The Story Behind
Helsgaard Keep
It started with a machinima music video that George, his kids and some online friends made in 2009 using the World of Warcraft game engine and screen capture software. The music was "Save My Soul" by Christine W remixed by Gabriel & Dresdin.
The five questions that led to three music videos and several books...
1. In the song, she asks, "Who is gonna save me?" Well, the Paladin is going to save her.
2. Why does she need saving? Because she's fighting dragons.
3. Where are they fighting dragons? On the volcanic plains of Hel.
4. Where did the dragons come from? Hel is their home.
5. Where did the human warriors come from? They came from the fortress on the border of Hel, aptly named Hel's Guard Keep, or Helsgaard Keep.
Just for funsies...
George’s writing journey began in October 1988 with his first published article. Encouraged by its success, he became a monthly columnist from 1999 to 2002, penning fifty articles. Since 2001, he has documented numerous technical systems, producing thousands of pages of critical documentation.
More recently, he has turned his creative focus to storytelling, crafting scripts for videos, short films, and fantasy screenplays. In 2023, his Public Service Announcement was featured in the Glendale Community College Film Festival, and his short film was showcased at the First Annual AIFilmFest in Paris.
Now, George is channeling his passion into novel writing, expanding on the worlds introduced in his screenplays and Machinima videos. The first novel in his new series, Helsgaard’s Heroine, won the AutoCrit Novel90 Shortlist Award in 2025, solidifying his place as a rising voice in fantasy fiction.
George, the Author
Fun Facts
The terrain surrounding Helsgaard Keep is based on Schnebly Hill Overlook, east of Sedona, Arizona. This makes Sedona the area called Helsgaard Frontier. The walls that are named Eastern Helsgaard Wall and Western Helsgaard Wall really exist at that location. The names were changed, but the terrain is the same.
The Cinder Hills OHV Area inspired the terrain of Hel.
The Nels River is named after George's great-grandfather, Nels, who was allegedly exiled from Haderslev, Denmark, to escape the German army during their occupation in the 1800s. However, in researching the family's history and genealogy, none of the alleged family stories could be verified, and the dates indicate that they never happened.
The Clarellen River is named after George's mother. The story about the settler who named the river actually happened in real life (must read Helsgaard's Heroine for the details).
Lozen is named after an Apache warrior rumored to have had one-fourth of the US Army chasing after her.
Mission Commander Hrolf is based on a real person who was mediocre at his job and ascended in rank through the attrition of those above him. Or maybe several people :)
All of the cursing in the books is based on Old Norse or proto-Germanic swear words. Their use is consistent with Norway's culture today.
"Hell" seemed appropriate for a volcanic area. The double "L" gave it an undesired religious connotation and to be inconsistent with the older Germanic languages, it lost an "L." It turns out the name "Hel" with a fiery meaning is due to Christian influence, not Pagan beliefs. However, Hel is believed to be underground, consistent with Christian beliefs, where Hel (or Hela), Loki's daughter, ruled with her dragons. The occupants of Hel were known as Hel-walkers and were those who died of old age or illness.
"Gaard" (properly gård) is Danish for "homestead," making Helsgaard mean "Hell's Homestead," which the Wyverns would likely disagree with. However, "garðr" means "yard," so Helsgaard should really be known as Helsgarðr. I'm sure the Wyverns like that better: "Get out of my yard, Humans!" Now, to cover up that error in the stories...
All titles in the series have the word "Hel" in them. Hel, Helsgaard, Helstorm. Whatever. Must have "Hel" in it, like it's a trademark thing.
The movie "Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse" referred to Jenna Ortega's character Astrid Deetz as "Little Bird" - a term used in the book Helsgaard's Heroine months beforehand. There was something else amazingly similar, which I do not recall. My filmmaker friends tell me "Coincidences do happen."
Sources
Icelandic Poetry or the Edda of Sæmund (1797)
Prose Edda (secondary reference)
Njáls Saga (secondary reference)
Völuspá (secondary reference)
Trent: What Happened at the Council by John W. O'Malley
Canons and Decrees of the Council Of Trent by Rev. Fr. H. J. Schroeder
Locks and Lavatories: The Architecture of Privacy by Philippe Planel
The Poems of Catullus translated by Guy Lee
The Secret History of Domesticity: Public, Private, and the Division of Knowledge by Michael McKeon
Hel (Being) AKA Hela
Inspiration
Donelle, for seeing Alva as more than just a crazy lady living in the forest, rather, a puppet character manipulating world events. She also supported my writing addiction. Pretty important :)
Tracy, for sharing that she was fired from work because she "didn't fit in." Lozen doesn't quite fit in, either. Both have red hair and are a bit spicy.
Unknown Reviewer, for suggesting Anja and Rylen were Lozen's parents, spawned the prequel to what was the main story.
Screenwriter/Director/Producer Chris (with 27 IMDb credits) shredded my screenplay outline and taught me a thing or two about writing a story. The original Machinima videos are flawed in that the antagonists are the Dragons; therefore, the whole story of the undead is incorrect. It took almost two months to rewrite that outline and make the story work because I wanted the Humans to work with the Dragons, as they'll need them to fight the Necromancers in the Necropolis.
Melissa, who wanted to play the part of Lozen in my anticipated indy film, and inspired Lozen to be the baddest bitch around.
Though I never met him, I drew much inspiration from Joss Wheadon's TV show Firefly.
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