The Worlds of Nicki Chapelway: Part Three the Otherworlds

 

In continuation with my blogging series delving into the world's I've created, we're turning to the Otherworlds.

Images Via Pinterest

The Otherworlds is the world my Of Dreams and Nightmares Trilogy is set in. It is the home of the faeries, existing in a separate realm from our own, but with faerie magic it is easy to cross over and snatch humans or meddle with mortal affairs. Due to this fact, a human order of Guardians, existing since the time of ancient Ireland, exists to do their best to keep the faeries in check and guard the rest of humanity against their capricious wiles.

Time has no effect on the Otherworlds, anyone who dwells within it does not age.

Climate and Terrain: The Otherworlds are divided into five courts. The courts are: winter, spring, summer, autumn, and undersea. Each of these courts contain the climate associated with their season. Winter is cold and frosty, autumn is a large forest that is always cool but never freezing, spring consists of several rolling hills with faerie raths hidden underneath. The summer court is tucked away inside of a mountain, and the undersea court is, well, under the sea.

There is a sixth dead court, the former heart of the Otherworlds, the Court of Dreams and Nightmares. It lies in the forest of night, a place where there is no daylight, and one must rely on the moon to not lose their way. This court, however, floats in a separate realm from the Otherworlds since it was brutally removed from faerie culture when they did away with a central government.

Creatures and Monsters: This world is the home of the faeries and other creatures of Irish legends (Pookahs, leprechauns, sea dragons, etc...). It is almost entirely comprised of these strange and fantastical beings. Indeed, there are not many humans to be found in the Otherworlds, and the ones that are there are very likely enslaved and enthralled.

Political Atmosphere: Each of the five courts is governed by a separate king or queen and rule separately. The winter and summer courts are locked in a bitter conflict stemming from a war fought years ago that nearly wiped out both courts.

Once, all of the courts were ruled by a single individual, a high queen. However, when five lords and ladies of the fae decided they were tired of accepting the high queen's rule, they broke away. As a punishment for this treasonous act, the high queen cursed the entire faerie population, binding them all to the Fair Law so that they will never be held unaccountable again.

Magic: Faeries are the possessors of powerful and spectacular magic. It is capable of manipulating anything, and is often used for destructive purposes. Their magic has very few weaknesses and protects them so that they are practically incapable of death. As such, faeries only have very few weaknesses. Iron which is their bane, their true names that can be used to control them, and their item of immortality—an item that their magic is bound up into and the source of their immortality since they can only exist as long as their item of immortality does.

They are also under the Fair Law and thus incapable of lying and are bound to their words, but they are crafty individuals and easily find ways around these limitations.

Religion: There is no specified religion in the Otherworlds.

If this world sounds like something you would like to dive into then check out book 1, Of Gold and Iron.

Domain of the North Cover Reveal

 

So, tell me...

Are you ready for another eerie cover with blue undertones? Because I'm ready to share Domain of the North's cover.

Domain of the North is a YA LitRPG/GameLit series that I will be releasing in episodic format through Kindle Vella next year. I will eventually release it in Kindle and paperback, audiobook, and even hardback formats. But I don't know when just yet so if you're going to want to read this book, I suggest you join Kindle Vella (it's an inexpensive option to get your hands on a lot of really great books).

But I think that I have gone on for long enough. You have come here to see a cover and a cover you shall have.

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Halfway there...

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I know I'm making you scroll a ton, but I promise it's totally worth the suspense
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When my character dies at the end of my favorite video game I think it’s just game over… but it turns out that the game was more real than I realized. After a necromancy spell to bring back my character goes wrong, I find myself in the world of the game. I would be content to remain here forever except Lance, the healer mage who I have a major crush on, won’t give up on the love he had for my character. Now he’s convinced he can find a way to bring me back home whether I want to or not.

Coming to Kindle Vella in 2023

Add to Goodreads

This cover was designed by 100Covers and I was quite literally blown away by the concept. I love how it is such a different style from any of my other books, because it certainly is a different book from anything I have ever written. While I sometimes classify it as a portal fantasy, the world that my main character finds herself in this series is actually a video game which means that there will be subtle and sometimes not so subtle differences from my portal fantasies.

Also, can we talk about how creepy those zombies are? I'm not sure which is worse, the unhinged jaw, the unsettling grin, or the disembodied hand reaching for Lance's boots.

Really makes me wish that Awoken was a real video game becuase I do love sniping fantasy zombies with a bow and arrow.

Anyway, here's the Vella Cover since this is how it will look until I officially publish it.

The Worlds of Nicki Chapelway: Part Two Illesya

Today we're continuing my blogging series that focuses on each of my fantasy worlds with a post about Illesya.

Illesya is the world from my Snow White retelling Winter Cursed.

Illesya is an island that has been trapped in a never-ending winter for nearly two decades. It was once comprised of three kingdoms Havenkeep, Alain, and Mooraven. However, Havenkeep and Alain were later joined through a marriage alliance, and after a grueling seven year long war Mooraven was defeated. Now a single kingdom remains, Havenkeep to rule supreme over the war-torn land.

Long ago, the fae roamed the island, long ago, the fae left. All that remains of them is a wellspring of magic, an enchanted forest, where many creatures dwell that are extinct elsewhere in Illesya.

Climate and Terrain: Alain lies to the northernmost part of the island at the foot of a great mountain range known as the Skalvanian mountains, the home of the dwarfs. Havenkeep is in the center of the island and Mooraven to the south. The enchanted woods lies between Havenkeep and Mooraven.

The climate in Illesya is unchanging, it is cold and snowy and the sun has not been seen for eighteen years. Very few crops can flourish in this climate and as such, the people of Illesya are constantly on the verge of starvation.

Creatures and Monsters: There are many creatures that dwell in Illesya, from giant spiders and bats, garmrs (large wolf-like creatures), and draugrs (shuffling dead), to great wyverns. But since the fae left so long ago, they have been slowly dying out. Now they primarily dwell in the enchanted woods or near the Skalvanian mountains. Dwarves live in the mountains, and the occasional unicorn roams the plains of Alain.

Other creatures such as nymphs exist in the spirit plane and have little to do with the mortal sphere.

Wights were once man and can only be created by the most powerful sorceresses.

Political Atmosphere: Havenkeep is ruled by a king or queen who is advised by a circle of lords.

Ever since the king of Havenkeep died, his widow, the former queen of Alain has been ruling as regent until her stepdaughter comes of age. But rumor has it the princess has displeased the queen regent and has since been sent to live in a secluded castle far from the capital.

King Morren of Mooraven is assumed dead and has been ever since the end of the seven year's war, his son, however, was exiled to the enchanted forest where supposedly he died long ago...

Magic: Creatures such as nymphs have their own abilities, to control the weather and the seasons, however there are very few humans who possess any sort of magic and those who have it come by it through unnatural means.

Sorceresses, women hailing primarily from Alain, who mix potions that grant them abilities, such as to turn men into wights—mindless nearly indestructible servants— or to steal a lifeforce of another person.

Witches an order of women who stole their abilities at the creation of magic. They possess the ability to wield flames, control shadows, speak to crows, and cheat death at least once...

Dark Lords, King Morren of Mooraven made a bargain with a witch and in turn she gave him a portion of her powers. He and his line are capable of controlling shadows and speaking to crows.

Princess Elisabeth is a half-nymph and has the ability to control ice, which was inherited from her mother, however since nymphs largely avoid the affairs of men, this is a very rare occasion.

Religion: At the dawn of time, a great and nameless creator made a tree. This tree was named the tree of life and the first of all his creations each took a fruit from it. The fae took the fruit of magic, the nymphs of the elements, the dwarfs of craftmanship... and so on, until one by one all the fruits had been eaten save for one final one. The fruit left for the creator's lowliest of creations: humans. All that was left for them to eat was the fruit of mortality.

There was one woman among the humans who got greedy, she snatched up several bites of the fruits of magic and immortality, wrongfully taking more power than she should have ever been allowed. She was the first witch, and her daughters will forever be of that accursed race.

Later, the sorceresses discovered that potions could be used to grant them power, but this too was a sacrilege against the creator.

In the center of Havenkeep there is a temple to this creator, and the people of Havenkeep honor the tree of life by having it be their official insignia.

If you would like to know more about Illesya, you can check out Winter Cursed.

Cover Reveal for The Gods Created Monsters

Ahhh! I'm so excited, coming off the high that was Harbinger of the End's release, and straight into a cover reveal for what will be my first release of 2023 The Gods Created Monsters. It's the first of a new series, set in the world of Ruskhazar. The same world from Between Gods and Demigods, A Tale of Gods and Glory, and my upcoming Rage Like the Gods.

And this cover is absolutely stunning.

Look... I know that I say this every cover reveal that I do, but seriously this cover is gorgeous, and I absolutely cannot wait to reveal it to you. This cover was done by Mibl Art (a fantastic team that does so much more than just covers, although their covers are pretty amazing anyway)

Anyway, that's it for my preemptive rambling. It's time to start scrolling...

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Halfway there...

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I know I'm making you scroll a ton, but I promise it's totally worth the suspense
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The gods created the monsters…now it is up to the mortals to kill them.

Alya has always dreamed of adventure, but as a noble lady she knows that the only thing her future holds in store for her is marriage. However, when her engagement to the crown prince leads to her family’s murder, Alya loses herself to her need for revenge. She wants the future king dead and she is willing to do whatever she must to ensure his doom. Even if it means becoming a commissioned monster hunter and slaying as many undead as it takes to forestall the end of the world.

She is joined in her quest by the disillusioned guardsman who saved her life, a criminal who doesn’t want to do penance, a disgraced magicker who just wants everything to go back to the way was, and her cat. If they want to survive the dangerous duty of holding the line against the monsters then these outcasts are going to have to learn how to trust each other, ignore their selfish impulses, and do something right for a change. Because the world is ending and alone, they are not powerful enough to stop it.

Slay the monsters, defend the innocents, find the source of the rising dead… and don’t kill each other in the process. It shouldn’t be too difficult, right?

A band of novice monster slayers go up against creatures that have not been seen for a thousand years in this adult high fantasy series set in the world of Ruskhazar. It is perfect for fans of Michael J. Sullivan, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Witcher Saga.

Coming 2.13.23

Pre-Order Your Copy Now

See? I told you that it was stunning. This book is going to be one chaotic tale about a band of outcasts learning to become a found family. There will be plenty of scary scenes, funny scenes, and scenes that might just make you cry. Not to mention a sunshine and the grump romance. Oh, and a cat named Fluff.

For the duration of its Pre-Order period the book will only be $2.99. It will go up in price after it releases so make sure to take advantage of this low pricing and snag your copy now!

Here's the full wrap around so that you can see what a fantastic job my cover designers did.