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Knightmare: Rising from the Ashes
When the fire came, the boy survived—his family did not.
Now grown, Stellan must face a world torn by corruption, where dark sorcery rises and forgotten legacies burn once more. Burdened by exile and haunted by a cursed bloodline everyone thought was extinct, Stellan joins a ragtag band of survivors drawn together by fate, vengeance, and a creeping undead plague.
Knightmare is a dark fantasy novel shaped by trauma, loyalty, and ancient power. It's the first volume in a saga of ruin, redemption, and resistance.
In early 2025, Robert ventured into the world of novel writing, fueled by his lifelong love of storytelling. From the early 1980ies playing Dungeons & Dragons with family and friends, Robert developed a deep passion for world-building and character creation. These tabletop adventures sparked his imagination and laid the groundwork for the intricate narratives he now weaves in his novels. Combining his extensive experience in music, visual art, and those formative D&D sessions, Robert sought a new creative challenge. His debut project, Knightmare: Rising from the Ashes, blends rich fantasy lore with immersive world-building, reflecting his diverse creative journey. Robert found writing to be the perfect medium to expand on the stories he had long imagined through music and art, bringing his characters and worlds to life in ways he had never done before.
⚔️ The Origin of Knightmare
I've been developing the Knightmare world since the early 1980s, long before it ever took the form of a published novel. What started as a custom-built fantasy setting for tabletop roleplaying eventually grew into a full universe, complete with its own lore, characters, monsters, history, and internal logic.
Over the decades, I’ve used this world in countless campaigns and private projects. I never released anything publicly back then, but the core ideas, names, and tone of Knightmare have been part of my creative process since the beginning. This story has been slowly forged over years of gameplay, sketching, writing, and refining, long before publishing was ever on the table.
During development of this book, I did some light research and noticed that the word Knightmare had shown up here and there in other unrelated titles over the years. To be clear, this novel and this world have no connection whatsoever to any previous works, shows, or publications that happen to use the same name.
This is an original work of fiction.
It’s not based on, derived from, or affiliated with any pre-existing material.
The Knightmare universe you’ll discover here is entirely my own creation, built from scratch and decades in the making.
📅 Timeline Snapshot
- Early 1980s: Knightmare setting first used in tabletop RPG campaigns.
- 1984–1995: Multiple characters and lore elements developed across private games and worldbuilding.
- 2000s–2010s: Storylines expanded into narrative arcs, documents, and artwork.
- 2023–2024: The Visual Novel Knightmare – Rising from the Ashes takes form and prepares for development.
- 2025: The Knightmare World switches gears and becomes a full blown novel with a companion website and Monster Compendium.