The World of Pagalan - the gateway to myths and legends

Pagalan is a world where myth and memory blur, a land shaped by ancient calamities and hidden truths. Vast continents once joined now lie fractured, drowned beneath seas or locked beneath endless ice, their remnants whispered of only in maps and riddles. At its heart, Pagalan is a crossroads of civilizations: the bustling alliance cities of Banton, Cadmun, and Epleon, the shadowed strongholds of the Cordinen war machine and beyond them, the outlying lands and islands of trading peoples

But the true enigma lies deeper. Beneath Pagalan’s mountains and seas slumbers Denesthear, the secret homeland of the Patronese, silver-haired, red-eyed descendants of a once-mighty house. Their technology gleams like sorcery to outsiders: glowing halls without flame, silent doors without hinges, massive strange obelisks that  roam the ocean, and portals that open to worlds beyond. For millennia they guarded knowledge of a catastrophe that reshaped the globe, weapons and relics powerful enough to remake or destroy entire civilizations.

Amid shifting alliances and ceaseless war, heroes and wanderers stumble into this mystery: warriors, seafarers, and visionaries drawn by destiny. Dreams and portents link their fates to symbols older than kingdoms, the lidless eye, the emerald sword, the hidden gates between worlds. Some seek freedom, others conquest, but all are bound to Pagalan’s deep rhythm: a world scarred by ancient ruin yet still alive with possibility.

It is a place where fantasy meets science fiction, where battles of steel clash alongside secrets of lost technologies, and where one person’s choice may alter the fate of nations, or awaken powers long thought lost to legend.

The Pagalan Chronicles Series One books (Search for Morganuke’s Roots, Finding Denesthear, and The Final Quest) stand out from most other fantasy or science-fiction works because of several unique qualities:

1. Blending of Fantasy and Science Fiction

   • The series begins in a grounded, almost historical-fantasy style with Morganuke’s life on the island of Banton, wars with the Cordinens, and voyages across Pagalan’s seas.

   • As the story progresses, it gradually reveals advanced technology hidden within the Patronese world: portals, underground cities lit with strange artificial light, holographic cloaks, and genetic engineering. This seamless shift from traditional fantasy into deep science fiction is unusual and gives the series a layered, evolving tone.

2. Focus on Lineage, Identity, and Destiny

   • Morganuke is not a typical “chosen one” trope; he struggles deeply with his origins, being an outsider mocked for his silver hair and red eyes. His journey is as much about understanding who he is and what “home” means as it is about saving nations.

   • The reveal of his true lineage connects personal identity with the fate of civilizations.

3. Grounded Human Relationships Amid Epic Events

   • The series emphasizes bonds of friendship, loyalty, and love, Morganuke’s awkward love for Calarel, his relationship with Melinor, and his camaraderie with Chanterly and Lengrond. These dynamics are messy, heartfelt, and often humorous, making the characters feel more human than archetypal.

   • Even in Book 3, when political councils, portals, and catastrophic stakes dominate, much attention is still given to the group’s trust, betrayals, and reconciliations.

4. A Multi-Layered Conflict

   • Instead of a simple good-versus-evil struggle, the books depict shifting alliances (Epleons, Cordinens, Patronese, tribal groups), each with flaws and moral ambiguity.

   • The Patronese themselves are divided between rigid “High Orders” and rebellious “Low Orders,” reflecting themes of conformity, freedom, and the danger of isolationism.

5. Epic Scale Across Generations and Worlds

   • The story evolves from a boy on a small island into a saga that spans wars, ancient maps, hidden civilizations, and even inter-world portals leading to technologies capable of reshaping planets. This scope gives the series a mythic, almost historical chronicle style, true to its title, rather than a single hero’s adventure.