Development Journal

The Spark — January 2024

January 13

Eclipseborn began as a D&D character concept: twin dragonborns—one solar, one lunar—who shared a single body, switching at dawn and dusk.

"I have actually the coolest character I have ever thought of in my life, I'm so invested already"

— Discord message to the DM

Early 2024 — Campaign Falls Through

By the time our group couldn't coordinate schedules, I was already in love with this character and their world. The irony wasn't lost on me: I had created someone who would never exist in the way I'd intended.

The Shift

But that sense of loss became creative fuel.

What started as game preparation became an obsession—not with playing a character, but with telling their story.

The First Written Concept — January 14, 2024

One day after the Discord message, the first "Origin of Yuki and Yera" document was written. It established:

Core Concept

  • Twins as "Twin Architects of Life"
  • Souls fused as "two halves of a whole"
  • Yuki in sun's golden light, Yera in moon's silver glow
  • Dragon Synthesis — fusion of solar might and lunar grace

World & Artifacts

  • The Fertile Plains — "reality seemed thinner"
  • The Celestial Twin Scepter
  • Theralis' Core — the celestial tree
  • Eclipse-born lineage mythology

Much of this original concept was completely reimagined, scrapped, or evolved throughout the two-year process. This was the seed — the final project bears little resemblance to these early mechanics, but the question at its heart remained: what would it be like to share everything with someone you could never meet?

Two Years of Evolution

Character Creation

January 2024

D&D campaign prep. Character sheets shared. Within days, the backstory consumed more attention than the game mechanics.

Campaign Falls Through

Early 2024

The group put the campaign on hold. But the character wouldn't let go. Kept writing backstory — the question emerged: what would it actually be like to share everything with someone you could never meet?

Mythic-Poetic Fragments

Spring–Summer 2024

The backstory became something more — fragments of mythology, early versions of Solus and Luna, philosophical tone pieces. More exploration than structure.

Decision to Write a Novel

Fall 2024

Committed to writing the twins' story as an actual novel. Book 3: Eclipseborn — Sun and Moon. The original story that would later prompt everything else.

The History Question

Late 2024

The novel needed history. Why was the world divided? What was lost? What came before? These questions demanded answers.

Building Backwards

Winter 2024–2025

Wrote the creation story (Book 1), the Golden Age teachings (Book 1.5), the Severing (Book 2), the teacher's story (Book 2.5). Each prequel changed how the original story worked.

Documentation & World Bible

Early 2025

Formalized the world bible, established versioning, created reference documents. The scattered fragments became a coherent universe.

Audio & Multimedia

Mid 2025

Recorded chapter narration, developed audio synchronization, built listening interfaces. The project expanded beyond text.

Refinement & Integration

Late 2025–January 2026

Finalizing Ages of Light, revising Sun and Moon to align with established history, preparing for Ages of Dark. Two years from character sheet to multimedia saga.

"I wrote Eclipseborn because I needed it to exist. In a world that often feels fractured beyond repair, I wanted a story that took the possibility of healing seriously."