A Game of Truth and Lies releases this week! To celebrate, I’ll be posting some bonus material with you. Yay! Let’s kick things off with a virtual tour of Tanithor! Read on to learn all about the enchanting world in which The Chronicles of Tanithor is set.
How Tanithor Came to Be
One thing that really sets the fantasy genre apart from all other fiction genres is the imaginary setting. I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to a fantastical, make-believe place, I want it realized in a map. Maps bring the world you’re reading about to life! Even though you know it’s not a real world, having a visual reference to the setting of the characters you’re reading about just rounds out the whole fantasy experience.
On the writing side of things, personally, a map is essential to building out the world my characters are living in to accurately tell their story. Before I even started writing, I hand-sketched a map of Tanithor (you can see that rough sketch here). In A Bounty of Secrets and Rebellion, we don’t see much of Tanithor at large since the story takes place mostly in Latera. However, the location of the kingdoms in relation to each other was important, especially when building up the conflicts between the kingdoms. Having Griff travel through Hoken toward Latera in book one, and then Alana and Fynn traveling to Gaellen in book 2, it was all the more important to know exactly where they came from, and where they were going. Especially when I wanted those separate stories to collide.
Placing their journeys on a map helped me to see it in my mind and be better able to convey their surroundings and direction in relation to one another through the written word. Thus, the map of Tanithor was born.
Kingdom Breakdown
Now let’s talk specifically about each kingdom in Tanithor.
Latera
Type of government: Absolute Monarchy by male succession only
Rulers: King Declan Reece Sundry
Royal Seat: Sands
Royal standard: Golden sun on sky blue backdrop
Colors: Lateran blue and gold
Key characters: Princess Alana Bell Sundry, Officer Koa Kai, Officer Tannin Avery.
Characteristics: An oasis in Tanithor. Lush and fertile farm lands, temperate climate, sandy beaches. The Lateran race of people that reside here are tan, and lean, with mostly blonde hair and blue eyes. The kingdom is divided by class: nobles who possess the gift of water, and commoners who don’t. Marriage between classes is against the law.
Military: Voluntary service, paid.
Allies: Gaellen, upon alliance treaty sealed by marriage.
Gaellen
Type of government: Limited Monarchy by male or female succession
Rulers: King Allister Corden Greenway
Royal Seat: Holden
Royal standard: Golden tree on a dark green backdrop
Colors: Gaellen green and gold
Key characters: Prince Fynnegan Corden Greenway, Princess Brynn Sorrel Greenway
Characteristics: A rugged hill country with distinct seasons, and vast, underground salt mines. The Gaellen race of people that reside here are pale, and stocky, with mostly red hair and gold or dark blue eyes. The kingdom is divided by class: nobles who possess the gift of air, and commoners who don’t. Marriage between classes is allowed by royal approval but rare.
Military: Compulsory enlistment for a minimum of two years service starting at sixteen.
Allies: Latera, upon alliance treaty sealed by marriage
Hoken
Type of government: Tribal by selected succession, typically hereditary
Rulers: Chief Nashua Shoshone
Royal Seat: Elu
Royal standard: A hatchet crossed with an arrow carved into a tree trunk in Elu
Colors: none
Key characters: Griff Shoshone, Halyn Chumani, Alo Shoshone
Characteristics: A land almost entirely forested. The Hoken race of people that reside here have brown skin and mostly black hair and eyes with occasional brown shades of hair and eyes as well. The kingdom is not divided by class and therefore has the largest population of All God gifted people.
Military: Warriors are trained up from childhood as a part of the basic culture, but service is volunteer only, not paid.
Allies: None
Zimerah
Type of government: Absolute Monarchy by male or female succession
Rulers: King Okal Mirembe Dakari
Royal Seat: Hakar
Royal standard: Black thorned rose on a blood red backdrop
Colors: Black and blood red
Key characters: Princess Nakeera Jatine Dakari
Characteristics: A mountainous region with an extreme climate and predatory animals. The Zimeran race of people that reside here have black skin and white hair. They speak a guttural language native to the region. The kingdom is divided by class: nobles who possess the gift of fire, and commoners who don’t. Marriage between classes is against the law. Additionally, Zimeran’s don’t practice marriage betrothal, choosing instead to marry for love.
Military: Required service, 12 years and up, males only.
Allies: None
I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour of Tanithor! Be sure and pop back in for more bonus content as we celebrate the release of A Game of Truth and Lies!