The Canic Chronicles

By FaindriArt / Roan S.

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Brief Summary

The Canic Chronicles is an adult fantasy series that follows the Inaki-Valhari family, primarily told from Narok's PoV. It is a character focused work that explores religion, gender, class, environmentalism, and politics in a medieval setting inspired by northern Eurasia.The first arc (2-3 books) starts with SHRIKE & THORN, and it focuses on Narok and Kasandra when they're in their twenties.The second arc takes place 15 years later and puts more focus on Narok and Kasandra's kids, though Narok is still the primary PoV character.

SHRIKE & THORN Pitch

Narok is a monster hunter blessed by the sun god. When his friend is murdered, he vows to discover the killer—against his god’s wishes. While on the hunt, he crosses paths with a sorceress from a rival religious order with a vendetta of her own.

History

The Canic Chronicles is an adult high fantasy novel series I first started writing in the mid-2000s when I was in middle school. At the time, the story was a YA series that followed Chya (called Ariia at the time), Narok and Kasandra's youngest child. I spent seven years trying to "perfect" this story for traditional publishing, but I lacked experience to write it the way I envisioned. In 2014, I set it aside.I wrote many more manuscripts--all set in different worlds--with the intention of publishing. I was extremely close several times, but ultimately, no dice.In 2019, burn out hit. I'd just graduated college and didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. Covid struck not long after I got a day job. I was diagnosed with several mental health conditions and disorders. I was able to leave my toxic cult-like religion. I started to really figure out who I was as a person, and that included puzzling out if I even enjoyed writing at all. I spent the next few years in fandom spaces where there was no pressure to sell, market, or be 'the best' at anything. I was just here to learn how to have fun creating again.In June 2024--ten years since I set TCC aside--I had a dream about the characters. Story beats and character arcs began to fall into place. I immediately wrote half-baked ideas into an old notebook. I hadn't experienced this kind of excitement for writing an original story in almost five years.Since then, I've been working on the first draft of a completely overhauled version of the world and story. My dream is to traditionally publish, but I'm keeping my expectations realistic. For now, I'm just having fun playing with my old characters.

World

Map is currently a work in progress.

TCC's world is inspired by multiple medieval cultures in northern Eurasia, specifically Scandinavia, Mongolia, and Germany. There are also Greek and Roman influences.Three types of humanoids inhabit this world: Therians (wolf/bear/bat shapeshifters), Elyndi (elves), and humans.There are also two types of magic systems. The natural magic of the world, which is produced by the planet's ley lines, and the magic the Elyndi create from an organ in their bodies. There is a world tree at the center of the continent, but it's sick and causes mutations in plants, animals, and sentient beings, turning them into monsters. The Mercies--Narok's faction--are in charge of stopping the spread of diease by killing the infected.(Side Note: Narok refers to it as "The F*cked Up Tree")

Content Warnings

These warnings are subject to change, but I'm sharing what content will most likely appear within the series. Some of these things will be implied rather than on the page.

FAQ

Q: Is this story grimdark? It looks like it'll have such dark themes.
A: Grimdark tends to have a very cynical view of everything, and I don't consider myself that type of writer. I try to always write with a sense of hope in my stories, and TCC is no exception.Q: Where can I read this thing?
A: You can't yet, because I have to finish writing it LOL. I appreciate anyone who is interested! My goal in 2025 is to have a first draft completed of book 1.Q: If Narok is transgender, and Kasandra is cisgender, how can they have biological kids?
A: Narok's transition involved giving him a fully functional cis body. It was done by sketchy magical means that altered him completely. It also made him compatible to procreate with Elyndi (normally, Elyndi cannot reproduce with Therians). Neither he nor Kasandra knew this was possible until it happened.Q: Is this a queernormative world?
A: I'm going to say no, but it also depends. As a whole, most people are neutral about it, though I wouldn't say it's "widely accepted".Tuala and its nations are in a transitional period where queer identities are more accepted than they were in the past, but this is not a utopian society by any means. There's still a lot of pressure on family lines and inheritance, especially with magic, and this helps reinforce heteronormativity.Some characters come from aggressively queerphobic cultures in this world. This is on the page and addressed accordingly.

You're always welcome to ask me Qs about my OCs and world, whether that be directly on social media or through my ask box on tumblr.

Arc 1 Characters

Rakara
(rah-kar-AH)

Bolad Sura
(boe-LAD)