Regular readers of my newsletter will know that I’ve been working on the thematic ideas, worldbuilding, character arcs, and overall structure of a new fantasy novel project for over a year now. In parallel, I’ve also been evolving the process for How I Write. I’m pleased to report that I’ve finally started a draft manuscript of the actual prose, and hope to have a complete draft sometime in late 2025.
Here’s the pitch:
The continent of Teol’Nagar is magically tied to the power of the changing seasons. Centuries ago, rampant use of uncontrolled magic and constant warring between factions led to a perpetual state of chaos and violence. A treaty called the Covenant of the Seasons gave the religious institution called the Shakaram the authority to partition the continent into four nations and regulate nature magic. The Shakaram organized both magic as well as the annual calendar into four seasons, each aligned with one of the nations.
The Covenant has largely kept the peace for centuries, but long simmering tensions are at a breaking point, as the vernal nation of Vasantar and the wintery nation of Ishiria hover on the brink of war over longstanding political and religious differences. When the Shakaram’s foremost magical authority is assassinated by radical separatists, the resulting power vacuum is the final tipping point to send order descending into chaos.
For the bastard son of a Vasantan noble house and a scholar of an ostracized Ishirian sect searching for the truth behind her family line of magic, no side seems safe. The two flee to the mysterious Isle of Aramur to seek a magical grove of ancient trees that may hold the key to unlocking an ancient secret long buried by those in power.
The Breaking of the Covenant is an exploration of family politics, institutional power and oppression, and the power and beauty of nature — set against the backdrop of a mythos drawn from Hindu, Buddhist, and pagan Celtic traditions.
I’ll be posting more updates, lore, and thematic essays as the manuscript progresses! You can follow along on a more frequent cadence with more personal insights via my author newsletter, or connect with me as N.A. Ratnayake on Bluesky.
