English Page

Dear Visitor

Welcome to 'De geheimen van Imh', in English 'The secrets of Imh'.

The name of the site reflects the title of the first fantasy trilogy written by Nico Franken. 'The secrets of Imh' is a fantasy story that brings us back to the birth of our universe. It reveals things that went wrong during the creation of this magical space, with the rise of evil and the enormous struggle between bad and good as a result. All this is happening in a wonderful world filled with magical creatures. The story gives readers a chance to break away from the stress of everyday's life.

At this moment the story is only published in the Dutch language. Translation in English is of course a wish but that is a job exceeding the writers own skills. This means that a publishing date in English is at the time not available. In the mean time small passages of the story wil be published in English on this page.

Although the site bears the name of the first fantasy story of the writer,  it is not only dedicated to that particular story. The site also tells a little of the writer's own background and includes other writings like poems. Some of these items will also gradually be posted on this English page.

The writer hopes you  like this website and invites you to let him know what you think about its content.  Of course other questions or remarks are also welcome. You can do so by posting your reaction by e-mail (tab Contactgegevens).

Thank you for your visite!

Book 1

'The secrets of Imh'

birth and battle

As expected, however still suddenly, not so long after these first sightings in the Devil mountains, things happened where the elves had feared for. Lugubris had sent an army in a serious effort to expand his empire by overthrowing another nation and the first great war for control over Tamarant erupted. The first battle took place in the far northeastern part of Carved Dau, at a mountain which was called Kunam Kalam. A major route led over this mountain directly from Plana Medu to the capital city of the dwarf kingdom Bolchador. This was reason enough for the dwarfs to block the pass by building a big fortress. On one side this fortress was leaning against the steep mountain side and the other side of the fortress was anchored by its foundation at the edge of a gorge that was hundreds of meters deep. The gorge parted Kunam Kalam from the next mountain. The only entrance to the pass was now formed by two thick, double iron doors. One at the front end of the fortress and one at the back end. The space above these doors consisted of big stone vaults that were meters thick. Arrows could be fired from or burning oil and pitch could be poured through cracks in these vaults. So even if one of the doors would get destroyed, the other one could still be well defended. The dwarfs called the fortress Karapazar, the safe house. There were lots of heavy weapons at Karapazar and the troops took shelter in the mountain itself.

Book 2

'The secrets of Imh'

the shadow of evil

Silently the group drove on. About half a hour later they passed the walls of Kur-Ubu. Once the travelers entered the city they had more reason to wonder. Besides the absence of the huge town canal, Kur-Ubu looked like a smaller copy of Gor-Urbitsa. Just like in Gor-Urbitsa the group passed through two huge defensive walls and continued towards a citadel, that also served as a palace, in the center of the city. The residents seemed like very proud people but they kept to themselves. When the group passed, the residents greeted them in a friendly manner, however they obviously felt that everyone kept a safe distance. No one was really enthousiastic or showed curiosity. The travellers also noticed that, with no exception, every man they saw was armed. There was no time to pay too much attention because Baldak Dira led them at high speed through the streets of the city. He drove so fast that they could hardly continue in his track.

Book 3

'The secrets of Imh'

the end of an era

“Brr…., what the hell have we ended up in again?” Bans Bari looked around, shivering. “What a horrible, gray place. And what lurks in that dark undergrowth around us?” With these words, the elf spoke aloud what eight of the other nine traveling companions also thought. Silently they stood close together in the clearing before the gate of doom, taking in the surroundings. Each of them felt dozens of spying eyes piercing their backs. Yet there was no sign of life to be discovered. Combined with the whimsical world around them, this gave the traveling companions an ominous feeling. The group was surrounded by giant trees. Bigger than they had ever seen. The silver-gray trunks of those trees bore a thick, dark canopy that did not allow a ray of light to penetrate. Between these trees grew meter-high bushes that had an equally dark appearance. Their jagged branches were equipped with all sorts of treacherous, razor-sharp protrusions that could inflict terrible wounds on man and beast. Above it all, seen from the clearing, was a gray sky full of black storm clouds that were being chased across the sky. That in itself was a strange sensation, because where the travelers were there was only a light breeze. After staring around for a while, Kasim broke the silence. “And we just think that everything was created out of love. There is little of that to be seen in this cursed place. It seems rather to be the fruit of hatred. 

Besides the story of Imh, the author has published some poetry. Until today these bundles are only available in Dutch language.

Hart en Eenvoud

Luchtig Bezien

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