The Mythical Emblems of Gragodon – Volume 2

Towards the end of the previous volume, Anamarias, Irah and Daasarpias seem to have wandered into the abode of the Oceaneoples, a mystical realm, not given to the likes of ordinary folk to behold. They soon encounter the Spirit of the Sea, a daunting warrior, even stronger than the individual powers of the Gragodonian emblems. Coming off second best, the three kings are steered towards the realm of Regnadea, home to the ferocious lion-like inhabitants of that land. Their further trail leads them towards the mysterious Misty Realm. The stalwarts become separated in the realm of mists and only Anamarias and Daasarpias find themselves in the presence of another mythical race of beings. The ways of this mysterious people confound the two young warrior kings. Before they finally take leave of their august hosts, Anamarias has a premonition of the passing of a future event. Finding themselves together again, the three warrior kings are directed towards the realm of Solma, a land taken over by a fierce race of reptilian creatures from another race of warrior human females. In the meantime, the enemy becomes even mightier, with two of the five Gragodonian emblems coming into their possession. To proclaim themselves masters of all living kind, they only need one more mystical emblem. Helpless to prevent the seizure of two coveted emblems, the three monarchs are forced to proceed along more dangerous trails, those which even great Melthur had not ventured upon before. In the midst of their quests, Anamarias and Irah fall for the temptations of the fairer gender. Daasarpias, the more wizened one, steers clear of such unwelcome distractions. The tyrant of Belgond has his eyes on becoming the supreme lord over all living beings. Once an upright monarch, he had, long ago, succumbed to the dark vibes of the Black Bangle. His plans, to seize the remaining emblems from their true bearers, are shared in greater fervour by his cunning queen. To make it even more formi

Towards the end of the previous volume, Anamarias, Irah and Daasarpias seem to have wandered into the abode of the Oceaneoples, a mystical realm, not given to the likes of ordinary folk to behold. Back from their strange journey, they wonder whether it has been nothing more than a dream. They soon encounter the Spirit of the Sea, a daunting warrior, even stronger than the individual powers of the Gragodonian emblems. Coming off second best, the three kings are steered towards the realm of Regnadea, home to the ferocious lion-like inhabitants of that land. The monarch of Regnadea has his eye on the Sceptre emblem of Meldovia. The emblem bearers eventually proceed towards the mysterious Misty Realm. The stalwarts become separated in the realm of mists and only Anamarias and Daasarpias find themselves in the presence of another mythical race of beings. The ways of this mysterious people confound the two young warrior kings. Before they finally take leave of their august hosts, Anamarias has a premonition of the passing of a future event. The Meldovian monarch catches up with his comrades. Together once again, the three warrior kings are directed towards the realm of Solma, a land taken over by a fierce race of reptilian creatures from another race of warrior human females. Here, they come upon more surprising encounters. In the midst of their quests, Anamarias and Irah fall for the temptations of the fairer gender. Daasarpias, the more wizened one, steers clear of such unwelcome distractions. In the meantime, the enemy becomes even mightier, with two of the five Gragodonian emblems coming into their possession. To proclaim themselves masters of all living kind, they only need one more of the mystically powerful emblems. Helpless to prevent the seizure of two coveted emblems, the three monarchs are forced to proceed along more dangerous trails, those which even the great sorcerer, Melthur, had not ventured upon in his time. The tyrant of Belgond has his eyes on becoming the supreme lord over all living beings. Once an upright monarch, he had, long ago, succumbed to the dark vibes of the Black Bangle. His plans, to seize the remaining emblems from their true bearers, are shared in greater fervour by his cunning and villainous queen. The fates seem to favour the schemings of the evil stalwarts. They become even more formidable, when the past and present wielders of the famed Black Bangle come together, to face the three emblem bearers. The emblem bearers battle mightier creatures, knowing that their powerful emblems may not be enough to overcome all of their adversaries. In the lead up to the final battle, one amongst the three kings breaks his leg. As if this is not enough to weaken their resolve, the emblem bearers find themselves bereft of another great ally, to the wiles of the enemy. The enemy, apprised of the arrival of their adversaries into their very domain, cunningly plan their manoeuvres to overcome the stalwarts from the northern kingdoms. The castle of the Belgondian monarch is the trap to which the remaining emblem bearers are led. The greatest battle of the times is enacted upon these hallowed grounds. The mystical might of great sorcerers is unleashed upon the emblem bearers. Will the forces of good overcome those of evil inclinations?

Venkataraman Gopalakrishnan, an ex-banker, currently grooms primary school students for the Olympiad Mathematics Examinations in Singapore. The eighth and youngest child of his parents, Gopal credits his late father, Subramania Venkataram Aiyer, for his entry into the enthralling realm of books. He has come a long way – from reading a plethora of genres, like western novels, adventure, crime, science-fiction and fantasy – to feeling that he could also contribute towards the wide realm of authoring. The Mythical Emblems of Gragodon comes in a series of 6 volumes. It is an epic novel of the Aventure-Fantasy genre - something like ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Harry Potter’ series of books. Nine entertaining years have already passed, in the conceptualization and completion of this set of 6 volumes. The first two volumes in this series have already come out as a single book of forty chapters, launched during the Singapore Writers’ Festival of 2011 and financed through a substantial monetary grant from the National Arts Council of Singapore (NAC). An erstwhile reader himself, Gopal nowadays puts in much time, writing his unique genre of books. He lists J.R.R. Tolkien as one of his favourite authors. The inspiration for this adventure story came while he was doing a series of character sketches, on a coach trip from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. His interest eventually took flight and he now writes with fervent zeal. He hopes that more Asian writers would come forth in taking the Adventure-Fantasy genre to further heights of proficiency and acclaim. The author currently resides in Singapore with his wife and three children.