Tag: books

Kahropa: The Amber Heart of Apaxtaran, a dark fantasy novel by Harpag Karnik is out now!

I welcome you to this journey, dear wanderer.

You could say that Kahropa is my child of passion. I began weaving this tale almost six years ago, when I was but a teenage black metal musician composing songs of landscapes, dream-worlds, and tragedies. Fantasy and science fiction have always been my vessels of escape from bitter reality, and more importantly, the tools through which I found the inspiration to create.

One day, while writing for my project Erancnoir, a thought took hold: “What if I write a novel and use these songs as its soundtrack?” Thus, a childhood dream began to be realised. I had already fashioned a rich lore in my mind: a faraway land embraced by ancient mountain ranges, existing for millennia. This is the story of a forlorn Princess who traverses that ancient soil to redeem both herself and humankind from certain doom.

I finished the initial manuscript in 2020, during the pandemic, in my mother tongue, Persian; hence the clear echoes of Iranian culture and history within the mythos. What you hold now is both a translation and a rewriting of that first vision. Kahropa is my most ambitious project to date, not only for its scale but also for its place within a grander work I have tilled for years: the epic metal album Kahropa, which I released under my musical moniker, Erancnoir.

It is a dark fantasy set in the Apaxtari realms, a winterbound land beneath the looming peaks of Apaxtaran. Within these pages, you will find tales of oppression, hope, and sacrifice. I have included links to the accompanying album, should you wish to hear the musical equivalent of this journey.

You can purchase the book on Amazon as e-book or paperback.

Erancnoir – Kahropa (Full-length/Story album)

Kahropa is the tale of Lady Zaldoxt, the last Zal princess and the final sentinel of the besnowed mountains of Apaxtaran. For generations, the Apaxtari realms have endured murderous onslaughts by the night wights, shadow fiends of unknown origin that descend upon the lands of men from beyond the frozen pinnacles.

Ancient legends speak of a once-majestic empress who wrought the world from the amber blood within her veins. Yet the vanity of men led to the profane slaying of the Lady Kahropa, and of all her empyrean divinity, only an amber heart remained, fused to the very sword that defiled her corporeal form.

Fate led Zaldoxt to this relic deep within a tunnel beneath the Apaxtari borders, where the lingering consciousness of the fallen Goddess whispered unto her soul: take up the sword and the heart, and return them to Yaxzul, the Citadel of Ice, the crystalline monument raised upon the ruins of her otherworldly palace, where her amber tomb now lies guarded by her primordial kin, Zaxtar, the King of the Void.

Only by enduring this harrowing pilgrimage and reconciling the heart with the Goddess’ comatose form could Zaldoxt hope to end the ceaseless onslaught of the Void and spare the waking world from annihilation.

But could she fulfil her charge and prove to the zealots and oppressors of her kind, and above all to Zaxtar the Void King, that the world yet deserved redemption? Or would she fall, and with her, consign all creation to the eternal darkness of nothingness?

A note from Erancnoir:

Kahropa is most definitely my biggest project to date and the most ambitious one amongst all the musical endeavours that I have stepped into; not only because of its length and the limits I pushed throughout the creation process, but because of its relation to a bigger project that I have been working on for years. I am planning to release my debut novel, “Kahropa: The Amber Heart of Apaxtaran”, in the coming weeks, and this album will serve as its soundtrack.

Kahropa is a dark fantasy novel set in a world of much strife and yet much beauty, inspired by my beloved motherland. It takes place in the Apaxtari realms, a winterbound land just below the looming mountains of Apaxtaran, and tells tales of oppression, discrimination, hope, sacrifice and redemption.

I had the honour to feature the beautiful voice of my dear friend Mehrshid, as she graced the album with his lovely vocals, all sung in the Apaxtari dialect that is somehow inspired by the dialect of my home city of Nishapur. Above all else, Mehrshid honoured me by illustrating the artwork for both the album and the book, which depicts Zaldoxt, the novel’s protagonist, and her adversary, Zaxtar the Void King. For her priceless contributions, I will be forever grateful.

For the best experience, please use headphones and immerse into the world of Apaxtaran.

I hope you enjoy this journey.