Hello everyone! I hope you’ve all been well. Another month has gone by so that means I’m due to provide you with an update!
It’s been a wild, crazy month full of creativity. I’m happy to announce I’ve finalised the maps of each Sarcadian continent! The completion of my cartography journey has ignited a creative flare that continues to burn strongly. I’ve seen an increase in my writing productivity and there’s no signs of it slowing down.
But before we dive deeper into the realm of Sarcadia, let’s take a moment to have a quick chat about Miss Zoya –
She’s keeping me (slightly) sane as I get lost in my fantasy world. It’s nice to have a cat or an animal around to keep you company as you’re writing during the day or typing away manically at night.
It’s also nice when she doesn’t sit in front of my monitor or on my keyboard…
Enough about cats. Let’s talk maps!
Rykhart – The Sarcadian Giant
I had some concerns when creating Rykhart’s map as I spent a lot of time working on Alibrium, the second larger continent on Sarcadia. I found the process a bit frustrating, which I only have myself to blame for only having a partial vision of Alibrium’s design would be like. I immediately assumed Rykhart, the largest continent on Sarcadia, would take double the time to complete.
Unlike Alibrium, I had already mapped out 80% of Rykhart in my head.
Unlike Alibrium, Rykhart’s map took half the amount of time for me to do!
Here is Rykhart in all its vast glory!
See, I told you it was big! Let’s dive into a bit of history (and I mean, a bit!)
Rykhart, formally known as Dektundra, is home to some of the largest species of animals in Sarcadia. It’s also home to giants – humanoids who grow to an average ten feet tall.
Rykhart was once ruled by cannibalistic Ogres who enslaved the human population. The people of Rykhart were freed by Atriarch during his conquest of Sarcadia. When the All-Father ascended to the Realm of Light, Rykhart became home to Sarcadia’s bloodiest battles and power-hungry empires.
Dektundra was renamed Rykhart following the marriage between Kaiser Rykard Heidermann of Rykland and Grand Duchess Annalise Everhart of Hartland. Their “love story” ended three years later upon the suspicious death of the Ryken leader. Rykhart was split in two: West Rykhart and East Rykhart, and the powerful empires of Rykland and Hartland would be broken down further due to rebellions and uprisings.
Hartland
Hartland was once made up of fourteen Duchies who decided it was better to control the country together instead of fighting over it. For years the eight “superior” duchies of eastern Hartland bullied the “inferior” six duchies of western Hartland. Civil war would eventually break out, resulting in the founding of Edaleen.
Despite losing a third of its land, Hartland continues to thrive and exists as an “elective monarchy”. The Duchies vote for a “Grand Duke or Grand Duchess” to rule Hartland until they abdicate, die, or if the Duchies remove their leader following a vote of no confidence.
Edaleen
Edaleen is one of the youngest countries in Sarcadia. The Edalese were very peaceful people and their leaders were always fair and just. Many considered Edaleen to be a beacon of harmony until Queen Angelique Dubois came to power.
The fear of aging and paranoia about being usurped would drive Queen Angelique into the arms of the Cardinal. She would be turned into a vampire by Thomas Torino. Under the bloody rule of “Night Queen of Edaleen”, Edaleen is now a haven for Sarcadia’s second largest vampiric population.
Rykland
Rykland was one of the most powerful empires in Rykhart, controlling West Rykhart at the peak of their prime. Their ruler and founder, Kaiser Rykard Heidermann, used fearful tactics to rule his subjects and defeat his enemies. This included the use of dire wolves in battle as well as the recruiting werewolves into his army.
Rykland’s empire would crumble following a series of rebellions from the people they oppressed. Today, the country is only a quarter of its former size as a result of being slowly conquered by Rusovania. Rykland believes the next invasion from the new West Rykhart powerhouse could end their existence.
Rusovania
Rusovania is the largest country in Rykhart. They are a proud, fearless nation founded by Ivan Rusov, who led a violent uprising against their Ryken suppressors. It has been a long tradition of Rusovania to heavily fortify their borders before launching a strong offensive. They’ll only launch their invasions of Rykland when the next “reincarnation” of Ivan Rusov is born and ready to lead them into victory.
Strordom
Strordom is the oldest country in Rykhart. They keep
themselves secluded from the rest of the world, barely venturing out of from
their borders. They’re allied with Rusovania due to their mutual dislike of
Rykland.
The Eternal Monologues
With the maps all out of the way my focus has been entirely on the Eternal Monologues series. I wasn’t expecting to begin work on this until the start of September. The Rykhart map was completed mid-August which has given me a big head start on my writing.
As I mentioned previously there will be twenty-one monologues focusing on specific key events that occurred with Atriarch, Elysia, and Octavian. Currently I have completed four monologues and will be working on my fifth the moment I’ve finished writing this update.
It’s my aim to complete the first draft of the Eternal Monologues by the end of September. After they’ve been polished up, I’ll be posting them weekly from October. I’ve made it my goal to try and complete one monologue every day. So far, it’s working! If I keep at this pace, I’ll definitely finish the series by the month’s end and I’ll be ready to share my work with you come October.
That’s all for now! Thank you for reading and thank you for your continued support.
Until next time, be safe and take care!
W.F. Thorne
W.F. Thorne 