"Although rooted in traditional fantasy, EOLYN stretches and breaks the bounds in many ways, leading to a read that is fresh and unpredictable." -- Shauna Roberts, author of Like Mayflies in a Stream and The Hunt

"Gastreich's EOLYN focuses on the emotional, political, and physical conflicts between powerful and three-dimensional characters." -- Carlyle Clark, co-author of The Apocalypse Gene

"I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and it has already earned a place on my 'Most Treasured" shelf'.
It is in a class of its own..." -- Amazon Customer Review

Thursday, April 7, 2011

The Kingdom of Moisehén


Here it is:  The final version of Ginger Prewitt's map of Moisehén.  Eolyn's and Akmael's world, laid out on paper.  Ginger is an incredibly talented artist who also did the maps for Kim Vandervort's THE SONG AND THE SORCERESS and Terri-Lynne DeFino's FINDER.  And I am so very happy with this work that she has now done for EOLYN.

I've actually had this map for a couple months now, and have posted it on the Facebook Page for EOLYN.  But the version I had did not include the nice Celtic-style border with the little Dragon insignias, and I really did not want to post it on the blog until I had the final version with the border.

If you click on the map, you'll get to see a larger version.  Moisehén is a landlocked kingdom bordered by mountains, forests and rivers.   On the far side of the eastern forests, we find the lands of the Syrnte, not pictured in this map.  To the south, you'll see the foothills of the Paramen Mountains, the home of Eolyn's ally Khelia and her Mountain Warriors.  To the west, the Furma River and the Black River mark the border between Moisehén and the neighboring kingdom of Roenfyn.  The impassable Wastes of Faernvorn and the rugged Eastern Surmaeg mark the borders of a northern wilderness that is little explored and virtually unknown to the people of Moisehén.

Moisehén consists of four provinces. The ruling province bears the same name as the kingdom. This is the seat of the line of Vortingen, the dynasty of kings of which Akmael is a part. Much of the Province of Moisehén has long since been cleared for cultivation and grazing. The northern border of the province -- the foothills of the Eastern Surmaeg -- contain vast reserves of iron ore.


South of Moisehén lies the Province of Selkynsen, a wealthy territory of merchants and craftsmen, who have over generations assumed control of the trade routes that run south along the Furma River to the Sea of Rabeln.  Eolyn's friend Adiana, a talented musician, was born in the Province of Selkynsen. 

Moisehén and Selkynsen are separated from the Province of Selen by the Maeskon Hills.  Prior to the War of the Magas and the purges that followed, Selen was the seat of magical power of the kingdom.  The dense forests along the eastern border were once the home of the Clan of East Selen, a centuries-old line of Mages and Magas.  Akmael's mother, Queen Briana, was a daughter of the Clan of East Selen. 

The most isolated province of the kingdom is Moehn.  This is the home of Eolyn, who grows up as a refugee in the South Woods following the destruction of her village by the King's Riders.  Moehn is a land of farmers, often looked down upon by the more sophisticated citizens of the wealthier provinces, but its fertile soils are very productive and are said to feed the kingdom. 

And that is the Kingdom of Moisehén in a nutshell.  Now that you know the geogarphy, if you'd like to learn a little bit about its history, visit the page on this site entitled A Brief History of Moisehén.

One more month to go before the release of EOLYN.  In addition to the launch party on May 7 at the Writers Place in Kansas City, Avila University will host a Pre-Launch Party on April 29 at the Hooley-Bundshu Library.  Books will be available for purchase and signing at both events.  For more information, visit the Events Page on this blog.  I hope to see you there -- if not at one party, then at the other! 

3 comments:

Terri-Lynne said...

That looks fantastic!! I love Ginger's work. She's amazing.

Karin Rita Gastreich said...

Thanks, Terri! Yes, Ginger's awesome. I love the nifty border she did for this map, but my favorite detail is the howling wolf in the South Woods. :)

Terri-Lynne said...

Oh, wow! I hadn't even noticed the wolf! That really is fabulous. I loved the flying dragon she snuck in mine. We're lucky to have her, that's for sure.