their buildings. There is a language that the greater wyrms used to communicate during their time surviving the period of global desolation. It is unknown by humans, elves, or deamons. Because the greater wyrms are beings of primordial power and greater age than the demigods, they are regarded with great caution by the demigods. There was a period early after the arrival of the demigods in the world where the greater wyrms assisted them with the development of skills necessary to survive in the world. After ensuring that the demigods had what they needed to live within the world, the greater wyrms, for the most part, withdrew for interaction with the world.

The demigods watched over the rise of humans. There were groups of humans who worshiped the demigods as deities in their own right. This, however, came to a halt when the deities made their presence known in the world at the beginning of what is known as the the First Age. (Evandar at the time of book one is in the Fifth Age. It is in the beginning of what is the second Age after the Great War.) The deities of the world were more than those of Evandar (Sigurt, Roen, Kaileth, and Morguthu).

The Great War was a two continent wide war between Morguthu and Sigurt. It lasted for a hundred years. The Great War began when the deamons began a wide spread campaign to steal human children to warp with their magics and turn into slaves, which were eventually known as deamon thralls. During the Great War, the seven kingdoms of Evandar consolidated into the greater kingdom of Evandar. This was an attempt to prevent the destruction of the member kingdoms. The first high king of Evandar was an avatar of Sigurt named Sigurt the Gold. He was wedded to an avatar of Roen, who bore the goddess's name, who was a powerful sorceress. Through diplomacy and appeals to the continuance of human liberty, the seven kingdoms united under Sigurt the Gold.

Prior to their union, the forces of men were guided by the elves. Freyr Greenwood, the king of the elves of Dragonwood forest, was the principle agent of leadership. He held council with Agrimmon of the halls beneath the hills of Dakon-Bar and with the elfin queen of the north known as Sulia the White. Sulia the White's forces were drawn from the mountains in the north of Evandar and Ranyth. These forces, however, were among those who were slaughtered in the disastrous campaign on the Marches of Elspar and Corinth. That was the first of the grief that came in those lands. I have spoken of the sad fate of Llyrian and his kin earlier[1].

The battles about the Sea of Dreams (which is a byname for the sea which has claimed countless lives since men and elf has begun to sail it, its name among the elves is the Cursed Sea) were horrific. They lead to the breaking of nations. One battle, however, was particularly horrific. It was that of the Crystal city. Three of the elves were taken prisoner from the three armies that opposed the deamons in Evandar. Of the three, the youngest escaped the death that awaited them after the deamon Axeron had taken them into custody and attempted to learn what the movements of the armies were planned.

This union of kingdoms signified the beginning of a shift of the Great War in favor of the human and elfin forces. The deamons fought hard but eventually forced into the cursed marshlands known as the Darklands to the humans of modern Evandar. In that age, these lands were unnamed and uncursed, as far as holdings of the deamons could be considered to be uncursed. Within the Darklands, there was a city simply known as the black city or Mordri in the language of Evandar. This city was the site of the final battle of the Great War where in the deamons were banished by Roen's magics, aided by the elves, into the void space of reality known as the outer darkness.

After the Great War came to an end, the avatars of Sigurt and Roen brought peace and healing through the seven kingdoms. When they cast off their mortal forms, the spider politics of the council became even more twisted. It was not long after then that arguments arose within the southern kingdoms of Evandar. It was near this time that the people of Freyr Greenwood (who had died in the battle prior to that of the black city) withdrew from the world of men and ventured east. The youngest of them argued that the duty of the elfin peoples was to care for humanity. She was scorned. Thus, as her kinsmen traveled east, she remained within Evandar's boundaries in the place of her birth.

Locales: Moesia

Moesia is the southernmost of the Seven Kingdoms. Stretching along the southern border of Evandar from the Shattered Mountains to where the Dragon's Spine mountain range meets the Vreth Sea. A narrow kingdom compared to the others of the Seven Kingdoms, Moesia's lands are primarily those at the edge of the sea. The major industries of Moesia are trade, mining, and fishing. To the north, Moesia borders Dakon-Bar. Near the heart of Moesia is the much smaller kingdom of Graleryn, all that remains of that kingdom which had once been the eastern border.

Moesia's fame lies in the blood stained history of the lands. The rocky lands to the east and western portions of Moesia are sources of great wealth and important resources. Many battles were fought over control of those resources. Prior to the establishment of the kingdom, there were also battles between those who lived along the coast and the inland people. Moesia was established as a kingdom during the Great War of the last age in a desperate attempt to preserve the people against the encroaching armies from the west.

Originally, it was half the size it is now, with the eastern most border falling at where the Rock peninsula is located. On the western side of the Rock, there are shallow waters and much of the fishing trade is poor. On the eastern side, however, the waters are deeper and the harbors are better suited to larger ships.  The sailors of the western coastal waters have a reputation as fierce raiders. This reputation is well earned, though the raiding parties no longer harry the eastern coastal waters but rather the lands elsewhere about the Vreth sea.

One of the warmer lands of the Seven Kingdoms, Moesia's climate is far more temperate than that of the northern kingdoms. The lack of substantial farm lands, however, puts Moesia in something of a disadvantage. The people of this kingdom are known for their hardiness and their ability to adapt to situations. This flexibility makes soldiers from Moesia particularly difficult to defeat because they are opportunists and will use unconventional means to achieve their goals.

Another reason Moesia is known is because it is the location of Gaulrin. The city of Gaulrin is home to a mining operation of exceptional cruelty and violence. The mining is predominantly done by prisoners and slaves. Gaulrin is known for hanging particularly violent offenders of their laws outside the city walls as a method of execution and a warning that they will not tolerate disobedience. This practice has had some infamous parties executed through it. It is also the reason why a noose is known as the Gaulrin necklace through out most of the Seven Kingdoms.

Locales: Swavia

The kingdom of Swavia is the smallest of the Seven Kingdoms of Evandar. Irregularly shaped, the borders of Swavia follow the Shattered Mountains, bordering Aelethmer where the range begins. Surrounded by the mountain range, the hilly lowlands of the kingdom are places of mediocre quality farming. Swavia is not a very populous kingdom. It does, however, have a higher number of thralls per citizen ratio. This is because of Swavia's mining industry.

Slaves are predominately the source of labor in the mines. Swavia does not have a the same population of foresters within its borders as neighboring countries, such as Dakon-Bar (which lies to the north-east) or Moesia (which is south of Dakon-Bar and east of Swavia.) This is partly due to the fact that the forests of Swavia are not as dense of these kingdoms. It is also due to the policy that criminals are enslaved. The high slavery rate of Swavia is something that other kingdoms within Evandar are of mixed feelings on. Under the reign of Erian Talasid, prior to the incursion of the Cordid or the war with Askemb the Usurper, Swavia was a place that was tolerated due to treaties by kingdoms with low slavery rates. Tarsus and Dakon-Bar, with the lowest slavery rates, were consistently at opposition with Swavia in most matters during this period. 

The kingdom of Gwohawr, which wraps about the southernmost border of Swavia up to meet Galeryn, has the second highest rate of slavery, followed by Moesia, and has been Swavia's most staunch supporters. Swavia's metals trade and precious jewels trade makes the upper class very wealthy and the lower classes a bit more well off than those of the neighboring kingdoms. Swavia is divided by the Shadowmer river that cuts from Galeryn along a northeast to southwest track into Ackmere before returning through southernmost Swavia and running into Gwohawr. The Shadowmere river is the largest river in the western kingdoms of Evandar.

Along its banks and in its floodplains are prosperous towns, rich farmlands, and a few large cities. This region is in many ways the bread basket of Swavia. The prices for grain in Swavia are shockingly high compared to other regions due to the poor growing conditions there. The only kingdom that comes close in its prices for grain is the mountainous kingdom of Tarsus in the northeast of the Seven Kingdoms.

Locales: Ackmere

Ackmere is the south-westerly kingdom of Evandar's seven that borders Swavia and Aelethemer to the north, Moesia to the east, and the region known as the Darklands to the south. On the western side of Ackmere are the grasslands that lead to the desert known as the Waste. Where the grasslands north of Ackmere are claimed as part of Aelethmer's domain, the ones on the border of Ackmere are not claimed as part of that kingdom but rather reserved for the people who were ancestrally displaced from the Darklands during the Great War of the last Age. Officially, these people are free and not tied to any kingdom. In practice, however, they align with Ackmere. They, however, are not part of the seven kingdoms that make up the greater kingdom of Evandar.

In the north of Ackmere, where the pinnacle of the boundary meets Aelethmer, the foothills of the Shattered Mountains roll. There is a region of six lakes that are heavily sheltered by the hills from the bitter winters of the north. These lakes are known as the tears of Roen, for local folklore states they were formed by her tears as she walked the world and saw the evil Morguthu brought. Around these lakes, there are vineyards. This is where Ackmere's wine production predominantly happens. The wines of Ackmere are considered to be almost as good as those of Aelethmer.

The mountains of the Shattered Mountains range march through the eastern side of Ackmere. They divide the kingdom into two regions. The western side of Ackemer is approximately two thirds of the kingdom. The western region with its hills are known for the sheep and goats that reside there. The villages and towns of western Ackmere are predominantly places where fabric is fashioned and traded. In the city of Crookdown, the largest center of fabric trade of the seven kingdoms is located. Exotic fabric, such as silk from the distant lands of Pannonia in across the sea, first come into the kingdom here. While Ackmere is not favored with ports, it is part of a great trading route that moves through the lands about the great sea.

Eastern Ackmere is a place where timber is traded. The trees of the southernmost part of the kingdom are rare, for they have grown in the bogs that reach into the realm known as the Darklands. The bog wood is reputed to possess magical powers. It is also extremely durable and resistant to rot. There are also orchards in eastern Ackmere that are famed for their fruit. The plums of eastern Ackmere are fashioned into a wine that is popular through out the seven kingdoms for its sweetness. Eastern Ackmere is considered to be the gateway to the inner kingdoms. The trade routes through the Shattered Mountains are well policed with a dedicated force that answers to the king.

The monarchy of Ackmere is a matrilineal one. The rule of the kingdom is handed down from mother to daughter. The queens of Ackmere have an established reputation as ruthless and devious enemies of their foes. The sitting queen is living up to her reputation with her merciless rule over her lands. Malcontents are found out and punished when they speak out against the queen. The queen is also known for the fact that she has ridden out into battle, leading her troops personally. The king of Ackmere is generally more of a consort figure with substantially less power, though in theory he is the queen's equal.

In the entire history of Ackmere, there has only been one known battle between the queen and her king. This battle has been remembered as a bloody civil war between west and east Ackmere. The conclusion of the civil war brought a considerable reduction to the king's power. Indeed, that king was imprisoned by the queen and died under suspicious circumstances.

Flora et Fauna: Gryphons

Gryphons are considered mythical creatures by the people of Evandar. The tales about them describe them as a cross between an eagle, dragon, and great cat. In the north, the cat is the pumas that roam through out the region. In the south, the cat is the bobcats (which are slightly smaller than the pumas and disinclined towards resting in trees). Every story, however, describes gryphons to be carnivorous and generally creatures of foul temperament. The life cycle of gryphons alters in what region the stories come from. In the north, they are said to have hatched from eggs. In the south, they are said to have been birthed in litters akin to what cats have. In either case, the juvenile gryphon is said to be self sufficient upon its entrance into the world. They are described, functionally, as smaller versions of the adults. Females are said to be particularly nasty towards humans.

The gryphon is a description of an animal that once existed during the First Age. They were formed by the magic of the Deamons and attended their makers/masters much like dogs attend to their owners. Mature gryphons were the size of a horse. They possessed the wings of a true dragon, though they were feathered like an eagle's wing. Their heads were like that of an eagle and their bites could sever limbs easily. They also possessed the ability to spit venom a considerable distance. Their lower body was akin to that of a great cat, complete with claws and a tail. The immature gryphons had the coloration and appearance of a bobcat. Once they reached the size of a pony, however, they shed the bobcat look and looked more like pumas.

Gryphons were considered abhorrent abominations. With the defeats of the Deamons in the Great War, the magical construct of the gryphon destabilized and turned into egg shaped stones. These stones are collected and used for malevolent folk magic. There is no trace of the magical power that shaped the gryphons in these stones, though they look exotic compared to the stones of the region. The stones were small enough to fit in a large man's hand with room to spare. They appear to be fashioned from raw crystal shot through with random dark lines. The gryphon stones are generally considered ill luck and even the most greedy of people will not handle them. Indeed, some people have fashioned facsimile gryphon stones for the purpose of terrifying the receiver. These fake gryphon stones, however are not shot through with the dark lines. 

Locales: Aelethmer

Aelethmer is the northwestern kingdom of Evandar. It abuts Tarsus in the northeastern region of it, then the kingdom of Dakon-Bar on the southeastern region. The southern region of Aelethmer borders Swavia. The western side of this kingdom extends to encompass the northern portion of the plain that stands before the desert known as the Waste until it reaches the northern most tip of Ackmere that touches both Swavia and Aelethmer.

The northernmost regions of Aelethmer are mountainous. The foothills of the mountains cover approximately a third of the kingdom. These foothills extend south and very slightly to the west. In a crescent, the plain reaches from the northwest end of the foothills to the border with Swavia and down to the southern most portions of this kingdom. The southeastern region is rocky terrain with another set of hills. The southern hills of this region allows one to catch a glimpse of a small mountain range that marches through Ackmere and into Moesia.

The northern mountains of Aelethmere are the source of a significant marble industry. The foothills and the great lake Isleth (rumored to have been created from the tears of the widows of the Great War from the last age) provide suitable fertile ground for wine production. The wines of Aelethmere are considered to be superior to those of other regions. It is a major industry of this kingdom. In addition to wine, however, Aelethmere is known for its wool production. It is also home to gold mining and goldsmithing in the southeastern region. This, however, is a very minor part of Aelethmer's income. The forested foothills of both mountain ranges (the Dragon's Spine to the north and the Shattered Mountains to the south) provide a significant industry in lumber. This, however, is not as substantial as that of  Swavia, as the wood from Aelethmer is considered to be 'common' quality.

Aelethmer is ruled by a king who is born of the lineage of the first king. Succession is patrilineal. They are one of the oldest kingdoms in the western portion of Evandar. Aelethmerian politics are almost as complex as the politics of the Council of Seven. Aelethmer is divided into six duchies with five earldoms in each duchy and varying numbers of vassals in each earldom. The six duchies have representatives that make up the Inner Council of the King. This council advises the king on matters of domestic affairs and state. International affairs are discussed in the Grand Council, where the duchies have two representatives and the earldoms each have one. It is the Grand Council who nominates the ambassador to the Council of Seven at Tor Caldri.

Aelethmer is a modified absolute monarchy. The judicial system is based upon the vassals of the monarch having rule over their vassals. When a matter requires arbitration, their overlord sits in judgment. There have been very few matters that have risen to the king's final judgment. Generally, vassals are reluctant to challenge their overlord by appealing to the one above them. This, however, does happen on time to time. Generally, it results in either the claimants being sent away to different fiefdoms or, on occasion, the execution of the loser. The vassal who had their decision overturned are given a rebuke. This results in the loss of prestige and ability to persuade the Grand Council on any major matters in direct relation to the number of rebukes they have received. In the history of Aelethmer, there have been earls and knights who have been stripped of their titles because they have such a poor record of judgment.


Aelethmer is known as one of the moderately prosperous kingdoms of Evandar. They are in lands that have been, for much of recent history, been peaceful. Aelethmer is frequently considered to be 'fat and lazy' by their eastern neighbors because of how insulated they have been from strife. Still, on the Council of Seven, Aelethmer is well regarded for their tacit and ability to skillfully manage economic scenarios. They are known in Tor Caldri as the House of Coin for how frequently representatives from Aelethmer have been appointed to monitor and manage the royal treasury of the High King.

Locales: Tarsus

Tarsus is the mountainous petty kingdom in the northeastern region of Evandar. It borders Dakon-Bar on the south, the kingdom of Ranyth on the east, and the petty Evandari kingdom of Aelethmer on the west. Tarsus is the home of the city of Tor Caldri, known as the White City. Tor Caldri is the ancient site of the ruling high king's palace and the council of the ruling clans of the seven kingdoms. Tor Caldri is one of the oldest cities in the entire kingdom of Evandar.



Tarsus's rule is matrilinal. The current monarch is the nephew of the previous queen, who continues to reside in the royal palace with her husband. They serve as advisors to the present king and stand above the privy council in their status. The ruling family of Tarsus hails from a clan descendant from the hero Wulfgar the Black. He is the founder of clan Morwulfen (Black Wolf) and of the clan Svart-Ulfr (also Black Wolf). The division between clans Morwulfen and Svart-Ulfr came when Wulfgar's legitimate children came into conflict with his illegitimate children. The legitimate descendants became Svart-Ulfr and the illegitimate descendants became Morwulfen.



The Svart-Ulfr are more heavily influenced by their common ancestry with the Kordid then Morwulfen. They hold the throne of Tarsus by force of arms. A tenuous truce was brokered between Morwulfen (who are more closely tied to the original Evandari who lived in the region prior to the Great Flight of the Kordid in the era not long before the Great War of the last Age) and Svart-Ulfr where in Morwulfen's chief is honored as one of the high dukes of the realm. In theory, they could have a claim to the throne of Tarsus as one of the dukes but it would only be accepted if the ruling dynasty died out.



When Askemb ascended to the seat of chief of Morwulfen following the death of his father (under suspicious circumstances), relations between the two clans chilled considerably. Askemb retains his holdings in Tarsus following his capture of Dakon-Bar. The ruling king of Tarsus has yet to decide if he will move to divest Askemb of his holdings in that kingdom. Askemb, when asked, will state he holds a legitimate claim upon the throne of Tarsus. He will state nothing more beyond this.



Within the Svart-Ulfr clan, there is a faction that is pushing for patrilinial rule. They are descendants of a branch of the ruling family that is viewed with some suspicion because of their cordial ties with clan Morwulfen. Their push for patrilinial rule is justified by the fact that Morwulfen has ruled in this fashion since the last age and this was supposedly the way the rulers of the last Age handled such matters, thus the argument is that it is what Wulfgar would have recognized. The present king of Tarsus is childless and has made no statements on the matter, leaving many to guess what his position is.



The Svart-Ulfr clan is tied to the Talisid clan that had been rulers of Dakon-Bar until their overthrow by Askemb of Morwulfen. The ties are of indirect kinship and intermarrying by highly placed families in both clans. Erian of Talisid, the High King of Evandar that was elected by the council of nine and true born king of Dakon-Bar, fostered with the previous king of Tarsus. From this came a fast friendship with the prince who was then forced into exile at the beginning of the war with the Kordid as they stormed into Evandar by way of eastern Tarsus and the no-man's land of the peaks of the Dragon's Spine, the mountain range that forms the border between Evandar and Ranyth.



The colors of Svart-Ulfr crimson and ash grey. The standard bears two spears crossed with their points upward on a field of crimson. This is in honor of Wulfgar's legendary prowess with this weapon. The colors of Morwulfen are black and gold. The standard bears a black wolf's head upon a gold field. The wolf is for Wulfgar and the gold reflects Morwulfen's continued stance that they are the legitimate claimants to the throne of Tarsus. Wulfgar the Black's personal standard was a field of gold and crimson divided upon the right and left. Upon that field, there was a black wolf's head and crossed spears behind it.

Places in the World and Cultures

In the world of Evandar, there is a level of technology that is approximately equivalent to what was in the world during the middle ages (5th - 15th cent CE). The region that the first books take place in are a rough analog to Europe. I have other regions that will be approximately like other cultures from that period of history. Some of them, you might have glimpsed in the stuff I have shared here.

The Horse Lords (One tribe named for Minghaa, others yet to be named) are roughly based off of the Huns.

The Cordid/Kordid are a bit of an homage to Tolkein's Rohirrim, but I will be keeping them tied to their seafarer roots. Stories are due about how they were driven away from the sea.

Elspar is those of the Cordid who were not driven away by the first wave of invaders from the south and the descendants of those invaders. It will be loosely patterned after Italian culture from this era with a measure of Gallic and Germanic influences.

Corinth on the eastern edge of the sea and south of Elspar is going to be my analog to Byzantium, with a few notable changes. It is an opulent and wealthy kingdom that technically is a satellite of the empire of Caer Dodth, but powerful enough that it functions as its own entity.

The empire of Caer Dodth stretches along the southern landmass below the sea of shadows (whose northern shores are Evandar and Ranyth) until it reaches near the isthmus of night. It is how I envision the Roman empire would have been if they remained into the middle ages.

The isthmus of night is so named because it is accursed ground. On both sides of the isthmus is a region known as the Darklands. On the northern side, there is a great stretch of marshlands known as the fens. The people who live there are patterned roughly after various aboriginal cultures from around the world. Outside of the fens, the Darklands are peopled by the remnants of various cultures that had gone before and served the will of the Deamons.

West of the kingdom of Evandar is a desert known as The Waste. Across this desert lies Dacia. Dacia is a mishmash of pseudo-arab cultures as handed down through the imagination of Western society. There are other peoples both within the Waste and beyond it that ring truer to the Arab cultures of antiquity (as far as I can research them).

From what I know of the state of our world during the era we call the middle ages, I am attempting to place the world of Evandar in a similar context. There will be remnants of an earlier time scattered here and there. The elves will show, like Sideria and her knapped stone arrowheads, evidence of that earlier time. It will be a bit tricky, I know, to build this level of complexity but I think the end results will be well worth it.