Some world-building for my book The Secret Apprentice…
Eighty years ago, the human kingdom of Caulador stood on the brink of annihilation. Their vastly superior neighbors to the south, the Bodokin, had demolished their armies and were on the verge of storming over the border to conquer and pillage. Not only were they outnumbered, but the Bodokin also possessed vastly superior strength and durability compared to regular humans. The humans’ only advantage were a handful of Champions, rare people born with extraordinary powers of various sorts. Even so, all hope seemed lost.
Then the Manassi wizards appeared. Angelic beings who existed in the religions of both sides, they arrived to stop the war and broker a peace between the two warring nations. They took the form of six frail old men but possessed incredible powers including flight, speed, and strength. The six wizards set out to reshape the planet to the benefit of both Caulador and Bodo, though for reasons unknown they seemed to show a particular interest in the Marchand family ruling Caulador.
The war between Caulador and Bodo was over, but new threats emerged. Ardenae, another kingdom to the west of Caulador, began to take an aggressive stance towards their neighbor. A recent natural disaster had destroyed their best farmlands and they were forced to take food by force. Caulador replaced one foe for another. As did Bodo. In the faraway East, across a vast ocean, a new Champion named Rakin united seven warring tribes into a Horde ready to invade Bodo. Though the Bodokin were individually stronger than the Horde, the numbers of their foe are endless, and Rakin is so powerful even the Manassi fear to face him. Only the Lady Damast, the Bodokin’s strongest Champion, can meet him in battle. They have a long history together; Rakin murdered Damast’s husband before abducting and torturing her for months on end. Rakin cannot kill her, though. A prophecy states Damast can only be killed by ‘one of the Manassi’, and she is their most faithful servant.
The threat of Ardenae grows for Caulador, and their new allies the Bodokin cannot aid them because of their own greater war with the Horde. Lionel Marchand, King of Caulador, begins taxing his people more and more to finance the military. Conditions worsen for all but the richest, who prosper even further.
Matters turn even more dire when the Manassi wizard stationed in Caulador, Baraka, is murdered. The Manassi were thought to be immortal and un-killable, but his secret apprentice Anudala somehow manages the feat. He had taken her under his wing, trained her, and awakened her dormant Champion powers. She fled to Ardenae and became a leader in their army. Because of the inherent misogyny rampant in Caulador, only the highest elites know Anudala is a young woman. The public is told ‘Anudalo’ is a man. They are also not told Anudala’s true motivation is to overthrow the monarchy and the patriarchy to introduce democracy and equality to the kingdom.
Now, Anudala and Ardenae stand ready for the final invasion of Caulador. The humans’ only hope lies in an old prophecy the wizards discover about a new Champion destined to defeat ‘the greatest evil’, which they assume refers to Anudala. Dalonna, the new wizard in Caulador, tests endless masses of hopeful candidates, but has yet to find the supposed prophesized one…