Fierce is a Fantasy novel released on 1 May 2024. You can read the first chapter on my blog 'Fierce Ch.1 - Straven', which is a medium-level fantasy story with relatable female lead and a dash of romance set in a world of my own creation. It's influenced by everything I've ever read, and loosely based on a Norse 10th/11th century blending with some ancient Roman, although the ships are more like 15th/16th century. Skyss is the northern state the main characters come from, but there is a whole world and other states exist, some of which will be linked to here.

On the tiny island of Straven, life is governed by the rhythm of the tides and the seasonal threat of Daelian Raiders. For Yngvild Helgasdottir, a simple fisherman’s daughter, the arrival of the King's Ship Seagull shatters the peace of her childhood and delivers a legacy of shadow and steel.

Thrust into the stinking, opulent streets of Kronstadt, Yngvild and her companion Noren discover a terrifying truth: they are Heroes, carriers of divine blood descended from the Nine Gods of Skyss. As Yngvild takes up her father’s heirloom, the sentient black blade Jafnadr, she is drawn into a web of political assassinations and a centuries-old schism that threatens to destabilise the realm.

The journey takes them far to the south, where Noren’s true parentage is revealed by the ambitious renegade Rojden, a man who views the world as a chessboard for his own imperial designs. When Rojden binds his son with a lethal involuntary geas, Noren is left fighting for his life against his own father's will. Aided by the shapeshifter Inibrakemi and the mysterious daughters of Alfarinn, Yngvild must navigate war-torn Salicia to reach the cursed temple of Estreham. To break the bind and fulfil the cryptic Prophecy of Gudrid, Yngvild must perform a sacrifice that challenges the laws of justice and darkness alike.

In a world where magic is fading but the gods still watch from the shadows, Yngvild the Fierce must decide if she will be a tool of empires or the bringer of justice in the night.

The narrative of Fierce serves as a detailed examination of the Hero class within Skyssian society, where divine lineage provides extraordinary abilities such as shapeshifting and the channelling of Rituals or Words of Power. This story follows the personal struggle of a young woman coming into her power. The sentient sword Jafnadr represents a pinnacle of Frijdodr’s craftsmanship, capable of discerning intent and bypassing any physical armour. The conflict centralises on the moral ambiguity of power; while Old Bjorn has spent centuries maintaining a fragile stability through secrets, Rojden seeks to bypass the Board of Trade’s slow influence through direct, magical conquest.

The narrative of Fierce unfolds across a geopolitically volatile landscape where the lives of individuals are inextricably linked to divine lineages and shifting powers. The following comprehensive categorisation of people and places draws upon the chronicles of Yngvild the Fierce.

All dates are provided as the day of the specific lunar month (moon) within the year 774 AM. (see also Calendar)

• Day 4: The community of Straven observes strange sails. Initial contact is made with merchant venturers from the Aelfheim Company.
• Day 21: First Night is celebrated at Straven. The community performs rituals to Malfin and Aeolf to mark the return of the dark time.
• Day 22: The Mangandalese junk Chantara is sighted before noon and eventually lands on Straven for fresh water.
• Day 24: Yngvild the Fierce is interrogated by the Mangandalese agent Arald regarding her name and the foundling Noren.
• Day 25: Captain Olaf Ragnarson returns to the island with the King's Ship Seagull. Lady Helga Trollslayer reveals her true identity as Yngvild's mother.
• Day 26: The seekers depart the western isles for the Capital.

• Day 1: Arrival at Kronstadt. The party is escorted through the city to the King's Palace.
• Day 2: Yngvild and Noren undergo initial training in their Heroic abilities.
• Day 3: Inspection of the Book of Heroes confirms Noren's parentage as the son of Alfarinn and the renegade Rojden.
• Day 4: The party departs for Grunwald aboard the Thunderbird to seek Alfarinn.
• Day 8: The Thunderbird encounters an unexpected storm and beaches on the north coast of Grunwald.
• Day 9: Yngvild and Noren meet Alfinna as a bear in the forest
• Day 10: At Knarvik they find that Alfarinn has just left by ship for Caratis, and they sign on the Albany as part of the security team.
• Day 19: The mission shifts to the Kingdom of Salicia. Arrival at the port of Beretha amidst a succession crisis. Yngvild negotiates with the Earl of Beretha.
• Day 21: The party reaches Caratis via a night-rowing operation executed by the Seagull.
• Day 22: As the sun rises the party find themselves in the midst of the Cottalemnese army which is attacking Salicia. They are captured and taken to meet Rojden.
• Day 25: The party begins an overland flight through the Kingdom of Cottalem. Yngvild meets the resolution agent Inibrakemi and learns of the search squadrons.
• Day 29: Arrival at the bowl-shaped valley of Estreham. Noren is placed upon the bier in the Temple of Clewg as his condition worsens under Rojden's geas.

• Day 1: Yngvild communes with the birds of the grove and the adept Wall. She is commanded to seek the Chestnut Lodge.
• Day 2: The ritual of the black altar. Yngvild performs a blood sacrifice to Malfin to break the involuntary geas. Noren is subsequently initiated into the mysteries of Jorunn by Alfarinn.
• Day 4: The group reunites with Olaf Gunnarson and Erik Erikson at the Wheel Inn in Riggin Dale.
• Day 5: A diversionary ruse is implemented at the Wheel. Yngvild and Noren use shapeshifting to evade Rojden's cavalry.
• Day 6: The party finds sanctuary at the Troll's Head Inn under the protection of Eskil and Arinhildr.
• Day 8: Final dash to the coast. The party is extracted from the derelict fort at Ocaso by the Seagull under heavy attack.
• Day 13: Return to Kronstadt. Official debriefing with the Department of Resolutions and the King's Small Council.

The cast of Fierce is predominantly composed of Heroes, individuals possessing at least one-eighth divine blood—whose extraordinary abilities frequently destabilise the mercantile and political interests of the Board of Trade.

• Yngvild Helgasdottir (The Fierce): The primary protagonist and current wielder of the sentient black blade Jafnadr. She is the daughter of Helga Trollslayer and the Justice Oddmundr. Her heritage is a potent mixture of Malfin, Fafnir, Kari, and Frijdodr, granting her power over darkness and maritime conditions.
• Noren Alfarinnsson (Noren the Dwarf): A foundling raised on Straven who is revealed to be the only son of the demi-god Alfarinn and the renegade Rojden. He possesses a natural affinity for Jorunn and Meniaxter, manifesting as extreme physical strength and an innate sense for things “Lost and Found.”

• Old Bjorn (The Counter of Battles): The oldest living Skyssian Hero, rumored to be over a thousand years old and a founder of Kronstadt. He acted as a guardian for Yngvild and Noren on Straven, operating a long-term contingency plan to mobilise the state against Rojden's faction.
• Helga Trollslayer: The Second Sea Lord of Skyss and Yngvild's biological mother. She is a brilliant strategist and Elector-designate, destined to become the First Sea Lord at the new year.
• King Thirfinn: The reigning monarch of Skyss during Yngvild's arrival in Kronstadt, noted for his playful demeanour.

• Alfarinn: An ancient demi-god descended from Jorunn and Fafnir. She lived as a recluse for decades after a perceived betrayal by Old Bjorn but returns to assist Noren.
• Alfinna Afarinnsdotir: A daughter of Alfarinn and a powerful shapeshifter often encountered in the form of a bear. She is an expert in the crafting of magical items.
• Inibrakemi Funeresdottir: A special agent for the Department of Resolutions and a master shapeshifter who guides Yngvild and Noren through Cottalem.
• Jerre: A former Cottalemnese cavalry trooper who defects to assist Yngvild and Noren.
• Olaf Ragnarson: Hero and Captain of the King's Ship Seagull.
• Erik Erikson and Olaf Gunnarson: The Board of Trade agents in Beretha that eventually helped them escape.

• Rojden: A renegade Hero and strategic genius descended from Meniaxter. He utilizes “silent partners”—body doubles bound by geasa—to expand his influence across Cottalem and Salicia.
• Arald: A spy for Cottalem who arrives at Straven on a Mangandalese junk to gather intelligence on the new Heroes.
• Ormrun: A Board of Trade agent at the Wheel who has been subverted by Rojden.

The geography of the world is divided into powerful mercantile states and ancient, magically protected sanctuaries.

• Straven: A tiny island settlement of roughly fifty people, serving as the hidden childhood home of Yngvild and Noren.
• Kronstadt: The primate city of Skyss and a global centre of trade, housing approximately 250,000 residents. It is the seat of the Council of Electors and the Board of Trade.
• Grunwald: The southernmost part of Skyss, characterised by deciduous forests where Alfarinn was believed to be hiding.

• Beretha: The main city in the Kingdom of Salicia, recently besieged and taken over by Rojden's forces.
• Caratis: A port city closed by naval blockade during the Cottalemnese invasion of Salicia.
• Estreham: The site of the Temple of Clewg, protected by an ancient curse that bars any man who is not an initiate.
• Riggin Dale: Where they party rendezvous at the Wheel Inn before heading West to escape.
• Troll’s Head Inn: An establishment run by retired Heroes Eskil and Arinhildr, equipped with magical geas detectors.
• Ocaso: An abandoned coastal fort on the west coast of the Kingdom of Cottalem used as a rendezvous point for the Seagull.

• Mangandalay: A hot, humid river state famous for its high-value silk and pharmaceuticals.
• Trollheim: The northern domain of the silicon-based Trolls, located on the opposite side of the mainland from Skyss.