If you are new to this story (which is a strong possibility), then welcome. I have been releasing chapters of a book, "The Dragon of Nightingshire," of the "Ballad of Ari" series a week at a time for the past few months.

This is not an entry, but rather an explanatory breakdown of the story so far, the world, the characters, and a peek at the known mythology of the universe in which this all takes place. So, if you're a new reader, now is a great time to start.

What is this story and where did it come from?

This is not a fanfiction from Westeros or Middle Earth. This is a brand new high fantasy universe created by yours truly. I've had a series in mind since late high school, "The Age of Heroes," set in a modern day alternate earth in which creatures from medieval fantasy lore live side-by-side with humans.

"The Ballad of Ari" is set in the same universe, on the same fictional planet, Torak. "TBoA," however, takes place approximately 500 years before the events of the "TAoH," the reason for its medieval-like setting.

I originally planned this to be a TV series on a streaming service like Netflix, but had a desire to get the story down sooner. Thus, "TBoA" found its life as a book released via the Odyssey Online.

A World History In 500 Words or Less

Torak is similar to Earth in many ways, including its climate, elemental composition, and many of the races and cultures on Earth have a counterpart on Torak, with added cultures and customs for creatures that do not exist in our world. Though the planet is called "Torak," most of the characters in "TBoA" live in Cambria, a region of Torak similar to Europe, and believe it to comprise most of the world. In fact, the land and sea outside of Cambria is what the Cambrians believe to be their "Hells," areas where their Gods cast out evil creatures. These lands are not, per se, forbidden, but are feared, making expansion of their known world very limited.

There are many fantastical creatures that exist in Cambria, though most of them live in the Hells because they are "evil." The mythical creatures that are known at this point of the story, however, include dwarves, elves, orcs, dragons and ostrich-like creatures called featherbellies. Many more species are out there waiting to be found.

One major factor in "TBoA" is slavery. Ari, my beloved protagonist, was born a slave like many from what Cambrians call "The Second Hell" (it is really more like Egypt in relation to England, but again, science is not yet a priority in Cambria). Merchants of South Cambria began making deals with royal Second Hellions to buy their slaves, booming the industry and leaving thousands of Second Hellions without basic human rights.

The primary language spoken in "TBoA" is the common tongue (English). Ari primarily speaks the language of her people, unknown to her as Khadaran, which is also the language spoken by many South Cambrians.

The whole kingdom of Cambria is under the rule of House Kumph, whose current king is George IV.

The Order of Cambria are a powerful group of knights who have dedicated their lives to upholding justice in the kingdom. While they claim to serve the people, not the crown, most knights in the Order embark on quests for which they are paid. All the knights in the Order have metahuman abilities they receive from their deity, Osha, abilities that the common folk call "magic." Many in the land still disapprove of magic, as it has been outlawed for centuries prior to the Order's inception.

There are several major religions in Cambria, the dominant one worshiping The Old Gods. Oshaism is a growing monotheism among the magic community, one mostly still shunned by the common folk. Pilar is a growing religion in South Cambria, though this also faces much discrimination.

Characters: The Major Players

Ari is the primary protagonist, and a POV character. She was born and raised a slave, and has little memory of her parents. She is thirteen years old, verging on fourteen. She was working for a brutal slaver, Raster, until she stole from Sir Oliver and the knight asked her to be his squire. Sir Oliver could sense that Osha was with her, and wants to train her. Ari is strong, blunt, but oftentimes overly sympathetic of others, a trait which gets her into trouble. Currently, Ari is accompanying Sir Oliver to Nightingshire, under the guise of his squire, Jason (girls are forbidden from knighthood).

Sir Oliver is another protagonist, and also a POV character. He is one of the most prestigious knights from the Order of Cambria, but rather tired of his quests. He is incredibly powerful, tall, and a capable fighter. Though he is well-renowned, he has been on thin ice with the Order for taking an overly long vacation from quests. In truth, Oliver has grown tired of the Order's priorities and loyalty to coin rather than people. He serves a mentor and teacher to Ari, and they often butt heads, a truth he pretends not to admire.

Sir Galen is an antagonist, and a POV character. Little is known yet about the Captain of Lord Gerard's Guard. He is fully aware of Ari's secret but says nothing. We also know that he has a spy watching Ari and Oliver to figure out their scheme. He, too, has a scheme afoot, but the details are, for now, a mystery.

Lord Gerard is the lord of Nightingshire. He seems rather warm and enthusiastic about hosting Sir Oliver and Jason (Ari). He is also proud of his son, Richard, but wants him to engage in more physical combat.

Prince Richard, Lord Gerard's son, has been tasked with teaching Jason the common tongue. Prince Richard is kind, but unlike his father, his warmth seems genuine to Ari.

Bard is an actor that befriends Ari on her first day in Nightingshire. She still does not know much about the little man, other than that he does odd jobs outside of acting and sees through her disguise with ease.

Barnacle is an orc that Ari met while he and some of his tribe raided a vulnerable village. Sir Oliver nearly killed Barnacle, but he offered to help show them the dragon's lair in exchange for his life. Ari convinced Sir Oliver to hear him out. He since has been teaching Jason (Ari) horseback riding and hunting.

Current Key Arcs

- Sir Oliver has freed Ari from his ownership of her.

- Ari is conflicted with budding romantic feelings for Prince Richard, but cannot be with him due to her disguise as Jason.

- Someone is spying on Ari for Sir Galen, but the identity of the spy is unknown.

- Sir Oliver discovered that knights from Nightingshire had already been to the dragon's lair, but Lord Gerard did not divulge these details, making Sir Oliver question the Lord's motives.

- The dragon has already decimated a village in Nightingshire and it is anyone's guess when it will attack again.

- Ari witnessed one of the Sisters attack an orc at the destroyed village. Being that the Sisters' main function up to this point was similar to a maid's, Ari wonders who these women in blue really are.

///

This is the first break in the action for explanation, but will likely not be the last. The book is already mapped out, but the exact number of chapters is up in the air. I plan for about 30.

Thank you for indulging me, and to put things into a nice, neat compendium, here are links to all the chapters so far:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11