Back in 2014, I shared with you all glimpses into the world of Nälu through a series of blog posts. But since my website crashed and we are getting ever closer to the release day of Curse Bound, I thought it would be perfect to revisit the ABC’s of Nälu.
If you have any questions, please, feel free to ask! So without further ado, let’s dive in.
Arashel is a land of snow, ice, and mountains. Rugged beauty and harsh climates. Home to a hardy and passionate people. The Northern Haruzo, feline shape shifters who resemble our snow leopards. The king’s city perches amid the highest peaks of the Kha Vaaro Mountains and boasts the finest warhorses in current history, although the Saryehmor elves would disagree.
In Secrets Kept, we meet Nevin Lazar, Guardian and ambassador to Arashel. We get a closer glimpse in the short story, A Princess No More. Nagid the Fierce reigns as king along with his queen, and he is bent on reestablishing the old ways like his father before him.
In Darkened Hope, a new character joins the quest. A Northern Haruzo named Jathil. Yep. She is the main character from A Princess No More.
And how fitting we begin this series talking about Arashel! In the beginning of Curse Bound, we will be paying a visit to King Nagid.
The Northern Haruzo are suspicious of outsiders and have every reason to be. During Nälu’s darkest hours, the Haruzo were seen as nothing more than a beast to be hunted; their pelt a prize to be won and hung on walls or worn across shoulders. After the fall of Lord Stygian, the Desert Haruzo embraced the Guardians and the new world, but the reclusive Northern Haruzo became a greater target for hunters.
Throughout the years, various kings tried to accept the Guardians, but their suspicions held them captive. They could do without the eastern commerce and their noisy political debates. So like the highland dwarves, they withdrew from the Alliance, looking only to their own borders. Except there was one problem. The Perimeter formed Arashel’s boundary to the north and thus making them responsible for the Manoa stone and a griffon. So in years to come, the consecutive kings had to maintain a working relationship with the Guardians and the highland dwarves, but other then that, they have kept to themselves.
