Mapping Lucardia: Three Eras, One Fractured Realm

As Koen: Quills from the Raven’s Nest slowly but surely inches toward publication, Grendel Press requested a map. The fantasy world loves maps, so this was no easy ask. I have many versions of a Lucardia map; the one I sent to Grendell is specifically for Koen, but Lucardia has undergone many changes over the last thousand years, and it was time to solidify this visually.

Lucardia is a continent in constant motion. Its history is carved not just into monuments and memory but into the shape of the land itself. Every border tells a story. Every fracture traces back to a single name, a single blade, a single burden: Ljós Leggja, the sword Erikson Gray will call Lightbearer.

I needed a trilogy of maps to capture Lucardia’s most pivotal eras of transformation. They illustrate three stages in the realm’s political and spiritual upheaval:

• The Five Kingdoms Period – born from betrayal and fraternal war
• The Twelve Kingdoms Era – a fractured, disenfranchised landscape
• The Third Unification – forged under the iron will of Vesper the Uniter

These are not just settings. They are the living backbone of Lucardia’s past, present, and uncertain future, which intertwines with everything, even if the majority of my books take place after the third unification.

It Begins with Devlian

Before the rise of the first empire, there was Devlian, a warrior and leader of the Forest People. It is a story I will one day tell, for it begins with the dying ember of humanity blazing to glory. With the aid of Casipa, he led humanity to victory over the Nephilim. As a reward, he received the sword Ljós Leggja, which cemented humanity’s victory.

Being aged and dying from poison, Devlian gave the blade to his young son Sathanas rather than wielding its power himself. That choice would birth the first Lucardian empire—one of savage brutality–and later, its fiery collapse.

The Five Kingdoms Period (139–700 CLE)

Sathanas, the First Uniter, ruled with ruthless vision. But in his final act, he broke the line of succession. He passed Ljós Leggja not to one of his five sons but to his nephew, Bartholomew. Bartholomew, seeking to destroy the sword and end its influence, vanished on his quest.

What followed was a long civil war.

By 139 CLE, the continent had shattered into five independent realms, each ruled by one of Sathanas’s bitter sons:

• Emergrave – Central, disciplined, and unrelenting
• Westerly – Ambitious and treacherous
• Luenwell – Maritime and fiercely independent
• Northlands – Mystical and cold, ruled by the Circle of Eight
• Okobel – Fertile, volatile, and politically divided

This era was marked by stagnation, war, and the Great Mage Purge, which nearly extinguished humanity’s magical abilities. It would not end until the rise of Rhime of the Spire, a Battenborne noble who briefly reunited Lucardia.

The Twelve Kingdoms Period (702–971 CLE)

Rhime’s unification was short-lived. He was assassinated in 702 CLE, and Lucardia fractured again—this time into twelve kingdoms. Unlike the ancestral Five, these were born of ambition, desperation, and raw power.

• Zulikaarme, Garrish, Battenborne, Skelmour, Cadogan, Rhys
• Berolt, Gabrien, Mortcombe, Newmont, Anworth, Musgrave

This was the world Vesper of Zulikaarme inherited. Born in 925 CLE, Vesper saw not kingdoms—but obstacles. His vision was clear: Lucardia would be whole again, no matter the cost.

The Third Unification (971 CLE onward)

In 971 CLE, Vesper destroyed the last of the old ruling dynasties and forged the Lucardian Empire anew. The realm was divided into four princedoms, each ruled by one of his sons. The map reflects the imperial borders and tracks three transformative journeys that would define the age:

Koen the Gray

His red path begins in Blackdown and crosses into the Wastelands. His mission is personal—a quest for an heir, for healing, and meaning. His journey marks the first fracture in Vesper’s legacy.

Erikson Gray

Erik’s blue path winds through ruins and sacred groves, crossing borders both real and spiritual. His is a journey of awakening and burden, the child of prophecy and war.

Mishal

As a novice of the Order of Thanatos, Mishal’s golden path descends rather than crosses. His story leads into the heart of death’s empire, where secrets fester and spirits remember what the living forget.

Although this unification brought about an administrative structure, rebellion and unrest simmered beneath the surface, Koen’s disappearance, Sylvanus’s uprising, and the ghosts Mishal begins to uncover all suggest that even this empire is built on shifting ground.

What the Maps Reveal

Each map marks not just a change in geography—but a transformation in identity.

• The Five Kingdoms represent the consequences of inheritance denied
• The Twelve Kingdoms reflect the vacuum left by fallen empires
• The Third Unification stands as a testament to ambition, order, and control

Threading through them all is Ljós Leggja—a sword that shaped dynasties, destroyed kings, and still haunts the hearts of those who seek to wield it.

Coming Soon

In the weeks ahead, I’ll be posting in-depth explorations of the individual regions of Lucardia—examining their lore, culture, and key figures.

First on the list:

• The lands of Zulikaarme – Burned to ash and reborn in vengeance
• The lands of Battenborne – a name with a profound legacy
• Northlands – Where the Circle of Eight holds onto a past-forgotten

If you want to learn more about my characters, you can find a comprehensive glossary here. If timelines interest you, check out here. If there’s a kingdom or bloodline you’d like to explore in more detail, let me know in the comments or reply directly.

Cheers!