“As a war of succession looms, three friends seek to escape the desperate throes of a crumbling capital, seized by the power-hungry zealots of a queen and threatened by the approaching army of her brother and a vindictive Lord Marshal.”
In early 2018, I wrote some of the first lines which would turn into my planned debut epic fantasy novel, Crown of Caphedra.
Those lines were shelved for a few months until the fall of that year when I revisited them to begin an adventure in plotting and world-building around the concept of a war of succession that breaks out between the heirs of a murdered king— each supported by different societal classes, conflict. The story is event-driven, presenting events swirling around the first decisive clash of these factions, as they seek to determine which successor will be crowned.
So I spent two months sandboxing over twenty years of backstory to detail how a capital city, made rich by its fortunate geography, came to dominate the land, up until a militant king replaced its traditionally money-focused monarchs and instead concentrated its immense treasury toward financing the conquest and dominance of its trading partners.
The murder of the king sets up the story. He leaves behind a suffocated economy, a bloated and unaffordable army, and a host of challengers who would exploit the uncertain events for their own gain.
But Crown of Caphedra is not about King Ramis. It is an event-driven story about a besieged capital, split between factions and on the approaching edge of calamity. It is presented through following three friends, each caught up in the tumult.
Olen Kierk is a veteran soldier of the Westriver Company, who left behind a criminal blood feud to march with the King’s army on its conquests and now languishes in the swamps of Fal Ghreeg, waiting out the day he can lay down his sword.
Livet Karr grew up as a foundling, and lived in the shadows of the city of Lanstad until adepts of the Faith of the Pillars plucked her from the streets. The life she’d cobbled together was gone. But now, the plight of new friends threatens to bring her back into conflict with the Faith’s adherents and forces her to honour a voice from her past.
Denn Wellum grew up in a wealthy merchant family, under an oppressive and conniving father. Leaving his family behind, he found a new purpose when he rode out of Caphedra on the back of his charger, Naobe. But as a cavalryman, he is untested and signed up too late to establish his own reputation as a fighter. After growing up in soft luxury, he must also prove his mettle before being thrust into the middle of a grander conflict.
All of these characters will find their fates in Crown of Caphedra, the foundation novel for a new epic fantasy series, due out late 2020.