Draklon: The World of my Stories
The Basics
Based on gaming, Draklon was created over decades and first created when I was just a teen. The genesis of the world can be found in this BLOG and in more detail on the GAMING tab. The name–Draklon–was a childish attempt to make a word that meant Dragon Land.
Current WIP
Daeria and the Necropolis– Started May 2, 2022
Invasion Overview
Book 1: Pharaoh’s Gambit–The beginning of the Invasion, the return of a villain, and the return of a King. Kuran’s Company places a pharaoh back on the throne and frees Aegyptus from bondage.
Book 2: Daeria and the Necropolis–Black Dreadnoughts fill the skies and strange invaders wander the lands as domestic armies also rise to take advantage of the situation. But in Daeria the invaders are non-aggressive and making contact. Why? Kuran’s company takes Caitlyn toward home, but first the Necropolis is in the way.
Book 3 DUSK–The Nation of Eternal Sundown, what are its ties to the Realm of Shadows and the invaders–these Shadow Elves?
Book 4 Fae Wars–the sidhe have been at war for millennia, usually its a cold war, but Nemo has returned to his home and to his destiny and wants to finish his father’s work. The death of Queen Mab and rebalancing of power among the four courts of the fae. On the mortal plane the elves are faced with lifting their prohibition of fighting other elves, the invaders are coming for the Elf-Queen.
Book 5 Martyr Empire– encircled by enemies ancient and new on all sides, Rune and his father rise the might of the empire as Kuran’s Company takes the battle to the Fallen One, Dusk becomes the new gateway to Shadow, and the elves and sidhe combine forces.
Invasion Series #1
Working Title: Invasion 1 The Pharaoh’s Gambit
The Ashlands is the prologue to a five-book series wherein the world is invaded by a lost colony of elves. Obviously, there is a lot more to the story. Each book has a singular arc, plus an over-arc, and several sub arcs.
In this first book. Grant is trying to rein in his companions as they decide to rob a recently uncovered tomb in the sand of Aegyptus. Grant is questioning all of the missteps he’s taken in his life as Kem tries to convince him that robbing tombs is a “victimless” crime.
Within the tomb they awaken a 3000 year old Pharaoh and start a prophecy that was thwarted by putting the pharaoh to sleep in the first place.
Meanwhile, Slater and his new companions have taken up the mantle of soldiers for the Old God, Kuran the Dreamer. They are racing out of the Ashlands to try and stop the Fallen God’s plans. Only they have no idea what those plans are.
And then the rifts open up around the world and floating Astral Dreadnoughts fly over the skies. The Shadow Elves have found their way back home after millennia trapped between dimensions.
Thesis Novel (The Ashlands)
I call it the prelude to the Invasion series, it introduces the key players in the other novels, and the incident that kicks everything off.
The Ashlands is a magically irradiated wasteland that lurks in the center of a newly discovered continent in the far west. Through a confluence of events several groups are drawn into the mystery of the Ashlands and the ancient cities said to rest within the many hued sands.
Keegan and Slater are here for cross purposes, the first looking for an honorable death, while the latter is looking to keep the reaper at bay.
Caitlyn and her students are coming from Daeria, a nation based on merit and academic pursuits as the height of nobility. Caitlyn is being controlled by a voice in her head and changes wrought to her body from an experiment that went out of control. Her lies could doom her companions and the world.
Prince Rune is the black sheep of the Martyr imperial family, when he intercepts a spy with information about the Ashlands and relics, he decides to steal a unit of marines and go on a grand adventure.
And Nemo, the son of a villain who died trying to redeem himself. Nemo wanders the world and flees from his past, his present, and his destiny. But you can never shake off the hand of destiny as he runs into the two men who hate his father the most, and they’re all heading to the same place…
The Heart of the Ashlands.
Keegan and Slater Series (unfinished):
In the Depths of Amon Niall (intro novel, part of the original planned 2+1+5 series) This book will never see print and instead will be mined for novellas and shorts about the main characters.
Revenge of the Wizard: (working title, unfinished after 30K) The second half of the Duology before I decided to quit the series and move the timeline ahead.
The Ashlands: Thesis Novel. Currently seeking a home. Takes takes place 100 years after the events of the previously abandoned novels. In which Keegan and Slater embark on what might be their final adventure, chasing the rumors of gold and lost magics in the middle of the New World. A Mixture of Epic Dark Fantasy with a dash of Steampunk.
Forthcoming:
The Novellas:
Keegan’s Last Stand: The Story that started the whole thing. How Keegan and Slater became closer than brothers, and how they faced down a pack of Fae Werewolves. (needs a complete overhaul but 90%)
The Necropolis: K&S, plus some companions are tasked with entering a cursed and dark land to retrieve goods in order to pay a Seer’s price, is his information worth the Hell the price? (about 50% needs to be redrafted and have the narrative changed around)
The Gamelin Ripper (Working title): Murder mystery, high fantasy as K&S, plus others, enter a town suspicious of all strangers. (about 50%, needs to be overhauled)
And more that are currently just titles and a single sentence or two in my notebooks.
No Laughing Matter
Bibliography:
Criscione, Kurt M. “Pale in the Night.” Dark Things II, edited by Ty Schamberger. Pill Hill Press. 2010. p 225-37
Criscione, KM, editor and introduction. Set’s Quartet. Thunderstorm Books. 2012.
Criscione, Kurt M., No Laughing Matter; O.C.L.T. Tie in. Crossroad Press. Ebook 2013. Paperback 2018.
Criscione, Kurt M., Intro to Rick Hautala’s Dark Silence ebook, Crossroad Press. 2015 (?)
You must be logged in to post a comment.