The Song of the Realms Is Growing: What's Coming Next

A note from the author

When I first began writing The Song of the Realms, I didn't fully anticipate how much world there was to explore — or how many ways there were to explore it. The myths, the music, the in-world documents, the characters who carry these ancient stories on their tongues... it started to feel wrong to keep all of it contained to a single format on a single page.

So, I'm not going to.

Here's a look at what's already underway — and where I'm hoping to take things from here.

🎵 The Music Is Already Alive

One of the things that has always been central to this world is the music. The Bard doesn't just tell stories — he sings them. The songs embedded throughout the chronicles aren't decorative. They are the oldest layer of the mythos, the form in which the history of the Realms was first preserved.

That means they deserve to be heard.

I've already begun posting audio performances of the Bard's songs on this website under "The Sound of the Realms" and on YouTube(@thesongoftherealms).  They were created in such a way that it would be close to what hearing him live would sound like (don't worry, I'm not the one singing). 

The goal is to give these pieces the weight and atmosphere they carry in the world itself.  Like everything else, the songs and videos are a work in progress.

However, down the road, the dream is to get the music onto Spotify and Apple Music as well — so that the songs of the Realms can travel with you wherever you go (without the hassle). 

That's not happening tomorrow, but it's where we're heading.

📜 The In-World Documents

The Song of the Realms has always included documents that exist within the world — pamphlets, academic guides, archive entries, freshman handbooks from Dúnán (a place you haven't learned about yet, but will be important later). 

These aren't just background flavor. They are the way the people of the Veiled World understand their own history, pass down their traditions, and make sense of the magic around them.  They are written from those individual's perspectives and understandings (and I'm holding off releasing them to you guys to avoid confusion for now).   

That said, many of them are already fully written.  I'm going to turn them into colored pamphlets that reflect what they'd actually look like in the world, and eventually, for the super fans who want something they can hold, the hope is to release a collected printed edition of these in-world documents: a physical artifact from the Realms itself.

📖 Storybook Videos — A Dream for Down the Road 

One idea I've had rattling around for a while: a series of videos retelling shortened versions of the chronicles in a classic storybook style — think once upon a time, warm narration, and illustration-driven storytelling. The kind of thing that feels timeless, the way the oldest stories always do.

This one isn't in production yet, but it's a direction I genuinely want to go. The Realms has stories that deserve that kind of treatment.

🧒 Children's Books — Planting Seeds Early

Tied to the storybook video idea is another long-term goal: corresponding illustrated children's books. Something a parent could read aloud, something a child could return to.

The Realms has always been, at its core, a story about innocence, fracture, the long work of restoration, and most importantly, how God interacts with individuals. These are themes that are not only good for children, but are sometimes things they understand the truths on a much deeper level than adults do. 

This one is further out — but it's on the horizon.

📚 The Bookshelf — A Home for Completed Works

As the project matures, I'm hoping to add a section to the website called The Bookshelf: a home for completed works, where the full chronicles, collections, and published titles can all live in one place.

Think of it as the library wing of everything The Song of the Realms is growing into. Obviously, it's not there yet — but that's the vision.

What This All Adds Up To

Some people find a world through music. Some through a children's book they were given at seven years old. Some through a beautifully designed document they can't stop rereading. Some through a video they stumbled onto at midnight.

The Song of the Realms has always been built around the idea that the Song is too vast to be approached all at once — that the best way in is through a single voice, a single story, a single moment of recognition.

So that's what I'm building toward with as many doors as I can.

I'll share updates on each of these as they develop. Stay close, and happy reading.

— Kai Pen

Have thoughts or questions about where the project is heading? Drop them in the comments. And if you haven't yet, now is a great time to follow along — there's a lot coming.