Surviving the devastation of DarkFall, Timorn is now rightful King of Faerie. With evil lurking at the fringes between the kingdoms of the humans and the elves, the dark mage Dalannin travels to Dragonreise to forge an alliance with the Dragon King.
Timorn’s travelling party sets off on request from an elven emissary but dissent grows as the party passes through the human city of Ekhrine. As they stop at the Ecclesiastical University where the cleric Kabal translated The Legend of Arden prophesy, a demonic aura haunts their path.
Can Timorn forge an alliance with the dragons to ensure peace or will darkness drive a wedge between him and his magical twin Ethesian as they journey through the elven lands. Transgender heroine.
About the Series:
A human cleric translating an elven prophesy must bring the work to the high court at Kannon in faerie before DarkFall, the solemn anniversary when all the male faerie newborns were murdered 17 years ago. If the translation does not arrive in time, all is lost. Timorn, a 17 year old ranger travels the human towns hiring out his services. A mysterious elven woman hires him to take her to Kannon before DarkFall, and only he can lead her with his purple faerie eyes.
The evil Valkyris is amassing an army to attack Kannon at DarkFall insisting she possess the prophesy. Sending her dark mage Dalannin to infiltrate faerie, he marches his demon hordes towards Kannon and sneaks into the palace. Ethesian, the 17 year old faerie daughter of King Ailon plays the dragon lyre, a female magic. Yet recently she has started having prophetic dreams as if she were male. When a lie is revealed, Ethesian is tasked to study magic she must master before DarkFall. Will Timorn reach Kannon before the Valkyris and Ethesian master a magic she shouldn’t possess? Secrets and lies, revelations and wizardry, DarkFall is coming and so too the reluctant faerie who would be king. Learn more in the first book of the dark fantasy trilogy, The Seer of Grace and Fire.
The Seer of Grace and Fire starts the dark fantasy trilogy reviewers have called “Enthralling” and “A beacon of light for readers young and old.” The series continues with release of The Seer of Ice and Sky book 2. Book 3 The Seer of Flesh and Death will be released early 2020.
World Building: Character Evolution – Timorn the Ranger
The character Timorn was one that I created in Seventh grade when I was heavy into reading fantasy like Lord of the Rings, the graphic novel Elfquest, the comic Elflord and the Shannara series. I really was into Elves back then with a passion. When Timorn initially came into being he was rebellious and angry, running from the evil Valkyris who was determined to capture him, and an elf.
I wrote a short story about Timorn back then where he was a ranger and had a dagger and a bow with quiver and he was habitually in the forest. He was a tracker and initially he was very in tune with nature and could talk to animals and plants. A foolish childlike idea, some of this stayed with him morphing into him being an intuitive tracker, his ranger skill.
When Timorn was originally created he was a wood elf who was taken with a high elf, Ihel, from the short story. Ihel kept her name in The Seer of Grace and Fire trilogy. Ihel and Timorn danced around each other and due to her class, she was always ridiculing him and insulting him. Remnants of this original teasing shows up in “The Seer of Ice and Sky.”
When I graduated High School I put Timorn and his story on a shelf walking away from him for years, no longer reading fantasy and instead getting hooked on Hard Science Fiction and Cyberpunk. I focused on anime and started creating my own manga and novels in my grydscaen series. However Timorn still loomed in the back of my mind. Then in 2016 for NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, I decided to resurrect Timorn and his story came back to life in a new iteration, writing book two The Seer of Ice and Sky and book three in that year for the competition, got both stories done that November to my delight.
One major change in this new iteration was Timorn’s race. Was he human, elf, faerie? That was one of the underlying threads in the prequel “The Alchemist’s Ranger” where the mystery of his race is established early leading into book one of the trilogy, The Seer of Grace and Fire.
Timorn evolved from a reckless, ego-driven, chaotic, rebellious, sixteen year old tracker — known to fly off the handle at any moment if confronted, to becoming a seventeen year old: bold, sure of himself, wits about him, composed, stoic, hidden, strategic ranger who could hold his own. This maturity was necessary for him to be able to thrive in his profession leading people from town to town, sometimes across dangerous territory as a ranger for hire.
Timorn matured as I matured from an emotional, depressive, insecure teenager with wild emotions to a more rounded character as I became a writer churning out novels with multiple books under my belt and three different series: my cyberpunk grydscaen, the dark fantasy The Seer of Grace and Fire, and the YA contemporary yao graphic noiz.
Timorn’s look also matured though his reckless natured stayed with him. His brashness and stubbornness that get him in trouble became more pronounced but les detrimental to his personality. Bringing in the refined and graceful Ethesian, the princess, also drew a stark contrast to Timorn’s base born parents and brash ingrained mannerisms which in Ethesian’s eyes are very uncouth.
As Timorn evolved so did the backstory surrounding him. Setting off at sixteen for the Port of Bei to find work for hire, we see the hardships he faced trying to find work in the prequel The Alchemist’s Ranger. Perseverance pays off for him when he finds the elf Ihel asking for his services to bring her to Kannon.
Much character profiling research was done in designing Timorn’s signature look with the green ranger hooded tunic and tan leggings, dark boots which he wears on the cover of The Seer of Grace and Fire. Timorn went through three designs before I got him down and he was ready for cover art.
He also matured into someone with leadership skills, who with a ranger background, would need to control and guide his charges keeping them safe on their journeys.
The book 1, The Seer of Grace and Fire, we see Timorn learning about himself and coming to terms with who he is, a heroes journey. In book 2, The Seer of Ice and Sky, we see Timorn embracing his new found power as a leader tested by the harrowing battle for his people at Darkfall and seeking new dangers in this story.
Where the Valkyris was his original enemy when I created Timorn, they remained enemies, since their first iteration when I was young into their more complex evolutions which survived through to the novel, The Seer of Ice and Sky. I hope you enjoyed Timorn’s journey from youthful chaotic idea to full formed, complex, three dimensional character we see in The Seer of Ice and Sky.
Natsuya is giving away an ARC of book one in the series – The Seer of Grace and Fire – enter via Rafflecopter:
Timorn squinted as he studied the elven emissary, Arhlamanel dressed in finery, yet his stance and mannerisms were less refined then Ihel’s. He sensed deception. His ranger skill told him the elf was concealing something about his identity,
“I am aware of dragon riders, but not of a dragon king in Arenth,” Timorn said, turning to Eanna, his mother the First Consort, for confirmation. Eanna shook her head, also unaware.
Arhlamanel nodded. “The dragons are elusive and secretive, Your Majesty. Only a few high elves dare to venture up the perilous paths into the ice mountains to entertain them. It is treacherous as the dragons carefully guard the priceless gems within their lands.”
Timorn gripped the arms of the throne, leaning forward. “At DarkFall, we saw an adult dragon. A rider in black sat atop its monstrousg form. Luckily the brunt of its power was stopped before it could let loose with abandon.”
“It is as we heard. Thus, the dragon king requests you come to Akrisia, to the mountains in the North. He has sent me as emissary, in partner with the high elves, to bring you to hear his message. A party of your choice is invited to travel along, including one named Ethesian, who is also summoned. But be warned. One who wad banished many years ago has returned and is making inquiries in the dragon lands. He goes by the name of Dalannin. There is much suspicion amoungst the elves. Do you know of him?”
Timorn gasped. If Dalannin was with the dragons, that could only mean danger. Timorn spoke authoritatively, immediately deciding based on the elf’s report. “Yes, we know Dalannin, and yes, my party and Ethesian will accompany you to Akrisia. Lady Eanna will remain and keep watchful eye on the crown.”
“Yes, my lord,” Eanna acknowledged the decree.
“You must come dressed as a ranger,” Arhlamanel added. “That is how they will know you: by your clothes, your faerie daggers, and your sword. The dragon king and his half-dragon army will join you at the dragon court, high in the mountains. The trek up the expanse is arduous and will require a full day of walking to reach once we arrive.”
“Had Dalannin already recruited dragon riders to his cause? Timorn hoped for a negative answer.
“Unknown your Excellency. I hope, for our sakes and all of Arenth he has not.”
Natsuya Uesugi is a cybersecurity analyst with an MBA in International Management and a minor in Japanese. He is author of the science fiction grydscaen series, the yaoi novellas and manga graphic noiz and The Seer of Grace and Fire fantasy trilogy. He creates all the illustrations for his books. He enjoys skydiving, cosplay, anime and writing poetry.
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