Hello my Midnight Romantics...
It is late and my brain is weary, but the backbone of the Darkborn world has finally come together. It's funny; I write these stories because I cannot get the characters out of my head. But that doesn't mean I have everything ironed out before I sit down to write. It has taken me two books to feel solid in the mythological world I've created - all the little nuances that drive the world my characters are trying to save. If you look closely, you might see where this story is taking us. :)
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Finalized Lore of the Darkborn Saga - the backbone of the world I've created. It's taken two books to get the lore ironed out. Here's a sneak peek at the first page of Bloodborn:
From the Fragments of the Convergence Chronicles
In the time before memory, the world was whole—one land, anchored by the Soulwood buried deep beneath the earth. From the Soulwood, ley lines spread like roots, carrying life and magic across the realm and binding Röthgard in balance.
As all living things do, the world changed. Seasons turned. Life and death held equal dominion. Light and shadow flourished side by side, and the gods ruled the mortal plane from afar.
But change, like rot, is inevitable.
Every thousand winters, when balance waned and darkness threatened to overtake the light, the ancient protectors of Röthgard—great winged guardians and their Root Keepers—would wake. With frost and flame, they scoured the land, halting corruption and burning away what could not endure.
When their task was complete, the guardians returned to slumber, and the wheel began anew.
Yet the chronicles speak of an evil that rose beyond the natural order.
The Root-Rotter.
An ancient being that poisoned the foundations of the world itself, corrupting the Soulwood and waking the guardians before their slumber was complete.
The guardians fell, dying before their work was done. The texts do not say how, nor why. Only this remains: the Soulwood fractured, the Root-Rotter was cast into the depths of the realm, and the power once bound by the Soulwood surged free. Uncontained, the power splintered the land, creating the Great Fissure.
The fissure tore through Röthgard and the realm. The northern lands were ripped away, and where the continent split, the sea rushed in. Thousands perished, and when the tremors ceased, the world was changed forever.
What was once one land became two: Nordlund, frozen and scarred in the north, and Soothlund, land of sun and secrets in the south, divided by the Bitter Sea. Ley lines weakened, seasons grew cruel, and magic began to fade.
Yet still, the wheel must turn.
For all things endure only until they break.
Translator’s Note:
References to the Root-Rotter appear throughout recovered texts. In Old Soothlunder: Níðhöggr. In northern dialects: the World-Eater, the Root-Rotter.
Translated by Bryanna Thorvold, Archivist of the Forsaken
About the Darkborn Saga...
If you crave dark fantasy romance with cursed Viking warriors, Norse mythology, and morally gray heroes, the Darkborn Saga will leave you breathless, shattered, and hungry for more.
When vengeance becomes immortal, love is the most dangerous weapon of all.
Forged in fire and cursed by gods, four Viking warriors are betrayed and destroyed—only to rise again as the Darkborn: immortal, bloodthirsty, and bound by fate to a destiny more brutal than death.
In a world of fallen empires, ancient gods, and brutal wars, the Darkborn are the realm’s last hope against Barron the Butcher and his Red Army. But survival comes at a cost.
Amid the blood and ruin, forbidden desires ignite between enemies and fated lovers, making the Darkborn’s hearts as dangerous as their blades (and their teeth). Torn between their monstrous hunger and the shreds of their humanity, the Darkborn must battle gods and awaken ancient evils that stir in the shadows of a broken world. Every choice could tip the balance between vengeance and redemption… or unleash a darkness no one can escape.
Prepare for slow-burn, spice, and Viking warriors who bite.
Greetings, my Midnight Romantics!
I'm dropping into let you know that, if you've read Darkborn Origins (which is from Sylas's POV), I have three new short stories coming to you. Each story follows the same timeline, but it's from a different Darkborn's POV. As you can see, you'll get Lucian, Thorne, and Arless. Thorne and Arless are ready, and I'm currently drafting Lucian's story now.
Since I've finished writing Bloodborn (book one) and Soulbound (book two), and I'm starting on Fatesworn (book three), it felt like the right time to delve back into the beginning and remind myself where each of these Darkborn came from and how their journey's started.
I'm hoping to have these out in February, but I'll keep you posted.
These stories will be available here in my bookshop at $0.99 each, OR free for all paid subscribers with a $5 and up membership.
If you haven't read Origins, the original from Sylas's POV, you can snag a free copy here: https://scarletstjames.com/products/origins-a-darkborn-saga-prequel-ebook
You can peruse memberships in my After Dark Reader Lounge here: https://scarletstjames.com/pages/after-dark-lounge
💋 Scarlet