The Ethmer Chronicles — Tale of the Dual Fates

The World of Ethmer

A World Shaped by Divine Hands — and Dark Ones

Ethmer was born from an act of creation — five gods pouring their essence into a cosmic forge, weaving reality from light and will. But unknown to them, darker forces slipped their own nature into the mix. Now, thousands of years later, that hidden stain shapes everything: the rise and fall of empires, the flow of magic, and the fate of those born with power they never asked for.

"Fear is often the father of cruelty. Even the most righteous can become what they once fought against, when fear takes hold."From the writings of Abel Vaelicor, Architect of the Cresthal Accord

The Lore Bible

Foundations of Ethmer

The world rests on ancient patterns — cosmic, mathematical, divine. These are the truths that every scholar, priest, and storyteller in Ethmer takes for granted.

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The Creation Myth

Five gods gathered to forge a new world, each pouring a piece of their essence into the cosmic brew. The Weaver shaped reality's fabric. The Verdant Mother seeded life. The Eternal Flame lit the sky. The Whispering Wind carried knowledge across the land. And a fifth — now lost to memory — bound it all together. But while the gods created, darker entities crept uninvited into the mix.

Cosmology

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The Sacred Eight

Eight divine entities shaped existence — five gods and three devils. This number echoes through every corner of Ethmer: eight days form each week, the calendar's deeper mathematics revolve around it, and cultures mark the eighth day, month, and cycle as moments of particular significance. It is the number of cosmic balance, for good and ill.

Theology

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Three Moons, One Veiled Star

Three moons cross Ethmer's sky, each named for a god: the Verdant Mother (30-day cycle), the Whispering Wind (40-day cycle), and the Weaver (24-day cycle). A faint, distant star appears only at certain times of year — the Veiled Star, associated in ancient myth with something lost. The year spans 385 days: twelve months of thirty-two days, plus one day outside the calendar entirely.

Astronomy

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The Mage Wars

Three centuries ago, a catastrophic conflict between mages nearly tore the world apart. The wars ended only through desperate military action and immense sacrifice. In their aftermath, the surviving nations signed the Cresthal Accord — a continental treaty that banned all practice of magic, reshaping civilisation forever.

History

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The Forgotten Day

A single day exists outside the regular calendar — the 385th day, falling between the last day of the old year and the first of the new. In most years, it is a day of celebration and festivity. But every sixty-four years, the Great Shadow falls: the Veiled Star aligns with the sun, dimming the world for an entire day, turning joy to solemnity.

Calendar

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The Ban on Magic

For three hundred years, magic has been forbidden across Ethmer. Those born with the gift are registered, monitored, and — in many nations — imprisoned in institutions called Vaethyriums. The practice of any magical art carries severe penalties. Mage hunters patrol the land, and fear of magic runs deep in every culture. Yet some whisper that the old ways held knowledge now forgotten.

Society

Lands of Ethmer

The Seven Biomes

From scorching dunes to canopied forests older than memory, Ethmer's lands are as varied as the peoples who call them home. Each region carries its own rhythms, its own dangers, and its own relationship with the world's troubled past.

Cresthal

The Temperate Heartlands

The central region of the continent — rolling farmlands, temperate forests, and fertile river valleys. Cresthal's mild climate and rich soil have made it the political and economic centre of Ethmer for centuries. The Cresthal Accord was signed here, and its lands are home to the greatest concentration of kingdoms.

Ildaen

The Ancient Forest

Vast northern forests where bioluminescent flora lights the canopy floor and trees hold memories older than written record. Mushrooms pulse like heartbeats, moss sparkles like fallen stars, and the air itself feels thick with life and purpose. The forest is alive in ways that defy easy explanation.

Soankar

The Golden Dunes

A vast desert in the northwest — endless seas of sand, shimmering heat mirages, and stark rocky outcroppings. Extreme heat by day, frigid cold by night. Violent sandstorms reshape the landscape without warning. Yet beneath the dunes lie rich mineral deposits and crystalline ores that drive a continent's trade.

Thalron

The Endless Steppes

South of Cresthal, the grasslands stretch to the horizon in every direction. Open sky, rolling plains, and the thunder of migrating herds define this landscape. The steppes follow seasonal rhythms that have shaped the nomadic cultures who traverse them for thousands of years.

Twylmar Coast

The Shimmering Coastline

The eastern seaboard, where warm currents meet ancient cliffs and sheltered harbours. A maritime region of salt winds, busy ports, and coastal cities built atop foundations older than their inhabitants remember. The sea provides and the sea takes — a truth the coastal peoples never forget.

Densmara

The Verdant Depths

Dense tropical jungles in the south, where the boundary between civilisation and wilderness dissolves entirely. Living vine-structures serve as buildings, and Densmaran Vhylvine — a plant that hardens to wood as it matures — is shaped by skilled craftsmen into frameworks, arches, and entire dwellings.

Voranth

The Blighted Wastes

A scarred wasteland far older than the Mage Wars themselves. Millennia ago, the Aetherii civilisation attempted a ritual of staggering ambition here — and failed catastrophically. The land has never recovered. Twisted terrain, unnatural weather, and creatures that should not exist haunt what was once a thriving heartland. Fortune-seekers and scholars are drawn to its ruins in equal measure. Most never return.

Political Realms

The Kingdoms of Ethmer

Ethmer's lands are divided among kingdoms, republics, federations, and emirates — each with their own laws, traditions, and relationship to the continental ban on magic. Power takes many forms here.

Kingdom

Nymoria

Realm of the Moon

Celebrated for its nocturnal festivals, mystical traditions, and romantic spirit. Nymoria holds a unique allure through its reverence for the moon and celestial phenomena. Its noble houses play a complex game of power beneath a crown now shaken by crisis. Birthplace of the twin heirs at the heart of this story.

Region: Cresthal · Government: Monarchy

Kingdom

Aelorea

Beacon of Ethmer

The largest and most influential realm on the continent. Known for its constitutional monarchy, progressive governance, and robust economy, Aelorea stands as a beacon of unity and enlightenment. It plays a pivotal role in continental politics, balancing power and diplomacy across its many neighbours.

Region: Cresthal · Government: Constitutional Monarchy

Kingdom

Vilaroa

Land of the Brave

Celebrated for its courageous warriors, strategic minds, and deep military traditions. Vilaroa's legendary cavalry and Ildaen-trained archers make it a formidable power. A culture built on courage, honour, and duty, where strength and loyalty are valued above all else.

Region: Cresthal · Government: Constitutional Monarchy

Mercantile Republic

Thallthea

Jewel of Commerce

A young nation where social status is measured in coin and haggling is an art form. Governed by an elected Merchant Council, Thallthea sits at the crossroads of three regions. Its Grand Bazaar draws traders from every corner of the continent, and its banking houses finance half the world's ventures.

Region: Cresthal–Densmara border · Government: Elected Merchant Council

Emirates

The Concordat of Twylmar

The Shimmering Emirates

Three sovereign Emirates unified under a High Emirate, rooted in ancient maritime traditions. Twylmar's tripartite political structure has fluctuated throughout history between periods of unified rule and the current arrangement of three separate Emirates balancing power, trade, and naval strength.

Region: Twylmar Coast · Government: Tripartite Emirate

Forest Kingdom

Verdanthearth

Heart of the Living Forest

A kingdom in the northern reaches of Ildaen, renowned for its harmonious relationship with nature. Advanced sustainable forestry, deep cultural reverence for the woods, and governance focused on ecological preservation make Verdanthearth vital to the continent's balance — both natural and political.

Region: Ildaen · Government: Forest Monarchy

Theocracy

Liyaran

The Holy Dominion

A contemplative nation in northern Densmara where ancient temples guard traditions older than the magic ban. Governed by the High Ecclesiarch and a Council of Archpriests, Liyaran's spiritual practices blur the line between divine worship and forbidden arts — a tension that grows more dangerous by the year.

Region: Densmara–Ildaen border · Government: Theocracy

Peoples of Ethmer

Those Who Call This World Home

The Central Peoples

The humans of Cresthal and the central kingdoms share a common baseline: athletic builds averaging 180–185 cm, diverse skin tones shaped by geography, and a general resilience born from centuries of intermingling. Cultural differences run deep, but the peoples of the heartlands share a common tongue and a common fear of magic's return.

The Ildaen — Children of the Forest

Tall (around 195 cm), athletic, with a distinctive greenish skin tone. The Ildaen possess enhanced senses, natural regenerative abilities, and lifespans far exceeding those of the central peoples. Their deep reverence for nature shapes every aspect of their culture, from their healing arts to their woodcraft. The Forest Guardians — an elite group among them — protect the ecological balance of their ancient homeland.

The Soankarians — Desert Dwellers

Compact and resilient (165–170 cm), with dark bluish skin and large eyes adapted to low light conditions. Their bodies retain water with remarkable efficiency, and their rough, calloused skin protects against the desert's extremes. A nomadic people at heart, they carry their history in oral tradition and song, and their mining expertise is unmatched on the continent.

The Twylmarians — Sea Dwellers

Adapted to an aquatic life along the eastern coast, Twylmarians possess larger eyes for underwater vision, webbed hands and feet, and thick pale skin resistant to saltwater. Strong swimmers with increased lung capacity, they communicate underwater through sonic vibrations. Their rigid caste system has endured for millennia, and their maritime mastery is unmatched on the continent. Adorned with fluorescent tattoos for cultural expression and underwater signalling, they view themselves as chosen by the Whispering Wind to rule the seas.

The Books

Tale of the Dual Fates

Four books. Two fates. One world on the edge of transformation.

Dawning

Book One — Coming Soon

In the kingdom of Nymoria, seven-year-old twins Mirilind and Lamrith are heirs to a throne and keepers of a secret that could destroy their family. Born with the gift of magic in a world where such gifts are met with imprisonment or death, they have been hidden in plain sight by parents willing to risk everything.

When an assassination attempt forces the twins to reveal their power to save those they love, the consequences are immediate and devastating. Their mother's sacrifice buys them a chance at escape, but the road ahead is long and hunted. Entrusted to a battle-worn knight, they must cross a continent while forces both political and arcane close in behind them.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, a man driven by righteous fury and dark bargains sets in motion a plan that will shake the foundations of the three-hundred-year peace. He knows a truth about the world's history that could change everything — and he will burn nations to prove it.

Dawning is the first book in The Ethmer Chronicles, an epic fantasy series about power, sacrifice, and the cost of fear — where the greatest danger isn't magic itself, but what people will do to control it.

Book Two

Becoming

Discovery of Purpose

Book Three

Shattering

Trial by Fire

Book Four

Ascending

Understanding & Triumph

Lysander's Letter

The Author

Johan Carlsson

Author Photo

I've been reading fantasy since I was ten, when Wolfgang Hohlbein's Märchenmond fell into my hands. My mother followed that up with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. I devoured it, then hunted down everything Tolkien-related I could find at the local library — including an English edition of The Silmarillion. I was eleven. Not a native English speaker. That nearly killed my love of reading entirely.

But it didn't.

The years brought David Eddings, Robert Jordan, Robin Hobb, Terry Brooks, and eventually Brandon Sanderson. Alongside the books came tabletop RPGs, PC gaming — Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls — and a lifelong love of worlds that feel real enough to get lost in.

The Ethmer Chronicles grew from a hobby that spiralled wonderfully out of control. What began as a fun exercise in designing a magic system became a world, then a story, then something I couldn't put down. This is my first novel, written in between work and family, driven by a passion for the kind of stories that shaped me as a reader.