Category: News.

Over the years I have used many tools to help plan my work. Lately i have used Campfire blaze, a tool specifically designed to help plan worlds and stories. This has presented an opportunity. Campfire blaze has the option of sharing your story information, without the viewer having a campfire account. Using this tool I aim to reveal more than I can in the story.

On the Knights of Earth Saga page you can view character profiles for all of the the Knights of Earth, Members of the Agency and the Villains set on killing our heroes.

You can also check out key locations from the book. Like discovering the history of the Volcano, or gaining more information about the Agency HQ. With an interactive map of Curamber, coming soon.

You can also check out a timeline of events, with small story excerpts, allowing you to see what you are missing by not reading the Knights of Earth saga.
You can find the link on the Knights of Earth Saga page, on the website.
This page will be updated regularly, with more information added. This is a new way of bring information and any feedback of what you might want to see will be greatly appreciated. Also if you are planning on writing a novel, or are creating a world for use on table top games, then I highly recommend you check out Campfire.

Suddenly the warrior roared, but it was muffled as Tom’s hand, all aflame, grasped at the warrior’s arm. In pain, the warrior turned and stood to his full height, Tom was still holding the warrior by the arm but his legs now dangled off the ground. The warrior reached out a hand and seized Tom by the neck, Tom’s scream was muted by the sizzling sound of burning flesh and the flames around his hand dispersed as he thrashed and kicked uselessly at the warrior.
Sophie held out her hand and watched as a layer of water seeped through her skin, covering her palm. She ran towards her enemy and without thinking, she plunged her hand into the warrior’s head. There was an eruption of steam and Sophie was thrown to the floor, her hand now scalded where the water had evaporated in the heat and burnt the top layer of her skin. The hand gripping Tom released and they both fell to the floor, landing with a thud. The warrior was dead but Tom was choking, scrabbling at his burning neck, but the pain was too severe for him to think clearly and the endless coughing seemed a precursor to his demise.

“I want to know why I was summoned?” Urgarak yelled as he stopped in the threshold of the door, his breath stolen at the vastness of the grand hall. He had been inside its white walls before but rarely enough that the hugeness of it still made him feel like a tiny speck in the universe. He looked towards the great domed roof, supported by two figures both standing far over fifty feet. He cast his eyes away from the marble, sculpted in the likeness of the first kings of Scaraden, who had formed the eternal empire.
Urgarak marched forward, a ceremonial cape billowing with every step. A couple of paces behind two of his Murka generals followed, their arms scraping the red floor tiles. As he walked, Urgarak straightened the medal on his chest. The image of the flag of his ‘home’ planet filled him with confidence, even if the red moon of the warrist movement would outrage the members of the council.
The chairs of the hall were empty along Urgarak’s march but statues of all the high kings stared down at him from marble eyeballs but Urgarak kept his own eyes on the stage in front of him. Eight of the nine seats were occupied
and the figures were sat forward watching Urgarak as intently as the statues did. Urgarak stopped at their feet and bowed at the large marble figures that stood behind the council. The king eternals, those who had led Abgdon during times of war. He wished beyond anything that they were here now, they would understand his cause. Two were out there somewhere. Prisoners of those Ilmgralite fools. Only the third had died truly, one of only a small few of the Ilma who had died after the curse had come upon them.
The council regarded Urgarak with their golden eyes and Urgarak met their stares confidently, but he could not keep his gaze from moving to the middle seat of the council that sat empty. It would seem King Crio would not entertain him.
“Urgarak Mortrim.” One of the figures said. He was wearing robes of pure white that seemed to match perfectly with his fully white scaled skin. That made Urgarak snarl, the perfection of the Ilma. His skin was covered in red scales and many dotted his narrow face.
“Gorin.” He replied scornfully.
“Remember your place Graul.” Came another voice from a far chair. Urgarak’s eyes strayed towards him and black veins flared before he could control it.
Urgarak took a deep breath, he had to remember what he was. The Ilma were the chosen people after all, his power was just a gift. Urgarak turned his frustration back into the cruel determination for his cause and so turned his eyes back to Gorin, “My place.” He murmured, “Is to hunt down those who hold the essence of our people captive. To bring war to a race who has aided the Ilmgralite’s in their tyrannical hold on the universe.”
Gorin stood swiftly, the air in the hall seemed to surround Urgarak and his eyes flicked to the floor in fear, “We called you back one season ago.” The head of the council said without showing any of the anger Urgarak was sure he felt, “Yet you returned to Uralese, that was a mistake.”
Urgarak’s golden eyes flashed black for a second and he spoke grimly, “Uralese is still a troublesome world, our might should not be forgotten there long. I returned our fleet and came with the only ship I could spare.”
An old lord stood. He looked like he was close to his rebirthing, but he still spoke with the musical power of the Ilma, “It is impressive for one of the Graul to rise so high within our ranks.” Urgarak nodded but it was an insult and he knew it, “You were sent to Earth to find evidence of Cirtroug’s imprisonment, not to release him.” He took a deep laboured breath, “We have all seen the signs. The Gods are moving, they are planning their final strike to crush the Ilma. Crio will avoid war at all costs.”
“Crio is a coward.” Urgarak said before he could stop himself.
“HOLD YOUR TONGUE.” Gorin yelled and all the air was sucked from Urgarak’s lungs and he stood, gasping in the vacuum that Gorin had created. Urgarak could feel the pressure swelling his eyes and his chest tightening. His legs wanted to fall but it seemed Gorin was holding him up as well. Slowly with a white smile, the Ilma released him. The first breath after the denial was like syrup.
“What do you know of Uralese?” Urgarak asked through his deep breaths, “It must seem a troublesome place, the once slave world of Ilmgral. What petty trifles did they ask for it? You should see it high council, Graul, Murka and Livet children starve in the streets while wars rage across its continents. It is a forgotten world.”
The old Lord spoke again, “All Uralese is worth is the Virdact that we mine from it, the Livet’s could barely write before we found them and now they live in luxury.”
“Starvation is not Luxury.” Urgarak said grimly, “Uralese needs a war, only in war do our people find sufficient work, only then DO YOU NOT LEAVE US TO ROT.”
“YOU WERE SENT TO STUDY EARTH, NOT TO RELEASE THAT MANIAC CIRTROUG UPON THE HUMANS.” Gorin yelled and thunder crackled in the sky above Scaraden.
Urgarak took a step back, “I did release him.” He muttered, “On Uralese the truth of the Gods was shown to me, the true legacy of the Ilma. I harness it now and it showed me how we can defeat both the Gods and the Ilmgralites. Earth is the key, the one who defeated Cirtroug was of Ilmgral, reskinned among the humans with all their divine darkness.” He saw the dark look in the councils eyes and decided to press further, “Not only did the Ilmgralites create those abominations on Earth, not only did they imprison Abgdon’s great heroes on that world, but they send their people to live among them, to breed them into the army Ilmgral needs to rule this universe. I will not stand by and let that happen. You are the Ilma, the chosen people, tasked with keeping the Gods from tearing our universe apart. Well the Gods work through Ilmgral. I can see it in the stars, and they will use Earth to finally crush us.”
Gorin seemed tired, his eyes fell pityingly onto Urgarak. A sign of mortality, he thought. Urgarak would not have much longer in the universe and his haste for war was due to that fact. The council of the Ilma of Scaraden had none of those issues. Gorin had served since the first days of Abgdon. His father, who gave his energy to terraform Abgdon, had been born just after the curse had been bestowed to the Ilma. Gorin had patience and he would not let Urgarak lead Crio into a war where only the destruction of the universe would follow. Gorin returned to his seat, “Urgarak.” He paused, “You are hereby suspended from command. You will return to Uralese and surrender your fleet to Flight Marshal Cambane.”
Urgarak smiled, black smoke coursed through his veins, darkening his mind. He knew it would come to this. If the council would do nothing, it was best that he was a part of no nation to fight the war his way until both Abgdon and Ilmgral had no choice but to intervene, “As you wish my Lords.” He bowed low and looked at the statues of the kings, “May the eternal church never falter and the Gods tremble at the might.”
The council elders nodded and watched as Urgarak and his two servants left the hall in disgrace. Gorin turned to the Lord beside him who whispered in Gorin’s ear, “We should blast him out of the sky.”
“No.” Gorin shook his head, “Urgarak is a fool, reckless and narrowminded, blind to anything else but his goal and that will one day see him to his death but he is beloved on Uralese. The empire of the Ilma have split once already and we do not need the resource planets rising up under his dark dream.” Gorin then signalled for one of the guards, who had sat silently behind, to step forward. The Ilma who stood beside Gorin was young in terms of the Ilma, he had never lost the physical form he held but he was powerful and full of youthful aggression, “You will go with Urgarak and make sure he follows our command. It would be good for the people of Uralese to see one of the Guardians of Eternity.”
“As you wish my Lord.” The man said and he marched quickly to follow Urgarak.
“War is upon us.” The old Lord continued, “Crio will not be able to delay it. We should recall our fleet. If the foretold war is not against Ilmgral then it will be against the Gods themselves.”
Gorin pointed to the hall before them, “Scaraden stands forever. We built this hall so not even Livella herself could stand within it. If it is to be war, then the darkness shall lead us to victory and neither Ilmgral nor the Gods will stop us. The time is not yet ripe, however. We are too few after the last war. Crio is desperate to learn where our kin are imprisoned.”
“What of earth?” A young lord, only risen after Crio had ascended to be king, spoke then, “Urgarak is right. One of the Graul has reskinned among them, that is rare enough but then to live as a human. One like that, allied with the half breeds could bring a new power to the universe that had never been foretold by Livella.”
Gorin seemed un-moved, “Ambassador Lucast assured us he has no memory of his past.” He then smiled cruelly, “Though the thought intrigues me, maybe in him the experiments of old will work. A child of Ilmgral with all of our gifts mixed with the darkness and natural brilliance of Humanity, a sight that might even make the Gods tremble.”

Tom had entered another world; he was walking through the most beautiful forest he had ever seen, full of all the colours of spring, summer and autumn mixed together, of all the seasons, it appeared that only winter never touched this forest.  As the wind blew through the trees and whistled through the leaves, the trees themselves rose up in song, a song spanning the years the trees had seen, ferocious battles and fallen kings were lamented, whilst heroes and great deeds were glorified in their continuous song. The trees were obviously unlike any from earth with their song in the air they were more alive, and more splendid, the very smell of their wood filled Tom’s body with the vibrancy of their life.  Around him people walked, paying no heed to him at all, they were slightly different to the others from his dreams; their scaled skin carried tints of green and browns like they were born from the earth itself, and leaves of different types and colours grew through their long brown hair and around their eyes, instead of red scales they had twig like veins that stretched out across their skin.
Tom was happy to walk amongst these people, he realised he had dreamt of these people once before, and had learned of their history in another dream, they were the forest dwellers and they had long known peace, continuing to pay tribute to their high King.   Suddenly a deep fear seemed to grip Tom, screams shot up from the distance and bells hidden in the branches sounded out, the war that had for so long been held back from these woods had finally reached them, and it burst through the trees abruptly.
Fire leapt from tree to tree and Tom could feel such an evil in that woodland paradise as it quickly became a fiery hell.
Tom instinctively dropped to the floor and closed his eyes tight, and when he finally felt brave enough to open them, the world before him lay in a burnt out waste. All around him the beautiful and peaceful forest dwellers lay lifeless on the floor, their twig like veins glowing dully with the dying embers of the fire that had devoured them; with blood dripping from their half open mouths the last of their beauty was lost from the world.

This universe is just one in a long line of failed universes. In those before, beings beyond our comprehension played with the fabric of reality and manipulated the lives of those they created. Learning from their creations love, jealousy and eventually a hate that sparked wars between them until they ripped the universe apart and the cycle started again.

In Besan Gretan, the realm that is, Gadrika, God of life, hearing the echoes of those before him, decided to give select mortals the powers to level the playing field so that this universe could reach its chosen path.
The Ilma, so majestic in form and spirit, were chosen custodians of the universe but greed comes often to those already with power. Dark events drove them from their righteous path and the Graul, the servant race, were gifted powers so that the Ilma did not become tyrants in their toppling of the Gods.
Empires were split at this decision and the Ilma, now spread far across the stars, battled for dominion over the universe. Peace came at a heavy price and in that ruin, the Ilma sort for a chance to turn themselves back to a proper path. They sort for a new power, one not foretold by the Gods and in their search, they found Humanity. A love for mankind came swiftly to the Ilma, who saw in humanity the true custodians of the universe. Through experiments they tried to merge their DNA with ours, to give the powers bestowed upon them to the people of Earth. Then they departed, to allow Humanity to thrive and wait for any sign of their success…

Prologue- The Church in Agraldin.

Shadows danced in the halls of Agraldin, the realm of those yet to be born and those who have passed. Where Gadrika, the God of Life, nurtured souls and set the dead to task weaving the passage of time.
To some, Agraldin was a place of beauty. A mirror of the realm that is but eternal and majestic. In these places were the halls of Gadrika, where the souls of those who would soon be born were nurtured by his hand.
This part of Agraldin though was dark and full of terrors imagined by the Vassal of death. Here all iterations of Hell came, and many doomed souls found themselves here. Where they toiled under the eyes of Agral, repairing the universe but always to his own end. Many of his followers opened the hall of nurturing and the Vassal of death corrupted souls to do his bidding.
Green fires flickered in great chasms as the Tempter walked paths made from shadow. He had been pulled there, out of Besan Gretan, the realm that is, by the call of Agral. There on Earth he was doomed to wander forever, a creature of temptation, an echo of the curse that had doomed his once pious race.
He came to a structure that appeared out of the shadow. It seemed to the Tempter like a four towered church, covered in gargoyles that stared at him with moving eyes. He soon realised that this was a mockery of a church that really existed, and the gargoyles were creatures that had once lived. Human, Graul and other creatures were merged with the shadow, souls who had failed Agral. There were no Ilma though. They were bound now to Besan Gretan and they could no longer return to Agraldin, or rest in splendour in the realm of Livinden. That had been Agral’s first victory over the Ilma, though they saw it not as a defeat but more of an escape from the hold of the Gods.
The Tempter stepped into the structure and came immediately to a study. Agral was sat at a table but not one made of wood but shadow like the walls. On the table, Agral held a sculpture of a girl in his blackened hand. She seemed human and the Tempter took notice of her long sweeping hair and sad green eyes.
“Another one you have been able to touch?” The Tempter asked.
Agral regarded him with black eyes. He was dressed all in black as well, apart from chain mail around his chest that glowed a faint, sickly green. A broken sword hilt lay on the table and thrown over his shoulder was a cloak that the Tempter knew was white once, but it had been stained by blood that had, in a time long forgotten, flowed through Agral’s body.
Suddenly the Vassal of death laughed, and it was dreadful to hear, “My brother cannot keep me from the sanctuary, and I touch all the realm that is.” A chair appeared and the Tempter was beckoned to sit.
He did reluctantly and stared at the girl, “What scheme will this one do?”
“The Ilma and Graul grow to numerous again. The Light maiden worries this may soon break the balance achieved after the last great war.” Agral seemed to find this amusing, “A new enlightenment is being woven into the tapestry even now. Soon they may learn how to pass out of Besan Gretan and hold a power that only we are meant to hold. A thousand new souls of Ilma and Graul are being prepared in the hall, a war would see that number drop.”
“You must not like that.” The Tempter smiled grimly. Agral had forgotten in his years of service, that he was once of the Ilma.
Death’s eyes became full of malice, “My Curse has played a part but that is not the reason that you linger on Besan Gretan is it? If it were not for your forebear pledging to me, you would be resting in the halls of Livinden right now, serving Livella.”
“Livella no longer cares for things that live.” The Tempter said as an image of perfect light filled his mind. That was what once would have been the fate that awaited all who bore his name before the darkening of the Ilma.
“She does not.” Agral agreed, “She wants another war. She fears the next stage of the Ilma’s advancement.” He studied the girl and stroked at her hair. The sculpture seemed to shiver.
“And what do your brethren make of that? You were sent into the world as Vassal’s to protect the Ilma, to guide them to be the custodians of the universe.”
“The Ilma never earnt that right.” Agral said slowly, his face darkening, losing the white scales that had once shown his heritage, “They have fallen even further from it now.” He looked towards the black abyss above them, “As for my kind, Crio and those fool twins of the sea, linger too long on Besan Gretan. They care more for the worlds and the seas than they do for the creatures that live upon them. Krim and his brood nurture life. They even nurture you but to no avail, and Drage. The only one who might save the Ilma. He would serve Livella to whatever end.”
The Tempter studied the girl again, “She is human? Since when has that world been your interest?”
“Since they became yours.” Agral smiled, “Livella is worried about them. They were never foretold in her first tapestry of stars and their path seems to have come only from her meddling. The Ilmgralite experiments are a mockery of the gifts the Ilma were given.” His face grew angry, “Abgdon and Ilmgral for a time live in peace and that peace I must destroy. Humanity and its freaks may just be the kindling I require.”
Another figure appeared on the table. He was rough and a Graul by the look of the red scales that dotted his face. Agral licked his lips, “This one has found my gift. It will lead him to another.” A third figure appeared. A tall and strong member of the Ilma, with a face of almost perfect white scales. His red scales on his arms were rough like stone. The Tempter knew him well. He had even helped imprison him upon earth.
“You will release Cirtroug on the humans?” The Tempter asked in disgust.
“Already I have gathered him an army and matured his powers. Enough of my gift lingered in his spirit to do it.” Agral smiled and it was an ugly sight, “Urgarak will use the girl to release him and the girl shall be his servant and the path to victory on earth. Once Cirtroug has wiped out that pathetic race and turned their…” Agral paused and looked at the Tempter, “What do you call them, Halves?” He nodded, “Turned their Halves to his path, then Urgarak will gift him a fleet from Uralese and the war can begin.”
The Tempter ran a blue tongue over his cracked lips and stared at his hands that were pressed against the table, “Why do you tell me these things?”
The Graul and the Ilmgralite faded but another took its place. A boy he seemed and maybe human but inside him was a flame, “I know what you want with him.” Agral said darkly, “I touched his father before he entered Besan Gretan and he was sent on a deadly mission because of my touch. Then suddenly the child was hidden from me. Gadrika will choose a champion every so often to work against me but this one I think is yours.” Four more figures now surrounded Thomas Lita, three girls and one boy, “Here are your knights of Earth. I know what you have been doing, creature of temptation. You have put the foretelling in the minds of the Ilmgralite’s. They whisper of the Knights of Earth, who will save the universe from war.” Agral’s eyes burned into the Tempter and they wanted to kill, “You are not a true Vassal. You are a thing, a mutation of my curse and the love that Gadrika bears your kind. You cannot hope to stop this course of events with such meagre things.”
The Tempter nodded; he did not expect to change the event just the outcome. His knights of Earth were not a tool to stop a war, they were a tool to win it, to create a united front that would not let the war descend into two forces, using the Darkness to rip themselves apart until the Ilma are beyond any form of salvation.
“I know that you intend to send Thomas Lita to Curamber.” Agral said, “If the Human’s defeat Cirtroug then war may be delayed a little while but then you would bring a far greater doom upon them, for one by one my hand will reach out to your knights of Earth.” One of the figures surrounding Thomas Lita, a girl with curly blonde hair, faded from the table, “And when I take each of them.” The boy faded and another girl collapsed to the table, eyes moving but body motionless, “He will become another puppet of mine and will succumb to a darkness that will give the God’s their greatest weapon.”
“Yet the universe may flourish.” The Tempter retorted, “And in that time the Ilma may find a way to stop the scheming’s of Livella.”
“You will use them and create a future worse than any foretold in the tapestry.” Agral reached out and touched the Tempter’s arm and for the first time in hundreds of years, he felt pain, “The Ilma have had their time. Let Cirtroug be released, let the Ilma die and the gift fade from the universe. Livella will then let all things come to a natural end.” He released the Tempter, and his eyes were like stone, “This is the way things must be or Thomas Lita will become the greatest threat the universe has ever seen.”
The Tempter watched as all the figures were devoured in a sudden storm. He looked up into the face of death, “I am as you say, just a lesser Vassal. I cannot hope to stop the majesty of the Gods.”
He stood and walked from the church. A door appeared in Agraldin and he stepped through into a bright classroom on Earth. The planet was such a pretty world, treasured by Thera, the God of the seas. A world that could not be allowed to come to war. Agral thought he saw all things and maybe the Knights of Earth would create something worse in the end but if the Ilma were destroyed. If the gift was allowed to be broken, then the universe itself would succumb to tyranny, ruled by a mistress of light who cares only for her own creations.
Not truly present, the Tempter walked over to a desk, where a short woman with mousey brown hair studied her computer intently.
“What are you doing?” The Tempter asked but not with his mouth. His voice echoed in Mrs Smith’s mind, a part of her subconscious.
“Finding a trip for my year eight students.” She replied, unsure why she did.
The Tempter weighed up the consequences. The fate for Thomas Lita and his friends would be dire, for that poor girl as well but it was a small price to pay for what else could happen, “Curamber.” He whispered in her ear before he slowly faded.