The path of runeweavers and arcanists is one of curiosity, exploration, and hidden knowledge. All serious students of these unknown arts delight in uncovering the secrets of the otherworld. In the spirit of ravenous knowledge-seekers like Serenity Walker, I'm proud to offer 13 lovely little Easter eggs, for any fan of the series to enjoy!
Serenity is arachnophobic. She hates and is terrified of scorpions.
Though set in the fictional world of Geiral, the series is meant to closely resemble the American west, roughly circa 1865.
The runes are real. At least, they reflect the real-world Norse futhark, which is sometimes used for divination and spiritual guidance. What Serenity does with these runes, well...obviously, I’ve taken a bit of license.
Serenity’s teacher, Rook, is tribal. The tribal culture of Geiral is roughly based on a combination of real-world Scottish highlanders, indigenous American peoples, and the fictional race of the cheysuli, from Jennifer Roberson’s Cheysuli Chronicles.
Most of the characters in the Dark Roads Saga are based on people I know. Many are characters originally played by myself and others in one of our many roleplaying campaigns.
Runes are not the only magical teachings in the world of Geiral, and Serenity is not the only one who will display a great deal of prowess with her chosen style of magic.
The map of Geiral is originally based on a map of my college campus.
One of the very minor, almost throwaway characters in the first book ends up becoming one of the most important figures in the series.
While Serenity is very good at almost any type of runic magic, she has virtually no talent when it comes to healing magic.
It may seem like Serenity’s strongest talent is in destructive or combat-based magic, but this isn’t so. She’s actually most gifted in divination and visions.
Over the course of the series, several characters draw cards or rune stones for divining elements of the future. Every one of these draws is a real draw! Each time a draw came up during the writing process, I stopped to consult my own rune cards or rune stones, and whatever I drew, that’s what appears in the story.
Serenity’s favorite animals are horses.
The series is currently set to be seven books long, plus one accessory book which explores stories of some of the supporting characters.