Beginnings

In a hole in the ground … No, wait, that’s not my script …

I remember exactly how excited I was when I wanted to write my own book. The funny thing is that I was actually too lazy to read books myself. I was very selective and only touched very specific fantasy books. Only later did I discover my love for video game adaptations like the Dragon Age novels, comics, Dreams of the Dying (Enderal) or the Guild Wars 2 book series — and was able to draw inspiration from those.

I always tell people that Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings blew my mind as a little boy at the tender age of 8 — so much so that ever since then, I’ve pursued the goal of merging fantasy and reality. In my current work, I primarily do this through photography and compositing, but also through digital art. And with Project Wyldheart, I want to bring my own fantasy world into reality.

These books were my first milestone. The first draft laid the foundation for many details, characters, and connections so that I can now really get started with Project Wyldheart and apply everything I learned from my studies.

In this blog post, I go through the very first drafts and thoughts that, for me, laid this foundation, and take you step by step — from the beginnings to the new adventure with Project Ananthara.

Early Inspiration and Worldbuilding

When I was 14, I began my first research into my world, my characters, and the plot. I never wanted to just make up a story from existing facts as is often the case with thrillers and similar genres — I wanted to create my very own world. Inspired by Tolkien himself, I wanted my own language, my own peoples, and my own system, multiple cultures. My own functioning and living world with deep characters and individual stories. And so I began step by step with worldbuilding and refinement at the age of 14.

Over the years, I drew inspiration from a wide variety of sources: The Lord of the Rings, Dragon Age, Guild Wars, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games (Mockingjay), The Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim, Enderal, Game of Thrones and many more. I was inspired not just by world development but by the characters themselves. What was their nature, what goals did they have, what backgrounds made them who they are? I love digging deep and giving a story and a character depth through a “why.”

Through my Bachelor of Arts studies in Offenburg, I learned a lot about dramaturgy and now know what it takes to actually build such a world, make it believable, and give it depth.

Back then I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel completely. Everyone knows elves, dwarves, tieflings and the like. So I oriented myself to what already existed in order to establish my own peoples, customs and cultures. Maybe some people remember the game Kameo? Many of the traits of my fairy/elf race were inspired by it.

I mentioned earlier that these first books and drafts laid the foundation. The races and designs that I will now show you also still exist today in the current design – just with different backgrounds, customs and so on.

Races

**First Draft - Dragonsborn (“Rhakios”) alias Drae’khar**

The so-called dragon veins are the veins that run up to the face. When magic is cast, they emanate a pulsating light — as if a dragon were breathing fire. According to legend, the Dragonsborn, called “Nyzantias Rhakios,” find their origin in the ashes of fallen dragons. Remaining dragon souls of the ancient dragon king promised humans of Nyzantia to protect them against evil forces in exchange for their lives.

Race: Dwarfs | Name: Erebos - alias Dur’kaen

The Erebos are a very greedy, yet also persistent people. They live deep beneath the mountains in the city of Tiskal, the largest dwarven city and at the same time the only one in Nyzantia.
Tiskal was among the most revered realms in Nyzantia, with its towering stone pillars, statues dedicated to the rulers of the past, and its immense wealth.
The dwarves were known for their craftsmanship in forging weapons and armor. They themselves believed in the return of the Rhakios—that a Last Born would take up the blade and restore hope and order to the world of Nyzantia.
In the hope that the last Dragon King would one day return, they forged a magnificent dragon armor from the bones of ancient dragons, from a time when dragons were still numerous. It was so durable and unyielding that no arrow and no axe could pierce it, yet so beautiful that one could not avert their gaze from it.
In the days when the Dragonlords still ruled the land, the dwarves were their greatest and most powerful allies. With their wealth and skills, Gavarenth was able to shape the land for all peoples of Nyzantia.
They themselves forged the dragon crowns, intended for the successor of Gavarenth—one of his dragonborn.
Over the years, they grew increasingly greedy and kept their riches to themselves. Few—if any—were allowed to benefit from their armor, weapons, or trade.
Many spoke of the dwarven people as extinct—for years, no dwarf was seen or heard of.

In the current script, however, the dwarves are still alive and play an important role in the Kingdom of Veild. One of the main character’s companions is also a dwarf—just as in the first draft—and remains part of the adventure.

Rasse: Liyár | Hybriden - alias Lir’vyn

The Liyár are hybrids. Their appearance is rather unusual, with cat-like ears protruding from their hair, and their height comparable to that of a dwarf.
They are a generally cheerful people, reserved in nature and not inclined toward violence.
They avoid other peoples so as not to disturb the rhythm of their comfortable, easygoing lives.
Nevertheless, they are very brave, and due to their animalistic traits they make perfect thieves. In addition, their animal abilities grant them great agility.
Their villages appear unusually white in the mountains; however, in more tropical regions they are said to have never experienced winter or seen snow. They are, however, perfectly content with the warmth and coziness of their homes.
The Liyár are a largely unexplored people and, at the time, had little involvement in the events surrounding the Rhakios. Anyone who visits them is a welcome guest—as long as they do not disrupt their beloved home.
Perhaps one can recognize that this people was strongly inspired by the Hobbits from The Lord of the Rings. They still exist in the current script, though they are more diverse and play an important role—possibly something to do with immortality, hehe.

Rasse: Fairy, Elves | Name: Nemea’s alias Siliäe

The fairies, also known as elves, are the most mysterious people in all of Nyzantia. It is said that they live deep within Nyzantia’s shimmering forests and are most often sighted at night near the deep waterfalls of the mountain valleys.
However, they are not as small as one might imagine. The Nemea, as they are called, are said to be slightly taller than humans. Their magnificent wings are long and pointed, shimmering in the moonlight.
Their songs can often be heard reaching as far as nearby villages, yet they use these melodies to weave illusions for those who enter the forest.
Only those who withstand these illusions are welcomed by them. It is said that anyone who has ever entered the Shimmerwood was never seen again. Only a few are said to have laid eyes upon the elves and described their bewitching beauty.
The elves possess knowledge that reaches far beyond the age of the Rhakios, yet no one has ever been granted the opportunity to pass this knowledge on. It is said that the elves were forced to concern themselves with the enchantments of dwarven weapons and armor.
The magic of the High Elves, the Alvae, is said to be so powerful and vast that they are capable of creating an entirely new dimension. It is even rumored that they built their village within another dimension, ensuring that no one could ever find or destroy them. The Alvae are the tallest and most noble of all elves; their beauty is so captivating that one may quickly fall in love with them and forget oneself entirely.
After the Great War of the Dragonlords, however, dwarves and elves withdrew and decided to take no further joint action.
The dwarves claimed that the elves were responsible for the death of the Firstborn due to weak magic, while the elves questioned the craftsmanship of the dwarves.
Thus, their alliance shattered, and they were never seen again. Only stories remained, fueling hope for the return of their mighty magic.
In the current version, several drastic changes have also been made, yet it can be said that their withdrawal has a clear and mysterious reason. They play a far greater role in the new script than initially assumed. Among other things—and this much can already be revealed—they are direct descendants of the goddess Faonlin.

Rasse: Human - alias Varin’nar

I have no original notes on humans in general, but I deliberately kept them very broad, as is common in many fantasy stories: kingdoms, kings, magnificent cities—yet with one key difference. The “White Wanderers,” or nomads as I called them at the time, were the focus of my interest when it came to humans. After all, everyone knows human kingdoms; there is not much to tell beyond the familiar rules found in countless fantasy tales.
Like the Dúnedain in The Lord of the Rings, I wanted to create my own adventurous group of humans who follow their own paths and live by their own rules.
The White Wanderers are sighted near the mountains, especially in regions heavy with snow.
Their specialty is hunting. Their equipment consists of bows or swords, and they wear light armor covered with bear fur to protect themselves from the cold of winter.
Their companions are the so-called white wolves, which they venerate as sacred symbols of their tribe, for they are so large that one could ride upon them.
It is said that the white wolves possess magical healing powers, capable of curing even the deepest wounds with nothing more than a single tear shed by a wolf.
The White Wanderers are a highly reclusive clan. Unlike the city dwellers of the White Mountains, they study the ancient wisdom of the Rhakios and strive to pass down the customs of both their own tribe and the Rhakios to their descendants.
Due to their life in the wilderness and their mastery of the bow, they are perfect hunters—yet also difficult to approach, as their territory is their sanctuary, which they will defend with their lives.

Bachelor Design - Wanderer - alias Kael’nar

Honestly, I have not changed much about the nomads so far. When I reread the story, I found the information and portrayal to be very fitting and straightforward, so I will most likely carry it over into the new original script.

Monsters & Creatures

I also made some notes for the followers of the antagonist, though no designs have been created yet. I am still unsure which elements will make it into the new script and which will not—that remains to be seen. Nevertheless, here is a first glimpse:

Name: Khál

The Khál were created by the Dragonstone, which itself was forged by Naganoth.

They are fractured souls whose sealing within the Dragonstone was never fully completed and who now roam the land of Dultuur as undead beings. They serve the Dragonstone, to which they appear to be bound for eternity.

Their long cloaks and hoods conceal their undead forms.

Their blood-red glowing eyes are their defining mark.

Trolls: Theophane

The Theophanes were preserved in Nyzantia for a long time.

However, they hid within the deep, mist-shrouded mountains of Dultuur and were rarely seen.

When the Great Dragon War began, they sided with Naganoth with great bloodlust and hunger for death, crawling from their caves to spread fear and terror.

Their skin is scaly and green, their eyes bleached white. Some claimed they were blind and reacted only to the fear of their enemies.

Eldunari

It is said that the Eldunari are wolves that escaped from the cavern to spread death and terror.

They were, however, disfigured by the fires of the Dragonlord Naganoth.

It was said that in order to discipline the wolves and claim them as his own, he burned and banished them until only a fraction of them remained.

They are as black as ash and recognizable by their scorched and crusted fur.

Aiur

The Aiur once belonged to the people of the Nemea, until the War of the Dragonlords broke out and some were lost within the dark shadows of the Shimmerwood.

These lost elves were consumed by dark power and the false hatred that Naganoth stirred within them. They descended ever deeper into darkness through their dark magic, until they sold their very souls to it.

The hatred that drove and devoured them bound them to the darkness, turning them into servants of Naganoth.

Years later, after the Dragon War, it was said that they served an enduring draconic power—one they themselves called the Last Dark Dragonborn, though no one had ever seen or heard of him.

Development & Bachelor

Several years passed. I had written the first versions and devoted myself to my studies at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences in Media, Animation, Film, and Design. There, I learned a great deal about dramaturgy, and in my application portfolio I also referenced my book, the world, and the characters—and, as most already know, I ultimately wrote my Bachelor’s thesis about it.

However, I must say that my Bachelor’s thesis was, in a way, part two of this journey, because everything I learned made the details of the characters, the cultures, and the worldbuilding as a whole far more concrete. This means that everything in the Bachelor’s thesis is simply part of the process—only that the foundation became significantly more mature through my studies.

I have attached the flipbook of my Bachelor’s thesis.
Feel free to browse through it to discover more.

Before I conclude this blog post, however, I would like to show you the designs and notes of my characters—how they changed over the course of development and what I had envisioned when designing them for my Bachelor’s thesis. I go into more detail about the designs in the About Wyldheart section, so this is just a small preview.

Protagonist - Neith

One could almost think that in the earlier design she represented an antagonist, whereas in my opinion, in the new, more current design she appears more like a protagonist who brings hope. Just like the fire that burns within her due to her lineage, I wanted to match the colors of her design to this fire, emphasizing the dragon.

Companion - R’hazik

In the very first draft, I gave R’hazik a wolf tail, due to a curse he has carried since childhood. He is not a pure-blooded Líyar, even if it appears that way at first glance. Whether I will include the wolf tail and its story in the new script remains to be seen.

However, since he is magically and alchemically gifted, I wanted to particularly emphasize his talent with potions, his light style of clothing, and the little vial he carries.

Today

I have now given you a glimpse into the story of Project Wyldheart. For a deeper look into the story, the current developments, and updated information about the world of Ananthara, visit this page: Click me.

I will continue to keep you updated on the development through blog posts, social media updates, and on this website. I hope you enjoyed this insight.

In a Hole in the Ground …

Beginnings