Welcome to my A to Z Challenge 2019 posts. This year I’ll be writing about the world of Kinyal which is the setting of my epic fantasy novels and short stories. These posts offer insights into the world’s history, locations, and factions, but do not spoil any of the events or secrets from the novel.

You don’t need to read them in order, and as the challenge progresses, I’ll do my best to add links to related topics for each post.

The name taken as their own

There are only a few theories and stories tackling the beginning of Kinyal. Before the contact has been made with the world of yalari, most of them were religious in nature, including an intervention of a deity or other higher power. But when the existence of yalari became well-known, and their nature turned out to not be divine, it became clear how far from truth they are.

Yet, with the founding of the school of arcane magic and research on application of magic, the existential question of the world’s origin became of less importance. Then, the Cataclysm shook the continent of Tyorane, and again, priorities shifted, this time toward rebuilding and high magic. Hardly anyone looked into the past or asked questions about the world creation.

In fact, the concept of Kinyal being a “world” developed only after the contact with yalari, and the first name for the human land came from the demon language, Qinyalarethe meaning “the land without yalari”. Over time, people shortened it and Kinyal became the name everyone used.

Geography

So far, two continents were discovered on Kinyal (leaving – as you can guess – some creative space for the author), Tyorane and Juamha.

Juamha is the eastern one, and home to the Devanshari kingdom and many small duchies and provinces, most of them located at the western coastline. Deeper into the continent, toward the east, the lands aren’t colonized and lack complex societal structures, being a home to nomadic tribes and bands of violent vagabonds. While the western part of Juamha is mostly plains and forests with some hilly area, its inner regions are steppes with some mountain ranges in the horizon. So far, no expedition ever returned from the east, so no one even knows how big Juamha is.

Tyorane, on the other hand, is much more mountainous, with mountains in its northern region, and a massive mountain range in the middle of it like a spine through the continent, taking its name from it too – the Spine. Starting from the top-most area, there is the kingdom of Tivarashan, known for its vast woods, damp but moderate climate, and mines of previous stones. Directly to the south of it lie the domain of the Free City of Kaighal which actually encompasses more land than the city itself, and includes several smaller towns in the area. To the far west of Kaighal, beyond the line of the Spine, lies the Western Kingdom, perhaps the most isolated in Tyorane.

South of Kaighal, there is a vast desert, covering the once-lush land that used to be home to Zemarion. Beyond it, spread thick and dangerous jungles. There are rumors of civilizations beyond them, but so far, no traveler from the south arrived to Kaighal, and if the Western Kingdom made any contact with other lands, they keep it to themselves.

If you’d like a taste of the world, my free collection contains two of the stories from my free short story collection are set in Kinyal. The Arcanist and the Mage Killer and Scourges, Spells, and Serenades tell of the early adventures of Kamira and Veelk, the main protagonists of the upcoming novel.

You can get the collection by signing up to my newsletter.

All posts in this year’s challenge (links updated with new posts):

Arcane Magic || Barriers and Circles || The Cataclysm || Devanshari  || Essence || Free City of Kaighal || Gildya Magna || High Magic || Imbued Stones || Juamha || Kamira Altrainne || Languages || Mage Killers || Nightflies & Other Creatures || Origins of the Idea || Politics || Qinyalarethe ||