Introducing Myself and the World of Scalia

[WorldOfScalia]

Hey everyone,

I’m John, and this is the working title of my dark epic fantasy novel: The King’s Two Sons.

I’ve been tinkering with this story for a while now, but lately I’ve really been diving deep into the worldbuilding side of things. I’m building out the history, geography, politics, religions, mythology, ruling families, regional cultures, wars, legends, basically all the stuff that makes the world feel like it’s been around long before the story actually starts. This is my first time really trying to put pen to paper and get the fully fleshed out story. I've been looking at brandon sanderson online writing class is what kind of got me over the hump to try to really put some work in and really try to get this done. I want this to be more of a passion project to get my story out rather than what I think it probably currently is, which is just a very detailed D&D campaign.

At its core, the story follows Conall, a blacksmith from the eastern port city of Gythio, who gets pulled into a brutal war and slowly realizes the conflict he’s caught in is just a small piece of something much older and much bigger.

What I’m really aiming for is a world that feels layered and lived-in, not just built to serve the plot. Different regions have their own identities, old grudges, competing versions of history, folk stories, propaganda, religions, everything. I’m also working on a bigger mythology involving ancient gods, forgotten wars, relics, and forces most people in the world don’t fully understand anymore.

I joined Mystic Scribes because I’d love a place to share some of this, bounce ideas around, get outside perspectives, and learn from other fantasy writers doing similar things.

I’m especially into talking about worldbuilding, characters, mythology, political history, maps, cultures, and how to make big fantasy worlds feel real without overwhelming the reader.

And I’m definitely open to feedback. If something doesn’t work, doesn’t make sense, or feels off, I’d rather know.

Looking forward to meeting everyone, seeing what you’re all working on, and sharing more of Scalia as it keeps coming together.

 

[Romy]

A very detailed D&D campaign is already quite a lot. There's quite a lot of dungeon lovers in here.
Conall might have a bit too much "Conan but isn't" vibes. He clearly isn't but it was what my brain told me it was.

 

[WorldOfScalia]

Yeah, I definitely want to try to position it more as: he's the main character in Heart of Darkness, where he has a vision before the war. His experience in the war has changed his entire perspective. When he gets out, there is this propaganda push for retelling the story of how the war went, but in reality, he knows in his heart that it's not real. He has this complete sort of growth through there. I don't want it to seem to be like this sort of hero that wins via sword fight. I think it wants to be more of a slow-burn political drama.

 

[Romy]

Don't worry too much about that, it was just the name. It might even be a bonus. Changing character names can be rough, certainly for main characters. Software makes it easy but they tend to fight in your brain.

 

[WorldOfScalia]

Yeah, I didn't put too much thought behind the name. I just really liked it because I have a deep love of Irish mythology. I was trying to pick a name that was easy to read in English and not just straight Gallic, but still had some ties to Celtic myth.

 

[Romy]

"The crest is a man slaughtering his enemies
and cutting off their heads,
and with a sword full of their heads.
This man was Conall Cearnach, my ancestor."
---- signed, Roger Moore

 

[pmmg]

Howdy WoS, Welcome here.

Is Heart of Darkness the name of the story? or a description of the story type?

Cause Heart of Darkness stories have a connotation to them.

 

[WorldOfScalia]

"Charlie Marlow: The observant, philosophical seaman who commands a steamship and exposes the grim reality of colonial exploitation." Heart of Darkness - Wikipedia

Its a character troupe of the a character who has false ideals before getting first hand experience and seeing how evil the system actually is.

 

[xena]

Hi John, welcome the forum!