Welcome to Project Serenai, a cross-media fiction & art project primarily focused on the science fantasy setting Menidiath. If you’ve been here before, you might notice the website has been streamlined a lot to reflect a new era in the project life. The focus is now much more centered on the art and writing that has been produced, rather than lore. That’s not to say there won’t be secrets to find on this site as time goes on though. Hope you enjoy this new site, and the new age of Menidiath that starts with the Season of the Dark Moon.


[ Read the intro text ]

• • • SEASON OF THE DARK MOON • • •

Deep inside the most secure fortress on the face of Menidiath, a large screen lit up with a hundred alarms and started blaring. The sound of oncoming disaster. An attendant, a little worm-like creature encased in a suit that gave it extra limbs, jolted awake. Desperately it tried to make sense of the sudden calamity as a towering figure clad in robes and an elaborate breathing mask strode up behind it.

“What is happening?“ the tall figure boomed as the little creature hacked away at the control panel before them.

“I-I’m sorry Master,” the little attendant chirped, “It seems…it seems like some large stellar body is approaching fast. It’s orbit-”

“Oh no…” the tall figure pushed the attendant aside, and brought up a view of the approaching guest. “It is much too soon… This will ruin everything.”


* * * * *

Like all disasters, it came without warning.

It happened on a bright summer day, when the wind was peaceful and the sun was bright. All of a sudden, a dark ripple spread across the clear blue sky, like black oil across the surface of a pond. And then, with an unearthly howl, it came. Out of nowhere a massive, dark moon appeared, a sombre giant clad in black and violet, its surface streaked with colourful scars. It blotted out the sun with its dark haze, covering the world in a gloomy, unnatural night. The world came to a standstill as the gazed upon this dark visitor, fearful of what might come next. That’s when the changes started.
Mere minutes after it appeared, sorcery all over the world started failing and going out of control. Even the most experienced and powerful sorcerors now found themselves unable to control their gifts, being at the mercy of unknown forces far beyond their own capabilities. Enchanted objects warped and took on strange new properties, and those marked with enchanted sigils quickly found out that the effects were…changing.

If those had been the only changes, things might have been more manageable. But there was more to come.

The Javenian cities, built and maintained completely by sorcery, now were completely paralyzed, their citizens suddenly deprived of the powers that had kept them safe and comfortable. In one fell swoop, the Javenian-Rakkhari war took a drastic turn.

All across the world, old relics and ruins that people had though dead lit up at the arrival of the dark moon. Places that before had been nothing but nearly forgotten graveyards suddenly lit up the nightsky with eerie lights. More and more anomalies started appearing, and those that were already old and stable suddenly mutated and spread. The very world was tearing at the seams.

And amidst all this, as the people of the world cowered and tried to make sense of it all, there were those that saw more clearly what was coming. To some, it was a crisis that had to be averted. To others, it was an opportunity. A chance to take control.

The old order of things was due for a massive change. The season of the dark moon had begun.

* * * * *

“M-Master Ruun… What does this mean?” the little attendant asked, its voice filled with fear.

The tall figure didn’t speak for a while, only contemplating what lay ahead as the sound of its breathing apparatus filled the silence.

“It means that we are out of time. That blast of sorcery that those lunatics let loose when they started their war destabilised the weave. And now, this will only worsen things.” The tall creature let out a roar of frustration, a roar that had been building for hundreds of years. “This damn thing was not meant to show until nearly two hundred years from now. It’s too soon.”

An uneasy silence fell. The echoes of personnel scurrying around the facility to deal with the impending calamity was increasing every second. And there was no one else to tell them what to do than this one, lone creature who was beginning to run out of answers.

“What… what do we do Master Ruun?” the attendant finally asked carefully.

The tall creature pondered for a moment. Then, it tapped at the control panel, bringing up a series of images. Individuals from very different parts of this troubled world.

“It is time to get them. Now or never.”

“...All of them? Do we start with the girl as planned?” the attendant asked, mustering a bit of courage as it seemed like its Master had a plan.

“Yes. She has to be the first one.” The tall creature pressed a button, causing announcements to ring out throughout the facility. “It’s time to finally gather the children home.”


Below you will find all sorts of content about the world. Be advised that this site may seem like it only focuses on art, but as you explore there is more to find for those that are interested. Not all things are served on a platter...


• • • MAPS • • •

The world of Menidiath is quite vast, much of which is still uncharted. Below are some of the maps that show different parts of the world.




• • • ARTWORK • • •

There are currently 328 pieces of public and secret art uploaded.

There’s quite a bit of art connected to the world of Menidiath, and below is just some of the works that have been made. All works below are made by Project Lead Zacharias Holmberg, further down the page you can find fan art and contest submissions by others.





























• • • SELECTED WRITING • • •

The Wedding Burglary

Alena of Esma was in many ways an epitome of the Seran ideal. Educated, thoughtful and clear-headed. But in other ways, she was far different from your average Seran woman. Today especially, she felt severely out of place. She stood dressed in her finest garments, dark vestments in blacks and blues, with only small gemstones that sparkled in the dim light. A fine, black veil of elaborate lace covered her face, just thin enough so that she could see through it. She stood huddled with others from her family, her mother and father on one side, and her brother and his wife on the other...
Read more...

The Duke's Rest

Evening had fallen on The Duke’s rest, a small tavern that hadn’t lived up to its fancy name in years. War and strife had taken its toll, but it was still a place dear to its regulars. Times were dark and everyone was on edge, and gathering with those near and dear to you was one of the few joys that remained. That evening, however, there were few visitors in the Duke’s rest...
Read more...

• • • WORKS BY OTHERS • • •

Quite a few people have contributed art, music or written works to the project, and below you can find almost all of them. The project has also hosted three creative contests, and the submissions to those are included below!









Music by Niclas Buss

Feast at Gardov OutpostHavsfararnas sångLenorian ThemeThe Misty RiftThe Ballad of AvannaMusic to start a festive evening

• • • CONTACT & SUPPORT • • •

Should you wish to support the project and it's creator, you can do so using the following means:
Redbubble, Society6 and Threadless have prints, products and lots of other goodies.
Etsy has original art, digital prints, notebooks and short story collections.
Paypal is where you can leave a small tip, perhaps enough to buy a coffee.


Portfolio: [ Link ]
Email: zacharias.b.holmberg - gmail.com
http://linktr.ee/zachholmberg
Instagram: @zachholmberg
Tumblr: http://zachholmbergart.tumblr.com/

Prints, notebooks, tshirts, stickers, etc: