Looking for a real vampire? One that actually kills people? Meet Lucian val Drasmyr, fantasy author Matthew D. Ryan’s greatest creation. He’s cold, arrogant, and thoroughly evil. Now just imagine what the vampire is like. š Check out Drasmyr, the prequel to the series From the Ashes of Ruin.
Matthew D. Ryan: Author, Gamemaker, Fantasy Enthusiast:
Hi. My name is Matthew D. Ryan and Iām a fantasy enthusiast. I make no apologies for it. Iām a geek, through and through, and I love it! Dragons, vampires, wizards ā¦ theyāre all great fun.
So, what exactly does a fantasy enthusiast do, you may wonder?
A Day in the Life of a Fantasy Enthusiast:
Iāve been playing fantasy role-playing games (RPGās) like Dungeons and Dragons (editions 1, 2, and 5) for nearly forty years. Iāve even designed, oh, Iād say about three or four different fantasy gaming systems of my own. Itās really hard to give a specific number on that last, because itās really like the different game systems grow and evolve into one another. Itās kind of like developing a system that never ends because it is constantly being refined and improved upon. I have, however, finally made the decision to finalize the system and publish it here on this site. Which will happen sometime over the next several months, if all goes according to plan.
I also have been reading fantasy novels since I first learned to read many, many years ago. The first book I ever read was āWatership Down.ā It was about rabbits. I loved rabbits back then (I think I was like 8). Now, Iām more of a dog person.
Anyway, as of today, Iāve written and self-published four fantasy novels myself. I have a fifth in the works. Iāve also written a number of mini-anthologies and novellas. You can access all my writings on my “Accomplishments” page. Feel free to download any one of my novels, novellas, or mini-anthologies. I highly recommend āDrasmyrā; it was the first book I ever published and, as of, 12-29-2020, Iām giving it away for free.
Finally, we come to the focus of this site: fantasy worldbuilding. As I said, Iāve developed a number of gaming systems. Iāve also developed various fantasy worlds to go with these systems. Yes, Iāve been worldbuilding since years before worldbuilding was a thing. One of my biggest influencers early on was J.R.R. Tolkien. Later years introduced me to the work of Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan. All these are literary influences; my gaming influences included the likes of Gary Gygax (of course) among others. All very talented contributors of ingredients to the elixir of my fecund mind. Bwu-ha-ha-ha!
The Wizard's Inkwell 