(Note: Orlath is the name of one Kingdom among nine on the main landmass in this world. However, I haven't yet decided on a name that I like for the whole planet).
This is my most developed world, aside from Arcadia and perhaps Arion. Orlath's world was created as a parody of the typical fantasy one. Therefore, there is Light, and there is Dark, and these are very specific and named forces. They have wars once every generation, and usually the Light just barely wins out with the help of the powerfully Destined members of royal families. People tend to have non-human eye colors and prophecies, and to swoon at appropriate moments. There are elves who live in an Elfwood, and unicorns who only trust virgins, and dragons who snatch princesses, and various kinds of fey. It's a perfect set-up for mockery.
However, the mockery has tended to deepen the world. There's a metaphysical set-up, with Orlath's world along with others hanging from the neck and claws of a gigantic beast, that most characters save the elves are unaware of (and indeed may have a stake in ignoring). Light and Dark, working together with Destiny and the Cycle of the Elements, long ago bound most other powers out of the world, so that they could have their private wars. But those other powers are struggling to come back, and they sometimes find vectors. Even when they don't, the wars of Dark and Light, and the savagely destroyed religious heresies, are not always what the Light thinks they are.
This remains a world mostly of novels, though I have short stories and poems.
Poetry
Crown of the Northern Winds- A song of northern Dalzna, and a certain lake that lies there.
Short Stories
The Last Queen of Dalzna- Long ago, the royal family of Dalzna bound Death itself, and instructed the peasants to worship Light. But Death had its revenge. The last Queen of the royal line races to tell her line's most important story while Dark conquers her country. (Timewise, this runs parallel to the end of Golden Heresy).
If It Be Of the Dark- Another dark short story set around the fall of Dalzna to the Dark, posted to my story journal.
The Dance of Shara and Elle- An epistolary story, ongoing. The Goddess of Darkness and the Goddess of Light write snippy letters back and forth to each other. (At the moment, discontinued)
Nightstone's Cycle- What is probably going to become a series of short stories focused on the life of Nightstone, a character from my Pretentious Pentad series of novels (see below). You don't have to have read the series to understand her story, though.
Novels
The Orlathian Trilogy- Created as a mockery of the traditional fantasy trilogy. The main character, Pheron, has no Destiny and can call only a ball of clay. Follow the tale of Pheron and his brothers and sister as they enter a war of Dark and Light, meet strange creatures, and, in Pheron's case, remain mostly unimpressed.
Royalty of Wind, and Fire, and Clay- The first book in the trilogy. Absolute and wild fun to write. The plot moves fast, and twists among four viewpoint characters, though Pheron's chapters are the backbone of the book. This has generally gotten a good response, as have all the books of the trilogy.
The Light, and the Dark, and the Uninterested- The second book.
War of Dragons, and Kings, and Everybody Else- The third book. I am very happy with this particular one, though some of the readers were less happy with me.
Golden Heresy- I was always fascinated by Tolkien's conceit that he constructed The Lord of the Rings and various other histories of Middle-Earth from historical records that had somehow come into his possession. Golden Heresy is an attempt at producing such a record, a book compiled from the observations of the Rennon Heresy by an anonymous author and a very, very opinionated mage, Klessa of the Nine Wonders. A priestess of the Light, Lusirimonalata, is putting the book together ten years later. The most varied of my novels; Lusirimonalata interrupts with commentaries and pious mouthings, for example, whenever she feels that the narrative is becomming too indecent. Contains no spoilers for the trilogy save in the very last chapter, and can stand alone.
Splendor's Shadow- Another mostly stand-alone novel. It takes place in Ilantra, a kingdom northwest of Orlath, but it does happen after the trilogy, and contains spoilers for it. It's my take on the cliches of both feral child and evil Regent uncle. Rior is supposed to become the Regent who will try to take the throne from the Princess Loriel, raised by wolves, but it doesn't quite work out that way. Told from the viewpoints of Rior; Garden, a wolf; and Luden, the sentient sword with a fondness for ale.
The Pretentious Pentad- A five-book fantasy series I'm writing to mock the idea of royal Heirs going on Quests and regaining their thrones.
Prophecy of Four Royals With One Mistake- Kymenos has no interest in becoming guardian of Princess Alliana, Heir of Orlath. But when Light creates four royal Heirs to its power, and Dark and Shaow then attack in an attempt to eliminate those Heirs, Destiny drags him- and three other guardians- along for the ride.
Destined To Be Slightly Hapless- The second book in the Pentad. The balance of power has shifted radically, and seems set to go on shifting. But no matter what happens, one thing will always be clear: those Heirs are spoiled brats.
Quest of the Doomed and Foolish- The third book in the Pentad. The gods have begun to choose sides, and loyalties are altering so fast that neither the loyalists nor the traitors may be able to keep up.
Fated To An Uncertain End- The fourth book in the Pentad. The action shifts to Doralissa and Ilantra, and the characters who live there- with more spoiled royal Heirs to mess things up.
Kings and Queens Without Thrones- The last book in the Pentad. The sides move into position, only to find the board completely changed. The royal Heirs have been swept aside for the most part, and the future belongs to their guardians- assuming they can stay alive long enough.
Queen At Any Moment- The novel currently in progress, a stand-alone. Ydana is supposed to be Queen. However, her people don't have Queens; Ydana didn't even know what one was until she sent north to learn about it. When her Destiny does not come true, she seems fated to continue life forever in a small Ejerrosi village, taking care of her mad sister. However, first impressions aren't always what they seem.
Material On The Kingdoms
Orlath
Chronicle of the Monarchs- An account giving summaries of the ruling Kings and Queens, their relatives, and their reigns. Spoiler Alert: This might ruin some parts of Golden Heresy and the Orlathian Trilogy for you; read with care.
Ilantra
A Guide to Ilantra- Describing basic details of geography, religion, and language. Current up to 339 OR.
The Fey
These are the fey races of Orlath, who live longer than humans and usually puzzle them mightily.
The Ilzánai- The disease-fey of Ilantra.
The Silvereyes- The cold fey of Rivendon.
The Filifernai- The corrupted or violated fey of the Dark.
More Orlathian Stuff
Seeker For The Dream- Meant to be an Orlathian novella. Abandoned at the moment. I may return to it as I get time...
How Orlath Began- A small page explaining how I first began coming up with the world.
Basics of Doralissan- Some information about one of the major languages of the Kingdom of Doralissa.
