COMMISSIONED ART FOR 'QRG'

I didn’t originally set out to write a sprawling world filled with interconnected houses, layered histories, and generations of political ties... but here we are.

At its heart, The Queen’s Red Guard series is as much about family as it is about war, power, and legacy. Nearly every major house in this world is connected—through blood, marriage, loyalty, or betrayal. In many ways, it reflects my own large family, where one relationship often branches into ten more.

The Sikoras were once allies of the Baliks before the two houses eventually intermarried, leading to Almira’s birth and tying cousins to both sides of the bloodline. But the Sikoras were also connected to the Cineges, making those relationships even more layered.

Then Almira marries Alton, linking her to House Kral.

So where does Norr fit in?

Marriage, of course.

And the Seaver brothers? They, too, become tied to Balikian and Sikorian women, weaving their own place into the broader political and familial web.

Even the Free Isle eventually becomes part of this larger story. Through Sanaa—who spends time there and ultimately embraces its people as her own—the island becomes connected to the wider world of the series.

At the end of the day, most of these houses are tied together somehow. Bloodlines, alliances, marriages, inheritance, loyalty... it all overlaps.

That’s why the books include two family trees, which I highly recommend using as reference if you ever find yourself trying to untangle who belongs to whom.

One of the reasons I built so much background into these books was simple: I wanted room to grow.

This world was never meant to be confined to a single series.

By creating deep political histories, ancient houses, and interconnected bloodlines, I gave myself the space to potentially tell other stories inside this universe—stories that could stand on their own, or be read in chronological order for readers who want the full experience.

So whether you’re here for one series or eventually several, everything exists inside the same shared world.

If you love bloodlines, dynasties, and old-world politics... here’s some lore for you.

House Sikora
The oldest known house, and likely one of the earliest bloodlines in recorded history.

House Cinege
One of the oldest surviving noble lines, likely established shortly after House Sikora.

House Balik
Rose to prominence roughly 1,000 years ago when Lady Dominia emerged and forged the powerful alliance with Suid.

House Seaver
Established sometime later and eventually became the highest-ranking of the Garian Houses.

House Kral
The political newcomers—the nouveau riche of the great houses. They claimed the High Throne by blood and are likely descendants of the old Corsikan Kings.

The Norrian Houses
Highly interconnected by blood, which is why nobles such as Ivar of House Benici and Arrigo of House Markel are cousins.

The wealth of the world is often as political as blood itself.

• House Balik became immensely wealthy through shipping and trade. 
• House Markel built its fortune through the frozen northern mines. 
• House Cinege once possessed enormous wealth in land, property, and gold. 

Sanaa becomes the last true heir of House Cinege because Almira never bore Lord Edgar children—ending thousands of years of direct legacy.

That inheritance places Sanaa in possession of half the Cinege fortune, while Almira receives the other half through marriage. Though Lord Edgar spent much of the Cinege gold in his war against Alton, vast lands, holdings, and influence still remain.

To understand the races and cultures of this universe, we have to look at migration.

The earliest settlers of Suid. They largely remained isolated, preserving much of their bloodline and culture over centuries. House Sikora and House Cinege descend from this lineage.

Settlers who moved northward and later became known as the Brutakans—an ancient people who predated the Corsikans. Alton likely descends from them.

Unlike the First People, the Brutakans were explorers and settlers. Their migrations helped shape what later became:

• Ouest 
• Norr 
• Istok 

Because of trade and migration, cultural mixing naturally occurred.

• Pistians (Ouest) often had contact with Suidians through land trade. 
• Garians (Istok) frequently traded with Suid by sea. 

These exchanges created more diverse populations across the regions.

Settled thousands of years later by a distinct eastern people who remained largely separate and developed their own identity, customs, and governance.

Though most regions speak the Common Tongue, several older languages still exist.

• Old Suidian – one of the oldest surviving languages 
• Garian – spoken in Istok 
• Pistian – spoken in Ouest 
• Freenian – language of the Free Isle 
• Nikrian – an ancient Norrian tongue 
• Old Corsikan – a dead language, similar in importance to Latin; still studied by all Leys because many ancient texts and records were written in it

 At its core, this world is built on one idea: history repeats itself, families shape kingdoms, and blood can be just as dangerous as war.