The Vastus Annals: A World in the Making

Karol Barry | The Vastus Annals: A World in the Making

Karol Barry is the author name chosen for the fantasy works. The Vastus Annals published under Paper Never Refused Ink. 

This name marks a deliberate move into the realm of myth, legend, and long-form world building, distinct from Ruairí de Barra’s established writing in journalism, poetry, and maritime life.

Where Ruairí’s nonfiction reflects the lived experience of military service and sea, Karol Barry steps into the imagined, creating histories, cultures, and languages from the ground up. The fantasy cycle known as The Vastus Annals will develop slowly over the coming years, forming a detailed tapestry of stories shaped by its own grammar, myths, and the rise and fall of its peoples.

This creative identity allows a different voice to emerge, one rooted in the rhythm of myth yet grounded in the author’s sense of duty, loss, and endurance. Readers can expect deep lore, grounded storytelling, and a tone that balances grit with grace.

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The Vastus Annals: A World in the Making

The Vastus Annals is an ongoing fantasy saga set in the world of Vastus, a land shaped by ancient powers, warring races, and the fragile balance between magic and mortal ambition. This world exists on the edge of legend, where dragons once ruled the skies and necromancers still whisper to the dead beneath ruined citadels.

Vastus is a continent of contrast and conflict. Its kingdoms rise and fall to the rhythm of endless wars between the men of the Maldivian Kingdoms, the Dolusonok, the Arkanin, and those born of darker origins. The Gods have been forgotten, their names remembered only by scholars and priests who dare to speak them. Magic has long been drained from the world, and the great mountain ranges no longer echo with the cry of the wild Great Dragons. The living world is haunted by its history, its rivers, and plains still echoing with the songs of those who fought and fell long ago.

The first work, Bard of the Isles, draws readers into the borderlands of this world. There, soldiers and outlaws cross paths amid broken oaths, buried truths, and the long shadow of empires that once believed themselves eternal. It is the beginning of a saga that will grow across generations, exploring the fates of kings, thieves, and creatures half-remembered by myth.

At its heart, The Vastus Annals stands within the glorious tradition of high and epic fantasy, carrying a distinctly grimdark undercurrent that grounds its myth in mortal consequence. It combines grounded realism with mythic scope, where invented languages, detailed cultures, and deep history bring the world of Vastus to life. Dragons may sleep, necromancers may conspire, and the warring peoples of the earth may yet shape or destroy their own destiny.

This is a slow-burning creation, written with care and purpose. Over time, new volumes, stories, and companion texts, will chart the evolution of Vastus from its dawn to its decline. Those who follow the Annals will witness the birth, rise, and fall of an entire world, forged word by word.