Henry_Lucke

I love immersing myself in a fantasy world. In the best of them we can find truths to tell us about our own ways of living.



So I am excited to share with you a living, breathing world that spans far beyond the edges of the stories that take place in it. See, just outside the watercourse of the narrative there’s usually hours of characters arguing about whose turn it is to make breakfast or take care of the horses, not to mention vast landscapes of lore and lots of backstory.



This space is the entryway for those travelers interested in a long-term stay in the Empire of Vallenstan-Zhibren. Here, you can try Vallenese street food, watch a traditional Zhibrenese wind-performance, join a caravan down south (or a mercenary crew, if you’re that way inclined and can make yourself useful), tour the ancient temples, marvel at the sacred woven art of the highlands, visit the ruins to learn the fate of the doomed Ulgarian Empire (take some talismans against bad luck!), pet some alpacas, or just stretch your legs under a nice acacia tree and enjoy the view with a brew of tea or a kalbash of barley spirits.



In this other daily world, I love writing and reading, running to get out into nature, yoga to get out of my mind and into my body, and Druidry to reconnect mind, body and spirit with the wider natural world (yes, I do talk to trees). Books, history, and ideas are wonderful, but at some point, you need grounding lest you lose your way entirely. (Of course, if you want to get lost, that’s a different story, but I for one do try to find my way back ever so often: I have furkids who need food, play, walkies, and treats.)



I’m a South African trans man who has been living in the Philippines since 2012 with my Filipina wife. More than my other stories (which will also find their way online sooner or later), The Flame Darkly is a homage to both my homes. You might recognise some elements of Southeast Asia in Vallenstan, while I often dreamed of the Northern Cape of South Africa when writing Lebran and Ungberg.