ABOUT THE SERIES
- S.C. Selvyn
"I wanted to create a world so immersive that readers could envision themselves and everyone around them as characters inside their own unique Ildarwood."
Jordana Rohani and Zavanna Tisarro by @lucas_concept_art
PREMISE
Nearly 10,000 years ago, the first of their kind was born - the first who could not just perceive the spectral world, but control it. Banished into the jungles of Ondala by their tribe, eight children were forced to survive out on their own, only to return years later to save their people from a terrible corruption of their souls.
In the millennia since, the Trials have become a tradition for cultures all around the world. On the first day of spring each year, all families must banish their children of age into the nearest Ildarwood forest, and they cannot return home until their Trials are complete. Only once their souls are bound to the Ildarwood can they learn to master their control over one of the powerful spectral elements hidden within.
The Trials of Ildarwood series follows the lives and struggles of children and their families as they cope with the dangers of the Ildarwood and the abilities that come with it.
Chapter illustration of Ildarbound in front of the Oculum, by David Perez.
THE SPECTRAL ELEMENTS
The nine elemental emblems. 3D images by Dejan Gotić
According to legends, when An'tumbe was just a child, she could never understand why nobody else around her could see the things that she could see, or feel the things that she could feel. Only once her eight children were old enough to talk was she able to confirm that she was not alone in her abilities.
As her children grew up, they came to realize that each of them could perceive and control a specific aspect of the spectral world better than any of their siblings. Spending the rest of their lives mastering their control over those specific elements, their children and grandchildren passed along the abilities of the First through countless generations.
"The Elements of Energy" - Goldenfire, Stormspark, Frostwater
"The Elements of Morality" - Asterlight, Silverblood, Nightsmoke
"The Elements of State" - Spiritstone, Kingswash, Crimsonwind
To this day, whenever a child is born, they nearly always emerge holding an Ildarglass birthstone with a color believed to indicate the spectral alignment they will have when they grow up. Life experiences may change the final results, but one thing is certain - every person with a soul is aligned towards one of these nine elements.
ILLUSTRATED CHAPTERS
Chapter illustrations of Verdani Manor, the Ildarwood tree at Wisher's Well, Willen at Westwatch, and Ranewood's Astercourt, all by David Perez.
The Trials of Ildarwood series includes detailed illustrations by the talented David Perez to help readers visualize the imaginative world created by S.C. Selvyn.
From Verdani Manor and Ranewood's breathtaking Astercourt to the tower of Westwatch and the eye of the Oculum in the Ildarwood, each illustration highlights a key scene or location from the book.
Pictured here are:
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An Ildarhorse carriage in front of Verdani Manor from the Prologue of book one. Ildarhorses are semi-sentient creatures constructed using tangled Ildarwood.
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An Ildarwood tree beside Wisher's Well. Ildarwood trees have a crystalline bark with small seeds called "pearls" that glow at night.
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Westwatch is Ranewood's first outpost in the Ildarwood. It includes a vast marketplace and the outpost's namesake tower.
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Ranewood's Astercourt was constructed nearly fifty year's before book one's events. Within the main dome is housed a massive spectral sun called an Ildarstar that protects the structure and most of the town from various forms of spectral attack.
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TOWN OF RANEWOOD
The Trials of Ildarwood series takes place in the quiet town of Ranewood, where long-kept secrets from the town's troubled past have begun to emerge at last.
Bordered by Lake Ranewood in the west, the Great Silver Lake in the east, and twin rivers to the north and south, the town of Ranewood includes miles of Ildarwood forest that must be patrolled at all hours to keep the Ildarbound within safe.
In the centuries leading up to the book's events, the lands now called Ranewood were sacred to the First Selyrians, who still watch over the vast settlements of the Selyrian Union from afar, but years of war and Blights have left parts of the forest irreparably corrupted, and some of the town's residents, as well.
What long-kept secrets lie in wait within the town's sprawling Ildarwood? Only time will tell.
Map of Ranewood by @chaimscartography
A VAST WORLD OF LORE
The world of the Ildarwood has as its foundation an epic tome of lore spanning nearly 10,000 years.
From the birth of the First until the events of The Trials of Ildarwood, countless civilizations and religions have been founded and crumbled into the ashes of history.
Each book in the series will delve a little bit deeper into the history of the world and the impact of various events on the development of different cultures, faiths, and even the nine spectral elements, themselves.
Over time, the series will expand to include additional works by S.C. Selvyn and other aspiring authors to build upon the world's rich history and provide deeper insights into key events from the past.
Until then, sign-up for our mailing list below to receive periodic updates about the series, as well as access to exclusive short stories and lore from the Ildarwood.
(TOP) "Stronger Than Our Faults" by @lucas_concept_art
(BOTTOM) "Wisdom. Vision. Balance" by @lucas_concept_art
If you or someone you know would enjoy a story like this,
The Trials of Ildarwood: Spectres of the Fall
is available here:
ALL EDITIONS INCLUDE:
28 Illustrated Chapters | 600+ Pages of Story
Map of Ranewood | Appendix of Lore